Web 2.0: Participative Technologies in the Classroom

Web 2.0 Tools are online software programs that allow users to do a number of different things. They can be used to teach curriculum content, store data, create/edit video, edit photos, collaborate and so much more. These programs are often free and are used by teachers, students, and sometimes parents, both in and out of the classroom, on a pretty regular basis. The use of Web 2.0 Tools to support instruction is vital. How we use these tools is going to make a critical difference in how we measure our student’s success and how they are supported to meet 21st century skill sets. The sooner we learn to harness their wonderful power, and how they can bring learning alive in the classroom, the better.

In the spirit of teaching through technology, there are 8 great Web 2.0 educational tools that can be encouraged to seek out, practice with, and learn to incorporate into our work in the classroom.

        8 Great Web 2.0 tools to support you in the classroom:

1. Glogster- Glogster is a great creativity site whose tag line is “poster yourself”.  A ‘glog’ is basically an online poster web page.  Students can combine text, pictures, graphics,    video, and audio to create an interactive online poster.

 2. Voice Thread- Voice Thread is a collaborative, multimedia slideshow that allows students to comment on images, documents, and video through text, video, and audio files. It is an easy way to differentiate instruction while providing engaging choices to “show” learning, engage in conversation, and think openly and critically about content.

3. Wordle- Teachers and students can generate word clouds that show prominent words in any body of text. Just enter text you have gathered from students, or even a URL, to see a summary of what the text is about.

4. Kidblog- This site was designed specifically for elementary and middle school teachers who want to provide each of their students with their own, unique blog. Kidblog’s simple, powerful tools allow students to publish posts and participate in discussions within a secure classroom blogging community.

5. Linoit- Linoit is a great service that provides its registered users with virtual “stickies” that can be placed on a canvas or bulletin board area. Both linoit users and non-registered guests can post stickies on the canvas.

6. Storybird- This is a fun and easy-to-use tool for creating short, visual stories. Students can select artwork, drag and organize photos, and add their own text. These creations can    then be published on the web with adjustable privacy settings. There is also the option to allow comments, which is perfect for teachers to encourage student collaboration.

7. Skype- This web tool is an easy solution for teachers to open up their classroom and their students to a world way beyond their campus. With Skype, students can learn from other students, connect with other cultures, and expand their knowledge in amazing ways by communicating through their computer with a webcam.

8. Wetoku- Wetoku is a web service or Web 2.0 tool out of Korea that provides a simple platform for interviewing someone via the Internet. Collaborating globally is a must for our students and connecting can be a challenge. Wetoku makes doing an interview as easy as filling out some basic information, creating an interview session and then sending the creative interview session’s URL to the interviewee. Once the recording is done, the interviewer can embed the copy of the URL into a blog or website.