Conquering the Web 2.0 Roller Coaster

Sharon ScinicarielloUniversity of Richmond SCOLT/SEALLT 2009

Using Web 2.0 tools is like riding a roller coaster:

Learning a new tool = scaling the lift hill First successful use = exhilaration of the

first drop Implementation = enjoying the ride

But the end of the ride comes too soon. Enthusiasm wanes; you have to start over.

Ofoto (K. Gallery) Britannica Online Personal websites CMS Stickiness

Flickr Wikipedia Blogging Wikis Syndication

Web 1.0 Web 2.0

Enhanced interactivity "Free" storage for files and documents Online editing Communities of sharing Online collaboration "Free" web publishing Easy to use

Promote collaborative and constructivist learning

Promote creativity and address individual student needs.

Encourage communication beyond the walls of the classroom.

Common in the workplace; schools must prepare students to use these tools effectively.

Minimize the need for specialized software and hardware

Permit learning outside traditional classroom and laboratory spaces

Every day a new tool Tools are public Tools have a learning curve

Successful use requires experimentation Tools promote time-consuming

collaboration Tools are unreliable Tools disappear

Use the tools to conquer the tools Create a learning environment Create a learning network

Assemble your own toolbox Tools by function When in doubt, pick well-known rather than

brand-new tools Separate e-mail and password for on-line

tools Create activities for learning goals before

choosing tools

Personal Learning Environment Space where you collect resources you

need Virtual den

Personal / Professional Learning Network People you connect with to learn

My Yahoo! iGoogle Pageflakes (

http://www.pageflakes.com) Easy to use Very versatile

Netvibes (http://www.netvibes.com) Slightly less easy to use More versatile Multilingual

Place to assemble the RSS feeds (aka ‘live bookmarks’) from the social networks in which you participate and the news sources you read

You see the changes at a glance and can keep track of multiple sources easily

Pageflakes example: a personal/private page to monitor social networks

Netvibes example: a ‘pagecast’ for everyone to monitor French news sites

http://globalstudiowiki.wetpaint.com/page/Tools+to+Try

IALLT Learning Ning(http://ialltlearning.ning.com)

Twitter (http://twitter.com) or other microblogging tool, e.g., Plurk

Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com) Social Bookmarking Groups

Diigo (http://www.diigo.com) Delicious (http://delicious.com)

Blogs, e.g. Edublogs (http://edublogs.org) Wikis, e.g.

http://suewaters.wikispaces.com/ Nings (http://www.ning.com)

Connect with others Start with two or three people to ‘follow’

Comment on what they write Write about your activities and invite

commentREAD

REFLECT

PRACTICE

REFLECT

Why? Learn about useful resources Meet potential collaborators Doesn’t take much effort

How? Follow one or two interesting people See who they ‘talk to’ on Twitter Follow resources, e.g., @MyLearningSpace

Very basic blogging tool ‘Share on Tumblr’ button for browser A form of commented bookmarking Good for quick notes about web pages

and media Good for novice learners who can’t

write much

Sharon’s Tumblr Blog

Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com) Interface

Diigo (http://www.diigo.com) Delicious (http://www.delicious.com)

The two can interoperate Diigo has ‘groups’ for sharing

Join groups that interest you Delicious has ‘networks’ for sharing

Join a network in your interest Diigo has annotation possibilities

Find, read, and comment upon several interesting blogs

Join and contribute to wikis on topics of interest

Set up your own blog and/or wiki and invite others to comment and contribute

Two good people to follow on Twitter and read: Vicki Davis (Cool Cat Teacher) Joe Dale (FL teacher in the UK)

Social networking sites Facebook but usually focused on interests

not personal relationships Access can be controlled Members can have their own pages

and blogs Photos, videos, mp3s can be uploaded Discussion forums Interest groups

http://www.ning.com Keep track of the nings to which you belong Create a new ning

Some nings have their own addresses, but they work the same way

The IALLT Learning Ning is a good way to get started Like-minded people All but first page restricted to members

http://ialltlearning.ning.com

Have clear objectives Choose versatile tools

Tumblr / Diigo Blogs Pageflakes / Netvibes

Simplify as much as possible It’s the content—not the technology

Collaborate with others, especially with your students

IALLT Learning Ning(http://ialltlearning.ning.com)

Classroom 2.0 Apprendre 2.0 E-mail me at sscinica@richmond.edu