Introduction

=**Welcome to the Web Classroom Resources Wiki**=

This wiki is used to provide updated lists, descriptions, and tips on Web 2.0 resources for the classroom. Please feel free to add resources you may find that you think teachers may want to know about or try. You will need to request membership on this site in order to contribute to it.

This is definitely a work in progress, so don't be surprised if the content changes frequently.

=Why do we want to use Web 2.0 tools with students?=

For a start, today's students, whether you call them Millenials, Generation Y, Digital Natives, or some reference of your own choosing, are constantly connected to the world through the Internet and use it to communicate, collaborate and make friends. It only makes sense to engage with students in their own world to ensure that we create learning activities that are real-world and relevant to them.

In addition, the 21st Century Skills Partnership has identified an educational framework that emphasizes instruction in core content with the incorporation of 21st century skills. These skills include things such as information fluency, life and career skills, persuasion, communication, collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. While these skills are really not new in terms of what students need to be successful academically and in the work force, the tools we have to help students build these skills have expanded beyond the scope of traditional classroom materials such as books and worksheets.

See the [|Partnership for 21st Century Skills]website for more information on their education framework and initiatives.

=﻿What are you talking about when you say Web 2.0 tools?=

Web 2.0 are those tools that incorporate the ability to communicate and collaborate online using the Internet. Some examples include blogs, wikis, social networks, social bookmarking, and information management tools.

The slide deck for my Web 2.0 in the Classroom presentation can be found here.



I also have a presentation on Web 2.0 and Internet Safety here.



=Top Ten Social Media Competencies for Teachers=

Doug Johnson, The Blue Skunk Blog, July 31, 2010
1. Help students use educational networking tools to solve information problems and communicate digitally with experts, peers and instructors. 2. Know the major Web 2.0 categories and tools that are useful in the K-12 setting. Know which tools are provided/supported by one's school. 3. Use educational networking sites to communicate with teaching peers, students and parents. 4. Navigate, evaluate, and create professional content on networking sites. 5. Use online networking to create, maintain, and learn from a personal learning network. 6. Know the district networking guidelines, follow netiquette, conform to ethical standars and interact apropriately with others, especially students, online. 7. Understand copyright, security, and privacy issues on social media sites and share these understandings with students and professional colleagues. 8. Understand the importance of identity and reputation management using social media and help students understand the long-term impact of personal information shared online. 9. Create and follow a personal learning plan to stay informed about developing trends, tools, and applications of social media. 10. Participate in the formulation of school and district policies and guidelines related to educational networking and social learning.