class 3 reading response

Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is an amazing tool for classroom a teacher, that’s if you know what it is and how to use it. Most teachers, even on my campus, know just the basic know how of the web and basic use software that the school provides. The Pendergast District offers a class called Intel which teaches the basics of PowerPoint, excel, publisher, word and use of the internet. This class is offered after school and on the weekends so many of the teachers don’t take the class. The way most teachers learn is by playing on the computer on your own time and/or through their own students. I believe that since Web 2.0 is becoming such a huge network that most teachers don’t know about it to educate the students. I feel it needs to be a special area class that is ran by an educational technology teacher. That way students can get at least get basic knowledge of the proper usage of Web 2.0, knowledge of Web 2.0 and how they can use it for school.
When reading what is Web 2.0, I found much information that I didn’t know about like Google Ad sense that could be a good tool to use for upper grade students to teach about marketing, sales, and advertising. I also found that a lot of sites are trying to make them user friendly so more people will and can use them. Search engines are another thing to educated both students and teachers about. There are a lot more out there besides Google and a lot more that are kid friendly and safe. There are many types of blogging sites that can be used in education. For example MySpace is a pretty easy blogging space to set up and use. MySpace can be a great tool for pen pals, educational chats, debating and exchanging information for research. MySpace can also help in their professional career. A comedian put his act as a podcast on MySpace. He now has a show on HBO. It’s the new way for people to advertise their talents. Sites like this one could be a great new way of communicating to parents. Students can have their own site and write what is going on in class such as projects, homework and accomplishments that they have achieved. The teacher can post podcasts of times that their child shared a story or solved a math problem. Teachers can post school events that parents missed in Flickr with pictures or on a blogging site for a podcasts.
We as teachers need to know and understand what is out there in order to properly used in the classroom. The district also needs to provide more computers, projectors and smartboards, so we as educators can keep up with this new Web 2.0 world.