What do you want students to know and be able to do at the end of the project? Do you expect everyone to have the same end goals? How can you differentiate the goals to meet the needs and abilities of the varied students in your room?
Your Class Structure
With Web 2.0 projects, the teacher steps to the side and becomes a facilitator, rather than the source of knowledge. The teacher creates the structure and guidelines, establishes the goals, then lets the students find their own path and understanding. Instead of requiring everyone to follow the same focus or topic, students have the freedom to choose the aspect of the topic that most interests them. Choice creates more student buy-in, more engagement, and more learning.
Rows are replaced by tables or flexible groups. The room may be centered around computer stations, or areas where students can work freely. Silent classrooms are replaced by rooms where students are engaged with partners or groups, and may move around to access the tools they need.
Web 2.0 projects allow teachers and students to move beyond traditional tests and reports. Final products may include a range of artifacts, including podcasts, wikis, websites, digital stories, multimedia presentations, and anything else students can dream up. Evaluating the learning involves rubrics rather than percentages. Students may choose from a menu of final product options that best suit their strengths. And they may choose to focus their projects on aspects of a topic that most interest them. Assessment can also be ongoing, throughout the project, rather than just at the end. Consider evaluating different pieces or elements of a project, rather than just how it finishes.
Making the Connection Between Web 2.0 and Curriculum Standards
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed curriculum maps that show connections between 21st Century Skills and the curriculum in various grade levels.