Web 2.0: Enhancing Education Through Technology

Using the iPad in creative ways to meet IEP goals in all areas. This article will give you a list of apps and how they can be used in a creative manner to reach specific goals.

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.

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.

Check out these seven video tips, made by Edutopia bloggers and contributors, on using technology in your classroom. Watch teachers, an administrator and consultant talk about real applications of media tools for students. Content for this project is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND License.

In these 7 brief video clips, educators share how they use specific technology and social-media tools in classrooms, including Twitter,Facebook, Wikis, Digital Cameras, YouTube, Wii and GPS devices.

math videos made by students

Mindmeister kicks Mind42's butt! A free account entitles you to three beautiful mind maps, complete with text, links, icons and images (Googled from the web).

Steve Wheeler's article discusses seven benefits of teacher blogging.

This article is encouraging for someone like me that is just being introduced to blogging. The author, Steve Wheeler, states that blogging causes students to reflect, can open up to other people that are interested in their subject and can provided valuable feedback. He stated, "Blogging can create personal momentum". I hope as a new learner, I learn to understand and appreciate his enthusiasm.

I found this video on Twitter tonight thanks to David Walker (@drdjwalker) who re-tweeted the video from The Partnership of 21st Century Skills. The video is called "Above and Beyond: the story of the 4Cs". Enjoy "In an increasingly complex, demanding and competitive 21st century, students need to learn more than the 3R's they are tested on in school. Although the 3R's are the foundation of learning (most especially reading), students must be prepared to Think Creatively and have Intellectual Curiosity in order to excel in the 21st century.

Oh, what fun! This video is a great tool to share with students. It's simplicity is a delight. The notion is that we all have different talents and skills we can bring to collaborative projects. We need to encourage students to take the time to share their creative ideas together; plan, explore, negotiate, compromise and problem solve together. My fifth and sixth graders will enjoy this video.

This video is fun, interesting and great for students to see. It stresses the collaborative nature of projects and how much more we can do together rather than alone. It reminds me of Odyssey of the Mind type projects, and I will definitely show this to my Advisory. I think they will find it interesting and funny, but more than that it can jump start a discussion about the creative power of collaboration. It also makes me think that it will demonstrate to students that diversity of ideas is powerful.

The article uses a friendly approach to help teens stay safe and for parents (adults) to understand how to change privacy settings. There is a series of videos (11) to help learn more about social networking and how to check yourself it something doesn't seem right. The article also demonstrates the use of protection your personal property from hackers and spammers.  I personally think the article does a great job using the friendly approach with teens, and using videos, and teens will click on a video than read an entire article. Holly

These are great articles. I like the user friendly approach to all of these; In www.connectsafely.org there are great personal accounts of what can go wrong using social media. Those articles really resonate with my own fears. We must be wise when we use the web.

This online discussion forum offers adults insight into the legal, social, and safety issues tied into specific social networking sites.

A first-rate account of how students can analyze, evaluate, and internalize the information on websites, rather than merely collecting sources and spitting back unprocessed information.

The author of this article compares reading on eReaders to a nostalgic paper novel. I share many of her sentiments, but she is optimistic about how reading textbooks on an eReader totally changes how students read for information. Joann Vidall-Cox explains that reading on an eReader allows you to jump to other sources for supplements and explanations for what you are reading. In a way, readers are no longer help hostage by the bookcovers because the eReader allows you to transition to new pages of information. Maybe novels will soon be written with hyperlinks as well!

Nice explanation of the difference between paper and eReaders. I like the hestitation of the author, and the clarification she uses as to the difference with notations in a certain location. It's great if you like a screen in your face prior to night time reading. It is interesting how students gravitate to the new and then often revert to the old, tried and true formats.

Google has outdone themselves again. Google docs has just added the ability to open a research pane directly within your document. Find information, cite your sources, and add pictures without ever really leaving your document. Great tool for teachers who want to make researching easier for students.

This is a three-page overview of the Horizon Report which tries to predict technological trends in the classroom. It predicts a greater use of tablets in the short run, game-based learning for the medium term, and augmented reality in the long run. It says all of the technologies will enhance collaborative learning, but associates creativity with only game based learning. Finally, it lists recent trends in technology and education. It also lists the most likely obstacles to adopting the technologies in the classroom. Being a subscription site, one must sign up (free) in order to read past the first page.

This is a review of a new app for iPad users. It allows users to share photographs and layouts with each other, keeping what they like. It also permits easy feedback to contributors via Twitter or blogs. Additionally, users can tag what they have kept so it's easier to find in the future when they want to use it. Although the reviewer's intersts are not explicit, the software appears to be useful for collaborative creation, and it's freeware.

I like that this app has a starting point so a person doesn't have to reinvent the wheel. Seeing what other people have done already to get ideas is always helpful and a time saver. I like this one.

I like this article and after buying my iphone and playing with an iPad; I don't think I can ever go back to android. LOL

This article discusses collaboration on a large corporation level and allows for small businesses to conduct important daily activities and decision making using social media as well. The article states the Top 5 must have tools, how to set your goals, and how to choose an appropriate vendor.  I think the article can be viewed when working in our classrooms and we are trying to incorporate social media with collaboration tools.

This article proves that we need to prepare our students for the world of work. Companies and corporations are using social networking and social media tools for their employees to communicate and collaborate around the world. The Top 5 tools include several we are learning in our class.

Social media tools can be adapted inside of your company to share data, support employees, and facilitate the exchange of ideas. These days you can find a lot of advice about how to use public social media-such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter-for marketing your company to prospective customers, partners, and employees.

Spaaze is a website that allows for the simple creation of a virtual cork board. It is extremely dynamic and easy to use. You can add video, images, files, titles, and notes all in one spot so your students can have easy access to unit material. The canvass size of Spaaze is huge so you can add quite a few units to one canvass.

Ensure quality of information by teaching retrieval practices that include alternative sources as well as Google. Using workshops and presentations is important, as it takes time for students to recognize the most valuable and up-to-date content.

This brief article describes some of the specific technologies that can be used in a mathematics classroom to move problem solving online (such as SMART boards, webcams, screen captures, etc.)

The Skeptics Guide to the Universe is a weekly Science podcast produced by the New England Skeptical Society (NESS) in association with the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) : discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific point of view.