Meet my friend: Web 2.0

Information taken from: http://whatis.techtarget.com/

Web 2.0 is the current state of the old World Wide Web (WWW). The main difference is its social nature; Internet users are content providers and not just passive consumers. They can share information, interact and collaborate with others. In education, this tool can benefit teachers making lessons more creative and attractive for students (creating videos, posters, cartoons, and sharing them with others). Teachers need to be aware of their students, who are immersed in a digital world. 

Here are some practical ideas to use Web 2.0 tools in the classroom:

The easy-going and free Big Huge Labs page allows students to create many things (posters, calendars, puzzles). In pairs, they will create a movie poster including pictures and a list of vocabulary we dealt with. This list should be presented as credits (they will write full sentences using their previous knowledge, avoiding writing isolated words). The picture they choose will be the poster background image and the title will be created considering an outstanding concept they consider they learnt. The purpose of this is to assess and enhance self assessment of what they’ve learnt through this unit. They will share this poster on Edublog, a blog we’ve chosen since it is an appealing and easy-to-use web page. You can create an account and share your material in private learning groups. The pair will design and manage this blog, sharing responsibility and uploading different materials to be shared with others. After this, their peers will reply to this entry and state whether they will go and watch this movie or not (i.e. if they agree or not), and why.

In conclusion, considering the students of this digital generation and the call for creativity and motivation, we believe that teachers should overcome their fear of technology and try it out, enjoying the rewards.