Journal #5

Bull, G (2006). Collaboration in a web 2.0 environment. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved 03/04/2009, from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=April_No_7_&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentFileID=2642

Web syndication, how a portion of a Web site is made available to others, has transformed the way we think about and gather information. The little orange icons that are found on Web pages indicate an RSS, Really Simple Syndication, is available. This allows for collaboration in entertainment, business, social, as well as education circles. Some of the ways syndication can be used in education are to follow multiple student postings, collaborative writing, sharing images being used in group projects and to track subject-related news topics.

For example, students can create blogs where they will post assignments or activities. Teachers will have immediate access to those posts as soon as they are posted. This is effective because it's a way that teenagers are already used to communicating. The Pew Foundation reported that three out of five teenagers already use blogs to keep in touch with their friends and create online networks, so why not bring that skill into the classroom. This is not always a simple task, but there are tools out there to help. Some of the resources that use RSS include, Firefox, Outlook and Thunderbird. Eventually most applications will have RSS capabilities, which will increase the number of options we have. Bloglines, which is one of the older and more advanced Web-based readers will also make blogs easier to use. It captures all of the blogs into a convenient location and updates them as students change or collaborate on their blogs.

There are also several resources to help students collaborate on projects together. Writely, is a Web-based word processor that allows students to jointly write and edit a document. Since it is Web-based students can be in different locations when writing and editing. It is also simple to post this document to a blog with Writely. There are also To Do List resources which allow students to have a checklist of what needs to get done on their project. One such To Do List application would be TaDa. Students can also share photos and images through Flickr. All of these applications share some of the same characteristics, they store both application and data on the Web, they are free to users and they provide an RSS feed.

There are more and more Web 2.0 desktops out that, like Google, which allows people to create a personalized home page. From the homepage they can start accessing all the Web 2.0 applications. NetVibes is one that uses Gmail for mail, Flickr for photos, Writely for wordprocessing, Web notes for bookmarks and provides access to RSS feeds. These are simple to use and contract drastically from the Web 1.0 applications that provided links to other applications.

The syndication that Web 2.0 allows, makes it easy to follow topics that are related to the information you are looking for. Newspapers and periodicals offer RSS feed for all major topics. Bloglines, allows you to get ongoing updated information through RSS feed. FeedDigest gives you the latest news each time the site is visited. Del.icio.us allows you to bookmark your favorite topics and share them with others through social bookmarking.

Although RSS feeds are becoming more and more prevalent, only a handfull of people are actually making use of this resource. RSS feeds and syndication make the educational possibilities endless.

Question #1 - How can a Web 2.0 make learning more fun and interesting for students? I think there are endless possibilities within a Web 2.0 environment. Because of this educators have more access to new ways of presenting curriculum, new activities and assignments, and new topics that will be more interesting and educational. There's more opportunity to create, collaborate and communicate withing a Web 2.0 environment. It also is more covenient because it is Web-based. Students can sit at Starbucks, access the Web and work on projects from any computer. Homework over coffee is always better.

Question #2 - How does working in a Web 2.0 environment make it easier for educators? The same characteristics that make it better for students can also make teaching easier, faster, and more efficient for educators. It creates a more creative, collaborative, and communicative environment. If students are posting their projects on a blog, teachers can access that information from any computer and at anytime. They can have a quicker response to the students with comments on areas they need to work on. If there are changes or updates to assignments they can communicate to students faster and easier. They have access to more information and resources to select topics and assignments that will be more engaging for students. They also have the ability to collaborate with their peers, sharing ideas and getting feedback.