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What is Web 2.0? If you know anything about Facebook, Youtube, or any website that allows users to interact with each other, than you know something about Web 2.0. To put it simply, Web 2.0 is the function that allows users of the internet to connect, interact with, and change webpages they come across. Myspace is based primarily off Web 2.0, as are most sites. By creating a network of interconnected sites on the internet, Web 2.0 has become central role in our lives, even if we don't know it.
But how can we use Web 2.0? In school, we don't use the internet as it should be used. In most classes, the web is a non-existant thing, but what if it wasn't? Can we use Web 2.0 to our advantage? Yes, we can, but only if we know what we're doing. |
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Blogging: One of the most central parts of communication via the web today, Blogging had the capacity to be a powerful tool in the arsenal of teachers around the globe. The first thing to consider is that Blogging is free. Absolutely free. Anyone could use it with no cost involved. Consider this; a student calls in sick, unable to go to school and learn in class. Normally, this student would have to rely solely on friends and Mydragonnet for homework he or she had missed, and even then this student would miss the actual learning in class. But by introducing blogging, any student unable to go to class, or just wanting to refresh their memory could gain access to a teacher's blog, allowing them to read the information that was taught in class, as well as being provided links to homework and assignments. It's a simple, effective way for teachers to expand their teaching methods.
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| Podcast: But perhaps for some teachers, blogging isn't enough. Students may just not want to put in the effort of reading articles on Myspace, or Facebook. If that is the case, then there is another option. Podcasts. Possibly one of the most overlooked concepts, Podcasts may just be the thing needed to drive students to actively learn. Think back for a moment or two. How many times have you seen someone with an iPod today? Two times, five times, ten times, fifty times? Students are listening to their iPods every day, so why not turn this to your advantage? A student could listen to a podcast at any time, absorbing information from the instrument that has caused so many problems for teachers. The idea is insane, wild, and possibly ridiculous, but after all, it wouldn't hurt to try. |
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| Screencast: Okay, you can effectively communicate with your students now using Blogs, and Podcasts. But even if you do have information, example is still required for even the brightest pupil. That's where Screencast becomes extreamly useful. Screencast is a type of program that allows people to record presentations just by working on the computer. Screencast captures your every movement on-screen, and formats it into a video, making it ideal for demonstrations of how to solve an algebraic formula, or how to write an essay. Using Screencast effectively, a teacher could give the students the help they needed from around the world. |
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| So now you know how Web 2.0 can be used to aid the average student in school and out. By using Blogs to carry the information to students, Podcasts to convey them in a manner that is both effective and simple, and Screencast to provide visual examples of how things are done, students may find school and even brighter opportunity than before. |
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