Web 2.0: Enhancing Education Through Technology

13 great products, apps and tools for preparing students for tests.

Stoodle , an online white board service partly supported by CK12 Foundation, enables students and educators to quickly create and work on a collaborative whiteboard space.

There can be different approaches to teaching problem-solving with the aid of technology.

Easyclass.com is one of the recent examples of next-gen LMS solutions by providing a collaborative learning platform that allows schools to integrate online education, classroom management, and social networking through a user-friendly interface.

Call-Em-All is a communication platform that offers automated messaging service for voice broadcasting and text messages which allows you to send important alerts, notifications or reminders to groups of people instantly.

February is Black History Month. Here's a word list to add to your lesson plans! This list can be used to play all of the games and activities on our site. http://www.spellingcity.com/view-spelling-list.html?listId=2851114

Research topics at different reading levels.

This news article explains that just because students have grown up in the technology age, doesn't mean they are experts in using that technology. It highlights the 3 areas students must master for success with using technology to research: "The ability to identify trustworthy and useful information; The ability to manage overabundant information; and The ability to communicate information effectively." As we use web 2.0 we must remember to teach our students how to use these tools effectively, not just assume they can use them because they've grown up in the tech environment.

This news article begins by pointing out that "online digital technology has empowered users in ways that were unimaginable twenty years ago." Social media sites, for example, allow the average user to persuade and influence others on a global scale. The author argues that with this power comes the responsibility to apply a media literacy framework that will ensure that we are not perpetuating harmful media messages and ideas. The framework developed in 1987 by the Center for Media Literacy is still relevant in today's media landscape, and its five key concepts should serve as guidelines for all those currently engaged in online social networking.

This blog explains about the key concepts in social media and by reading this blog you understand Key Concepts explained further in this article. List of 5 key Concepts: All Media Messages Are "Constructed",Media Messages Shape Our Perceptions of Reality, Different Audience, Different Understanding of the Same Message,Media Messages Have Commercial Implications and Media Messages Embed Points of View

This article spells out the five key concepts of media literacy (created in 1987) in order to gain a critical understanding of social media. Now that we are creators and not just consumers of media we need to think more about what we are putting out there and the influence that has.

I have never been a fan of lecturing during class...for either the high school or college classes I teach. If there is information I need to share, I will always use a Power Point (or something similar) and then make those files available for students to download. But even when presenting information in this manner, I continue to engage students with questions, asking for real life examples, etc. And I limit the time, or break it up with another activity. It seems to work pretty well and the ideas from this article pretty much confirm what I have always felt about the lecture style class.

This news article points out the different ways sound and visual technology can enhance student learning. No longer are students just creating information blogs, but they are able to include sound in their projects and blogs, using Chrome Classroom. Different applications are: BookTrak, BioDigital Human, Pixir, Geddit and MoveNote. All are programs used in the classroom to enhance learning by bring visual and sound into the students learning. Using the BioDigital Human on Chromebook and see the different parts of the body come alive using video and sound can only improve a student's memory. Three different senses experiencing the learning at the same time.

One way that web 2.0 helps students improve information literacy is to give them to tools to present information. An excellent way for students to present (as well as teach!) information is by building an app! More and more app building programs are popping up.

This article attracted my attention due to my affiliation with Graduation Portfolios for our district. I loved the idea of students taking ownership of their Portfolio in terms of linking it to an electronic format they could *present* at the end of the school year. One of the apps listed ("Three Ring") sounded really interesting, and I hope to model it with next year's Seniors.

This article was great. Our high school students should be creating career portfolios and some of the programs like Evernote and Three Ring seem to be great ways of collecting and organizing career information. Employers are now looking at what students have accomplished over a paper resume. Some employers want to see you digital resume' with examples of a student's work. These two programs seem to be a great way to help students be prepared for the new way employers might require for job interviews. One other website is a great resource for Student Portfolios and that is MassCis. Not only does it have the ability to upload exemplars, but it has lessons teachers can use that are aligned with the standards to help students explore their career interests. Imagine, career information, career inventories, goal setting activities, resume writing, college and financial information, teachers' lesson plans and student portfolios all on the same website. Each student can create a portfolio and have it from the middle school through high school. Check it out: www.masscis.intocareers.com

This article gives a great description of flipped classrooms and how a flipped classroom will expand on media and 21st century learning skills in the classroom and outside of the classroom. It develops a sense of the changing paradigm of the typical sage on the stage teacher and creating the digital literate classroom.