Blog Post #5

I think web 2.0 tools can all be useful within the classroom. Teachers could use all the help they can get and technology, like web 2.0 tools, have been extremely helpful for teachers in the 21st century. These tools can help teachers become more effective. One of the web 2.0 tools that I caught in the podcast is wiki. Wiki is a website that allows collaborative editing from its users. This could be helpful for teachers because it could allow them to create an interactive websites where their students could ask questions, post assignment, etc. Unfortunately, students will need access to a computer and internet source in order to participate. These things can most likely be found within the school, so it should not be an issue.
A web 2.0 tool that I might use in the classroom is teacher-tube. Teacher-tube is exactly like YouTube but is meant specifically for educators. Teacher-tube is filtered out so that every video is appropriate for the classroom. It is also much easier for teachers to find a video on Teacher-tube because it only has educational videos.
I would use Teacher-tube to find relevant videos that I could use as examples throughout the lesson or could just build a lesson around altogether. Since there is such a large amount of videos on Teacher-tube, it shouldn't be hard for me to find a video that is relevant and helpful for whatever lesson I am teaching that day. This web 2.0 tool doesn't involve much and can be very useful for within the classroom. http://www.teachertube.com
The concept map assignment was a lot of fun for me. I played around with the Inspiration tool and had a lot of fun changing the colors of the bubbles and going through the different graphic options. Even though our assignment was to create a study guide, I was able to get a feel of the ways a concept map could be used within a lesson. Concept maps could be used as something you project on the board that has the basic ideas of the days lessons so the students can physically see what it is they should be learning. Below is the concept map I created for the assignment: