The emergence of new Web 2.0 tools has
brought on an abundance of creativity by teachers around the world
who are looking to motivate their students with new and exciting
learning opportunities. Elementary, Middle, and High Schools alike
are finding ways to utilize these new tools to maximize student
communication, participation, and excitement. Schools such as Napa
New Tech High School and the Lemon Grove School District in
California have set the bar for technology-rich educational models.
Although technology is heavily utilized in these schools, Solomon and
Schrum (2007) point out that the “use of collaborative and
project-based learning was the first priority, and they looked at
technology to support the pedagogy and philosophy second” (pg. 79).
Classroom applications of Web 2.0 tools are growing as teachers in
all subjects are creating ways for students to collaborate with one
another on the internet. Students are using blogs to brainstorm,
organize, and write, while their peers have an opportunity to provide
feedback and open a collaborative dialogue. Similarly, Wikis are a
way for students to work together on a project in a group space.
Podcasting allows students to record their thoughts and listen to
them at a later time. Digital Storytelling is a way to merge
“writing, photographs, music, and voice to create a personal
multimedia story” (pg. 83). This tool can be used by students to
present information in a way that is interesting to them and their
peers. Although the chapter only covers applications used in the
English and Literature, Media Literacy, Social Studies, Journalism,
Math, Geography, ESL/ELL, and Science classrooms, the usefulness of
these resources is not limited in scope. Teachers in all fields are
constantly discovering and creating new and creative ways to use
these tools with their students in the classroom.
While describing applications for the
Geography classroom, Solomon and Schrum (2007) state, “Given the
nature of our world today, it is important to understand and
appreciate other countries and other cultures” (pg. 94). This
statement is completely valid can be applied toward any situation,
any profession, anyone at any age, etc. I am always amazed when I
encounter someone who knows very little about people and places
outside of where they grew up and have lived their entire lives. I
feel like I was one of those people until working on cruise ships,
where I live in close quarters with people from over 70
nationalities. When I was in middle school, the ability to
communicate, collaborate, and learn from people in other countries
was a longer process. Students today have the fantastic opportunity
to take advantage of these new and fast lines of communication with
people across the world, and I would hope that teachers are making
this a priority in the classroom.
NETS (students)
Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative
thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innocative products and
processes using technology. Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to
generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b. create original works as a
means of personal or group expression.
c. use models and simulations
to explore complex systems and issues.
d. identify trends and
forecast possibilities.
References
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
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