Web 2.0 Teacher Interview

The utilizing of new technology within the classroom has been a tricky task for many educators.  Schools often don’t have the resources to have all students be able to use these tools at the same time.  Some schools have the resources, but require various steps to get laptops in order to implement them in the classroom.

I recently reached out to a former colleague of mine and asked him how he has implemented any web 2.0 sites into his high school Social Studies class.  First, how did he choose his tool to use with his students?  In speaking with him he expressed that he was looking for a resource that could be implemented as a project to replace the old fashioned poster projects.  His hope was this would help to spark more creativity among his students, so he chose to use Glogster.

One of the biggest obstacles that he found was that he had to first teach the program to the students.  This was something that took up valuable class / project time.  After several periods of modeling and explaining the ins and outs of the site, the students were able to work independently and complete their projects.  Unfortunately, the entire lesson took several days more to complete than originally planned.

In retrospect my former colleague had this advice to give me before I attempt this site with my students.  He recommended that I take the time to first become very familiar with using Glogster or any other Web 2.0 site.  Practicing the actually process in which the students will follow and preparation for any technical issue is also a must.  The valuable time that was lost from under preparing could have been avoided if he had done the same.  In the end, he recommended that I try to use Web 2.0 sites, but that I should always be over prepared before using it in any lesson.