Web+2.0

In preparing to teach students of the digital generation, I have researched 5 different Web 2.0 tools that I think could be utilized in my classroom. The website “Web 2.0: Cool Tools for Schools” has an exhaustive list of tools that teachers can apply to many different facets of their classroom, from presentation and slideshows to organization and research.

//An example of a Prezi, used to convey basic biology information.// media type="custom" key="6430205" align="left" width="60" height="64" The first tool I researched is called Prezi, which is an online creative presentation tool. The service is free, and presentations can be stored online and downloaded for use offline. Users can also link Prezi to their website or blog. The advantage of this format over more traditional presentations like Power Point is all the information can be displayed on the same page, without the transition of slides. The information is “layered,” meaning that the program takes advantage of zoom to display information in a hierarchical fashion. In my classroom, I imagine that I would use a tool like this to present information during a lecture. I would also be able to link this information to a class website, where students could refer to it later. I think one of the big advantages of this format is that it's so interactive, and I think that would help students who have trouble with traditional Power Point formats. I also think that the use of hierarchical scale would be especially useful in biology, where it's sometimes difficult to get a grasp of how things fit together. For example, I could create a Prezi to outline cell function, then zoom out and see an overview of organ function, zoom out again to see organ systems, and then zoom out yet again to see an organism as a whole.

//An interactive quiz created with MySudiyo.// media type="custom" key="6431459" align="right"

The second tool I researched is MyStudiyo, which allows teachers to create interactive quizzes. These quizzes can be embedded into a website or blog. Teachers can generate multiple choice quizzes and provide feeback on the answers, as well as monitor student's performance. I can picture using this tool to create quizzes for a class website to help students study and prepare for exams. I might also use something like this to allow students to create their own quizzes for review, allow students to upload their quizzes to a class website, and select a few student-generated questions for the examination. //.//

Another site I found useful was Interactive Activities Science Animations. This site has compiled links to many videos applicable to many different disciplines of science. While these videos can't be embedded or downloaded, they can be played from any computer with internet access. I've found, as a student, that being able to see some of the processes happen helps me to understand, even if it's just an animation. To use these videos on a class website or blog, I would simply add a link, like this.

media type="custom" key="6433317" align="left" I think audio is sometime overlooked in the world of digital media, but there is a website that allows users to bring the visual and the audio together. Yodioallows users to upload their own voice and narrate a picture slideshow. The slideshows are incredibly easy to generate. Users have their choice of using a traditional microphone to record their voice, or they can simply use their cell phone, call the 1-800 number, and record a message. Within a few minutes, the message appears on the users' account as an audio file that can be linked to pictures. The linked pictures and audio are then compiled into a slideshow. This slideshow can be embedded into the class website or blog. I would use a tool like this also as a review, and I think this could be really useful for a student who has missed a lecture; this technology would enable them to hear their teachers' explanation of the material they have missed. I also think students could use this technology to generate presentations or create review materials.

The last tool I researched is called Zotero, an "easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, cite, and share your research sources." Basically, the program allows users to store sources while doing research online, then go back and easily generate a bibliography, that can be emailed or used with Microsoft Office or Open Office. Although plagiarism has always been an issue in schools, I think in the age of the internet, it's especially important that students learn to cite their sources. This tool makes it easier for them to do so, and allows them to generate bibliographies in many different styles.

As the internet becomes more and more a part of our lives, I look forward to the new advances it will bring to the classroom. Although I don't think anything could replace the experience of being in a real-life classroom, virtual learning may pave the way for more engaged and interested students.