Welcome!
Hello and welcome to our website! We are communicators, collaborate, creators, and curators. Our hope in creating this resource is to give other educators some background and ideas for using Web 2.0 tools in their classrooms and school libraries. In this digital age it is imperative that educators and students develop skills to communicate and collaborate with others, create new works, and curate information using digital media and platforms. Though we have designed this resource specifically for teachers and teacher librarians who work with students in grade 4 to 7, we hope that all who are interested will find something valuable as they explore this site.
Our website has 18 Things (Web 2.0 tools) for you to explore and discover. Each thing has been explained in a learning module. We have organized the modules into four categories based on skills 21st Century Learners need to develop and maintain. These are to communicate, collaborate, create, and curate.
Our website has 18 Things (Web 2.0 tools) for you to explore and discover. Each thing has been explained in a learning module. We have organized the modules into four categories based on skills 21st Century Learners need to develop and maintain. These are to communicate, collaborate, create, and curate.
An Explanation
This website is based on Helene Blowers idea of “23 Things”. “23 Things” is a self-paced online learning program designed to help others become familiar with Web 2.0. In a 2008 article she wrote titled Ten Tips for 23 Things, she states, “I saw all the changes that were happening on the Internet and knew it was imperative for staff to gain some familiarity with the social networking tools and emerging technologies that were reshaping the way people, society, businesses and, yes, even libraries, access information and communicate with each other” (para. 4).
We share a similar desire to see our colleagues develop the knowledge and skills required to engage in a digital world and create the social network connections to support their learning. Here are a few of the tips Blowers shares for developing a successful program to achieve this goal and our application of them to this site:
Encourage Networking:
“Learning comes not just by encountering information, but is best fostered through interaction with knowledgeable friends, teachers, and colleagues who are willing to share” (2008, para. 7). We have created a Facebook group in order to facilitate this sharing and networking. It is our hope that you will connect with others and share your experiences with Web 2.0 in this group forum.
Focus on Discovery:
“. . . keep in mind that the first stage in any learning journey is exposure, not skill building” (2008, para. 15). We have created modules that describe a variety of Web 2.0 tools and give ideas for how to use them in the classroom and school library. Our intent is to encourage exploration and discovery. Each module also contains a tutorial. When you are ready we hope that you will find the tutorials valuable in helping you take the next step to building skills and implementing these tools into your practice.
Reward Learning:
Provide a “return on investment”. We have created a certificate you can personalize and print off to celebrate your learning. While this incentive does not have any substantive value, we hope you will find the experience and information you have gained reward enough and that you will take pride in what you have learned.
Encourage Play:
“Play sparks learning and brain development” (2008, para. 24). Play is also an inherent practice to using Web 2.0 tools. Many of these tools are intuitive in their use and require an attitude of exploration and discovery. We hope you will take time to watch each tutorial included in each module and then take time to play. Discover the value and features of each tool for yourself.
We share a similar desire to see our colleagues develop the knowledge and skills required to engage in a digital world and create the social network connections to support their learning. Here are a few of the tips Blowers shares for developing a successful program to achieve this goal and our application of them to this site:
Encourage Networking:
“Learning comes not just by encountering information, but is best fostered through interaction with knowledgeable friends, teachers, and colleagues who are willing to share” (2008, para. 7). We have created a Facebook group in order to facilitate this sharing and networking. It is our hope that you will connect with others and share your experiences with Web 2.0 in this group forum.
Focus on Discovery:
“. . . keep in mind that the first stage in any learning journey is exposure, not skill building” (2008, para. 15). We have created modules that describe a variety of Web 2.0 tools and give ideas for how to use them in the classroom and school library. Our intent is to encourage exploration and discovery. Each module also contains a tutorial. When you are ready we hope that you will find the tutorials valuable in helping you take the next step to building skills and implementing these tools into your practice.
Reward Learning:
Provide a “return on investment”. We have created a certificate you can personalize and print off to celebrate your learning. While this incentive does not have any substantive value, we hope you will find the experience and information you have gained reward enough and that you will take pride in what you have learned.
Encourage Play:
“Play sparks learning and brain development” (2008, para. 24). Play is also an inherent practice to using Web 2.0 tools. Many of these tools are intuitive in their use and require an attitude of exploration and discovery. We hope you will take time to watch each tutorial included in each module and then take time to play. Discover the value and features of each tool for yourself.
We prepared this training for you!
After you have had a chance to look around this site we hope that you will be 18 Things closer to being a Web 2.0 learning leader in your school. Before you leave this site make sure you print off your certificate to celebrate all that you have learned.
We also invite you to join the conversation. Please join our Facebook group to share your stories of failure and success, your ideas, and thoughts. We welcome your suggestions for other Web 2.0 tools you have found and how you are using them to support learning in the classroom and school library.
We also invite you to join the conversation. Please join our Facebook group to share your stories of failure and success, your ideas, and thoughts. We welcome your suggestions for other Web 2.0 tools you have found and how you are using them to support learning in the classroom and school library.
Reference:
Blowers, H. (2008). Ten Tips About 23 Things. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2008/10/technology/ten-tips-about-23-things/
Web 2.0 CommunicatorsCollaboratorsCreatorsCurators by Laura, Rachel, Alexa, Kelsi, Asiye, Megan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License