Web+2.0

= Web 2.0 is for Everyone! =

Web 2.0 is a great way to interact with students using the World Wide Web. This is increasingly important given that each student has his or her own learning style. Web 2.0 provides a way for these students to have access to a learned material, but at their own pace and in the avenue that best suits the students’ needs. Web 2.0 is helpful because it allows students and instructors to go over material or create forums when it is convenient for them. We all have busy schedules and Web 2.0 provides 24/7 access to learning materials or tools as long as there is access to the internet.  The following are five Web 2.0 tools that I have selected to incorporate into my teaching and/or use to aid my teaching. That is; 1) Podcasting, 2) PB Works, 3) Blogger, 4) Prezi, and 5) Google Docs. All of the above selected will aid me in my teaching of a diverse population of students with multiple learning styles. I felt the above mentioned choices of Web 2.0 tools catered to students’ best due to the multiple avenues that can be used to ensure that what is being taught is understood by the student body.  Podcasting is the recording of a lecture that can be accessed via web at any given moment as long as there is web access. As a student myself, I understand what it is like to be in a classroom where the instructor is relaying the information faster than I can understand the material. It would benefit me as well as other students if at my own leisure; I had access to the lecture through Podcasting. With Podcasting the student can play, replay, and pause the lecture. This ensures that the information is being processed but at the students’ own pace. Podcasting will also aid students who learn better through hearing. Another way this method will help students is that it provides the student a way to listen to lectures or classroom material for something they may have missed during class time or the lecture. Podcasting is especially beneficial for students who may have a visual disability. It is well known that if one of your senses is damaged or impaired, your other senses become stronger. Podcasting will allow students who have visual disabilities to use their auditory senses and still be able to receive the same information the same as other students within the classroom. Podcasting is another way to accommodate our special needs students. PB Works uses a wide array of teaching tools such as interaction between teachers and students. It also allows for the layperson to create web pages without using HTML format. You can share documents, links, and photos using PB Work’s sites. I would integrate PB Work’s sites such as Wiki spaces to create a website that allow students access 24/7. On my Wiki space for the students I would have things such as important links to aid in the students’ learning, the classroom syllabus so that they will know the due dates of various projects or assignments. I would also have multiple pictures with diagrams for those who are visual learners. On the PB Works site I would also allow a place for open discussion so that students can interact with their classmates. This would be similar to a study group without the challenges of needing to have similar schedules and having to travel to a mutual destination. I would also use PB Works for the students to create their own web pages. The knowledge would be necessary due to the increase in use of technology. Another Web 2.0 method I would use in my teaching is Blogger. Blogger permits the use of various media types such as a site to post videos, journals, chats, and photos. Blogger would aid my teaching by allowing students 24/7 access to things such as videos, written lectures, and photos of diagrams. Blogger would also be useful for students who have an auditory disability. This would allow for these students to gain equal access to lectures or taught material. Blogger would also help students who are visual learners by the use of videos or photos. Prezi is a site where you can create a presentation, much like a PowerPoint, but with the ability to explain a given area in further context with the use of storytelling, Venn diagrams, and pictures. Prezi also uses visual aids to further explain a certain topic. This would aid my teaching in offering a visual aid so that students can better understand the content. You can also create Venn diagrams in Prezi which helps the students put different concepts in context. For example, when teaching the history of ancient African empires you can list the differences and similarities using a Venn diagram. You can also create a timeline which is necessary when teaching history or social studies. Google Docs can be used to house different documents. It can also be a place to create presentations and documents. The documents can be edited by other users as well. Google Docs would be beneficial as site where teachers can share documents and plan lessons. The editing of documents by others allows interaction between multiple users whether they be local or across the continent. This will help information travel faster which is a continued benefit of the World Wide Web. You can also create visual learning aids such as timelines, spreadsheets, tables, and charts. This would help instructors in saving time when documents are needed for attendance for example. Web 2.0 provides teachers and students with multiple learning avenues all of which are accessible anytime as long as there is access to the internet. Web 2.0 tools better familiarizes students with technological tools such as the internet and the various sites they may encounter. These tools can also provide a forum for discussion which can be similar to a study group without the time or travel restrictions. Various teaching methods can also be utilized with these tools and can be used as a way to accommodate students’ with learning disabilities such as listening or reading a lecture. It also helps students with the use of diagrams, tables, or various documents to better understand a concept. These tools aid students as well as teachers.