Web 2.0 Tools

In Terry Freedman's The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book (free PDF download available here) he has compiled a very large number (121 pages worth!) of really neat Web 2.0 tools that have been used in classrooms, along with commentaries from the teachers who have implemented these tools in the past. I find it very helpful, and interesting, that Freedman has included commentaries from the teachers so that other teachers who may choose to use these Web 2.0 tools in the future will be able to better utilize them in their classrooms. Freedman asks teachers to include a description, project URL or screenshot, what challenges had to be overcome, what would you recommend to others, the age range, and the applications used. This is a very comprehensive list and I think it will allow teachers of all technological comfort levels to better utilize these Web 2.0 tools.
The first Web 2.0 tool that I chose to look at in Freedman's book was CSI Twitter, which was submitted by Silvia Tolisano and can be found on page 22 of The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book. Tolisano's third grade class found an unidentified animal skeleton on the school's campus and used Twitter, a micro-blogging social network site, to broadcast the news and images onto the web and ask for help. The class eventually was able to discover what type of animal it was, thanks to the help of the Twitter community. This is a wonderful example of how the Internet can help spread the word quickly and help a student's search for an answer. The full experience was documented and blogged about, and can be found here.
The second Web 2.0 I found in Freedman's book was The Turkey and Germany Digital Connection, submitted by Shelly Terrell, which can be found on page 28. Shelly, a teacher from Germany, collaborated with a teacher in Turkey as well as a teacher in New Zealand. These three teachers had their classes full of young students (ages 4-10) collaborate over long distances using technology with one goal in mind: to allow their students to all get a better grasp on the English language, which all classes were learning as their second language. The teachers had their classes collaborate to tell (narrate and illustrate) a digital story in English. Shelly's blog can be found here. It details her process and her trials and tribulations with the project.
These Web 2.0 tools are all very creative ways in which teachers have done remarkable things using technology to enhance the education of their students. The Web 2.0 tools highlighted in this blog post are very good examples of how teachers have included the NETS-T and NETS-S standards in their classrooms. The CSI Twitter Web 2.0 tool is a great example of the first three NETS-T standards: Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, and Model Digital-Age Work and Learning. I think it is inspiring how the teachers, perhaps without even realizing it, incorporated over half of the NETS-T standards into one seemingly impromptu lesson. The Turkey and Germany Digital Connection, though not developed by a teacher in the United States, also exemplifies the first three NETS-T standards, as well as the NETS-S standards. Namely the first and second: Creativity and Innovation, and Communication and Collaboration, respectively. It is obvious in these examples that the students, who are all very young, were very enamored with the technology and were able to learn quite a bit more than without the technology. Terry Freedman's The Amazing Web 2.0 Projects Book is a great resource full of Web 2.0 tools that can be utilized in all sorts of K-12 educational settings to really supplement activities and enhance learning.

Resources used:

Freedman, T. (2010). The amazing web 2.0 projects book. Retrieved from http://www.terry-freedman.org.uk/cgi-script/csIndex/csIndex.cgi?command=vf&id=82&f=QW1hemluZyBXZWIgMiBQcm9qZWN0cyAyIG9ubGluZSB2ZXJzaW9uLnBkZg==