Technology Solutions

Web 2.0 Excels in the Classroom

Just when many teachers thought they had mastered the World Wide Web, along came Web 2.0 with its extensive array of technological options. Not all of them rejoiced. As Cindy Wright, an Instructional Technology Specialist with Columbus City Schools in Columbus, Ohio, explained to an online audience of teachers during her WebEx presentation hosted by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill last May, "For years, there was a belief going around that teachers would eventually be replaced by computers. I do not think it will ever happen.The issue is not so much about replacing teachers with technology, but about encouraging them to embrace it."

Fortunately, you do not have to be a Web analyst, or even a tech-savvy student, to reap the rewards of Web 2.0 technology, sometimes referred to as the "new" Internet. There is a place for this technology in the educational environment. Open source content and applications-real-time blogs such as Twitter, online storage tools such as Flickr for photos and Slideshare for PowerPoint and Keynote files, and learning management systems such as HotChalk-give users free reign to shape content; take advantage of text, audio, and video functions; and manage and reuse it all at will.

HotChalk is a good example. This learning management system can serve as a classroom assistant at the click of a log-on button, allowing teachers to place lessons, assignments, and reference materials online for easy access for themselves and their students. Students can go to HotChalk to experience active, multi-media learning that is created and managed by you. The system also provides access to an online community of educators for helpful networking and sharing of ideas.

To learn more about the myriad of ways in which you can use Web 2.0 technologies, you can view Cindy Wright's presentation here.