Web 2.0: Enhancing Education Through Technology

This is one of the easier and more versatile concept mapping software online.

Cacoo is a concept mapping/mind mapping/brainstorming site. It is free and allows for many methods of concept mapping. Great site to use with your classes and students.

This Google Chrome extension, Checker Plus for Gmail, allows you to receive Gmail notifications such as sound and a popup dialogue box that allows you to read, reply to, and archive messages without having to go back into your inbox to view the message first. You can change the sounds and the extension is very user friendly.

Kevin Jones summarizes the difference between Web 1.0, CMS, Web 2.0, Social Media, and You Tube.

Great article on the benefits of a course blog . . . " Students who read, commented, and were involved with the blog maintained their initially positive attitudes" towards course.

This is one teacher's case study on the use of Social Media, in particular blogs, to evaluate student engagement and whether "whenever technology is used effectively, learning outcomes do improve". The essence of this teacher's conclusions? "The effectiveness of the application of technology is heavily dependent on how it is put to use."

In this article, Steve Wheeler discusses the changing role of teachers from traditional classroom teachers to global educators. He discusses the top five tools he believes global educators need to connect with global communities, resources and audiences.

Author Bernard Luskin indicates that most of today's literature refers to the physical changes in technology but as we learn more about human behavior and how people learn, it will dramatically impact the way we teach globally. The author provides 'key takeaways' from the article which all relate to media literacy. He explains that this new 'exploding' environment will impact the future of learning for all levels of education as the media, learning psychology, technologies become popular tools for learning. As we learn more from research and studies about media and how it relates to human behavior, it will increase the effectiveness of the ways technology is used in education. The author states that the 'big "E" is for "exciting, energetic, engaging, extended learning". He explains that E learning has and will continue to grow as a key in media literacy and the way people learn, study, individual behavior in society, and products that are produced. This interest in technology, media, communications and how humans learn has actually developed a new field of study, Media Psychology. The author supports the need for people to enter this field and recommends that we learn what e-learning is about and go beyond the electronic gizmos and gadgets.

The exploding new media and communications environment has implications for the future of both K-12 and adult learning as media, technology, and learning psychology increasingly become tools for learning in and outside the classroom. The new research area of media studies, i.e., the study of media effects, includes media psychology because an understanding of human behavior is vital to the effective use of technology in education.

This article written by two Danish academics, Johan Jessen and Anker Helms Jorgensen, discusses the issue of determining whether sources are credible and how we can do this online. They explain the credibility can be random and that perceived trustworthiness plus perceived expertise equals perceived credibility. However, they put forth that aggregated trustworthiness can actually be an accurate determination of whether information is credible. Readers can look at "likes" and user evaluations to determine if a source is trustworthy. As users of Web 2.0 tools we must become media literate and be able to determine which sources are trustworthy.

My favorite URL shorteners. These are used to take those long annoying URLs and shrink them down to a managable size. This tutorial will demonstrate the difference between Google URL shortener, CiteBite, and TinyURl. These all have their unique uses for the educator. Click the link to learn more.

I created a Mind42 map to show how Web 2.0 tools can support communications skills, and types of lessons where our curriculum can use these tools and skills. From a Career and Technical School, I focused on the Web 2.0 tools that the articles mentioned that focuses on communications such as videos, podcasts, interactive posters, voice thread, mixbooks, podcast and glogsters. I didn't add them all but just provided examples. These tools can all in some way or another be used to enhance basic work skills of reading, writing, listening and communications. For each skill, I identified type of activities and projects that can be created using these tools. For example writing can be enhanced by having students write procedures, memos or reports.

This article brings up some very good points about turning to e-books for textbooks in the classroom. The research hasn't been done on the effects of doing so....what would the effects be on students and their reading skills, learning, or the repercussions on teaching in the classroom? Also, they bring up a valid concern of how much control this would all give to Apple?

This article showcases a great new tool which will can be used as a creative way to teach, share, and create information. Jux allows students to briefly outline an idea or theme, connect those words with pictures, and display the words concurrently with a slideshow, photos, videos etc.It allows students the creative latitude to design their own presentation and also match up concepts with an audio and visual system.

Aviary is a suite of powerful creative applications that you can use right in your web browser. We're on a mission to make creation accessible to artists of all genres, from graphic design to audio editing. Let Aviary and Worth1000 artists perform design services for you.

More educational institutions provide free online education. This trend we are now seeing from places like iTunes U, TED talks and Kahn Academy, for example make this world more open to learning.

If you are trying to envision ways to utilize G Apps in school, this offers some helpful info.

Thanks Sterling, This is a great resource. I just watched the "32 Ways to Use Google Apps in the Classroom". It's got a great video embedded in it where the students are all working together to write an election speech for their classmate.

Hi Sterling and Colleen, Thanks for sharing, I have been to various Google Professional Development Classes, but this really sums it up in a nutshell.

We might try this for making info graphics for our student newspaper

Great way to show data in a technology class. Appears to be very easy and user friendly. I might use this for our school webpage and suggest for online newspaper.

Incorporating the use of technology and the Internet into the classroom is important as it becomes an integrated part of people's lifestyle. Here are three specific ways instructors can meet their student's expectations of using technology in school.

Textbooks, encyclopedias and newspapers are educational resources of the past. Today, students seek answers from the sky -- specifically, the clouds. A new way of using the Internet is making data limitless. It's called "cloud computing," and it's allowing educational institutions, businesses and individuals to keep more information at their fingertips than is possible with even a room full of computers.

Get tips and ideas every day in May for Teacher Appreciation Month on how you can thank your favorite teachers -- and support them throughout the year! Credit: Illustration by Walter C. Baumann Tip # 19: Do a Presentation of Thanks Using PowerPoint-Karaoke Thank your teacher by organizing a fun improv class activity.