Shannon_Mejia_Web20

The N-Gen also known as "digital natives" acquire and process information differently than those born prior to 1982.Most of the teachers today come from generations where classrooms and instruction rewarded and encouraged individual knowledge that was acquired through lectures and textbooks.Therefore it is difficult for today's educators to adapt to the N-Gen's learning which comes from an interactive technology-enhanced environment.

There are many educational benefits that come from the use of Web 2.0 tools.It allows student to interact and engage in collaborative knowledge.The days of writing formal essays are not yet extinct; however, the way in which students express their knowledge of a particular topic can now come in forms other than essays that include visuals and explanations of their knowledge acquired.These types of tools make the information more meaningful. Henrico County's expectation is for all teachers should incorporate meaningful technological lessons due to the technology initiative.In order to open up the classroom to these collaborative tools it is necessary to train teachers on how to use these tools.The time needed to train with these tools exceeds the amount of time available.Training could occur during staff development days; however it is up to the teacher to take the training and utilize it in their classrooms.If the expectation is not part of the school improvement plan, many teachers who do not have the time to explore with these tools will not use it in their classrooms.Sites that are blocked due to not meeting the standards of the acceptable use policy may also serve as a constraint to the use of these tools in the classroom.

Web 2.0 offers students a variety of ways to learn.It is useful when creating differentiated lessons. Students will be able to express their knowledge and learning in a variety of ways that others might not have thought of before.Just like the wiki of "50 Ways to Tell a Story" by Alan Levine.In this wiki, the author describes how a story can be told in a variety of ways using images, audio and video by using the tools available in Web 2.0.Students then have a choice in how they would like to express their learning while also their individuality. This sharing and collaboration will give learners the opportunity to see how others have interpreted the information and may bring further understanding to the concepts and material.

Because students today were born into and raised in a technological society, they are considered virtual learners.They will be able to interact with each and express their learning using Web 2.0 tools. The ways and means of communicating their knowledge are endless.Web 2.0 changes the constraints of traditional learning in that the content is no longer linear but rather dynamic, meaning that there are many different ways of thinking instead of one.This will allow learners the opportunity to become engaged and apply their knowledge to the task at hand rather than repeating information learned from rote memorization.

As a foreign language teacher, Web 2.0 tools will provide Spanish language learners the opportunity to utilize the four skills necessary to learn a language:reading, writing, speaking and listening.Prior to Web 2.0 tools, students read novels, short stories or excerpts in their textbooks to assess their reading skills.To assess writing, students wrote papers on a specific topic to check for grammar and vocabulary comprehension.Speaking was assessed and practiced by speaking to classmates, the teacher or recoding their voices on cassette tapes.Listening was assessed and practiced by using cassette tapes , CD's or videos.Now with Web 2.0, the options to utilize these skills are endless.Students can correspond with each other through blogs.They are now able to record their voices using tools such as Audacity and can converse with native speakers with Skype.Authentic videos can now be viewed enabling students to listen to and watch native speakers.Therefore, Web 2.0 is an extremely useful tool for language learners. It allows my students to experience and work with authentic materials thus improving their language skills overall.