Thing Five: Where In The Web Are We?

I developed a little bit of anxiety when preparing this post based on Web 2.0. Luckily for me, after reading the article Web 2.0 is Not About Version Numbers or Betas I began to feel much more at ease. Web 2.0 is a term used to reference the new world in which the Web is able to open up to us. Today, the Web is used by people who are trying to enhance their own lives, or in my case the classroom. So when reading another article Web 2.0: A Guide for Educators it really made me realize how much of a tech savvy education I needed to develop in order to teach a generation that are digitally native.

In order to do this I feel that the classroom (like the computer or internet) must continue to constantly adjust to its users needs. Children today are so plugged in that it can be a challenge for any teacher to get through to them. This is when we must adjust and combine what interests them into the curriculum. We must learn to say hello to School 2.0. Through using technology in the classroom students are more interested and involved with the learning process. Using technology in the classroom can include any of the following activities: Creating interactive power points or smart board activities or games, having listening centers, computer games or websites that provide activities that go along with learning standards, and my favorite a classroom pen-pal that you are able to Skype with. For teachers or schools that do not have access to resources such as these please check out the link provided. This was a dandy little idea that I found on pinterest from Mrs. Bremer’s Kindergarten. Check it out here ! She has her students ‘texting’ their sight words, ‘typing’ words on iPads and arranging their iPod playlists in alphabetical order thanks to her class’s faux technology!