Now that I had a chance to check out different Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning, I realize how those tools can make my job so much easier as an educator. I can use ChatGPT to help create worksheets, assessments, or even leveled reading passages. It can help design lesson plans and write emails to parents. There are endless uses for AI. But Web 2.0 isn't just AI. It's also all the other online platforms and software that are available both on and off the internet. Some are backed by research, while others are not. It's important to choose tools that not only meet your needs, but also meet other criterion. This is why a Web 2.0 evaluation rubric is so handy. It helps use objectively decide if a tool is worth using and implementing in the classroom for teaching and learning.
Here is the rubric my group created:
Educators have a limited amount of time in a classroom with their students. We must teach state standards (i.e. a specific set of predetermined knowledge and skills). This means we don't have unlimited time and we certainly don't have unlimited resources. There are other factors at play. One program may be fantastic, like IXL, but the school may not be able to afford it. We also have to consider if certain programs allow for a product to be created that can be assessed and whether there is a learning curve for students, because if it takes a long time to learn a program, it may not be worth the time investment in the end.
Obviously, one major strength of Web 2.0 tools is the reduction in workload. Anything that can make a teacher's job easier is a plus! Some other strengths include student engagement, ability to collaboratively learn, digital resources and tools, personalized learning, multimodal learning, enhance communication (hopefully), creativity and innovation, customization, multimedia integration, ability to quckly assess and provide feedback, and global connectivity.
Unfortunately, there are also some drawbacks, or affordances, to Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning. Other than cost, there is that dreaded possibility of technical issues or data breach (i.e. personal and private information stolen). Security issues are a particular concern for children. Other drawbacks include overreliance on technology, ethical considerations, data ownership and control issues, and accuracy and credibility concerns. Also, of course, there is that problem with students being distracted by other things on the internet; in my case, YouTube and online games. Another issue that teachers deal with is misuse and students accessing information and websites that may contain explicit, controversial, or other other not-for-children content.
For new Web 2.0 tools, as they arrive in the future, I will reevaluate and update my evaluation rubric in order to reassess the important criterion that must be considered for using those Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning. Change is inevitable and I expect Web 3.0 to be "just around the corner". The vital skills will be adaptability. I must be willing to learn and adapt as technology expands and evolves. In the future, I will avoid stagnation. I will avoid overly critical and quick judgement. I will also avoid tools that do not meet my current needs and that don't have long-term potential. There's nothing worse than investing everything into one platform only for it to disappear. Could you imagine what would happen if Facebook decided to end its platform today? All those memories and all the posts, pictures, and connections would have been in vain. At least in some respects.
I will continue to learn, grow, and change, inevitably, as time passes on this Earth. Technology and the internet is here to stay and with those, so too, are Web 2.0 tools and its successors.
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