1.+Web+Technology

=**Web Technology**=

How We Can Enhance Classroom Lessons Through Web-based Technology?
The Web provides various alternatives to enhance and differentiate classroom lessons. The influx of web based technologies that promote collaboration and individualized expression allows for teachers and students to engage in web-based activities well beyond the classic assignment of information retrieval.

The information below is intended to provide educators all of ages with knowledge of what tools exist on the web that can be used to engage and differentiate lessons for learners of all ages.

**The Web Broadening Topical Resolution and Personalized Educational Specialization**
One of the issues with our current educational environment is that so much of the material is drab and uninteresting to the students. This issue can be easily remedied by allowing students more flexibility with their course content, while keeping them within the realm of desired topics. Before the Web was widely available, this kind of flexibility could only be accomplished through frequent trips to the library, and an intimate relationship with the Dewey Decimal System, or by carting piles of old, musty books into the classroom. Many of us like old, musty books, but the Web makes the whole process of creating a diverse, in-depth research environment much more efficient and convenient. And while this enhancement is largely seen by many in education as simply digital retrieval of information, one key selling point is that students can explore topics through their own individualized path while contributing to their classmates understanding.

The web provides volumes of information, packaged in various mediums that students must search through to locate their main research question or interest. Web-based technologies can enhance a student's search by providing tools that allow students to highlight, annotate, make comments, and organize the information they encounter. The use of web technologies can allow students to pursue questions they have developed as a result of their searches online revealing their online navigational expertise, providing knowledge of how to use new techniques, perspectives, and understanding developed with their peers. What makes these technologies transform a classic information retrieval lesson is based on students' ability to collaborate through sharing their annotated websites, commenting on each others' findings, distributing their understanding through collaborative online spaces, and expressing their understanding using multimedia technologies.

Developing a shared understanding and working collaboratively through assignments is an essential feature of the web that can transform instructional practice from being one-sided with teachers instructing students to individual students constructing meaning as a group and becoming a community of learners. The web offers collaborative spaces in DIIGO, Wikispaces, Google Docs, Voicethread, Etherpad, and Adobe Collaborate. These collaborative spaces provide students with the ability to share their understanding of material through real-time and asynchronous collaboration on documents, images, and videos. These spaces also allow students to share their notes and comments regarding materials on the web (i.e., word documents, Powerpoints, graphics, spreadsheets, and images).

When considering how to differentiate a lesson to meet the needs of students with different learning styles, the web provides a variety of means to present content using various media forms. Students who learn best with visual aids and or auditory instructions could be provided with key vocabulary and notes from the lesson through a Voicethread. Voicethread allows an individual to record audio files that pair with documents, images, and Powerpoints. This recording can be made with one or multiple presenters each contributing their voice to a presentation. Voicethreads can facilitate a group of students to work collaboratively creating a discussion that can enhance an assignment that can then be posted online. The virtual world of Second Life can allow students to engage in learning about a certain topic within a virtual community. This virtual community can be used to simulate a "environment" outside of the classroom where students can engage and interact using avatars to "act out" or virtually experience the lesson objectives providing a visual, virutal bodily kinesthetic experience.

**Guiding Instruction via Continual Assessment**
A common difficulty in the classroom is that the instructor has only limited peripheral access to their students' knowledge of the course content and, from a constructionist perspective, this provides an inadequate learning environment. The Web can facilitate learning by providing the instructor with continuous feedback from students while the lesson is occurring and the content is fresh. This feedback can indicate possible deficiencies in real-time, allowing the instructor to address these weaknesses before they have the opportunity to cause further difficulty.

Wikispaces, Google Docs, and Etherpad are examples of web-based technologies that can provide instructors with the ability to provide "real-time" feedback or the ability to quickly preview students' understanding of content covered in a lesson. Wikis, Google Docs, and Etherpad can provide glimpses of student work in progress and allow the teacher to provide feedback on students' work in a timely manner allowing students to make revisions and correct any misunderstandings.

Technology in Today's Education
One of the primary goals of public education is to prepare students to be productive members of society. As the culture of our society changes so must the way in which we educate our youth. There is no argument that in today’s society the use of technology is required. It is becoming more necessary every day. It was only a generation ago when a college student could get bye with just a duffel bag, paper and pencils. Today the majority of students come to school with a cell phone and a computer at home. Not to mention the fact that the average student owns an ipod and maintains a facebook or MySpace page.

