Step by Step Building a Web 2.0 Classroom

Step by Step Building a Web 2.0 Classroom by Drew Murphy

This was an excellent presentation and very informative. Mr. Murphy’s information was fun and informational. The combination of video, pictures, word processing and web shots instructed and demonstrated the 2.0 tools for the classroom.

By dividing the presentation in to the 10 basic and essential skills needed, I can picture how this information could be broken down and used in staff development mini sessions. Mr. Murphy began the presentation with explaining why or what benefits Web 2.0 can offer teachers. All of his reasons would pique most teacher’s interest. However, saving teachers time would be at the top of this list. This in itself would interest most although I do think a lot would still be skeptical of some of the technology. Several other points made were: these tools enhance class interaction, provide effective and relevant lesson options and can make teaching more rewarding. Another point that he did make was that it would take additional teacher time to initially learn how to incorporate these so they are implemented in meaningful ways.

One of the points and suggestions made in this podcast was not assume your learners know how to do some basic steps when using the web tools. Show learners how to use shortcuts when using simple commands like cut and pasting. Another point made is how abstract these functions and skills may appear to concrete learners. Tabbing and windowing were examples used for this.

Many great ideas for professional development were discussed and ideas to use in my own lessons will be shared with colleges and student learners alike. Web 2.0 in the classroom definitely brings teaching and learning to a new level.