Web 2.0 has enabled educators to connect and share like no other point in history. The potential to create immersive and interactive classrooms is immense and education systems cannot afford to miss these opportunities.
Effective use of Web 2.0 is the tricky part, and even though it is mandated by law that educators use technology in their classrooms (Education Act 2013), many teachers are left without proper guidance and training. The key to being successful is to learn and master a one piece of technology before adding or moving on. In this eBook we will be exploring Google+ and how it can be used to supplement and add to your teaching repertoire.
Description
Google+ is an excellent tool for educators to introduce themselves into Web 2.0. It contains the simplest, as well as more complicated aspects of it, microblogging, blogging, social networking, as well as enabling users to connect on a personal level through Google Hangouts, Communities, Following function, and Google document creation.
Educational Purpose
Google+ can be used in creating a Professional Learning Network to connect to various other educators with the Communities and Following function. Using this a pre-service or new teacher can gain knowledge about pedagogy, lesson content and planning, classroom management, as well as situational advice that would otherwise take years to accumulate without it.
If your goal as an educator is to inspire lifelong learners, you must become one yourself. Creating a PLN is a sure way of maintaining growth and learning moments for yourself. Just make sure you budget how much time you spend immersed in Google+, and be realistic in what you expect to include into your curriculum and content.
Reducing Barriers
Some learners will face barriers in their education. If a teacher uses Google+ it may help to reduce these barriers because it allows teachers to access multiple means of representation so as their learning style is reached out to.
Terms of Service and Age Requirements
For Google+, I recommend that educators use it solely for their own growth and to accumulate content and ideas to incorporate into their materials. That being said the terms and conditions can be found here.
TED.com
Description
TED is a non-profit organization that puts that believes in the spreading of ideas. Contained in TED.com are thousands of videos that contribute in passing on information on a variety of topics. All videos are accessible by everybody and almost all videos serve an educational purpose.
Educational Purpose
Educators can use TED.com in multiple ways. For one, it can allow them to learn about new education psychology ideas on how to best reach the diverse array of learners in their classrooms, as well as strategies that are being discussed.
Reducing Barriers
But the most important use of TED in an educational setting is that it allows teachers to bring in multimedia forms into addressing learner needs and how to communicate content. Using the videos on TED can be in lectures, or in homework. Students can access the UDL principle of Multiple Means of Representation at school and out of school environments.
Terms and Conditions and Age Requirements
Anybody can access TED, but make sure that the material being utilized is actually appropriate for the age of your students. A lot of the content on TED is aimed at post-secondary as older secondary students. For the statement of the terms and conditions, please click here
Description
Socrative is a web tool that enables teachers assess their learners progress, as well as have their learners interact with formative assesments, and contribute ideas anonymously (that you can store for future use).
Educational Purpose
Socrative can be used as a way to gauge interest in topics, judge learner progress, get feedback on students (keep it, change it, trash it for example), and allow learners to engage with content on a completely different level than a traditional classroom setting. It can be made to make learners feel that they control their learning and that their opinions matter in the context of their educational environment.
Reducing Barriers
Learners are given access to Multiple Means of Engagement, which means that they will be more interested in what they are learning if they can engage with the context with a deeper more personalized meaning. Well executed use of Socrative can mean that student ownership of learning increases, and allows for the educator to identify areas of misconceptions and misunderstandings to work on at a later time or in the same class period depending on when they utilize the Web 2.0 tool.
Terms and Conditions and Age Requirements
The age of the users depend on the ability of the learners in understanding how to properly use and have the technology available to them. Seeing how this tool is primarily in the control of the teacher, the age is not a barrier to its use. For the statement of the terms and conditions, please click here.