Q: What is Web 2.0 and how does it relate to teaching teens?
A: Web 2.0 is a term used to describe the evolution of the World Wide Web. The idea is that the web now focuses on people sharing information online, e.g., blogs, tagging, wikis, and social networking. Web 2.0 has allowed the web and its' components to become more user friendly and a more intergrated part of society.
Web 2.0 allows teachers to engage students in a more interactive way, especially teenage students because of blogs, socialnetworking, and wikis. It gives students a more increased way to participate in the classroom, and outside of the classroom, 24 hours a day. The students take possession of their own learning, along with sharing what they have learned on the web with their peers.
O'Reilly, Tim. (2005, September 30). What is Web 2.0? Design patterns and buisness models for the next generation of software. O'Reilly. Retrieved September 24, 2011, from http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html
Q: Do negative effects of Web 2.0 exist? If so, how do these cons pertain to today's society?
A: In the article, "Web 2.0. The second generation of the internet has arrived. It's worse then you think.", there is a paragraph that summarizes the negative effects of Web 2.0 so well that I must list it verbatim. "Web 2.0 technology personalizes cultures so that it reflects ourselves rather than the world around us. Blogs personalize media content so that all we read are our own thoughts. Online stores personalize searches so that all we see are advertisements for products and services we already use. Instead of Mozart, Van Gogh, or Hitchcock, all we get with the Web 2.0 revolution is more of ourselves."
It's obvious that technology, computers, the internet, and Apple, run today's society; to some extent, we have to except the inevitable fate we have been given. However, it is our responsibility as individuals to know who we are, what are abilities/limits are, and what it is that we can offer society, and be satisfied with the outcome. It is also our duty to know the world and understand how we fit in it, not allowing our minds to be clouded by one way of thinking but to be open to many schools of thought. This can only enlighten us and possibly help to create a true visionary, not an impostor.
Keen, Andrew. (2006, February 14). Web 2.0 The second generation of the Internet has arrived. It's worse then you think. Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://www.weeklystandard.com.
Q: Are Web 2.0 tools being used in the classroom and as teaching resources too soon?
A: There's no doubt that diversity in education always lends itself in a positive direction, but is it too soon to consider Web 2.0 tools, as a "new" form of education and teaching? If you consider my last post, it's no coincidence that Van Gogh, Hitchock, and Mozart were viewed as masters in their field. The skills that they gained took many years to attain and the works that they created took decades to be appreciated. So how is it that the authors of blogs, wiki's, social networking, and podcasts, just came on the scene and their publications are considered such reliable resources? So much so, that the education system is beginning to change it's format (21st Century Skills), forcing teachers and students alike to use these forms of resources in the classroom or at home.
Like with any "new technology", there is a lot of trial and error that should be put in place in order to work through problems that may arise with the technology and with the user of the technology. This and the lack of serious training on these technologies, could be a formula for disaster when using Web 2.0 tools in the classroom; and should be considered. Some other things that should be looked at before jumping on the Web 2.0 "bandwagon" are the possibilities of inaccurate information that is shared, the material on Web 2.0 tools such as blogs changes so often that it makes them hard to archive or index, and even the misconception that because these tools are more appealing to students, that they are more apt to use them; if a student doesn't read a textbook, then who is to say that they are going to read an entire blog.
Technology is great; it adds spice to a somewhat mundane classroom style. As educators, we need to make sure we are educating ourselves with not only the pro's of Web 2.0 tools, but the cons as well. Especially before we are introducing these sort of things into the classroom.
Allen, D., Allen, D. W., Onderdonk, J. C., O'Shea, P. M. (2011). A Technological Reinvention of the Textbook: A Wikibooks Project. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 27(3), 109-114.
Hong, W. (2008). Exploring educational use of blogs in U.S. education. US-China Education Review, 5(10), 34-38.
Annotated Bibliography Prospectus
As a Photography /Special Ed teacher in the Baltimore City private school system, I was inclined to establish much of the curriculum on my own. The use of websites and published literature are extremely important to this process.
