Monday, March 26, 2007
1:30 PM-5:00 PM
Abstract:
Web 2.0 technologies offer powerful and diverse options for learners to interact, create content, and assess the outcomes of the learning process. Blended learning environments which combine online as well as face-to-face instructional settings can provide more differentiated learning opportunities as well as rich options for assessment. This workshop will introduce participants to several web 2.0 technologies and instructional activities that can support these goals.
Objectives:
This workshop explores several web 2.0 or read/write web technologies including blogs, wikis, feed aggregators, podcasts, and asynchronous audio collaborative tools for blended learning environments. Participants will gain a better awareness of free web 2.0 software and Internet-based tools needed to collaborate and publish work. Participants will explore these tools to learn how each can be utilized effectively for instruction and learning.
Outline:
Social bookmarks (del.icio.us) will be explored as a way to individually and collaboratively locate and share web links within a growing and powerful user network. Tagging will be introduced and practiced, as a way to index content and locate similar websites tagged and shared by others. Blogs and blogging tools (Blogger and Wordpress) will be explored and compared to highlight the strengths and limitations of the environment and these tools for writing, publishing, and collaboration. Wikis will be explored (WikiPedia, Wikispaces.com, PBwiki.com) as environments for collaborative document creation, with individual contributions documented and time/date stamped. Feed aggregators (Internet Explorer 7 for Windows and Bloglines) and blog search engines (Technorati) will be explored as tools to track blog conversations (both posts and comments). Asynchronous audio collaborative tools (YackPack, Vaestro, Springdoo) will be explored as voice-enabled communication tools for different types of learner interactions: one to one, one to many, threaded vs unthreaded and public vs private dialogs.
Prerequisites:
Basic familiarity with Internet surfing using a web browser is the only prerequisite. Participants should bring their own laptop for a hands on experience.
Intended Experience Level:
Beginner
Instructor Qualifications:
Wesley Fryer is an educator, author, digital storyteller and change agent. With respect to school change, he describes himself as a "catalyst for creative educational engagement." His blog, “Moving at the Speed of Creativity” (www.speedofcreativity.org) was selected as the 2006 “Best Learning Theory Blog” by eSchoolnews and Discovery Education. Wesley secured $1.3 million in grant funding for West Texas schools participating in the Texas Technology Immersion Pilot Project in 2004-2008. He was named an Apple Distinguished Educator in 2005. Wesley is completing his doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction in 2006-2007 at Texas Tech University, studying the impact of technology immersion (1:1 computing) on student achievement. He is the Director of Education Advocacy (PK-20) for AT&T in the state of Oklahoma.