First of all, I didn't know that there were distinctions between websites called "Web 1.0" and "Web 2.0," so that was interesting to learn. For use within the classroom, I really like the idea of class blogs. The podcast mentioned a site called 21Classes that seems really neat. Within that site, the teacher is able to create accounts for each of their students and set up the parameters in which their students' blogs can operate. I think the opportunity to learn how to participate in an online community within a closed and safely controlled environment is very neat. I also like the idea of Twitters being used in an educational setting. I've really enjoyed using it for our class so far. As an educator, I think it would be great to maintain a Twitter account to use for connecting with other educators, communicating with parents (I want to teach early elementary school so I think that's who I'd be communicating with more directly than students), and having a platform for your students' parents to connect with each other! I thought it was interesting that the podcast brought up using Wikis for classroom collaboration. Since I'm thinking in the mindset of someone teaching young kids, I don't think Wikis would be useful for my classroom because they seem rather advanced and are very public. They might be more useful for someone teaching high school, though.
To utilize Web 2.0 sites in a classroom, you must obviously have some sort of computer. The computer needs to have up-to-date software to ensure compatibility with basic things such as Java and Flash Player. They also need to have sufficient core processors and RAM capacities. I'm sure this isn't as much of a problem anymore, but when I was in late elementary and middle school, some school computers were hopeless. All computers need a keyboard and a mouse, and probably headphones if students are going to be working with interactive learning activities. Some "peripherals" that are basic but very useful, are flash drives or external hard drives so that teachers are able to back up all of their own work as well as their students' work so that nothing is accidentally lost. Schools must ensure that they have functioning networks so that all of the computers within the school can operate together and all have the correct software/programs throughout the classrooms.
Web 2.0 - LiveBinders
I wanted to find a new website that I hadn't heard of before to use for this section, so I googled "Web 2.0 tools for teachers" and I found a website with a list of some really cool websites. Just about every one of them you had to sign up and pay for to even find out anything about how it works, but I found a really cool website call LiveBinders. LiveBinders.com is a website that allows you to compile "binders" that are more than just words, like in traditional binders. You can compile digital resources like youtube videos, twitter feeds, etc. LiveBinder gives you the ability to neatly organize all of your digital materials in one place. It's extremely helpful that LiveBinder could be accessed from anywhere as long as you have your computer with you, so you don't have to worry about carrying around a ton of binders, or forgetting a certain one.
LiveBinder is also sharable which makes it an even better tool. You can use it to collaborate with other teachers to build lesson plans and/or compile resources that your students' parents can use with them at home. You can use it for professional development and constantly update your toolbox with new things you find and learn. The website even mentioned the idea of using it as a place to keep all the information a substitute teacher would need for your classroom -- the instant sharing capabilities would be extremely useful in the case of being absent for an emergency. I'm so glad I found this website, and I will definitely keep it on the back burner for when I have a classroom of my own. In fact, it might even be useful to start keeping a LiveBinder now with all of the tips we're learning in this class!
Concept Map
I have a pretty split opinion on the website that we used to create the concept map. I think Webspiration gave us all a lot of problems with not being able to log in to the accounts we just created, and requiring us to make a new password two or three times before we successfully got into our accounts for the first time. In theory, I like Webspiration's collaboration possibilities, but I don't think the website has a particularly user-friendly interface. I actually had a lot of trouble in the beginning figuring out how to use the site to create a concept map. Even when I figured most of it out, I didn't particularly enjoy using it. If I use it again, I don't think I'll run into as many hiccups (hopefully), but I'm not really sure if I will use it again. I would like to seek out a website that has the same concept but a better design in the future. I also think that concept maps should be used for subjects with a smaller amount of ideas because I was pretty frustrated with how cluttered my concept map was getting. I think less is more with concept maps because the less information you need to include, the cleaner your map will look and the easier it will be to read and study.
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