Blog 5
According to the podcast, Web 2.0 is a generation of websites that is more sophisticated than the ones belonging to Web 1.0--they allow users to interact and share with each other over a wide range of platforms. Many of my teachers in the past have used YouTube to show videos that relate to certain lessons, and it is something I will probably do as a teacher in the future. YouTube is an example of a Web 2.0 site, but the student roll is still passive. More interactive Web 2.0 sites that I think can be useful in classrooms are things like wikis, social media (like Twitter), and tolls like Diigo. We had a chance to try out wikis in our third assignment for this class, and I think it can be a really helpful way to get students to collaborate and learn together while giving the opportunity to be creative. Teachers just have to make sure that their students understand how to navigate the wiki and be able to guide students who run into trouble with the website itself. I also really like the idea of using twitter and other social media platforms in the academic setting to get students engaged and excited about learning. But as was stated in the podcast, teachers have to be careful when it comes to student safety and productivity on the web. Admittedly, I was not excited about trying out Diigo at first, but my opinions on it have changed. I like that comments and annotations can be shared between groups of people. Since learning about Diigo in class, I have used it a couple times for my personal benefit to annotate PDFs for class without having to print them out--it's a great way to save paper!
I think that Scribd is a very interesting Web 2.0 tool. While I haven't jumped completely on board with the whole digital book trend, this application is much more than a virtual book library. For $8.99/month, one has access to three books and one audio book per month, and unlimited access to magazines and documents. For the amount of material to which you gain access, this seems like a really good deal. It can be used at anytime on any device, and they offer a 30 day free trial. The documents available on this app include things like sheet music, court filings, business presentations, and academic papers. Not only is it a place to read these documents, Scribd offers an open publishing platform. I have not checked out the app on mobile devices, but I can say that their website is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. Here's a link! https://www.scribd.com/
It's hard to commit to picking just one technology advancement that I think holds the biggest promise for the future of education, because I think so many of them have great potential. But if I have to pick one, I will say gamification. My reasoning for this is that this growing form of technology is becoming more and more popular as scholars do research in the effects of gaming for learning possibilities. And I think that for the technologies mentioned in the textbook, gaming is a component in some of them (augmented and virtual reality, gesture-based multi-touch displays). The most prominent aspect of gaming in education that I see beneficial for students is the excitement and immediate response that it provides. My opinions of gamification have also been swayed by Jane McGonigal, who gave a Ted Talk on how gaming can make a better world. Here's a link to that: https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world
I think that Scribd is a very interesting Web 2.0 tool. While I haven't jumped completely on board with the whole digital book trend, this application is much more than a virtual book library. For $8.99/month, one has access to three books and one audio book per month, and unlimited access to magazines and documents. For the amount of material to which you gain access, this seems like a really good deal. It can be used at anytime on any device, and they offer a 30 day free trial. The documents available on this app include things like sheet music, court filings, business presentations, and academic papers. Not only is it a place to read these documents, Scribd offers an open publishing platform. I have not checked out the app on mobile devices, but I can say that their website is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. Here's a link! https://www.scribd.com/
It's hard to commit to picking just one technology advancement that I think holds the biggest promise for the future of education, because I think so many of them have great potential. But if I have to pick one, I will say gamification. My reasoning for this is that this growing form of technology is becoming more and more popular as scholars do research in the effects of gaming for learning possibilities. And I think that for the technologies mentioned in the textbook, gaming is a component in some of them (augmented and virtual reality, gesture-based multi-touch displays). The most prominent aspect of gaming in education that I see beneficial for students is the excitement and immediate response that it provides. My opinions of gamification have also been swayed by Jane McGonigal, who gave a Ted Talk on how gaming can make a better world. Here's a link to that: https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world
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