Web+2.0

//Reflection: The Web 2.0 assignment was designed to help us consider different ways that we can incorporate the Web into our classrooms. It helped me to find possible educational websites and interactive tools that my students will be able to utilize. Through this assignment I learned that there is a great deal of Web resources for teachers to use in their classroom. Below you will see my further thoughts on Web 2.0 and some examples of resources that I can see myself using in the classroom.//

I believe that I will be able to utilize Web 2.0 in numerous ways as a teacher. Today, technology is an integral part of society. Not only do children need to learn about technology in order to be most productive in society, but teachers can use technology to conduct more effective teaching and learning. Specifically Web 2.0 will be helpful in teaching because as it is said in the definition it “provides people a platform for communication, interaction, and collaboration through online resources and services.” Those are all elements that when used wisely can be very effective in assisting with teaching. I am going to be teaching elementary school; most likely kindergarten or first grade. So the age and developmental stage of the children I will be teaching is something I really took into consideration while evaluating the Web 2.0 resources provided. In my current understanding of technology integration, several of these Web 2.0 resources may be too complicated to utilize with younger children. My understanding is that technology is not used quite as much with young children as it is with older kids. However I think some of them will most definitely be helpful, and helping kids learn about certain aspects can give them a good head start.

The first Web 2.0 resource I can see myself utilizing in the classroom when teaching is Slide, which is a photo presentation site. Slide functions like a powerpoint presentation. You can look up picture presentations under a certain topic and you can also share one that you yourself put together. With kindergartners I could find a photo presentation for a topic and then show them a slide show and ask them to identify what they are looking at. With first or second graders I could pull up a presentation on a certain word and then have them spell that word. For example, I could show them a picture presentation of an apple and then ask them to spell the word apple. Or I could make a presentation that is designed to help young children learn about colors, numbers, words etc. I think that would work especially well with kindergartners. For example, I could put a picture presentation together of things that are different colors and when each colored object comes onto the screen I could ask them to identify the color.

Another Web 2.0 resource that I can see myself using is TuxPaint. TuxPaint is a digital drawing program that is especially designed for children between the ages of 3 and 12. I think this could be a very useful tool to use for kindergartners or first graders. I could have them identify colors, draw/paint objects, etc. I could tell them to use certain colors and put them on a certain object that they should draw. This would give them an opportunity to be creative (which I have recently learned is very important for children that age) and it would help their cognition to learn more about things like colors and how to form objects (people, places, things etc.)

Another source I think would be useful is NationalAnthems.net. This would be a very helpful Web 2.0 resource because it could help me teach about cultures and countries. I could pull it up and show students maps of countries, play their national anthem, show their flag etc. While I show them these things I could teach them about the culture of these different nations, their history, or other interesting facts. I think it is very important to educate children about other cultures and parts of the world. Technology allows us to do that with a great deal of ease. Using this website could be a good backdrop for this cultural education.

I could also utilize VocabAhead Vocabulary Videos. This is a site that has videos for vocabulary words and definitions. It looks like the videos are primarily for older students preparing for high school standard tests, but there are some simpler videos. I could also make my own. This would help students learn vocabulary words because they could see the word spelled out, hear it described so they know what the word means, and also see pictures to help them visualize the word. This could definitely help them learn about the meanings of words and the spelling of them. I think it would be most useful for first grade students because spelling becomes more of a priority at that age.

The last Web 2.0 resource that I can see myself finding very useful in teaching is Invention At Play. This one I think is great for young children. You choose a puzzle, and then have to make the shapes given fit into the puzzle. This would help kids learn about using computers, and shapes at the same time. They would have to think critically to make the correct shape fit into the correct part of the puzzle while also learning how to get the shape there by using the mouse on the computer. Combining the elements of technology knowledge and shape comprehension at the same time would be a very smart use of time. They can learn how a triangle fits with a triangle and so on. Shapes and critical thinking in that way are especially important elements for kindergartners.

This assignment really helped me to learn a great deal about technology integration in the classroom. I had no idea that there was such a vast array of Web 2.0 resources! It is comforting to know that in this day in age there are so many aspects of technology that will help my students learn even more effectively than they would without technology. With all of the resources that I described above I can also see students having fun with them, and when learning is fun it becomes a joy for children. The more joyful learning is, the more they want to learn and the better their education becomes.