Web+2.0+Resources

The following are two great Web 2.0 resources to use in the classroom:


 * Edmodo:** ( [] ) My colleagues often refer to Edmodo as "Facebook for education." Edmodo can be applied in any classroom, at any grade level. Teachers can use the site to post assignments, post quizzes, post reading assignments/articles, create a class blog, create a poll, post video clips, keep a calendar of events or assignments, post pictures, and import class lists to use as another form of a gradebook. Students have access to individual class pages and can turn in assignments, comment on a discussion item, view upcoming assignments that have been posted, and receive instant feedback from their teacher or peer. Parents also have access to Edmodo and can view their child's class page in order to monitor upcoming assignments, assessments, and other items posted to the calendar of events. Edmodo is available through any Internet connection and also through a mobile device application (for Android and iOS).

Review: Edmodo is visually appealing because its layout is very similar to Facebook, and I think students will enjoy using the site because of its familiar resemblance to Facebook.. The site is very user friendly and students will find it very easy to navigate through different teacher's class pages. One issue that could be a hold up is the amount of time a teacher may need to become fluent with the site. However, it appears that once the class page is set up, it is very easy to create assignments, polls, quizzes, and calendars, and that there doesn't require a lot of time each day to keep the site updated. I think it will be a great collaboration tool for students and a great way to communicate with parents about what is going on in their child's classroom. The accounts for teachers, students, and parents are free, which allows everyone the capability to access to the site.

I found this link during a Google search that refers to multiple ways teachers are using Edmodo in their classroom.


 * Khan Academy: ** ([] ) Khan Academy is a website that offers thousands of free video tutorials teaching concepts of virtually every math subject that is taught in high school. Teachers, students, and parents are able to search for a topic or concept and watch a short video tutorial of Salman Khan working through sample problems digitally (the viewer only hears his voice and only the digital ink of Salman working through the problem is visible). The website also has Java-based problem sets that follow some of the videos so students can apply what they learned through the tutorials. A comment blog is available under each video so anyone can comment or ask a question if they need further assistance. Staff at Khan Academy have access to the blog to respond, or the public can also respond to questions posted to the blog. This website allows students to access a credible resource when they need assistance outside of school or when they are working on problems on their own without a teacher or peer.

Review: The website available to the public is very user friendly. The search bar at the top of the screen works like Google, with instantaneous results appearing as the user types (so finding a video is very intuitive for any age level). The Khan Academy curriculum (currently in a pilot stage) represents the modern "flipped classroom" where students watch videos of lessons at home and come to school to work on problem sets while the teacher navigates around the room answering individual questions (basically the students do the traditional homework at school and learn the material at home through the videos). That curriculum is a major pedagogy shift and requires a lot of buy-in from the community. However, I think I could use the videos to differentiate my instruction and help students who are struggling to understand concepts that I am teaching them in class. I could have them watch a short video tutorial so they see and hear the teaching of the concept a different way. I also plan to post links to specific videos on my blog for students who need helpful hints or quick reminders of review concepts from the past.

Here is a link to the TED talk that Salman Khan presented in 2011, explaining how the Khan Academy was created.