We live in the age of technology, and most teachers hardly use technology. If a student were prepared for college exclusively in our current education system would they even be able to apply? There is a definite possibility that the answer to that question would be no. The reason that the Dewey Decimal System, and old musty books are boring to students is because students know what some teachers still need to learn, alone, these tools are not valuable in order for the students to live in today’s world. Students must learn how to use a computer to create and edit their work. Students must learn how to use the Internet to search for valuable information, and differentiate between what is fact and fiction when it is presented online. They must learn how to socially interact online in a safe manner. Because these things are necessary in today’s society students learn them whether they are taught in the classroom or learned in some other manner outside of school. Do not believe that students from economically poor areas are not familiar with facebook just because they may not own a computer. Students will learn how to do these things whether or not a teacher tells them how, our generation certainly did. It is the responsibility of a teacher to teach students how to incorporate those old dusty books into today’s world and teach students how technology can be used to enhance their education.

Use of Web Technology in a Classroom
We have provided the background for how and why web-based technologies should be embraced by educators of all ages. The following are specific examples describing technology that can transform web-based lessons from just information retrieval activities.

As our lives become increasingly integrated into a collaborative social environment it seems natural to expect our educational culture to represent these changes. There are many ways to incorporate one another into our educational endeavors; Wikispaces, Google docs, and Adobe collaborate seem particularly well-suited to accomplish this task because of their versatility and peer-editing nature.
 * __Collaborative Learning Environments__**

Having students build a collaborative wiki on the topics that are being presented in class is an excellent way to both fortify a student's knowledge on the topic they're discussing, and to present their personal knowledge and perspective to peers. Such wikis could include: helpful, or related, links to other pages; personal mnemonics or learning strategies that they use in their studies; a question & answer section; clarification on difficult topics; and perhaps a few more frivolous sections to keep students interested. This could extend to live online chat sessions that are organized to address specific topics at set times, where ideas and questions can be addressed by their peers. Even if misinformation is exchanged between peers, educators can use this to address different perspectives and make it a teachable moment where all contributions are encouraged to dispel the notion there is only one correct answer that should be shared between students.

Technology is a means to not only allow collaborative learning environments, but also to encourage, and enrich, these experiences. For example, with a few classrooms studying learning theories, it would be conceivable to allow each student to pick a particular camp of learning theory, and instruct the students in each camp to, collaboratively, address specific issues in learning. If implemented electronically, students would not only be able to escape a traditionally teacher-based instruction of learning theory, they would also be able to escape the confines of their individual classroom -- collaborating with students from other classes that are interested in exploring the same theory. After, or during, each group's development of their theory's approach to a problem, they could attempt to construct a unified approach to each issue by combining their ideas with other groups', and commenting on the end result. This would provide students with significant depth in a chosen theory, and would also expose each student to other theories in the process -- possibly remedying the common "mile wide, inch deep" problem.

Wikispaces & Google Docs

 * A class Wiki and or Google Doc can provide glimpses of student work in progress and allow the teacher to provide feedback on students' work in a timely manner allowing students to make revisions and correct any misunderstandings. Depending on the subject matter and the age level being taught this can be an excellent resource for teachers to use for students who have developed word processing skills.

Etherpad

 * EtherPad allows people to collaborate on writing a document in real-time through a web-based word processor. http://etherpad.com/

DIIGO & VoiceThread

 * DIIGO and Voicethread are two additional web based tools that provide students with the ability to collaborate on projects that could be based on writing a paper, creating a media presentation, and or simply sharing resources found on the Internet. DIIGO allows students to highlight and make comments on web pages through the use of "sticky notes." Voicethread provides such features such as adding multiple audio recordings to documents, powerpoints, images, and videos.

Nings

 * I would put important information, any homework assignments for people who were absent or forgot them, and it could also be used for students to help each other if they have any questions about their work. Ideally, they would be able to chat about anything they need help with with each other in this safe space. I like that I can monitor it and control who has access and what not. I think if the students were properly taught how to use it, it would be a great tool for them.

ePals

 * ePals is a secure, school appropriate e-mail account that allows collaboration with other students from around the world. Having a pen pal is a great way to engage students and motivate them to write. This is also a great way to learn about different places. ePals can provide a unique lesson on the process of writing with a focus on rough drafts and making revisions. It would also give kids practice using appropriate tone and discourse for an audience, learning to type, and using e-mail accounts. http://www.epals.com/

Example: The Journey north website
 * Scott Brown runs a program that is called Global Ed which involves multiple schools from different socioeconomic backgrounds from different parts of the country. Each class acts an international country and works to solve different global problems. I think the most recent project is involving water resources. In my opinion, this is the most exciting and innovative way to use the internet as a mode of instruction.

