Web 2.0: Enhancing Education Through Technology

This website is a great resource for speech/language pathology and special education.

A great way to upload, record and share podcasts.

This article presents proof, by a special ed teacher, that the iPad is a successful tool for boosting IEP progress

The author encourages educators to take control of their own learning and to remember how important is their role in encouraging students when embracing new tools to develop creativity and innovation; students need to be guided to realize that the technology they use to socialize may be use to connect to experts in topics of their interest, and to collaborate with them.

The author shares a new collaborative tool, Pen.io, which can be used by students to create a working portfolio and can be shared, published and owned. Although it is similar to google docs, the author likes it better for its simplicity, the ownership status it provides, its content-focused nature and the control it allows over who can edit it.

Great tool. And, yes it is easier to use than Google Docs. Of course "easier" means fewer features, but it also means more simplicity. Plus, with a few HTML basics there is more you can do than with G-Docs.

This is exactly what I am looking for to complement some of my online courses. Items such as safety contracts need signatures and require the tedious use of a scanner or fax machine. This Pen.io would be a great acessory to make these types of task very simple and personal. Unlike google docs it provides much more controls over many items.

This is a very interesting post in regards to why Finland's students do so well. There teacher's are greatly respected. There is no testing of students or teachers. The country has no economical differences or disparities. The country believes in professionals. This article hit home with me with what we are currently facing as educators in the nation. We are not playing on the same field as Finland teachers.

This focus of this article is the Torrence Test which measure a persons creativity level. Scores show creativity levels in US students declining, most likely do to the lack of creative development in the schools and at home.

Many educational sites to check out this summer. There is a site of web 2.0 tools that can be accessed in "two clicks." Also a nice live binder link for how to use the web 2.0 tools. this site will take you to his recommendations for webinars, lesson plans and all sorts of internet sites. Updated regularly.

Great article on using podcasts, from kindergarten through high school, to help with enrichment and review at home. Also the article discusses a switch in lecture and homework - do the lecture at home and front load or review the information and do the lab, experiment, work, activity during class time.

Over 35,000 teachers and other staff members took a survey and results were compared from 2008 and 2010 for ways technology is used in the classroom. It was very interesting to see the changes in just a two year span.

Great graphic. This really validates the reason why schools need to educate educators to be more tech savvy. But, the graphic itself is a little deceiving. I love the information, but its depiction seems to show more than what the growth actually is. The graphic give the impression that the base line established at the left of the scale, the useage in 2008, and then the ADDITIONAL useage beyond that in 2010. This, however, is not what it shows. What is in fact being shown is a baseline that SHOULD run down the CENTER of the graph. By not doing this it appears for example that teachers have doubled their use of technology to provide feedback, when in actuality it remained the same in 2010 as it did in 2008...38%. I don't want to discount the quality and impact of this data...I just wish that it would have been represented in a more accurate and less deceptive manner.

This article explains MobiSocial's collaborative look at the future of mobile social networking. It offers some info on new apps created to aid in its uses, safety and ethics.

This was a really interesting article about some of the security issues related to mobile devices. Since some mobile devices are used in the classroom, it is important for educators and students are aware of some of the safety issues and how to avoid potential problems associated with them.

This brief article discusses how 1/3 of students are now using social networking to cheat. Although this is at the college level, educators need to be aware of this trend but also to instruct students on how to use social networking appropriately. Collaboration is an excellent means of learning but it needs to be done in an appropriate way.

Wonderful article on students solving real world issues while using their problem solving skills and creativity. Even though this was a contest and not a lesson plan, this is how our lessons and classrooms should be structured.

Some fun problems to solve interactively. Students have to plan the best way to transport items across a river. Fun and challenging.

This site looks at information literacy and looks at the 5 different "minds". They relate them to ethical, disciplined, synthesizing, creative and respectful minds when talking about students using web 2.0 applications.

Interesting article that discusses how our brains change when using Web technologies. The term "partial attention" is explained as "a state of constantly scanning for information." Insightful description of how our world has changed significantly now that technology is here to stay.

This article from eLearn Magazine discusses how neuropsyhcologists are studying the effects of using new media and Web 2.0 tools on our brains. Their results show both positive and negative findings. Some of the benefits include certain areas of the brain being worked harder and making strong neural connections allowing us to process and evaluate large amounts of information quickly. A downside is that we are not retaining information for extended periods of time and we are losing the ability to communicate with feeling because we are not always in face-to-face contact with others. The article also discusses Psychologist Howard Gardner's "Five Minds of 2.0 Learners." These are higher order thinking skills he believes individuals need in order to be successful in the digital world. These include disciplined, synthesizing, creating, respectful, and ethical minds. This is an interesting read and could start a great classroom discussion about technology use with your students.

If we have a computer, we have a wealth of free tools and free education at our fingertips that we as teachers can use and that our students can use.

I love the idea of using Video Calls to teach. It allows students to have real-world meaning behind their learning since they are responsible for presenting and teaching what they have learned to other students.

Collaboration with skype and google chat, what a great way for kids from Alaska to communicate with kids from Maine. Simple and easy way to collaborate across the nation.