Creating Self Directed Learners!

Web 1.0 generally refers to the static web pages and sites that existed in the early days of the internet.

Web 2.0 is the new web. It is a rich media based internet where users can create content and share it with the world.

Students are immersed in a Web 2.0 world!

The challenge for educators is tapping into the tools that many students use on a daily basis at home and with the portable devices they carry with them each day.

Most of the Web 2.0 tools are freely available on the world wide web, and they are excellent collaboration tools.

Blogs Wikis Skype RSS Readers Podcasts (audio and video) Tutorial Creation Tools YouTube Other Tools

Blogs are easy to create web sites that can be used to share information, projects, and more!

Blogs have comment features that allow educators and students to communicate and give feedback on various topics that are being studied and discussed.

Blogs help users to develop a network of learners that can share, discuss, and grow beyond the walls of a classroom.

The word wiki means quick! A wiki is a web page or site that enables

users to share and edit information. A good example of a wiki is Wikipedia. A wiki is a flexible tool that can be used

in many ways and facilitates collaboration anytime and anywhere.

Skype is essentially Voice Over the Internet Protocol (VOIP) software.

The software is free and allows users to connect from computer to computer all over the world.

The collaboration possibilities of this software are just being tapped in education.

RSS stands for Real Simple Syndication. Simply put, an RSS reader gathers

information from many websites into one place.

RSS enables users to organize the vast amounts of information that exist on the internet and helps to manage content that is important and applicable to particular users.

Podcasts are digital audio or video recordings that can be created, accessed, shared, and consumed using many mediums (mp3 players, computers, cell phones, etc.)

Podcasts allow users to hear and see content that others have produced and allows users to create media rich presentations that can be shared with a global audience.

Online tutorials creation tools allow educators to manipulate content for practice in the classroom.

Basic knowledge or skills are reinforced via online tutorials and many already exist and are shared via the web.

Examples of tutorial creation tools include: Quia.com, Hot Potatoes, WebQuests, and more.

Many young people have flocked to YouTube for entertainment purposes.

This resource is just being tapped into for educational purposes.

Essentially, YouTube allows a forum to share video clips to a global audience.

TeacherTube may serve as an alternative to YouTube.

Inspiration Office Flash laptops iPods Audacity TuneTalk AutoPlay Smart Boards Scratch Second Life Games Simulations AND MORE!!!

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Picasso

Young people already use many of the Web 2.0 tools that have been shared today.

The challenge is students don’t have direction in how to use them in a meaningful way.

As educators we can tap into the tools students are using to help them become empowered and to take ownership of their own learning.

Most of these Web 2.0 tools work in concert with each other.

Students need the opportunity to contribute to our society in a meaningful, authentic, relevant, connected way.

Using Web 2.0 tools facilitates collaboration, self directed learning, and provides an opportunity to share with a global audience.

We must ask our students: “What do you have to say?” Then, use these tools to enable them to say it!

Growing list of online resources (a wiki): http://hokanson.wikispaces.com

Building Learning Communities 2007 notes (a wiki): http://hokanson.pbwiki.com

Instructional Technology Blog: http://www.neilhokanson.com

Example classroom web site: http://homepage.mac.com/nhokanson/Sites/socialstudies/

Tutorial examples: http://homepage.mac.com/nhokanson/Sites/socialstudies/geography/tutorials.html