Due to the student population that I teach, the books listed below have assisted me in creating diverse lesson plans, and have given me the freedom to teach in a more creative way. I teach both middle and high school levels, however the reading levels of my students range any where from grade 3 to college. These resources allow me to teach various photography units, such as the elements of photography, at easy, medium, and advanced levels.
Photojojo, gives great ideas for projects that students can be given as homework and holiday assignments. It can also be used for interim project ideas in between units.
Photography For Kids: A Fun Guide To Digital Photography, is an overall source that I use throughout the year. Whether it's teaching photo vocabulary, the proper use of a camera, or creating interesting portraits, I consistently reference this guide throughout the year.
The Best Part of Me, is wonderful supplementary tool that I use to teach a unit on literacy through photography. The author of this book, Wendy Ewald, has created many books on this topic. The idea is to use photography as a tool to stimulate creativity in writing, along with increasing students analytical and communication skills.
Due to the student population that I teach, the books listed below have assisted me in creating diverse lesson plans, and have given me the freedom to teach in a more creative way. I teach both middle and high school levels, however the reading levels of my students range any where from grade 3 to college. These resources allow me to teach various photography units, such as the elements of photography, at easy, medium, and advanced levels.
Photojojo, gives great ideas for projects that students can be given as homework and holiday assignments. It can also be used for interim project ideas in between units.
Photography For Kids: A Fun Guide To Digital Photography, is an overall source that I use throughout the year. Whether it's teaching photo vocabulary, the proper use of a camera, or creating interesting portraits, I consistently reference this guide throughout the year.
The Best Part of Me, is wonderful supplementary tool that I use to teach a unit on literacy through photography. The author of this book, Wendy Ewald, has created many books on this topic. The idea is to use photography as a tool to stimulate creativity in writing, along with increasing students analytical and communication skills.
Check it out!Informational Websites
JPG Magazine Website
This website is a good visual tool for photographers. It is a blog style website that is all about the love of photography and sharing your world through the lens. My favorite and most inspiring part of this site is it's theme and photo challenges section (under Features). It gives you great ideas as a photographer/photography teacher, to inspire creativity for your photos and your lessons. Whether a theme with deep meaning like, "Political Power: Effecting and Being Affected By Politics", or something simple and fun like, "Back To School", these ideas will help promote your thoughts and give a sense of originality to your lessons and your images.
PhotoVoice: Participatory Photography for Social Change
This website exposes you to a different type of photography; photography for social change. The mission of Photo Voice is to expose disadvantage communities all over the world to photography and the means to use this medium as a form of advocacy. This site links you to workshops that can improve your skills as a teacher, exposing you to teach social change through photography. It also allows you to be a part of projects throughout different countries. It reveals different ideas and visual examples for your very own projects. This site is a great resource for all types of photography and photography courses, especially photojournalism.
Artcyclopedia: The Fine Art Search Engine
The website works well for researching different photographers from the 1800's to present times. It is a great resource for teachers and students alike. There are three different search boxes at the top-center of the home page for artists, artwork, and even art museums. This website even offers more unique ways of researching art related topics, like through a "medium" and "nationality" search. The website is useful when teaching projects that may use different art forms or artists as inspiration for the project. It is also helpful if students need inspiration for their photography; I tend to use this site with my Photography II students, when we are analyzing photographs for creative portraits.
Photography for Kids by Kids
A useful site for almost any information about photography, especially digital photography. It contains a lot of interacting sites; one called "Be An Explorer". This section gives you many cool photo projects to try out, many connect to the research and reading that are a part of the other sections, on the site. This site is a good way to allow your students to have some independent work time, but still keeping them committed to learning. When I use this site with my students, I make sure that I generate questions beforehand, in order to ensure that they are gaining information from their searches.