GlobalEd

 * GlobalEd II is an exciting and innovative way to use the internet as a medium of instruction. In the GlobalEd II project ([]) students in secondary schools act as diplomats and work towards a common issue; the simulations this year are focused on water scarcity, and next year the simulations will also address climate issues.
 * Each classroom is assigned a country (e.g., Brazil, Japan, Russia, Bangladesh), and each country has issue areas (e.g., Global Environment, International Economics, Human Rights, Global Health) that students are assigned to, and these groups must seek relevant, current information on their country regarding water/climate and their issue area. From there, SIMCON (the simulation controller) posts an agenda for all of the countries to address, and then the students try to write up treaties and/or agreements with other countries addressing the topic (taking into account the real-world position of their country).
 * Some of the goals of this project are to teach political science, writing, science, and communication skills to high school students, within social studies classrooms, while beneficially re-adjusting the self-efficacy of students regarding these academic disciplines.


 * //Class website://**
 * I would also like to have my own website that students, parents and faculty can go onto. I will even have students take part in the creation and maintaining of the website, the degree they help will depend on time. Even a kindergartener can help me scan a photo into the computer. Most districts provide sites to teachers but I have found that teachers rarely use these to their full potential. On the sight I will post assignments, events and even student work. The web is a great way to “publish” student work. It would be neat if on the student work page I had an area where students, parents and other teachers could post comments, just like the pictures on facebook. How proud would a student be if the principal, or even superintendent took a few minutes to post a comment on their work!


 * //**Online Math Manipulatives**//
 * A variety of online games can be used in the classroom to teach math concepts and provide students with two and three-dimensional perspectives of the math concepts they are learning. The following website provides various math games and activities for students of all ages: http://www.coolmath.com/


 * //Fanfiction://**
 * The fanfiction website could be used alongside a reading assignment. I am going to do literature circles with my students. After finishing a book I would give students class time to explore the website. Then I would have an open ended assignment, giving students the option to write an opinion, an alternate ending, or even a reply to someone on the website. I would require students to write the assignment for me, but give them the option of posting their assignment on the website. It would be interesting to see how many students opt to publish online. Hopefully the positive exposure to publishing on the web through my website will give them the confidence to publish on the fanfiction website. http://www.fanfiction.net/


 * //Web based projects://**
 * One enhancement involving Web-based education would be to offer a list of possible topics of interest that students can reference for a classroom task (maybe a project), and then allow students, with computers at hand, to go into depth regarding a specific topic. The overall enhancement with this particular lesson design is that you can provide a large array of possible topics/intrigues; this allows students to pursue something of personal interest to them while not requiring the massive amount of physical resources that a similar non-web-based lesson would require. At the end of, or during, the project students could also reveal some of their personal navigational expertise by recording their onscreen activity using a screen capture program like Jing which allows individuals to record video files of their onscreen activities. This could provide new techniques and perspectives to their peers by showcasing the students searching strategies.

I think that using the web in the way is an excellent way to allow students to gain access to information/data that was never really available to them before.
 * __Organizing and Commenting on Web-based Information/Data:__**

DIIGO is a program that allows the user to conduct research online in an organized manner by allowing users to annotate, archive, and organize websites of interest. Diigo also provides the user with the ability to create a personal learning network, share their resources, and facilitate collaboration through a group knowledge repository. This could also help to facilitate students who may be struggling with a specific content piece to receive peer tutoring through the sharing of annotated websites. www.diigo.com
 * //DIIGO://**

//**Jing:**// Jing provides the user with the ability to capture an image of your screen, record a video of your onscreen activity, and share these files with others through Instant Messenger, e-mail, or through the web. This could provide students who are effective in searching for information online to document their activities for their classmates. http://www.jingproject.com/

//**Marqed**//: Marqed provides users with the ability highlight, underline, and annotate files that can be uploaded their browser and reduces the need to have to physically print the files. http://www.marqed.com/

//**iGeo:**// This program will search documents and media files for references to the names of places located on maps. iGeo attaches hyperlinks wherever a reference to a city, state, or nation is made allowing the creator of the document to provide a video, note, or other media source that is then attached to name of the location. Students who have been assigned a project concerning the history of nation could use the program to embed various resources throughout their document providing multiple modalities for the reader to engage rather than just reading about the history.