This assignment taught me about the many tools available online to better our lessons and activities in the classroom. The Wiki is a helpful tool for posting online discussions because it allows students to add their input about the lesson and help other students through posting ideas and questions. It also helps organize and regulate discussions. Social Bookmarking was another helpful online website we examined in this assignment that helps teachers keep track of all their favorite webpages. This website helps teachers to organize links for in lessons in class such as videos, and websites and also allows for teachers to save helpful sites the might use as reference in the future. Voice Thread is a great tool for really engaging students in an online discussion through using your voice and posting pictures. It is great for summarizing a lecture and allowing students to refresh their memory about the lesson earlier that day.
All of these web 2.0 tools are so helpful to students, especially in today society. It is so important to students to practice computer skills religiously, besides status updating, because most jobs require some computer skill. When teachers involve technology in their lessons, they are preparing students for the future in college and in the work place. The Wiki is a great way for students to practice safe online interaction and challenge themselves to think on their own without the presence of a teacher at hand. Also, it keeps students responsible for doing their work outside of the classroom and keeps them engaged. Even though school is limited to a strict schedule, learning should be continuously practiced. Social Bookmarking is helpful mainly to teachers because it helps them to organize their favorite webpages and any thoughts or ideas they have planned for a lesson. Voice Thread is unique because it engages students on a higher level by hearing the teachers voice and allowing the teacher to lead the discussion.
I too agree with the importance of implementing Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. I really liked your statement about learning being a continual process and that online tools can aid in this process outside of the classroom. I feel that social bookmarking is not only a valuable assest for teachers but also class wide. Setting up an account for just a classroom would be similar to utilizing the Webliography section of our myleo class sites. I could also see this being a useful tool used by students doing a research project either independently or working in groups. In this setting the teacher could control where the research is coming from.
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