ABOUT THIS THE WORKSHOP:
Most participants attend this workshop because they've heard the term "Web 2.0," but they aren't really sure what it means. We are not going to define the term for you -- you are going to have to define it for yourselves. In order to give some clues, watch the following video and look at the Go2Web20 website. Pay careful attention to the Michael Wesch video; he really does tell you what Web 2.0 means, if you watch closely.
Two views of Web 2.0:
What's YOUR definition of Web2.0?
Three Web 2.0 tools that are easy enough to use today!
- Wordle allows you to create beautiful word clouds from a website, from student discussion, from a text file (like a speech, or a student's paper!). I've had a faculty member suggest running the course syllabus through wordle, to see what words were really emphasized - are you sending the message that you think you're sending?
How might you use Wordle for your courses?
- ChaCha What can I say? ChaCha is just kinda fun! Text a question to CHACHA (242242), and ChaCha will get you an answer within a few minutes. Personally, I give ChaCha the same sort of weight I give to Wikipedia -- if I want either a very specific fact (when is Talk Like a Pirate Day?) or a general notion of a topic, ChaCha is good. If I want a very specific definition of a topic (what is Fiscal Policy?), ChaCha gives me a general sort of definition, but often lacking the precise details I'd like my students to have. I could see using it for students to compare the ChaCha definition to the class definition of a term, or if there is a question that I don't know the answer to, I can say, "I don't know -- who has their phone? Somebody ask ChaCha!"
How might you use ChaCha for your courses?
Comments (2)
Veronica said
at 11:14 am on Sep 18, 2008
Neat article from MSNBC.com: "Cell phones welcome in some classrooms" (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26510338/). From the story:
"Cell phones have long been anathema in the classroom, banned as a potential distraction, at best, and as a possible vehicle for cheating, at worst. But lately, educators have begun changing their tune on mobile phones.
Abilene Christian University will hand out Apple's iPhone 3G smartphone to two-thirds of this year's entering class of 950 freshmen. Students will be expected to use the devices to brainstorm ideas and get virtual handouts and podcasts during class. Instructors will use them for such tasks as monitoring attendance.
"This is a new platform for learning, in the same way a laptop or a desktop was a new platform," says William Rankin, co-director of mobile learning research at the school in Abilene, Texas."
mary.mcglasson@... said
at 6:44 am on Nov 14, 2008
Check out ISTE's newest publication: Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education, by Elizabeth Kolb
http://www.iste.org/source/Orders/isteProductDetail.cfm?product_code=toytul
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