Web+2.0

=**Web 2.0 Assignment**=

Select 5 Web 2.0 tools you would like to incorporate into your classroom. Please write a two-page single-space paper about 1) features of the 5 Web 2.0 tools you select respectively, and 2) how you can use those 5 tools in your teaching respectively (please use concrete examples).

Less than two decades ago, the classroom consisted of only trite textbooks, worksheets, notebook paper, and pencil. Today, with technology continuously advancing, the classroom has started to incorporate different technologies to ease material delivery and increase student comprehension. One of the most crucial technologies is Web 2.0. Web 2.0 has created vast opportunities for the application of educational technology in my secondary math classroom. I have chosen five Web 2.0 tools to discuss – Prezi, SurveyMonkey, Podcasting (MyPodcast), TeacherTube, and PBWorks. I will elaborate on all five tools’ features as well as how they can be incorporated into my teaching, respectively.


 * __1. Prezi__** ([])

(1) Prezi is an amazing presentation tool that can bring topics and lectures to life. This application goes beyond the traditional Microsoft PowerPoint and allows you to present text, images, videos, and numerous files in a non-linear way. In other words, rather than having your ideas on individual slides that you have to flip through, you put all of your ideas on one slide and zoom in and out to the different information. This is an advantage over PowerPoint because, with Prezi, the presentation creator doesn’t have to spend so much time contemplating what info goes on what slide. Furthermore, the creator no longer has to worry about running out of room on a slide. Instead, the creator merely jots down the facts, taking whatever space is necessary, and designates the flow of the information. Overall, the most important feature of Prezi is that it is all-around fun! It is fun for the creator to make a presentation, and with the interesting movement between information, it is interesting and exciting for the audience.

(2) I can use Prezi to deliver lectures on mathematics in my classroom. In Japan, teachers use a chalkboard to tell a “story” of the lesson they are giving. The Japanese teacher and the students write all the information discussed during a lecture down on the chalkboard. At the end of the lesson, the teacher connects the concepts on the board so a coherent story is portrayed. I believe Prezi can help me achieve this kind of “story telling” in my classroom. I can prepare my Prezi lectures with key mathematical questions and notes prior to a given lesson. During the lesson, I can display the problem with Prezi and have the students work on the problem individually and in groups. Once the students need additional help, I can use Prezi to display that day’s worth of notes. The students can then do additional seatwork (individually and in groups) until they have come up with solution methods to the problem. Students will then be encouraged to use SmartBoard to write their solution methods onto the Prezi workspace. Finally, when time is almost up, I can run through that day’s Prezi lecture and provide a summary, or story, of what we have accomplished.


 * __2. SurveyMonkey__** ([])

(1) SurveyMonkey is a survey tool that I can employ in my classroom. I can customize my surveys using the various tools that the website has to offer. For example, there are 15 question types (i.e. multiple choice, text boxes, rating scale, etc.) and numerous templates that will allow me to create any kind of survey I am in the mood for. I can choose to add email recipients to my survey list, so they are prompted to take my surveys through their regular email accounts. Moreover, I can also choose to save my survey as a PDF and print it for people to take. Once someone takes the survey, statistics are compiled from the results for analysis purposes.

(2) Student input is a valuable tool to better my teaching practice. Therefore, I can use SurveyMonkey to routinely receive feedback on my instruction. Specifically, say I was to give a lesson on factoring trinomial functions one day in class. I can write a survey that has a couple of “quiz” questions on factoring trinomials. The survey can also contain feedback questions regarding the difficulty and level of enjoyment of that day’s lesson. I can get all the emails of my students and have this survey sent out to them right after the lesson. They can then have a day or two to complete the survey. After my students complete the survey, I can evaluate student misconceptions in factoring trinomials from the “quiz” questions, and I can use this and the rest of the survey to better my instruction.


 * __3. Podcasting__** ([])

(1) Podcasting allows for the delivery of digital audio content to any audio player via the web. There are several sites that broadcast digital audio files for users such as mypodcast.com, iTunes, and podbean.com. This audio content can be in the form of voice-recorded clips, music, or other sound bites. Once the creator of the podcast has a file he/she wants to upload, he/she simply uploads it to the page, and the file is “broadcast” through the web to the bandwidths subscribers.

(2) I can use podcasts to record and distribute live lectures to my students. Teachers need to embrace both visual and oral methods when trying to increase student comprehension. With the affordability of technology, I plan to acquire both video and audio recording equipment for my classroom. I intend to record my lectures so that I can later reflect on my teaching practices. In addition, I also intend to take the audio recordings of my lectures and convert them to podcasts for my students to use. After every lecture, I will upload the audio recordings to sites like mypodcast.com. In addition, I can use sites like YouTube, GoogleVideo, or TeacherTube to upload my lecture video clips for my students to watch as well. Overall, I will have to get signed parental consent for recording/publishing this audio/video material. I will get into the video tools for my next topic.


 * __4. TeacherTube, Google Video, & YouTube__** ([|http://www.[name.com/]])

(1) TeacherTube, Google Video, and YouTube are popular video tools today. All three sites contain a plethora of video information that can be utilized in a secondary math classroom. You can use these sites to both download and upload video information. In other words, you can watch videos that others have published, can you can even publish your own videos for others to watch (anytime, anywhere). TeacherTube will be the main source that I acquire most of my video information because it is a respectable site for the academic arena.

(2) As I mentioned in the podcasting section, I intend to video record most of my lessons. I will use TeacherTube to upload these video lessons to the web so that my students can view them anytime, anywhere. This takes full advantage of the Web 2.0 technology! In addition to uploading video, I will also access academic videos from sites such as TeacherTube and YouTube. For example, there is one video called “Factoring Trinomials” on TeacherTube that would be supplemental to my instruction. By covering how to factor trinomials and then watching a video on it, my students get to see how to perform the task in two different ways. Thus, I am making my class more universally designed for learning.


 * __5. PBWorks__** ([])

(1) PBWorks is a wiki site that allows users to collaborate and make changes. Word documents, PowerPoint lectures, schedules, policies, and student work examples can all be uploaded to a wiki space on PBWorks (or wikispaces.com). Collaborative pages can also be started which encourage accountable discussions between users. Furthermore, each user in a class/group can be given their own page to customize. The great part about the wiki page is that it possesses accountability; any change that is made by any user is recorded and can be viewed by the page’s creator.

(2) I can use PBWorks (or wikispaces.com) to distribute information to my students. I can upload all of my lectures and word documents to my wiki page for my students to access anytime, anywhere. The word documents can be anything from the course syllabus to individual homework assignment prompts. I can also post due dates and important meeting dates on my wiki page for parents and students to read. I know that parents would enjoy being kept in the loop. In addition, I can start group projects on a wiki page and have my students respond to different questions/prompts. I can then grade them on their participation since I know who will have contributed to the page. Finally, I can create a page for each student so they can upload their homework and track their progress in the class.

//June 29, 2010//