No matter
how much educators try to duck and dodge the realities of Web 2.0 and its plethora
of associative tools, the fact is this expansion on the original world wide web
is also changing the landscape of the teaching/learning environment. I'm enlightened almost every day by the
seemingly endless possibilities of knowledge acquisition and content management
through the numerous resources that are available online and it's amazing how
the internet is changing the way we teach and learn. Even the skeptics are
understanding that instructors who fail to embrace technology including and
especially Web 2.0 tools are losing out on incredible opportunities for creativity
and innovation in education. I love the way
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach expanded on the idea that technology "will never
replace teachers. However, teachers who know how to use technology effectively
to help their students connect and collaborate together online will replace
those who do not."
That said, I
was amazed by the number of tools that are actually available for educators. Edjudo, for example, presents a very nice collection
of Web 2.0 teaching
tools and segments them into categories that include Audio, Video &
Photo Editing, Bookmarking & Online Collaboration, Blogging, Games, Quizzes
& Educational Activities and Social Networking, along with many others. In
fact, the choices can be overwhelming. When I first saw Pinterest's Web 2.0
Tools for Educators I was really impressed with its collection, but I prefer
Edjudo's and Wikispaces (Web 2.0 Resources)
categorization and purpose of each tool.
To add to this, if educators believe that Web 2.0 is going away anytime soon, then they need to think again since this platform and the online communities therein, are actually growing in number and scope. Some sites like AllTwitter present Social Media Stats, while others like KISSmetrics show us who likes what. Additionally, I thought the social networking stats for 2014 also presented some interesting demographics that show the direction social networking is headed. I was intrigued by this last set of information which presented, among other data, that 45% of Internet users aged 65+ use Facebook. It also revealed that Pinterest and LinkedIn users are wealthier than those of other networks. Now that must get you smiling as I too am wondering if my check is in the mail since lately I've been more involved in both communities!
To add to this, if educators believe that Web 2.0 is going away anytime soon, then they need to think again since this platform and the online communities therein, are actually growing in number and scope. Some sites like AllTwitter present Social Media Stats, while others like KISSmetrics show us who likes what. Additionally, I thought the social networking stats for 2014 also presented some interesting demographics that show the direction social networking is headed. I was intrigued by this last set of information which presented, among other data, that 45% of Internet users aged 65+ use Facebook. It also revealed that Pinterest and LinkedIn users are wealthier than those of other networks. Now that must get you smiling as I too am wondering if my check is in the mail since lately I've been more involved in both communities!
You have been doing your research around the web! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy it's discernible because it really does take time to complete if it's to be done at a desired standard.
DeleteThe breadth of Web 2.0 tools is incredible, along with the reach of social media. That's interesting about the Facebook users, and very exciting about Pinterest and LinkedIn users! Let's keep our fingers crossed!
ReplyDelete