We 2.0 technologies week 4

 

Having used these techniques in a classroom environment I have come to understand their value and the benefits of using them. For example using jigzone.com as a morning task or as an introduction to a topic is very powerful for it gets the children engaged and is very enjoyable as well as flexible to cater for all ages. Wordle.net is also another good way of presenting information is a different way, again I have used this to start topics and letting the children have an educated guess at what the topic was through the words on the wordle.

 

I felt this session was very informative and gave lots of ideas for activities that could be used in the classroom. I would use this in the classroom, not only with children, but with other teachers because I feel that it is a simple and effective way to teacher other teachers so that they can be confident to bring technology into the classroom. Merchant (2009) says that it is a challenging task to introduce new digital literacies into the classroom and I feel this could be an effective way to start.

 

Tagxedo was a most enjoyable digital literacy tool and was most enjoyable to learn about. A lot like Wordle, it has the idea to put all words for a certain topic in one place for whom ever is using it. This would work very well as a word map, for children could use it when specifically specialising in one particular area and it can serve as a reminder. Tagxedo was more interactive than Wordle which made it stand out.

 

There are many web 2.0 technologies out there and, as teachers, we should embrace them by using them in our classrooms. They should not be relied upon, but used with care and purpose to enhance and support children’s learning.