Web 2.0 Projects
Why Web 2.0?
- It's what students know and use already.
- Students don't see how what they do online connects to what they do in school- unless we make that connection explicit.
- Web 2.0 projects allow students to learn and develop the 21st Century skills they will need to survive.
- Web 2.0 projects allow teachers to address higher order thinking skills (HOTS)
What Changes with Web 2.0 Projects?
- Your Goals
- 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.
- Your Classroom Arrangements and Policies
- 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.
- Your Assessment and/Evaluation
- 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.
What are the tools of Web 2.0 (that we will cover)?
Wikis
Podcasts
Blogs
Google Empire
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.
More Recent Version of English Map
Older Version of English Map
More Recent Version of Social Studies Map
Older Version of Social Studies Map
Math Map
Science Map
How Can the Web 2.0 Tools Work Together?
Middle Schools Preparing Young People for 21st Century Life and Work- from Middle School Journal, May 2009
Maine 8th Grade Project- From Educause Magazine, 2004
Curriculum Based Reader's Theater- turn it into a podcast
Project Models
Project Based Learning- Special Report from eSchool News, January 2009
Challenge-Based Learning- Report from Apple
Critical Aspects of a 21st Century Project
More Reading
Minds on Fire- by John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler; from Educause magazine January/February 2008
Learning and Assessment in the 21st Century- From Tech and Learning
Technology for Differentiated Instruction- From Tech and Learning
Pew Internet & American Life Project Report: Teens and Social Media
Reinventing Project Based-Learning: Your Field Guide to Real World Projects in the Digital Age
By Suzie Boss and Jane Krauss
Available through ISTE
Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools
By Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum
Available through ISTE
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