Final+Examination

The Good Outweighs the Bad
The Read and Write Web 2.0 is rapidly becoming the forerunner of communication between teachers and students around the globe. The ease of now publishing to the web has positioned students to no longer be just seekers and readers of content but contributors as well. Opportunities are afforded through global learning, collaboration, critical thinking, critical writing, project-based learning, self-absorbed teaching, and the list goes on. From weblogs, to podcasts, to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the benefits for studentsare immeasurable. Plus, it is the ideal method for engaging today’s generation of students in learning. Therefore, teachers of all generations and content areas must be willing to come along for the ride to help make learning a thrill for students both inside and outside of class. The following slideshare by Bethany Smith supports this notion and warns of teachers who are not willing to use technology. media type="custom" key="11644698" Here are two more additional resources by Will Richardson which further explains Read and Write Web 2.0 and its growing potential for the classroom. media type="youtube" key="JFbDEBNS7AE" height="315" width="420"

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As with most anything, there are pros and cons. So, to say everything would be “hunky dory” once Read and Write Web 2.0 tools are infused throughout the classroom would be an overstatement. Although research supports that the pros outweigh the cons, teachers and students must be open to the advantages as well as the disadvantages. Let’s examine both aspects using a number of web 2.0 tools.

Weblogs
Foremost, weblogs (commonly referred to as [|blogs]) are online journals that include a wide spectrum of topics and information in an effort to share and promote conversation through the exchange of comments. In addition to a number of freeware providers and ease of creation, blogs are strategically useful in getting students to not only read but also write. In the article Why Weblogs, Kaironews states “We need to make them connect what they do for fun with writing and reading and learning” (2006). This is the power of blogs! Further, students can take ownership of their product, build vocabulary, and become active learners. Blogs also open doors for collaboration with individuals in other geographical locations which fosters cooperative learning beyond the school walls. Too, they eliminate the handling of paper and teachers can quickly access and evaluate students’ digital journals/portfolios. As Teach Learning notes, “the most able students have a chance to share their knowledge and talk to each other while less able students are able to read these ideas and formulate their own ideas based on the additional wisdom of others” (Why Blog?, 2006). To be quite frank, the list could on of benefits. Reviewing and managing blogs can become time consuming for both teachers and students however. Perhaps, more time consuming for teachers than students. In addition, students run the risk of receiving unwelcoming comments from visitors if it is a public blog. Lastly, all blog sites do not contain a spell check editor. Nevertheless, the positives supersede the negatives. Here are some [|samples] of class blogs and wikis. The slideshare below also highlights "communicating with the MySpace generation" via blogs. media type="custom" key="11644820"

Wikis
The word wiki is a Hawaiian term which means “quick” (EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, 2005). The most widely known type of wiki is Wikipedia. Like blogs, wikis are fairly easy to create and permits communication across geographical boundaries. In addition to the ability to upload or embed files of various formats, the information can be edited by members. Further, all changes can be tracked based on usernames. Depending on the need, wikis are also generally free and holds a minimum of 2 GB of information. Teachers can use wikis to encourage project-based learning, provide content resources, host class discussions, and keep parents abreast of classroom activities. Another great benefit is that users can collaborate real-time. Unfortunately, wikis can be edited by members and this can pose potential for unwanted changes or loss of information. However, my students typically receive my expectations well concerning the destruction of others’ work. Being able to edit has proven successful in my classroom as you can see from the printscreen of a student coming to another student’s aid for what I call “Homework Help.” Plus, I have found that sharing students’ work with their peers causes an appreciation of each other’s contributions. Another disadvantage of wikis may be the amount of time required to edit and update pages. For this reason, sometimes the relativeness of wiki information is questionable. Nevertheless, engaging class projects such as the [|Omaha wiki]done by a marketing class in 2007 can possibly inspire participants to keep the pages update even after the project comes to an end. It is reported that “over a course semester students developed over 1,300 articles and uploaded over 360 pictures” (Workman, 2008). For more ideas of how to incorporate wikis in the classroom, click [|here].

**//Printscreens of How I Use Wikis in the Classroom//**

RSS Feeds
RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. Because there are tons of informative sites on the web that are constantly updated, this feature allows users to subscribe to updates via applications such as Google Reader. As a result, updates are received in one location. This is particularly helpful when educators or students for that matter come across useful websites that are updated frequently. Teachers may find RSS feeds extremely useful for monitoring student blogs or posts to wikis. Vice versa, students can use RSS feeds to keep abreast of updates to a teacher’s class page such as calendar changes and project/assignment notifications. The only disadvantage to RSS Feeds is finding time to stay current of the incoming information. For more information on RSS Feeds, visit [|RSS FAQ for Educators.]

Social Media
Social media sites such as Flickr, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Ning are additional real-world tools to enhance instruction. Like wikis and blogs, use of social media has much potential for collaboration, critical thinking, creative writing, authenticity, student-driven learning, and global awareness. As noted by Jason Falls, “Teachers that resist using social media in the classroom are stripping their students of an essential component of their future success” (2011). Falls further states that “social media have become the fabric of how the world communicates” (2011). The primary disadvantage of teaching with social media tools is it is still not widely accepted by school districts. In addition to sites being blocked, some school officials view this method as a risky way to communicate with students. With social media, there’s also potential for inappropriate content appearing here and there. The key however is to teach students to be responsible when situations of this nature occur. Below are additional resources which support social media in education. media type="custom" key="11672082" media type="custom" key="11672100"

Podcasts and Screencasts
Podcasts are digital audio files that are downloaded to the web. Screencasts are also digital files which include audio and visuals capturing the activity on a computer screen. Both address visual learning styles and can serve as tutorials for student absences or remediation. As the YouTube video below notes, it is a way to differentiate instruction and communicate with parents among many other benefits. Plus, students can play the information back at their own convenience. Having students actually create podcasts and screencasts are a more effective way of probing higher order thinking skills and facilitating learning. Creating both can be time consuming however and some school equipment and infrastructure may not support playback of podcasts and screencasts. media type="youtube" key="wL1bX1gepEc" height="315" width="560" //For more information on podcasts and screencasts, visit the following links:// [|Ideas for Podcasting in the Classroom] [|5 Free Screencasting Apps for Creating Video Tutorials] [|An Introduction to Screencasting]