Step by Step - Can I build a web 2.0 classroom?

Step by Step - Building a Web 2.0 Classroom - Drew Murphy

A must watch! This video podcast is wonderful and really goes to show teachers that it is fun to use technology in the classroom... and the kids love it. If you can do 10 things that are outlined in the video, you will be well on your way to creating a web 2.0 class.

There are some simple things that I would have never thought of! The skills are simple and should be taught to the students first in order for them to begin their Web 2.0 journey.

In order to create a simple online research project, there are a few Web 2.0 skills the students must be taught and learn:

- Apply, Explore and Participate
(Web 2.0 tools to know - tab, bookmark, sign up - for youtube, other sharing sites)
- Apply, Deconstruct and Reconstruct
(Web 2.0 tools to know - cut and paste, emphasize text/align, images)
- Apply, Create and Connect
(Web 2.o tools to know - link, slideshow, embed)

Drew uses characters in his day to day online web based classroom. He makes learning fun and unexpected. The kids are collaborating and working together to share their knowledge and opinions on the other students work.

He compares making paper projects in the classroom and displaying them on the walls of the classroom. The students can walk up to them, make some comments out loud to each other and then the comments are lost forever.

If the same project is created and captured in an online environment, the collaboration and commenting can be captured online. In a community online project, the project is on display, it is ready for peer commenting, ready for elaboration and ready for collaboration. What I found most interesting about the online learning project, was the project could always be changed and made better. The creator could take comments from their peers and make changes to fix or improve their work.

Although the format was a little quirky, I really enjoyed this web blog. I think it is an excellent base to begin students with. I would incorporate online responsibility along with the basic skills outlined.