Using Web 2.0 Tools with Younger Students

Entry #4

You all know how I feel about technology and younger students! I always say they seem too little to use it. I had mentioned before that I felt like Mrs. Cassidy slapped me in the face after viewing her students’ blogs and videos! Apparently it is possible and even successful. I went exploring again because I want to know exactly how I can use Web 2.0 tools with younger students.

Apparently others have stumbled across Mrs. Kathy Cassidy’s site and were quite impressed because she has done conferences. I found a short video (8 minutes to be exact) called Telling the New Story of Mrs. Cassidy explaining what she does with Web 2.0 tools in her classroom. Believe it or not, she was not a technology expert when she began. In fact, she hardly ever used technology even at home! I think that speaks volumes to those teachers who say they can’t use Web 2.0 tools because they aren’t very technology literate. Neither was Mrs. Cassidy and look at her students! In this video Mrs. Cassidy explains that her students use technology for things that other teachers would have their students use paper and pencil for. The kids are excited about their blogs especially, because they have such a wide (global) audience and people are always commenting on their work. They are connected globally with a class in New Zealand and they love to read one another’s blogs. A parent was on the video explaining how he enjoyed the blogs from the classroom because he knows what his child is doing each and every day. He spoke about how amazing his son’s writing improvement has been over the course of the year. He can check on this himself by viewing his child’s blog. Mrs. Cassidy warns viewers that it is not easy to implement all of the Web 2.0 components she has into your classroom, but she encourages teachers to do so because it is exciting, motivating, and rewarding for the students. She encourages teachers to take little steps. Start small and as you feel comfortable with what you have done, advance!

I also found another video where Mrs. Cassidy is doing what appears to be a workshop. This is called Web 2.0 Tools in the Grade 1 Classroom. When you go to this link, click on “presentation” to view this video. She also has provided all of the links to the different Web 2.0 tools she refers to in the presentation. Mrs. Cassidy uses class blogmeister. This seems really simple and I am eager to begin using it in my own classroom! You can simply click on “email David” to get set up. What I found that I thought was terrific is that no one can update a blog or comment on a blog unless Mrs. Cassidy approves. An email is sent to her and she can approve the changes in that way. The students each have a personal blog and they have blogging buddies in New Zealand. They have learned so much about that area from their buddies that live there. Mrs. Cassidy uses Flickr to add photographs to the blogs and Kid Pix to add the students’ drawings to the blogs. She uses Audacity to create podcasts. This is a recording program that you can download for free from the Internet. She also uses Bubble Share to create slide shows that tell a story and Wikis are used to write cooperative books. In this video Mrs. Cassidy explains how to use all of these cool tools. It is like a tutorial! Mrs. Cassidy states that nothing has inspired her students to learn like using Web 2.0 tools!

I have always known that technology is exciting and motivating for students, especially when they themselves are permitted to use it. My issue has been how can I use technology with younger students? I wasn’t even sure where to start. I have Treasure Hunts that my students can learn from and they play games on the Internet, but I haven’t done anything where my students have ever interacted on the Web or where their learning has been social. I haven’t even been sure of how to implement this into our daily routine. Mrs. Cassidy has made these issues a little clearer for me! She gives her students time to work on their blogs or on class books using a Wiki during center time. While I work with each of my reading groups, I struggle to find interesting activities for the rest of my students to do that they are able to do independently. Mrs. Cassidy has given me several ideas! I always give my students journal entries to complete while I work with small groups so that they can practice their writing. It would be more motivating for my students if they could complete these within their blogs for a global audience to view and comment on. Sometimes I ask my students to respond to something we have done together in reading. They can respond within their blog! Oftentimes I ask my students to reflect about a field trip we have taken. They can do this within their blog! Many of our stories take place in another country. Why not find some “blogging buddies” that live in that country that can share with our class? One of our writing assignments is to write a silly story. Wouldn’t the story be really silly if the students wrote it together using a Wiki? These are just some of the many ideas rummaging around in my head. I wonder if authors have sites where they ask about ideas for books from students. I am going to have to do some research!

Because of these two videos, I went from knowing that allowing my students to use Web 2.0 tools to interact and create social learning was important, motivating, and successful but not knowing how to begin to having lots of ideas for reading alone! I am sure I could come up with lots more for math. Hmmm, I might have to check out some of those math blogs Pamela found!

Issue: How do I use Web 2.0 tools with younger students?
Solution: Begin with small steps such as using Class Blogmeister and have the students create blogs on their own I work with small groups. As I become more comfortable with managing all of this, I can try adding photos and podcasts (that the students have created) to their blogs!

Another Issue: How do you find other classes across the country or even in another country altogether that are willing to interact with your class?