Musings on Web 2.0 - 2.0

... which leads to the main way of justifying the value of Web2.0 (see last posting) - the practical benefits. Steve O'Hear's article in the education section of The Guardian highlights a number of simple-to-implement practical uses for web2.0 systems.




[1] A travel blog for school trips. Teachers and students can log their experiences, and parents can also track and communicate with their children




[2] Using Flickr in art classes. Teachers and students can draw 'hotspots' on images and share/blog thoughts about these qualities, much like you would when pointing to a painting, only judgements can be logged from around the world.




[3] Using video blogging in media class. Students review an item by BBC head of new media using their own video blog, then edit them using iMovie, and upload them. They are then asked watch and rate each others presentations. All this encourages critical thinking of the content as well as the media. What is more, the teacher claims students were more motivated, as well as deveoping greater independence by 'enabling them to collaborate more effectively outside class'.




[4] Sharing good practice - wikis and blogs in education. Currently, much effort is going into using blogs and wikis in the classroom, and to promote sharing of ideas among teachers. Josie Fraser, an educational technologist is quoted as saying: "Literacy is undergoing a renaissance, thanks to weblogs, as a new generation of learners are alive to the possibilities of reading, writing and communicating in many different contexts,"




Perhaps it may be to early too start singing the praises of web 2.0 functions too loud, but there undoubtedly *are* practical uses which engage students and teachers alike, and these uses are likely to improve with time. And if the kids are currently engaged and inspired by sites like MySpace and YouTube in a big way, then educationalists are almost duty-bound to adapt teaching practices to accommodate this ever-increasing interest.