Group items tagged

Web 2.0 is the current state of online technology as it compares to the early days of the Web, characterized by greater user interactivity and collaboration, more pervasive network connectivity and enhanced communication channels. 

Teacher educators are constantly revisiting and revising their teacher education programs. Historically, research, educational policy, and accreditation requirements have been the impetus for renewal in teacher education. For the past 20 years, technology innovation has played an increasingly significant role in rethinking teacher education. This paper discusses recent changes in a social studies teacher education program and the role Web 2.0 tools played in helping to rethink pedagogy.

This report presents findings from a two-year investigation of the ways in which Web 2.0 tools and social networking technologies are being used to support teaching and learning in classrooms across the United States. With funding from Intel®, the Education Development Center's Center for Children and Technology (EDC/CCT) interviewed or visited over 30 educators in 22 different schools throughout the country as they employed these tools in their classrooms in innovative ways. We also spoke with and observed a number of students in these schools. Currently, there is much discussion and excitement about Web 2.0 in education, but we still know very little about how these tools actually work in the classroom. Therefore, the goal of this research was simply to interview and observe educators and students who are experimenting with these tools in the classroom to see what uses are emerging and to explore the learning affordances of blogs, wikis, and other Web 2.0 tools.

Uses of Social Bookmarking in School Library Media Centers Here are some ways school library media specialists are using social bookmarks: List web resources by class. Students go to the the bookmarking URL and click on the tag for their classCreate pages of links students need for creating a particular projectTeach about social bookmarking to students and teachersHelp students manage resources for projects and papersHelp teachers organize resources for units, projects and topicsOrganize favorites in different waysAccess bookmarks from home, school, classrooms, or anywhereLinking from library media center webpage to links for different disciplines, classes, teachers, projects, etc.Create RSS feeds of different tags for the school library media center webpage to keep it currentGuide students to most-relevant websites for assignmentsSharing great sites and articles with other library media specialistsSharing sites with teachers by tagging them with their names and/or subjectsStore and organize bookmarksCreate pathfindersCollect and share lesson plan ideasCollect and share new curriculum related websites when the curriculum is changingProvide quick bookmarks for specific teachers for specific research projectsCreate a page of research/report help sitesCreate bibliographies for student researchCheck out sites recommended by others with similar interestsContact others who have similar interests to collaborate on ideas, projects, papers, publications, presentationsAnnotate websites for students and teachersExport bookmarks for handouts or websites for students and teachers

Exploring the Tools (General) 23 Learning 2.0 Things The original Learning 2.0 Program, created for the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (North Carolina). This site was created to support PLCMC's Learning 2.0 Program; a discovery learning program designed to encourage staff to explore new technologies and reward them for doing 23 Things. The site includes information on replicating the learning program for your library. 100 Free Library 2.0 Webinars and Tutorials Resources for Librarians about Online Social Networking from ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA, a division of ALA) Online Social Networking Tools: An introduction(PDF) Presentation at the New Mexico Library Association Meeting in Farmington, New Mexico, April 21, 2006. Library Technology Reports Provides library professionals with insightful elucidation, covering in-depth the technology and technological issues the library field grapples with on a daily basis in the information age. Some abstracts available online. Webtools4U2Use, "a place for K-12 school library media specialists to learn a little more about web tools that can be used to improve and enhance school library media programs and services, to see examples of how they can be used, and to share success stories and creative ideas about how to use and integrate them," created for school library media specialists by Dr. Donna Baumbach and Dr. Judy Lee, University of Central Florida. Web 2.0 & Libraries page at the YALSA Wiki

This study analyzed current uses of emerging Web 2.0 technologies in higher education with the intent to better understand which tools teachers are using in the classroom. A total of 189 faculty in higher education from three western US universities were invited to participate, with 54 completing the survey. The survey included open-ended questions as well to offer an alternative analysis approach. In this study, the respondents claimed that the intrinsic factors of a lack of time and training were the main barriers to use, and reported positive views of Web 2.0 use in class, with 75% saying that these tools would benefit students and 83% saying they would benefit teacher-student interactions. In contrast to these results only 44% of the respondents used at least 4 of the 13 listed Web 2.0 tools with students. The reported uses did not match with the reported benefits, and this would support the results that extrinsic factors (time, training, support), instead of intrinsic factors (beliefs, motivation, confidence) are the main barriers to faculty in this study using more Web 2.0 in education. The top five Web 2.0 tools used, in order of preference, follow: (a) video sharing with tools like YouTube; (b) instant messaging; (c) blogs; (d) social communities, such as Facebook; and (e) podcasts or video casts. This data was originally submitted to the Abraham S. Fischler School of Education in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education.