Web+2.0

**Web 2.0** -- Essay
Web 2.0 is basically the internet, version 2.0: interactive, personal, and awesome. In this assignment, we were asked to evaluate our understanding of Web 2.0, discuss how we expect it will help us in our teaching careers, and then pick five aspects of the seemingly limitless Web 2.0 and explain how we will utilize these tools for our future classrooms.

Because this essay covers what Web 2.0 is, what we think of it, and how we will use it, I will not waste your time reiterating that fact in this introduction. Thus, here is the artifact:

__**The Essay**__

When I was in the third grade, I learned how to make my first webpage. I could not have been more excited! Now I could finally express myself, tell the world about my pets, my hobbies, and further expand upon my narcissism! I learned tables, frames, and all of that other HTML nonsense that rocked my socks off. The internet was my oyster. And then came the invention of Web 2.0: the bane of my web-designing experience. It seemed like everything I learned had become obsolete and very rapidly at that. Those were dark days of my existence; now, however, as a blossoming teacher, I can discovered I can utilize web 2.0 tools to assist me in my chosen career.

Web 2.0 in education means several things, but the most important is this: it allows for instant communication anytime, anywhere. Students and teachers have quick, easy, and uncomplicated interactions, cutting out unreliable e-mail servers that schools for us to use and utilizing the user-friendly interfaces that even a monkey could use. Students can also collaborate with each other, work on projects quickly and efficiently, and their work can be shared on the world wide web. I firmly believe that writing is a process that needs to be shared with others in order for full potential to be reached; web 2.0 allows that with ease. Finally, Web 2.0 can provide quick and easy access between teachers and parents; grades, homework assignments, and what was discussed in class can all be accessed through Web 2.0.

The first tool I would like to implement in my classroom is googledocs. It is what is known as a collaborative word processor, but that name simply doesn’t do it justice. Beyond being able to word process collaboratively, students can also create power points, spreadsheets, drawings, and forms. If students have an internet connection, a computer, and a gmail account, they can absolutely work together using this impressive technology. I would implement this technology in a plethora of ways. First, the collaborative power-point would be excellent in helping students give class presentations. They wouldn’t have to struggle to make times work in order to put their stuff together, which could cut down on their stress considerably. Second, googledocs would allow students to collaboratively write essays; I’ve always believed that working together on writing teaches students valuable skills, teamwork, and tenets of writing, and googledocs would allow them to do this from home. Because googledocs keeps a record of who edits what, it would be very easy to spot those students who did not contribute the way that they should have and dock them (or give extra) points, as necessary and fair. Thirdly, I would use this to help students keep track of their drafts. I want them to see and understand that all writing is a process; because it saves all of their drafts, they will be able to see their entire process, keep stuff they might have just saved over before, and realize that writing is never, truly, a finished process. Finally, I would like to use googledocs to give students feedback on their drafts and grade their final papers; because I can type faster than I can write, I can give honest feedback in a timely fashion, as well as grade in a time-saving way. This immediate feedback will help writers grow, and students will be able to see their graded work as soon as it is finished.

The second tool I’d like to implement is blogger, the web-blogging tool. It’s generally considered a sort of electronic journal where you can share thoughts, opinions, and photos with family, friends, and web acquaintances. From my experience, these have been relatively simple to use and are easy to set up. I would use these in my classroom in order to have an electronic way to post homework assignments and give examples of important concepts and/or ideas that were discussed in class that day. Through this Web 2.0 tool, students and parents could access their assignments and ask any questions they may or may not have had. An alternative way of using this service would be as a way for students to keep a journal. I think budding writers need to write, every day. One way of doing this is to keep a journal; this could be a journal of writing snippets, thoughts and opinions on books we read in class, or any other miscellaneous subjects that would help students become better writers. Because blogger allows people to establish web rings, students would have access to each other’s journals and be able to comment and express themselves in a controlled environment.

The third tool that would be useful is studentpublishing.com, which takes student’s stories and puts them into typed, hard-back books. Many teachers hold the opinion that it’s important students have a “real-life” goal to strive for. By being able to work towards an anthology of writing that would be published into an actual book that the classroom would keep an utilize for the entire year would represent that goal. I would use this tool to anthologize all of my students’ work, which would prompt better results and inspire them to do their best on their assignments.

The fourth tool I’d like to use is Bookrix, which connects writers to readers. First, students can upload their writing to this website. Then, other people will read their writing and critique it; the whole idea behind it is that you can read other people’s books for free, while having yours read. I would like to use this for my more serious writers in the class who are advanced enough to go beyond simple “fictional narratives.” Too many schools limit their students by not providing them with enough opportunity to expand upon their talents, instead focusing on bringing up the bottom rather than raising the top. Thus, this website would allow those gifted students to pursue their dreams and potential as writers. Additionally, this website provides access to contests, which is another “real-life” scenario for students to write and strive for; these contests could provide additional motivation for students to write their best.

Perhaps the most practical Web 2.0 tool that could be implemented in my future classroom is that of the EasyBib. It’s free, it’s easy, and it helps students create citations. Although it would be nice for students to memorize their rules for citations, the fact that these change practically every year means that their knowledge could quickly become obsolete. EasyBib stays up-to-date and helps create an official Bibliography for students. All students need to know is how to find the information in their books and plug it into the generator; it will create their citations for them.

These are simply a few of my preliminary ideas for using Web 2.0 tools in my future classroom. With how quickly technology changes, I will absolutely try to stay up-to-date on all the latest technology and find creative ways to supplement my classroom with Web 2.0 tools.