Web+2.0

Web 2.0
// This research was my favorite throughout the semester. I still refer to the suggested WikiSpace, and know I will continue to use it. It is important to me because technology is developing so fast, and Web 2.0 is developing faster, it seems. I look forward to integrating Web 2.0 into my classroom. By then, though, it may be Web 3.0! //

====I cannot even begin to express the importance of using Web 2.0 representations in the classroom. The way that technology is growing and becoming more and more useful to both teachers and students is rapid and undeniable. I enjoyed very much this Wikispace, and feel that I will continue to find it relevant when teaching Web 2.0 in the future.==== ====The first site I found is **www.vocabahead.com**. My favorite out of the sites I researched, Vocab Ahead, offers vocabulary videos made by both site managers //and// student contributors, ACT/SAT specified preparatory videos and quizzes, and tools for teachers to use in the classroom. Specifically, teachers can create lists of vocabulary applying to the current topic being studied. I envision a project of students creating vocabulary videos that synthesize the meaning of a word for them, and uploading the video to this website. The next website is **www.storybird.com**. On this website, users can write a short story or a poem, put graphic designers’ artwork to the pages, and create a digital book in seconds. I feel this would be a fun project to work with perhaps the art or graphic design teacher on; having the students create art in that class that coincides with the piece they’re writing in mine. Again, students learn better when the information is experienced and not just heard or seen. The third website is **www.dogonews.com**. This website, though I found many good research narrowing websites, organizes current news articles by topic, and all of the articles are relevant to students. The articles contain information that could very well be used to tie in with a literature text we might be reading in English. The class as a whole could even conduct our own research day on this website, trying to find more resources to share with one another.==== ====The fourth website is **www.confusingwords.com**. With a funny title like that, I had to research it further. I found, though, that it’s an extremely good idea. While I wish the search engine were more helpful with suggestions, the website itself is brilliant. With nearly 3,000 words that are often confusing in the English language (such as //affect// and //effect//), this tool is great for English teachers. Just to even show the students this website in a grammar lesson about confusing words would be a fun way to show them that they aren’t the only ones who often get confused! The writing help websites are all very interesting and good resources for students who need that extra bit of help when composing. The final website I found is **www.polleverywhere.com**. This website is absolutely not just limited to classrooms; in fact, I believe it’s used more in the media for public polls. After doing some research, though, I found that it’s free if you have forty participants or less, which would be quite perfect for a small classroom! I thought the idea of using this for surveying my class about, for example, the text we just read. Sometimes if students are allowed to answer anonymously, they can share more true feelings.==== ====Truly, this assignment felt like less of an assignment and more of a playtime for the teacher in me! Along with these websites, I also enjoy the Wikispace we are using in class. I think I have a lot to learn as for what is available as a teacher online, but I am eager and I feel as though this class is giving me the tools to succeed in that.====