Web 2.0 After Thoughts

This has been 3+ weeks of intense technology. I already knew something about Facebook , podcasting, and blogging. What I didn't know was that these were all categorized under Web 2.0, nor did I know about the multitude of other technologies that it encompasses. Education is changing and we expect to be a part of that change. We must however make sure that we are using technology in the classroom to enhance student learning and not just to do something on a computer. We also have to make sure that students are aware of the advantages as well as the pitfalls of technology.

Last Flickr

I signed up for my Flickr account and uploaded some pictures of my son playing his favorite video game (for now) Guitar Hero. We had a very brief conversation about it. There is a multitude of technology for educators to use, but careful planning is a must.

More Flickr 2

This is a link to a long but interesting audio mp3 about the use of Flickr for middle and high school students and digital photography. While the subject matter may not directly relate to those in our class, it just shows the creativity that can be found with Flickr. I also found this to be an interesting website for educators "Teachers Teaching Teachers" to have at hand.It's a weekly webcast. The subjects appear to be of interest to those interested in technology and education. These educators mention things that we have discussed in class like, wikis, google docs, lack of ability to get to computer lab, etc. I forgot to mention that Flickr is a Yahoo product.

More Flickr

I really like blogging ( at least when I have time to do it). Anyway, I have been reading more about Flickr. I set up an account, and downloaded a couple of pictures. Ease of use is a primary thing for me and while it didn't take long to set up, there seemed to be several different places to go to find out information on using it. They had useful security notices and I liked the idea that you can allow only certain groups to view what you have downloaded and your comments. As with many things, they start off free, but if you want the super duper, jazzed up, all the bells and whistles, version, you are welcomed to pay $24.95/year. I would want to try this out this school year on a free basis to see if it's a product that the team would use. They do have some upload limits under the free account and they tell you that sometimes you may have to wait for your pictures to upload because there may be a lot of other people uploading. As I mentioned earlier I can think of some classroom applications. I also thought about having it available to parents to see pictures of their child's field trips. My classmate Carrie guided me to more elaborate services that Flickr provides, that she learned about at a workshop. (Thanks Carrie) It does appear that Flickr may be a another viable way for classes to communicate with other classrooms and the world

Filesharing/Flickr

One of the wonderful things about the internet is that you can be looking for one thing and come across something else valuable. "flickr" is picture filesharing which enables you to share your pictures with those who also have flickr. Even if you want someone to view your pictures without an account, you can set them up as a guest. I find that this site could be used as an educational tool. For teachers in different schools that want to exchange photos, they can monitor the progress of butterfly larve from the minute they arrive at school to the time they are released. Students can take pictures of the various stages and compare. They can also write their observations about the butterflies' progress. This is almost blogging with pictures and I would use this site.

Social Networking 2

After further investigation, I still feel that networking sites like FaceBook and My Space are for socializing only and I don't see any educational application other than possibly for educators. Even educators have to be mindful when using sites like this if it's to be used for social reasons. This linked article on eschoolNews website discusses one of my concerns. I did find another site that appears educationally based, saywire.com. After reading their information, their site seems to provide what educators and students could use in a safe and meaningful environment. Being the skeptic that I am, I would want to ask more questions before jumping on board. I just think about an activity in my tech class where we evaluated 3 "kid friendly" websites. As we all determined, they weren't everything they were suppose to be.

Social Networking

The phenomena of social networking is new only in it's application using technology. Human beings have always wanted to stay in contact with each other. It just so happens that it use to be done with a telephone and only one person at a time or just by physically being with each other . Now with My Space, Facebook, and other similar programs, you can stay in touch through the internet with groups of people at a time. You can tell those in your group what you're doing, what you look like, or what your interest are. Your friends can pass that information to their friends, and a whole world of contacts has been opened (whether you like it or not). In an age where attention spans also appear to be short, you don't even have to sit around waiting for a response. You can leave your computer, do something else, and then come back to the same conversation. If you need an immediate response, then there's always text messaging or IMing. The question is whether social networking has a place in the educational setting. Blackboard is a type of social networking site. We have all seen its advantages; to review and discuss articles, to participate in online disucssions about various concepts, etc. What about its use for younger students. Is Facebook an appropriate method for educational collaboration? Intially I saw Blackboard as an educational tool but not Facebook. To me, Facebook is more on the social part of networking. Frankly, even after exploring, I still feel sites like My Space or Facebook are more for socializing and connecting with people with like interest. I understand a teacher could have a Facebook where she may discuss what her class is doing in science, but I don't see the advantages for younger students. I think that blogs would be more helpful for primary grades educationally. Educators may collaborate with each other within their My Space or Facebook page. I will be thinking more about this. Want to know about Social Networking?
Check out this perspective on YouTube