Blog 5

Web 2.0 technologies can be useful in the classroom. But the usefulness of each of these types of sites must be evaluated based on the group of students being taught. Younger students such as in kindergarten or first grade would most likely not use Diigo, Twitter, Wiki, or blog sites. These may be a bit too advanced for kids of a younger age, however they would useful for older students to collaborate and learn from. For younger students, I think YouTube would be a great resource because it is easy to use and can have a lot of information.

I think a cool Web 2.0 tool I would use in my classroom would be Storybird. It’s an online tool that allows students to create their own story books with pictures and text. They become their own authors and are able to publish their works. I think this allows elementary school students to be creative throughout the writing process while also learning how to perfect it. Its free for educators and aligns with common core standards. Students can choose from many different artwork designs to make a story that is unique or draw from their past reading history. It encourages students to have fun when writing and reading.

Link: https://storybird.com

Augmented reality seems to hold the biggest promise/possibility for greater education in schools. This emerging technology allows students to become more engaged in the learning process while being able to grasp concepts better and learn better critical thinking and problem solving skills. Kids are always interested in games and by incorporating a game into the learning process and combining a new and exciting technology will cause students to be more engaged in school.