Friday, September 12, 2008

Which of the current Web 2.0 trends do you thik has the most potential to support student's futures in your classroom? Why do you think so?

Each Web 2.0 trend has the potential to improve students' classroom experiences. Each has limitations that should be considered so that no one trend, in my opinion, far exceeds another. Wikis are good starting points for research but the information presented needs to be viewed with a critical eye. Blogs can bring information to a user and provide opportunities to respond back. Parent-Teacher-School connections take on a new dimension but then also become another communication that needs to be maintained. Social networking can keep students connected to people near and far - whether it is another student in the same town or an expert on the other side of the country. SaaS provides instant collaboration but instant, anonymos collaboration has its own potential for risk. As with all trends, teachers needs to monitor how and why these are being used. Are we simply doing the same things differently or are we doing more because of them?

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