Successful Web 2.0 Initiativeswith Students and Teachers

Michelle Kowalsky

William Paterson Univ., NJ

Terry Bese

Fresno Pacific University, CA

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Wiki Tools

Purpose: To enable several people to contribute to the same document 'live'

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Google Docs & Spreadsheets

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PB Wiki

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Wikispaces

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Wiki Uses for Teachers

• To collaborate on curriculum• Help write final exam questions

together• To share lesson ideas• For remote committee work

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Wiki Uses for Students

• True ‘group’ projects (not jigsaw)• Facilitates group-written papers• Brainstorming at a distance• Learn how to deal with peer editing

(where best end product prevails)

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Wiki Tips

• Have deadlines and an 'overseer'• Establish ground rules for posting

behavior• Assign roles (compiler, editor)• Co-generate expectations• Give positive feedback and celebrate

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Blog Tools

Purpose: To post thoughts and ideas on the web quickly and efficiently and receive comments on them from others

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Blogger

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Edublogs

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ClassBlogMeister

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Blog Uses for Teachers

• Establish professional development communities

• Communicate with colleagues and solidify your own thoughts

• Populate your web page with news items easily (RSS feed too)

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Blog Uses for Students

• Track peer reviews (Battle of the Books, summer reading, etc.)

• Writing and reading practice with peer and larger audience

• Moblog a science experiment or weather observations

• Summarize daily lessons (scribe of the day)

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Blog Tips

• Teach about plagiarism of text and images

• Talk about legality of deep linking

• Integrate with RSS from the start

• Keep it scholarly, use as a resume or portfolio item

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Forum Tools

Purpose: To have threaded discussions with a large number of people and/or on many topics at once

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Forumer

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Moodle

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Blackboard

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Forum Uses for Teachers

• Whole group discussion rather than many emails

• Asynchronous ongoing conversations in ‘public’ groups

• Accommodates people’s schedules• Organizes large amounts of

information among lots of people

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Forum Uses for Students

• Complete homework in a more 'honest way’

• Continues the conversation after class has ended

• Encourages in-person ‘shy’ voices to have their opinions expressed and treated equally

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Forum Tips

• Designate someone in the group itself to manage and monitor (ie., a student)

• Leader of each forum group must be present on a regular basis (positive reinforcement)

• Set up for a meaningful activity so it sustains itself

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Instant Messaging Tools

Purpose: to have real-time conversations via computer, and retain a record of what was discussed; to share links and files ‘live’

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TappedIn

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Skype

Provides VOIP, video conferencing and IM text communication

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YackPack

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Instant Messaging for Teachers

• Provide “virtual” office hours

• Allows question-and-answer periods to carry over beyond the classroom

• Communicates with students in the way that they are talking to each other

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Instant Messaging for Students

• Talk on the ‘backchannel’ to discuss course topics as they occur

• Allows students instant access to the teacher to get their questions answered

• Allows for personal attention and differentiated instruction

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Instant Message Tips

• Always turn on history and record conversations with students

• Publish your online ‘office hours’ and keep them regularly

• Focus the conversation on student thinking

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Social Networking Tools

• To find like-minded people and share information and resources with them

– Favorite websites– Common Interests– Videos

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Del.icio.us

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Ning

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YouTube

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Second Life

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Contact Us

Michelle Kowalsky

William Paterson University, NJ

michelle.kowalsky@gmail.com

Terry Bese

Fresno Pacific University, CA

terrybese@gmail.com