Thing #2

I am amazed at how much technology, and specifically web 2.0 tools, have already changed and will continue to change the way we teach students. Students today have so much exposure to technology then I ever did at their age. They are constantly using different types of technology to communicate, to access information, and to entertain themselves. As teachers, we need to embrace this new technology. I feel that by incorporating the technology that is available into a teacher's classroom and lessons, it will help to keep the students' engaged and interested in the topics being taught. By using the web 2.o tools in her classroom, a teacher can open a student's world a little wider with just a click of a button. The web 2.0 tools can help the students access and view information that was not possible before. The technology available can also help with quick access to communication between a large group and the sharing of ideas between professionals. Access to this type of technology will benefit all people who are involved in and interested in the education of students.

There are so many ways that I am thinking about how I could use these new tools to engage today's "digital learners." I must admit that I am so excited to read about all of these new tools and cannot wait to actually see them and learn how to use them. I am so new with the technology that I do not know what some of them are when I read about them, or how to access them. When I read the article, "A Day in the Life Web 2.0," I was so amazed at how the educators and students incorporated all of the technology into their day. I am no where near that stage yet, but would love to be some day. I would like to access different pod casts on the internet and have my students watch the pod casts about the topics that we are discusmsing. I am going to have my students use the web to find information and do research. I will tag some sites that I would like my students to view. My students are going to use the computer more to publish what they have learned and their research. I have just learned how I can use a Promethean Board. I am definitely going to use it with my special education students. A Promethean Board is so interactive where the students can manipulate objects and write things. I feel my students will really love this interaction with technology! I will also keep up my blog so I can communicate with my students, the parents of my students, and my colleagues on a consistent basis to give them important and timely information that is important. There are so many more ways to incorporate web 2.0 tools but I am still learning about them.

I definitely want to use web 2.0 tools to enhance my lessons, my classroom, and the educational experience of my students. I want my students to love learning, and using web 2.o tools will make learning the content material more fun. If my students are having fun learning, then school becomes a much more positive experience.