Web 2.0 Applications and NETS-S

When students utilize the communication, collaboration, and publishing Web 2.0 applications, they not only reach those in their classrooms, they can reach those around the world.  These apps offer them the opportunity to communicate and collaborate in unique ways in and out of school.  They are able to publish and share their work for all to see using tools that we could not even imagine a few years ago.  These apps not only create a unique learning experience for our students, they afford them avenues to learn and apply 21^st century skills that meet the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). 

Web 2.0 applications, such as Edmodo, Google+ Hangouts, Google Docs, Glogster (to name a few of the wonderful apps listed in Unit 5), allow students to touch upon each standard in the NETS-S.  For example, students can utilize any one of the publishing platforms of Web 2.0 to meet the needs of Creativity and Innovation.  Students can demonstrate their creative thinking and create products that enhance any type of learning competency.  Students can create glogs, use Edmodo, or create a Prezi to showcase their content knowledge.

The Communication and Collaboration standard can easily be met with Web 2.0 apps by affording students the opportunity to communicate and collaborate in and out of school.  Apps such as VoiceThread, Google+ Hangouts, Skype, and Today’s Meet allow students to congregate in an online environment and communicate/collaborate using chat features, voice, and/or video.  With some platforms, these meetings can be recorded for future use which is very beneficial. 

Web 2.0 apps enable students to Research with ease and enhance Information Fluency.  Students are given multiple avenues to “locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information” from a multitude of sources available.  (ISTE, 2012).  These digital tools (Wikis and Google Docs) are usually free and user friendly which levels the playing field for all students.  Students can easily share their information with others for immediate feedback.

Twenty-first century skills, such as Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making are developed when students are prompted to work independently or in groups to solve problems on a small or large scale.  Again, Web 2.0 applications can provide the means for which students can work collaboratively or individually to organize, manipulate, or revise their work.  In addition, they can use other web-based platforms to reflect on their learning processes. 

When implementing these apps, Digital Citizenship is critical.  Students should be educated on how to use them appropriately and respect everyone involved.  They must be aware that there are real people on the other side of their screen.  Online collaboration through applications and other social media should be monitored, and netiquette and proper guidelines should be provided and stressed for comfortable collaboration among parties.  Students should also realize that their products will be published in a public domain and viewed by many people, so material and interactions must be appropriate. 

With the popular use of these Web 2.0 applications and other technological devices, such as iPads, iPods, and iPhones, students should be aware of Technology Operations and Concepts.  With increased education and application, our digital learners must be able to troubleshoot problems with their devices and apps and be able to transfer this knowledge to other tools in various environments.  Technology and apps are constantly upgrading, and it is crucial for students to be able to “grow” with them.  They will be subjected to these issues in the real world, and they will need to know how to identify these issues and resolve them.  We have all experienced technological difficulties; the important thing is being able to move past them and carry on. 

Being an online educator, I realize that you cannot simply add technology to traditional instruction and believe that it is meeting the NETS-S.  It is essential to insure that the technology you are integrating into your class is meaningful and has a clear purpose.  After researching these tools and sharing best practices with others, you must be able to discern if this technology is relevant and has real-world applications.  After exploring and utilizing a few of the Web 2.0 apps that we have discussed in this unit and after reviewing NETS-S, I believe that these applications, if used effectively, do offer platforms that do meet the standards developed by ISTE.  As stated in Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age, “The standards emphasize performance and behaviors that reflect the emerging learning opportunities offered by technology, as well as the world students will work and live in as adults” (Boss & Krauss, 2007), and Web 2.0 provides the means to take students into the 21^st century on global platforms.  Web 2.0 applications and NETS-S appear to be “…in perfect harmony.” 

 

Boss, S. & Krauss, J. (2007). Reinventing project-based learning: Your field guide to real-world projects in the digital age. Washington, DC:  International Society for Technology in Education.

ISTE.  (2012).  NETS for students 2007.  Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards-for-   students/nets-student-standards-2007

Unit 4 Thoughts

We are now in Week 4, and I think our group is coming along wonderfully!  We have met twice using two different platforms in the past couple of weeks.  We have also been using our other tools and email to communicate throughout the week.  Everyone has been doing a great job with responding and keeping up with deadlines. 

