Post #6

"Web 2.0 is a category of new Internet tools and technologies created around the idea that the people who consume media, access the Internet, and use the Web shouldn't passively absorb what's available; rather, they should be active contributors, helping customize media and technology for their own purposes, as well as those of their communities."

When I was reading on the internet about Web 2.0, I came across this definition on tech soup and thought that it was a really good one. I really like the idea of using technology to enhance learning. I think that technology has so much to offer that a teacher cannot give to every individual student. More and more schools and classrooms are moving towards technology based classrooms, and I think that it's a good idea that teachers start now in order to ease the transition for students later on in their lives. In a sense the world now revoloves around technology. Everything from ATM's to e-mail and text messaging, all are causing the world to grow more and more technical. If students don't have a basic idea about technology, then they are going to be out of luck. I personally want to teach younger children, so I wouldn't be using as much Web 2.0 as teachers who are teaching older children classrooms would be. But this does not mean that I think that it is not important. There are still learning tools that younger children can use to enhance their learning, and I think that it is extremely important. I think that students, young or old, need to learn to socially network through the tools available with other students and members of their community. Technology so far has proven to be the best means of doing that.

I do not think that wikipedia should be able to be used as a web resource. I think that a lot of the time it does have accurate material and facts, but it can still be tweaked by anyone who choses to do so. If a student happens to come across a site where there is some changed and unture information and they use it as a fact, then they are giving wrong information without even knowing it. I don't think that as an educator you should approve any website for research information that could potentially have false information on it. It is very important that educators give their students strong and reliable learning resources, not ones that could potentially have faulty sources on them. Wikipedia is very informational, the only problem is that it can be changed at any point and you never truely know whether or not you are obtaining true information.

I learned a very important skill this week that will be extremely helpful in my career as an educator. I learned about powerpoint and how to present one to a class. As a teacher, powerpoint will be very useful. I will be able to present material to my class in an exciting and creative way, instead of just reading it to the class. I can also teach my students (if i have age apropriate students) to read and then present what they learned to the class through a powerpoint. This will allow them to be able to use technology while applying the material that they just learned. Not only will I be able to use this skill a lot when I become a teacher, I will also be able to use it through my college career. If you don't know what you're doing, then it is going to take a lot more time to create a powerpoint presentation. I now know how to effectively create a powerpoint presentation. I really like all that powerpoint offers and I think that it will be helpful in many areas of my educational and professional career.

Post #5

I think that the internet can be used as a great way to aid students in research. I think that this is especially important when students are of an age where they fully understand that the internet does not have all factual things on it, and the site that they wish to use needs to be thoroughly evaluated before it is used as a reliable source. I think that research on the internet is an extremely important thing when it comes to students working on various projects and papers. The internet is filed with so much important and easy to access information that I believe it is most likely the quickest way for students to access information. I think that it is extrmely useful when students need quick information. It is also useful when they need a lot of different opinions and sources, because the internet is filled with information regarding almost every subject known to man! Another great thing that the internet offers to students for their research is online catalogues and databases that are pretty much written documents and books, just online. Although I think that the internet is a great source, I also think that students need to have some understanding of the fact that not everything is true on the internet and that it is important to be able to distinguish between what is facutal and what is false. I think that students should also be able to have an understanding on how to research things in the library and other sources besides the internet so that their research has a wide variety of sources. The internet is by far the most convenient and quick way to obtain facutal information, I just think that there is a time and place when it is appropriate to do so.

After being in this class for a while I have learned all sorts of differnet web-based resources that are available to students that teachers can use to support learning. I really like the idea of using blogs. They are free and easy to sign up for and students can use their creative side and also technical side. Teachers can also benefit because they now have an easy way to check and see if students are understanding what is being taught to them. I also like the idea of chat rooms. Teachers can set up online chat rooms where students can connect with other students and help eachother with things that don't understand. This aleviates some of the stress because students can ask eachother instead of always having to ask the teacher. Another great way to bring technology into the classroom, especially with young children is web-based educational computer games. I volunteer in a kindergarten class once a week, and there are so many games that she uses that are both fun and educational, and she finds them free on the internet. It keeps their attention and is very effective in followng up with lessons that she just taught. When I teach in a classroom I plan to use all of these web resources.

Although I am completely for students being able to use technology in the classroom, there are some reservations that I have as a teacher about the internet. There is so much great information out there, but all it takes is one wrong click and a students can be on a bad website. There's disqusting sites all over the place and it's hard for students to distinguish which sites are okay and which are not before they actually click on the site. Also a lot of sites are very bias and, without even knowing it, students can be reading false or one-sided information. Just because you google something and get a huge amount of webistes, it doesn't mean that these websites are all reliable. Most are acutally trash, which is why you need to give your students strict criteria as to what is good and what is not. I want to teach younger students, so I need to be especially careful when they are on the web. I think that if they are young then it is even more important for a teacher to make sure they are heavily supervising them. I think that a good idea would be to have smaller groups go at a time so that the teacher is constantly aware of where they are. The younger they are, the less they will be researching on the internet, so my students will probably be doing more educational computer games then anything. It is important to assess which age group you are teaching when deciding how much access and freedom you are going to allow them on the web.