"Play, Experiment, and Make Mistakes"

In Multiliteracies class this past week, we were exposed to numerous sites that fall under the category of "Web 2.0". If you're like I was when introduced to this term, you are probably wondering what this means. Well, simply put, it sums up our new, more active way of being involved with the internet, as opposed to the passive way in which we used to take part. We used to read websites for information, but we can now be the experts and share our knowledge with the world. Sites now exist that are similar to programs that needed to be individually installed/downloaded onto your computer, enhancing the possibility (and probability) of sharing and learning from one another. Essentially, the internet has turned into one big giant communication tool. This is applicable to the classroom in many ways, as I realized this past Wednesday. Through the various sites that I investigated, a teacher can communicate with their students, assess their students, and allow their students to be creative through alternative mediums. Students may be more comfortable with these mediums than the traditional classroom methods, since, let's face it, most of them are experts in this arena.

I began by looking at BitStrips: an avatar/cartoon-creating site. The tagline itself says it all: "unlock the educational power of comics." The teacher sets up a class account, in which all students can see each other's avatars and comics created can be shared. It fosters a sense of community, sharing, and creativity, which make for a much better learning environment.

Ning is a website that can be used for multiple things; and I am very intrigued! The practicality of  this site is remarkable, as it allows all students to communicate with each other in many fashions, combining aspects of Facebook, blogs, and web-forums (for a fee, which is disappointing). It can be used as a literature circle (as my instructor does for her ENG 4U class), where students can share thoughts/answer questions about a piece being studied in class, and it can also be used as a site where forums can be started by the teacher with specific topics up for discussion. Finally, students can blog in open discussion, sharing thoughts and offering assistance to one another. There's that sense of community again...I feel a theme arising.

Prezi  is awesome. I just recently became familiar with it, but I love it. It is definitely one of those things where you either love it or hate it. But as a presentation tool, I think it's great: think of it as PowerPoint on a sugar high, all jazzed up and spunky. It takes some getting used to, but it allows for a great deal of creativity in your presentation, and it's free! :D

Google Docs is also awesome..now. Now that I know how to use it, and can see how useful it can be. A program you need to be patient with and troubleshoot your own way through.

Finally, Animoto. Definitely interesting. This site allows you to combine pictures and music and make it into a video: "Making awesome easier." Well, I'm only interested in what awesome-ness I can get for free, so although this site has two other "upgraded" options, I'm going to see what the lite version has to offer (this is the version I would use with my students as well). You have lots to choose from with the free version, the only real difference is the length of the video (30 second max). I feel that the process may take quite a while from start to finish, so this may be good for a culminating activity: students could choose photos to represent a character and their development,  then write a short paper describing the reasoning for their choices, for example. All in all, cool site, but a bit time consuming and may be too advanced for those who are not as tech-savy.

This ends my review of Web 2.0: the active approach to the internet. I am definitely excited to see how I am able to blend the traditional world with the techno-world in my classroom.