Web 2.0

I feel that active learning and collaborative learning would both work well with blogs in the classroom. Students are most likely active at texting and using social networking sites and do so in groups with chat. So, they can apply those skills to the use of blogs in the classroom.

Independent practice could not be used for classroom blogs. Without the intervention of the instructor, blogs could get very inappropriate and mean spirited.

With a clear set of parameters and my supervision, I could see blogs working in my band classes to discuss how to make things that we are working on in class better, as a historical discussion tool that we don't always get to in class, and a general sharing of ideas as it relates to what we are working on in the classroom.

Wikis

http://mundopaul.wikispaces.com/


This was by far the most difficult task for me in CEP 811. Working with html is much more difficult. Is there a wizard that does not include the html? That type of editing is a new language and would take more than one week to get acquainted with.

WebQuest

When using computer-based instructional objects, the student dynamics must first be considered. Any class or forum should be tailored to the student's grade level, reading level, and comprehension level.

Some very good WebQuest examples are:

Music at the Pictures

History of African-American Jazz Musicians

I think that both of these examples are very good because of their demand for creativity and the clear expectations that are laid out for the student.

Traditional Web Pages vs. Blogs

Blogs have many advantages over a traditional web page. Blogs allow the user the advantage of knowing that there are real people behind the website, are updated more frequently, more affordable, build upon historical comments, and is based on a "post" format.

Web pages can be extremely pricey, have a deleted history, contain a great deal of detail, and are very impersonal.