When I started this course I immediately sought the help of my more technologically savvy colleagues at work. Of course, to my surprise they have been unable to help me. Why? They are not aware of Web 2.0 tools. One of them knew about blogging but never blogged or knew how to start blogging. This prompted me to start asking other teachers ( especially at the School of Education Library) about their knowledge of Web 2.o tools, again few knew about blogs but most had never heard of wikis, podcasts, webspiration, e-books and so on.
Web 2.0 tools are such valuable resources in and out of the classroom for teachers as well as pupils, I think that every teacher should know about them. Colleagues, let's start spreading the word to others in education, let this be a secret no more! I have already started showing one of my colleagues how to blog and set up the wiki.
You too can do your own survey and let me know what the response was like.
Let's shout it from the mountain tops and spread the word! I shake your hand on this one, Bernice. When I asked my sister about cloud computing she did not know what I was talking about. This relative of mine has a degree in computer science and management and is an analyst in a huge corporation. As a newcomer in this whole techno affair, I felt rather boastful when I was explaining what I had learned. At the end of my little "lecture", my sister remarked that I might soon be more savvy than she is.
ReplyDeleteAlthough more research needs to be done to evaluate the effect of Web 2.0 tools on students' literacy development, in my estimation, they have the potential to revolutionize the way we facilitate learning in our classrooms. I believe that Web 2.0 might provide some solutions to the problem of getting many of our "millenial students", who are disinterested in books and print in general, to become engaged readers and writers. I can see our students embracing the technology because they are already digitally oriented. Let's get our colleagues on board.
Beverly Phillip-Le Gendre
We really need to get our colleagues on board with using technology in the classroom. Many schools have resources that are underutilized because teachers have not been trained to use them or we simply don't know that these resources exist.
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with Beverly's viewpoint that our students could be motivated with technology.
Kavita I agree with your comment and Beverly's also. Teachers in our educational system need to wake up and "get with the programme". They cannot continue with the traditional ways of teaching because as the statistics show many children are failing.
ReplyDeleteStudents of today require the use of teaching strategies that tap into their learning styles which is certainly not passively retrieving information.
Our teachers need to make learning more child centred and the use of Web 2.0 tools does just that.Let's practice our skills so that we can make learning more meaningful for our students in the new term