The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed standards for educators to use in their classrooms to help guide instruction into the 21st century. By utilizing Web 2.0 applications, educators can help their students reach these standards through the use of communication, collaboration, and publishing tools.
Communication tools like chat rooms, VOIPs, discussion boards, social bookmarking, and blogging are great ways to reach several of the ISTE standards, namely Standard 1 (Creativity and Innovation), Standard 2 (Communication and Collaboration), and Standard 5 (Digital Citizenship). When students work in teams and utilize communication tools, they are able to come up with creative ways to plan out projects and group activities. While talking with each other using these devices, they get to discuss and communicate their thoughts, ideas, and opinions, all while showing respect and courtesy for those involved in their group and in their discussion. The same skills that are used in the classroom can be done using Web 2.0 tools like Today's Meet, WiZiQ, or Edmodo.
Collaboration is done through communication, but it can also be done using other Web 2.0 resources to share student work. Wikis are a great way to post and then edit work together to produce a group project. Each student has the ability to have their own input into the work, and it is done for all to see via the wiki. Standards 1 and 2 are well-represented with collaborative Web 2.0 technology, but collaboration also hits heavily upon Standard 3 (Research and Information Fluency) and Standard 4 (Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making). To work together and complete a class project, students must learn how to gather valuable information and to place it appropriately into the wiki or a Google Doc. After information is gathered, the students must work together to decide which information is most important to their project and which information should be altered, or perhaps removed altogether. Google Docs, Edmodo, and Wikispaces are great examples of how students can put collaborative technology to work.
Perhaps the most enjoyable for the students, and easiest to connect to standards, are publishing tools. Pod- and vodcasting, digital storytelling, and multimedia publishing tools allow the creativity of our students to flow freely, while allowing them a medium to explain all that they have learned. This type of technology really hits on all six standards very well. The publication of a project is really putting all of the previously discussed elements together to make one (or perhaps even more than one) great presentation for all to see. By incorporating technology, students then not only have the opportunity to share their project with their classmates, teachers, and parents, but they can share it with family and friends (and even strangers) all around the world! Animoto, Wix, VoiceThread, Prezi, and Zooburst are just some of the wonderful publishing tools available for classroom use, many little or not cost.
The advent of technology standards is something that can really benefit our teaching, but more importantly, our students. Web 2.0 tools help make things more engaging for our students, all while teaching many of the same concepts that used to be taught the "old fashioned way" -- without computers and interactive boards. In today's culture, hands-on, interactive, (and yes, electronic) tools are great ways to impact student learning. With communication, collaboration, and publishing technologies, we can tap into each students creativity and potential for success in the developing world of project-based learning.
Sources:
"NETS for Students 2007" - International Society for Technology in Education
http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx
"NETS for Students 2007 Profiles" -International Society for Technology in Education
http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-for-students-2007-profiles.aspx