I am thoroughly enjoying all of the thoughts, ideas, questions, and activities that everyone has been "bringing to the table!"  I was able to view Rachelle and Holly's guiding activities, and they were outstanding!  As a student, I would have loved to participate in these activities.  I would now as an adult!  I think we have an appealing big idea and engaging essential questions, so the entire process has been interesting.  Onward!  :)

Unit 2 Thoughts

I really enjoyed this week's reading due to the emphasis on the increased accountability of high-stakes testing and its negative effects on authentic, real-world learning and understanding.  Because of this focus, many teachers are "teaching to the test" and putting authentic learning like PBL and CBL on the backburner which is hindering the students' learning.  As I mentioned in my discussion board, this "teaching to the test" is not doing our students any favors because the tests do not mimic real-world situations; however, the teachers feel there is no other way.  This is truly sad because students are being disengaged in learning and not being adequately prepared for the 21st century. 

I also enjoyed the fact that many of the articles were related to high school because I teach high school English.  Many of the points made in the unit's readings were very relevant and evident in my school and my students.  It is important for teachers to know that traditional teaching is not fostering deep understanding of the content in our students, and other methods need to be implemented in the classroom, along with collaboration.  Students should be given opportunities to not only create their own meaning and understanding of school-related materials, but be able to use and apply this deep understanding to new situations in order to be successful in the real world.

(u01a1) Blog - PBL

If the provided videos do not get you excited about implementing PBL in the classroom, I do not know what will!  To me, it appears that each project-based learning example arose from a personal question (fellow student with Cystic Fibrosis) to a quest to have the students learn something that a textbook was not fulfilling (Geometry) to pure curiosity about Science (More Fun Than a Barrel of...Worms?! and March of the Monarchs).  To get these students excited and engaged, questions swirled about a subject, whether teacher- or student-created.  Students then begin their missions to solve these problems - challenges willingly accepted by the students due to their relevance and real-life applications.  Once guiding questions were generated, teachers would take a step back and allow the students to actively answer these questions, and even generate new questions, in an effort to solve these real-world problems.  Once each project had been established, the teachers facilitated and guided learning through activities and assessed students using a variety of forms at different phases during the project.  Although the teachers put a lot of work into planning the project, the bulk of the work was tackled by the students.  Mrs. Vreeland, from the article More Fun Than a Barrel of…Worms?! (Curtis, 2001), makes this clear when she states, “It's much easier, she says, to follow a textbook and know you'll be reading a storybook at 10 A.M. and working at the computer at 11 A.M. and counting at 2 P.M. Project learning, however, requires flexibility and the ability to take a kernel of an idea and set it off in a productive direction."  I believe this seems to be a challenge in itself worth exploring. 

Some other aspects that these three PBL examples had in common were the hands-on activities, collaboration, and integration of technology.  Rubrics were also provided so students were aware of the teachers’ expectations.  With the combination of these aspects, authentic learning takes place where real-world problems are introduced and solved while spanning other disciplines throughout the process.  Because the students claim ownership of their work and are a part of a group, I believe they take pride in presenting their findings or solutions at the conclusion of the project.  They have become invested in the process from start to finish.  Having experts and professionals present during their presentations can be even more special for these students, validating their hard work!  This is evident when students and teachers heard “architects telling the kids that their work was on par with first-year architecture students at the university” (Armstrong, 2002).  Learning in this manner presents opportunities for students to develop deeper understandings that will not be erased with the next lesson and will imbue a love of life-long learning.  In addition to these benefits, Principal Peter Bender of More Fun Than a Barrel of…Worms?! stated that higher scores, better attendance, lower discipline issues, and increased enthusiasm are results of PBL (Curtis, 2001).  For these reasons, I am excited to learn more about integrating PBL into my classroom. 

 

Armstrong, S.  (2002).  Edutopia.  Geometry Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning.  Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/geometry-real-world-students-architects. 

Curtis, D.  (2001).  Edutopia.  More Fun Than a Barrel of...Worms?!  Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms