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=Welcome to our Wiki!=

We are a group of educators taking MD 400 at Fairfield University:

 * Deb Boyhen
 * Jane Doyle
 * Georgina Duff
 * Savita Joshi

Read our thoughts about Web 2.0 and some suggestions on its application in the classroom.
Web 2.0 refers to internet sites that facilitate information sharing such as Flicker, Napster, Blogger, Wikipedia, and Facebook. One thing these sites have in common is that they are interactive and create virtual communities since more than one person can enter the site and add to or edit the content. The term Web 2.0 was coined in 1999 by Darcy DiNucci when she wrote that the web as it existed at the time was simply an embryo of what was to come in the future. The term was made popular by Tim O'Reilly at a conference that was hosted by him in 2004 called [|O'Reilly Media] Web 2.0 conference. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0)
 * What is Web 2.0?**

In my work with adult ESL students I recommend Wikipedia as a web 2.0 site. I can have a student read a novel such as Hemmingway's //The Old Man and the Sea// and recommend that they use Wikipedia to search for definitions of the numerous types of fish that are part of the novel. The definitions are usually accompanied by pictures and help the students visualize the size and look of the fish. A student is able to find out who Joe DiMaggio is when his name is mentioned and understand how he relates to the story. ESL students can also use wiki spaces to collaborate on projects in and out of the classroom. For example I could have students collaborate on a project such as planning a menu for a dinner party with each student contributing recipes, etc. The students would be able to help each other with spelling and word usage while hopefully having an enjoyable time planning their theoretical event.
 * Jane Doyle, ESL:**

I feel Wikis as web 2.0 site are a great resource for students to collaborate, coordinate and discuss their experiences in science classes specially when experimenting in the labs with various theories and applications. Typically in a biology class Wikis would be an interesting tool to work with. Students can brain storm and get involved in discussions on the experiments share their observation and inferences and formulate collectively on a conclusion. It would be fun as well as active learning ! It is a great way to encourage critical thinking. It helps to analyze, assimilate, intrepret and learn knowledge in a more effective way; to think out of the box, so as to speak! It engages students to work after school hours and apply their skills in learning and networking.It definately taps on the students cabapilities and makes each of them work towards taking an initiative, an action that enables the growth of the student. It expands their minds when working together in groups and that sets the wheels of learning in motion. A great way to empower students and improve cognitive development !
 * Savita Joshi, Science:**

As a middle school French teacher, I am excited to use more Web 2.0 in my classroom for collaboration with French culture and language around the world. With our class blog, my students have enjoyed creating an online place for our class. I have enjoyed giving them the freedom to extend our classroom beyond our place and time at school together. Additionally, our class wiki allows students to discuss independent readings and homework assignments. They also collaborate from their own computers on their own time to create pages together. Recently, during some lessons on travel to French speaking countries, my students used Flickr to create brochures about places they want to visit.
 * Georgina Duff, French:

Deb Boyhen, 2nd Grade Teacher: As a second grade teacher, I have not used either a wiki or a blog with my students. I feel that both are powerful tools which have the capability of providing and producing valuable information, however, I am trying to figure out how to weave the use of these tools into the academic areas. One of the biggest challenges I face is that tools are time consuming. Time needs to be taken to become familiar with all of the Web 2.0 tools, to figure out which will be most beneficial to incorporate into the curriculum and time is needed to keep the tools up-to-date.

[|Digg] This is a social news website made for users to discover and share content from anywhere on the Internet. [|Wikipedia] : -Find information that is constantly updated on any subject imaginable.

[|Facebook] : -Search and communicate with people all over the world.

[|Blogger] : -A basic website, no audio components, that can organize resources and information for classes. Blogs allow students and teacher to create ongoing conversations about different topics through postings and comments.

[|Skypeinschools] -If you have a project your class is working on and need some outside support by using skype you can post an advertisement for a school that would be interested.

[|TeacherTube] -This is a video sharing website (similar to YouTube). It allows those in the field of education to share educational resources such as blogs, documents, audio, and video.

Wikispaces : -Create ongoing conversations about any topic together at any time as a class. All edits to pages are time-stamped, so you know when your students were working!

[|YouTube] : -Search videos of pertinent subject matter.

[|TappedIn] : -Collaborate with other educators.

[|Delicious] : -Organize websites to create a resource list that lives in one place online. Make an online library of websites that are appropriate for your classes. **

-Organize and share photos across the world. Students can search for a subject and use photos without copyright worries.
 * [|Flickr] :**

Metacafe An introduction to Web 2.0