Web 2.0 Strategies Within Social Studies

Web 2.0 strategies are key for the newest generation of students to be engaged within the classroom. Students communicated digitally now more than ever, and they are more apt to rather learn through a YouTube or TedX video. We as teachers need to work each day on how to keep the students interested in the material and curriculum, and Web 2.0 strategies allows for that type of engagement. Wilson, Wright, Inman, and Matherson discuss within their article Retooling the Social Studies Classroom for the Current Generation ways that we as teachers can utilize blogs, wikis, and digital media to keep students interested. Lisa Matherson provides descriptions of how she was able to use all of these Web 2.0 strategies in her classroom and provides examples of how we as teachers can do the same.

Web 2.0 can be considered an umbrella term to describe different types of online and interactive tools that are created to allow users to create content, make necessary changes, and share the content within an instant. Blogs allow students or teachers to present information outside of the classroom and provide the ability for commenting and conversations from any location that has access to the blog. Different entries can be posted on separate topics that each student can comment and respond to. This will allow the teacher and students to facilitate discussion outside of school and continue the learning process.

Wikis allow for users to create and edit web content at a quick and easy pace. It allows for collaboration and communication of content, and can be available for any person to edit. The most famous example of a wiki is Wikipedia, but these can be very difficult to use when you want authentic and appropriate information. Wikis are similar to blogs as they collect information that can be shared outside of the classroom.

Digital media sharing are examples that are used frequently within the classroom to provide new and exciting information to students. Music, videos, photographs, audio, and other forms of content can be shared on sides such as iTunes, flicker, youtube, snapfish, and teachertube. Teachers and students are able to share information that they created and be combined with other web 2.0 strategies  like a blog or a wiki. By tagging the information, users can find the information quickly and frequently easily. When students create various videos or projects, they can upload them to these digital media sharing sites than share that information with their classmates and teachers.

I think the examples that Lisa used within the article are great ways to use Web 2.0 within the classroom. Specifically for blogs, she was able to provide weekly assignments that have them answer a prompt, provide research, respond to a videocast, or listen to a create podcast and respond. This type of online homework keeps students comfortable with what they are using in their everyday life and allows them to have a user sharing experience that they enjoy, instead of just completing busy work or worksheets. One of the most interesting ways Lisa used Web 2.0 within her classroom is her way of discussing current events throughout the world. By having students listen to a video about the weeks current events in a rap form, students become excited about what they are looking. The music videos highlight the news events that are mentioned within the lyrics, which provides a visual for the students who do not learn best hearing.

When comparing these projects to the technical skills vs. the subject area content focus, I feel that students will gain a better benefit by participating within a blog or video cast and digital media sharing than they would if they did not use the technology. This technology is transparent, because it uses the digital media that many students are familiar with, but uses it in a different way. Because it uses much discussion within the blogs and the viewing of content in a style that students enjoy, I do belief that it was worth taking the time to learn how to use the technology appropriately.

These types of Web 2.0 strategies are something that I do plan on using within my classroom. A blog is a great way to communicate with parents to be more transparent about what is going on within the classroom. I would then use the blog to facilitate discussion about what we are learning in class, and provide students with prompts they need to answer assuming they have Internet access. I would also use the digital media sites to have students post their work such as created videos or discussions. I do think this would be something I could expand on, and use sites such as twitter to help answer quick questions for students outside of the classroom if they have questions. By having some sort of weekly office hours outside of the classroom via twitter or Facebook, students would be able to communicate their questions quickly and hopefully get their responses in a timely manner.

1. Retooling the Social Studies Classroom for the Current Generation
   Elizabeth K. Wilson, Vivian H. Wright, Christopher T. Inman, Lisa H. Matherson
   The Social Studies
   Vol. 102, Iss. 2, 2011