Morgue File
This is a free photo archive website. This site allows access to photos for inspiration, as a means of reference when talking abut different photography elements, and for the use of any photo based projects; photo collages, photo advertisements, and/or posters. Another thing that makes this site useful for teaching, is that it offers a Classroom section. It teaches the basics in photography; offering lessons on various topics such as color filters/special effects in photography, ISO and technical aspects of the shutter, and Composition and it's importance when taking a picture. I give this site to my students as a resource to find any images that they need or want for various projects. I tend to only use the Classroom section with my high school students because the lessons are a bit in depth and they have a better grasp of the technical aspects of photography.
The Artist's Toolkit
This site helps reinforce visual elements and principles, the fundamentals to teaching art and photography. This is a great reference tool when I teach certain beginning elements of photography such as line, shape, color, and texture. It offers many experiential learning options for all learners ranging from an elementary to middle school reading level. Such as watch, find, and create, a visual and hands on way of exposing the young artist/photographer to the elements and principles of art, or the encyclopedia tab, that offers a short explanation of the fundamentals of art, along with comparing and showing how they are used in various famous works of art. This website helps students to get comfortable with new ideas and concepts; creating an eagerness for the student to want to learn more.
This website is a good visual tool for photographers. It is a blog style website that is all about the love of photography and sharing your world through the lens. My favorite and most inspiring part of this site is it's theme and photo challenges section (under Features). It gives you great ideas as a photographer/photography teacher, to inspire creativity for your photos and your lessons. Whether a theme with deep meaning like, "Political Power: Effecting and Being Affected By Politics", or something simple and fun like, "Back To School", these ideas will help promote your thoughts and give a sense of originality to your lessons and your images.
PhotoVoice: Participatory Photography for Social Change
This website exposes you to a different type of photography; photography for social change. The mission of Photo Voice is to expose disadvantage communities all over the world to photography and the means to use this medium as a form of advocacy. This site links you to workshops that can improve your skills as a teacher, exposing you to teach social change through photography. It also allows you to be a part of projects throughout different countries. It reveals different ideas and visual examples for your very own projects. This site is a great resource for all types of photography and photography courses, especially photojournalism.
Artcyclopedia: The Fine Art Search Engine
The website works well for researching different photographers from the 1800's to present times. It is a great resource for teachers and students alike. There are three different search boxes at the top-center of the home page for artists, artwork, and even art museums. This website even offers more unique ways of researching art related topics, like through a "medium" and "nationality" search. The website is useful when teaching projects that may use different art forms or artists as inspiration for the project. It is also helpful if students need inspiration for their photography; I tend to use this site with my Photography II students, when we are analyzing photographs for creative portraits.
Photography for Kids by Kids
A useful site for almost any information about photography, especially digital photography. It contains a lot of interacting sites; one called "Be An Explorer". This section gives you many cool photo projects to try out, many connect to the research and reading that are a part of the other sections, on the site. This site is a good way to allow your students to have some independent work time, but still keeping them committed to learning. When I use this site with my students, I make sure that I generate questions beforehand, in order to ensure that they are gaining information from their searches.
Morgue File
This is a free photo archive website. This site allows access to photos for inspiration, as a means of reference when talking abut different photography elements, and for the use of any photo based projects; photo collages, photo advertisements, and/or posters. Another thing that makes this site useful for teaching, is that it offers a Classroom section. It teaches the basics in photography; offering lessons on various topics such as color filters/special effects in photography, ISO and technical aspects of the shutter, and Composition and it's importance when taking a picture. I give this site to my students as a resource to find any images that they need or want for various projects. I tend to only use the Classroom section with my high school students because the lessons are a bit in depth and they have a better grasp of the technical aspects of photography.
The Artist's Toolkit
This site helps reinforce visual elements and principles, the fundamentals to teaching art and photography. This is a great reference tool when I teach certain beginning elements of photography such as line, shape, color, and texture. It offers many experiential learning options for all learners ranging from an elementary to middle school reading level. Such as watch, find, and create, a visual and hands on way of exposing the young artist/photographer to the elements and principles of art, or the encyclopedia tab, that offers a short explanation of the fundamentals of art, along with comparing and showing how they are used in various famous works of art. This website helps students to get comfortable with new ideas and concepts; creating an eagerness for the student to want to learn more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)