Web+2.0

**1.) ARTIFACT:** Web 2.0is an essay about second version of world wide web. - I think the Web 2.0 is excellent in that it gives students an access to learning that hasn't been available until recent technological advancements. - I will use Web 2.0 in the classroom by implementing various tools into the curriculum so that differentiated instruction is inherent in the learning.
 * 2.) What do you think of it? **
 * 3.) How will you use it in your classroom? **

__WEB 2.0 Assignment __ 1.) What do you think of Web 2.0 in education:
 * 1) I personally think that Web 2.0 in education is a phenomenal tool! It gives students an access to learning that hasn’t been available but in the last 20 years or so. It also allows the teacher to provide differentiated instruction at a whole new level. Rather than spending extensive periods of time trying to vary instruction based on the needs of students, you can simply implement Web 2.0 tools INTO the curriculum so that differentiated instruction is inherent in the learning. By tackling breakdowns in the curriculum through implementing current technologies that students can relate to, it actually frees up the teacher to more authentically assess students’ needs by removing barriers that Web 2.0 can solve.

2.) Features of the 5 Web 2.0 tools you select respectively from the site
 * 1) I was drawn to the Web 2.0 tools that stimulated creativity and fostered collaboration. I find that the features all of the five Web 2.0 tools I selected encouraged similar outcomes through varied means; which seems to be the objective of differentiated instruction. For instance, I chose Sketchfu because of its ability to allow students to express themselves through more artistic means. More artistic learners tend to be (obviously) more hands on – kinesthetic learners – and this would be an engaging and fun way to express their knowledge. Next, I chose textorizor. I particularly liked this tool because it allows students to make pictures from words. I thought this might be particularly helpful for visual learners like myself but also would be a great tool for memorization and more rote knowledge. As a student I always struggled with reading comprehension and memorization – therefore, flashcards were my best friend. This unique approach allows students to combine words with images, which is said to be more effective than words and a definition. The third tool I chose was the Decide Already tool. I loved the idea of this because it really did a wonderful job of fostering collaboration among students. In Western society we are so intent on promoting competition – which has its appropriate time and place – but a forum that allows students to be vulnerable while sharing their thoughts, ideas, and solutions to a particular problem, gives them an appreciation for how valuable working together can be. Next, I chose “Gymnasium for Brain.” The features of this tool were that it claimed to help sharpen the mind and improve the ability to think outside the box. This was especially important to me because it seems a rarity in school that we actually foster creativity – we operate around memorization of rote knowledge so that we can pass our standardized tests at the end of the year, so any activity that actively fosters creativity is a bonus. Also, this tool helps improve math skills, leaving students with the ability to solve problems with velocity while having fun. It hones analytical and logical skills and also presents moral dilemmas and answers that allow questions from peers. This tool seemed the most versatile, which was especially appealing to me. Lastly, I chose “Place Spotting.” This tool utilizes Google Earth to find places in the world and allows you to create quizzes to make the Web 2.0 tool interactive with your peers. I find this application to be especially fantastic because it is a great example of bringing the real world into the classroom. Rather than just seeing conceptually on a map “where” a place is located, by using Google Earth, you actually experience tangible geographic regions and features. This helps make the experience of another place more grounded in reality for students.

3.) How you will use those 5 tools in your teaching respectively (please use concrete examples)  I would use this Web 2.0 tool in the classroom in order to break down a complicated topic. For instance, when trying to explain the complexities of the Civil War, creating a sketch to map it out might engage students more effectively. By drawing the sketch on Sketchfu, then playing the sketch at the pace you want enables you to ILLUSTRATE the step-by-step process of a complicated time in history that might be hard to grasp auditorily. Something complicated like the Civil War could be drawn illustrating Confederate vs. Union uniforms, various battles and drawing WHERE they were fought to give the students a sense of spatial awareness, and lastly the social/economic ramifications. You could sketch a huge collage; play the sketch slowly, piece by piece, so the students can see how the entire ordeal came together. Breaking it down in this way would allow students to absorb the information better, and make it more capturing that it otherwise might have been.
 * 1) Sketchfu:

When I first came across this tool I thought it would be really great to help students remember vocab words by creating a picture to go along with it. Research has shown that imagery has a greater impact on our brain, and therefore picture association can be a powerful tool for us. I think that by using the textorizor as an access for students to help them understand big concepts, or simply by helping students memorize vocab could be very powerful for them.
 * 1) Textorizor:

 This Web 2.0 tool has so many practical applications. I would love to see this tool used in a group project. Since the content area I’m pursuing is History, perhaps the students could pick a historical situation that has impacted our society today, and use “Decide Already” to collaborate and come up with solutions. For instance, students might chose an problem to tackle such as the environmental impact of CFCs on our atmosphere, or the unsustainable rate of consumption by the USA, recycling, glacial melt, etc. After picking a topic the students would pose a question on what kinds of solutions would work. This tool has a unique feature that allows you to vote on various answers, continue to narrow it down and provide feedback, until there is an agreed upon solution that the group thinks is the best possible solution. This tool could be used as a facilitator for ideas and collaboration in addition to group research and meetings.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">DecideAlready:

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> This tool would be a great resource for getting the morning started. You could choose an analytical and logical skill builder question, math problem, or moral dilemma to have students solve as a way to get their brain in gear for the morning. You could change it daily or weekly on whether or not the students would work in groups, pairs, or individually. This would be a great way to integrate technology into the classroom that stimulates thought patterns that shake up the brains traditional morning routine.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Gymnasium for Brain:

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Last but not least, Place Spotting is a great way to bring the world into the classroom in a way that encourages students to get outside the “bubble” they live in. One way to incorporate this into the classroom is to create an individual 2-3week project in which students chose a culture to study. They would research and present anything from traditions, food, language, location, etc. of the culture. They could utilize the Web 2.0 tool Place Spotting to begin their presentation, by using the quiz feature of the tool to engage the class in an inquiry as to what country they researched. This would have the class using context clues to make educated decisions on what country was being described and where it was located. Then “Place Spotter” would be able to use satellite imagery from Google Earth to give the students a real world experience of who/what/where the country is – into the classroom.
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Place Spotting: