My favorite Web 2.0 tools

Web 2.0 is the next evolution of the internet. It is taking the software and storage off of failing computer hard drives and out of the hands of major software companies and putting the storage and software on the web for all users to have without discs. Web 2.0 is harnessing the power of internet and making software and files truly mobile for all users. With the software being online, a user merely needs to log in to an account on a website to use the program and access files they may be working on. It also allows for collaboration across multiple users accessing the same files. The potential benefit to Web 2.0 for the classroom is that there are a lot of sites and tools available for classroom use and students will have access to programs that teachers are using in the classroom at their house without buying software; and with Google Docs and the family of Google software, there is virtually no need to carry disks around any longer, everything is saved online.

There are some issues with putting everything on the web though...the variation of the programs is not that large yet. Sure, there is the Google family, but in scope the Google application pale in available functions to Microsoft office, or the iWork bundle from Apple. It is a great concept, but not fully fleshed out yet, and certainly not competitive for creating good looking documents or completing higher level functions within a spreadsheet. To do that, the student (or teacher) will still have to have one of the other suites of software. The other big issue is access! There are plenty of school districts around the U.S. and a few schools here in Salem that do not have mass access to computers within the classroom. At McKay, there is one computer lab in the building and one in the library, both are booked quite often for the technical classes. In the classroom that I will be teaching in, there are no computers for student use, they have no mobile lab and not every student has home access to the internet. Access is still an issue! Even asking students who has access to the internet could be alienating for those who are in poverty or who don't have homes.

Sure, these are great tools to use in a classroom where everyone has access.

The tools that I find most useful on Web 2.0 are:

VoiceThread.com: This site provides a unique way to make powerpoint slides, photo galleries, or presentations more interactive. Simply upload your files and pictures and insert audio over the top just by signing into your account. You can call in comments, write them with text, insert audio with the microphone on your pc or mac. There is also an option to doodle over the top of the pictures or slides. This has great classroom uses because it could be used by a whole group to assemble a presentation from their home pcs and share their thoughts and topics over the internet instead of having to meet in a group. For a teacher, you could prepare a whole lecture and time the speaking over the top of the slides, you could put up pictures of a historical event and have the voice of an interview over the top, you could also put up pictures of famous authors and then have different voices read excerpts from their work over the top.

tinyurl.com: the pain about having free everything is that you get a lot of website names that are long explanations of where the host server is like http://www.tripod.com/dallasmyers/sites/home.htm is a lot to put on the class syllabus. the better site name would tinyurl.com/dallasmyers. Tinyurl.com does just that: shortens those large and often unnecessary urls into something much more manageable. The applications for this site within the context of the classroom is really to make links more manageable and easier to pass along to students.

Post #2

Using blogs in classes are a unique tool available in this digital age. I think that I will probably keep a classroom website set up through either blogger or wordpress. Looking between the two different sites, I'm torn on which one is better though...I really like wordpress for the variety of looks that you can assign to the blog, but I like the overall integration of what Google brings to the table.

I also think that there are possibilities for blogging about assignments in my Language Arts class is a great way to encourage online discussion. There are two large fears that I have about this though. One is the moderation of content. Anything that I post and leave open for "comment" from my students has to be carefully monitored for bullying, inappropriate content and reliability of data. All equals more work for me.

The other concern that I have kind of goes along with the entire technology piece...requiring the usage of technology to keep up with class might hinder those whose families don't have access to the internet. There is still a "digital divide" in the country that is separates the rich from the poor. I would hate to institute a "digital classroom" environment that not everyone could belong to, that would essentially bring further attention to the lack of something in the home that I'm sure is a sensitive subject.

I think that blogs are a useful classroom tools though because they are a way that teachers can get instant information to those students who have instant access. I plan on using them, however, I willl also make sure that I am watching the abilities of all my students to access that information.

Post #1

My name is Dallas Myers. I graduated from South Salem High School in 1998, from Chemeketa Community College with my A.A. in 2000, and Western Oregon University with my B.A. in English in 2003. After college, I decided to pursue management at Costco Wholesale (a company I had already worked at for 5 years through college). I decided to return to pursue my M.A.T. after working with the High School theater program at McKay for the last two years. I am seeking endorsements in High School / Middle School Language Arts and Theater.

I have been acting professionally for the last 3 years with Bag & Baggage Productions in Hillsboro. I helped them launch their company with a touring production of The Complete History of America (abridged) and have since held roles in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, Comedy of Errors and Romeo and Juliet. I've also played a reindeer in The Eight: The Reindeer Monologues, a black comedy about Christmas. I love acting and since I minored in Theater in college, it has been great getting back onto the stage and even better getting paid for it.

I really enjoy playing frisbee golf. My friends and I have played a few courses on our travels, including La Mirada (one of the best courses in the country); and, although I enjoy playing, I'm not an under par thrower yet. I also really enjoy watching movies, I have an extensive collection of movies and stuff at home and enjoy both the film itself and really enjoy watching well made movies...I think that film is one of the great art forms of our generation. And with emerging media, it's becoming easier and easier for younger children to get a hold of creating some wonderful piences of art. I also am an amateur photographer, having shot only one wedding and one senior photo session, I still consider myself amateur.

Beyond all that, if there happens to be free time, I enjoy reading, and...oh yeah, I'm a Mac!