Web 2.0 and Inquiry

I was planning to critique Gizmoz, but as mentioned in the Discovery Education introductory video on Web 2.0 tools, these tools come and go.  Gizmoz is gone.  So I looked around for some alternatives and found GoAnimate and Blabberize. GoAnimate allows you to make videos for free, but to have an educator account it costs at minimum $99, which is too much for one tool to use with 8 students. My students would not be able to freewheel on the GoAnimate site because they are not permitted to have email accounts in the highly restrictive residential school setting. With adult supervision, however they could use the basics through a free account set up using my teacher email.  Blabberize allows you to upload your own photos and animate the mouth for free. It is sort of comic, and it is sure to gain the attention of your students while giving instructions, or for introducing content specific vocabulary.  As a teacher, I could use either of these tools to present new information or to spark a discussion. Students could use GoAnimate and Blabberize to summarize something they have read or learned in any content area.  They could also use either tool to explain how they solved a math problem, how they tested an idea, or even to demonstrate a role-play of a social situation.

Web 2.0 tools are categorized on the Discovery Education Web20.12 website as Presentation, Video, Mobile, and Community tools. 

Web 2.0 Presentation tools are websites where students and teachers can create dynamic presentations to share with an audience.  Some examples of Web 2.0 Presentation tools are Prezi, SlideShare, and Glogster.

Web 2.0 Video tools allow students to create and edit slide shows, and videos using still or moving images integrated with audio.  These videos can then be embedded in other presentations or can be shared on the web. Some examples of Video Web 2.0 tools are Animoto, GoAnimate, and PhotoPeach.

Mobile tools are Web 2.0 tools that can be accessed with a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. Students and teachers can use apps to podcast, create digital stories, or create instant polls and quizzes.  Some examples of Mobile Web 2.0 tools include PollEverywhere, Storyrobe, and Socrative.

Community tools are web 2.0 sites that promote communication, collaboration, and shared work spaces.  Some examples of Community Web 2.0 tools are Wikispaces and Edmodo.

Web-based technology tools can be used to engage students during a lesson by bringing visuals and audio to the classroom via Video and Presentation tools.  Video and audio provoke discussion and stimulate student senses.  Additionally, interacting using mobile devices to check-in using a quick poll, or by having students use the tools to create their own videos, presentations, and polls will help students to stay active and engaged during lessons.

Using web-based technology tools such as PollEverywhere and Socrative  teachers can preassess student understanding at the beginning of a unit of study.  Teachers can also use a series of still images through SlideShare or Animoto to stimulate student thinking, and then have them share what they know about the images or how the images connect to a single theme.  Students could use a quick response feature like Padlet to share what they already know on a topic.

Web-based technology tools can be used to support the process skills associated with inquiry.  Community tools such as Edmodo or Wikispaces can provide a platform for students to question, plan and formulate explanations, make predictions, analyze data, and communicate discoveries to each other both in and out of school.  Video tools and presentation tools can also be used for students to formally communicate their findings from their investigations.

Web-based technologies such as the mobile tools,  PollEverywhere and Socrative can be used to assess students' understandings of a concept.  Additionally, presentation projects using communication tools such as Glogster or Prezi, or video tools such as Animoto or GoAnimate can be assessed using a rubric to measure conceptual understanding as well as presentation skills.

Web 2.0 tools can be used to actively engage learners in the inquiry process and are essential for learning skills that are deemed desirable for graduates of 21^st century schools.