Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

Web 2.0 Tools in a Social Studies Classroom

▪ Google Earth▪ Bubble.us▪ Facebook▪ Twitter▪ Prezi▪ Google Groups

Google Earth

▪ 3-D mapping and geographical visualization program

▪ Available as a downloaded client or through the Web

▪ Allows user to add their own information

▪ Free

Why use Google Earth?

▪ American students, as a group, score poorly on world geography assessments (Schachter, 2012)

▪ Geography is more than labelling countries and capitals (Yundt, 2013)

▪ Brings context to discussions, aiding in both retention and engagement (Taylor & Plewe, 2006)

▪ Commonly used, already a lot of lesson plans available using Google Earth

How is Google Earth used?

▪ Answer research questions▪ Instructional purposes▪ Not just geography– History– Anthropology– Sociology– Civics/Political Science– Anything where places add

context

Google Earth Wrap-up

▪ Brings worldwide mapping and satellite imagery into the classroom

▪ Supports Searching by address, Lat Long, or place name

▪ Has information in addition to maps– geo-located photos– 3-D building maps– Ability to add own information

Bubble.us

▪ Comprehensive and flexible mind-mapping system

▪ Available online▪ Can share maps with

others, both read-only and editable

▪ Free

Why Use Bubbl.us?

▪ The use of mind-mapping helps reinforce learning and future information retrieval (Wheeldon, 2011)

▪ Allows learners to visualize their knowledge, providing both practice and context in creation and retrieval

▪ Simple and easy to use

How is Bubble.us used?

▪ Use it as a study-aid by both teachers and students– Give visual representation of information– Gives practice in information retrieval

▪ Use it as an assessment tool– Formative – to ensure that students are

gaining the information adequately– Summative – to ensure that content is

retained

(Making A Map : Mind Map Rubric, 2007)

Bubble.us Conclusion

▪ Create a central theme to the information to be shared

▪ Create related sub themes and display the relationship visually

▪ Share the output as desired

Facebook

▪ Social networking site, consisting of a personal representation (profile), social connections, and other items (applications)

▪ Most students will likely already be on the system

▪ Allows group sites as well as personal sites

▪ Free

Why use Facebook?

▪ As a communications tool between teacher and students

▪ As a community building tool

▪ Connects some of the student’s favorite informal learning experiences with the more formal learning experiences in school (Fewkes & McCabe, 2012)

How is Facebook used

▪ Used primarily as a group communications tool

▪ Secondary usage could include assessment where an individual or group maintained user page is evaluated for content

Facebook Summary

▪ Allows users (students and teachers) to share information with each other and build a community.

▪ Allows the ability to create posts

▪ Allows the ability to ask/answer questions

Twitter

▪ An online social networking and microblogging service

▪ Sends messages no more than 140 characters

▪ Viewable online or through free apps

▪ Users both send “tweets” and subscribe to read “tweets” from other users

▪ Free

Why Use Twitter?

▪ Active notification - users subscribe to notifications, so users (students in this case) will be notified as soon as the teacher posts a tweet.

▪ Properly formatted questions (using hashtags - #something) can be answered by subject matter experts

▪ Ability to interact with people world-wide

How is Twitter used?

▪ Twitter is used more as a learning tool than for assessment– Get tweeted information from

experts– Ask questions to anyone in the

twitterverse, classified by hashtag

▪ Use as a messaging platform between teachers and students

Twitter wrap-up?

▪ A user can be followed, which means their tweets will be immediately delivered

▪ Following gives user the ability to watch for tweets from others

▪ Hashtags (#something) allow for the grouping of information, lets multiple people tweet about the same thing.

Prezi

▪ Online presentation software

▪ Video and audio can be imported and included in the presentation

▪ Can act like a giant chalkboard for creativity, not like a traditional slide presentation program

▪ Free for limited usage

Why use Prezi?

▪ Online access to creating and viewing presentations

▪ Many different types of templates to give a start in creating an effective presentation

▪ Allows excellent, template control of the look and feel of a presentation

How is Prezi used?

▪ Can be used by an instructor to present information to the students

▪ Can be used by students to present information back to the class and/or instructor– Formative assessment – Summative assessment /

Research or project write-up

Prezi Conclusion

▪ Creation is linear, like a “traditional” presentation program

▪ Display is all slides together on one screen

▪ Play feature moves the screen around, user can edit the flow of the screen as it moves around

Google Groups

▪ Acts as a community, either open or closed (by invitation only)

▪ Discussion Forum – allows students and teacher to have synchronous communication

▪ Mailing List – create one email and easily send it to the group

▪ Free

Why use Google Groups?

▪ Discussion forums build a sense of community and enhance learning in an online course (Misanchuk & Anderson, 2001).

▪ Supports both both active and passive learners (Nandi, Hamilton, & Harland, 2012)

▪ Available online and through various apps

How are Google Groups used?

▪ Email list supports communications between teacher and students

▪ Can be used as a learning tool by posting and discussing content

▪ Supports formative assessments through posting requirements and follow-through discussion

Google Groups Summary

▪ Discussion forums allow instructors to lead learning

▪ Forums also allow students to reply to instructors and interact with each other

▪ Integrated with the Google infrastructure

Conclusion

▪ There are, literally, hundreds of Web 2.0 tools available for instructors.

▪ Some tools are designed to support communications▪ Other tools support presentation▪ Many tools do a little bit of everything▪ Tools should not be looked at as always providing

information from instructor to students – they can be used as assessment tools where students create information for evaluation from the instructor

References

▪ Fewkes, A. M., & McCabe, M. (2012). Facebook: Learning tool or distraction. Journal of digital learning in teacher education, 28(3), 92-98. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ972449

▪ Making A Map : Mind Map Rubric. (2007, Aug 30). Retrieved from Rubistar: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=1095617&

▪ Misanchuk, M., & Anderson, T. (2001). Building Community in an online learning environment: Communication, cooperation and collaboration. Proceedings of the Annual Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference, (p. 22). Murfreesboro, TN. Retrieved from http://www.mtsu.edu/-itconf/proceed01/19.pdf

▪ Nandi, D., Hamilton, M., & Harland, J. (2012, May). Evaluating the quality of interaction in asynchronous discussion forums in fully online courses. Distance Education, 33(1), 5-30.

References (cont.)

▪ Schachter, R. (2012, June). Geography ed for a flat world. District Administration, 48(6), 28-33.

▪ Taylor, W., & Plewe, B. (2006). The effectiveness of Interactive maps in secondary historical geography education. Cartographic Perspectives, 55(Fall), 16-33.

▪ Wheeldon, J. (2011). Is a picture worth a thousand words? Using mind maps to facilitate participant recall in qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 16(2), 509-522.

▪ Yundt, H. (2013, Apr). Lost on a map. Canadian Geographic, 133(2), 6.