Web 2.0
We now live in a culture where people are no longer confined to be the consumers of media. This is just one example of how easy it is for the average person, to take something and change it, create something new, and share it with the world. Our youth are especially enamored with this new phenomena, and why not? And if our culture is changing to accommodate this new way of sharing pieces of our self in such a huge way, then educators would be doing a disservice to not also keep up with the trend.
Learning is not confined to a class room. If you need proof, just open up Youtube and type in anything that you might want to learn. From crafts like knitting, to make up, to auto repair, video games, and even math and chemistry, it's all there. It's all accessible with the click of a mouse. If we as educators do not learn how to make the knowledge we pedal as accessible, we are at risk of becoming obsolete.
Learning is not confined to a class room. If you need proof, just open up Youtube and type in anything that you might want to learn. From crafts like knitting, to make up, to auto repair, video games, and even math and chemistry, it's all there. It's all accessible with the click of a mouse. If we as educators do not learn how to make the knowledge we pedal as accessible, we are at risk of becoming obsolete.
Alternative Presentation
I used an alternative presentation technique called Go Animate for this project, because I had never tried it before, and thought it might be fun. I also did it to demonstrate some of the wide variety of options that Web 2.0 has to offer. Not all presentations have to be PowerPoint, and mixing it up with something quirky and unusual like this can help keep students engaged and interested. There are a lot of options that GoAnimate has to offer, including different voices, different animated characters, different backdrops, expressions, etc. By tinkering around with, you can create fun, funny, and engaging scenes, which can be very memorable.
Podcast
Podcasts are now really popular with our culture which is constantly on the go, and that is enamored with technology. Creating podcasts is actually really simple, and only requires a computer with a microphone and an internet connection. You can create one in minuets, and share it instantly.
Screencast
Screencasts are an amazing tool for demonstrating the use of a website, software, or other technology tool. By recording your computer screen, mouse movements, and voice you are able to provide a full experience on how to actually do something. This has a great application in a work environment, if you are training the use of a specific software. It's also used frequently in the web-world to show learners how to do something, that might otherwise be confusing. Photoshop screencasts are extremely popular on Youtube, as that is a program that can be overwhelming and confusing. After viewing a screencast it is much less intimidating, and more accessible to the average user. I used a tool called Screencast-o-matic which is again very simple and only requires a computer, internet connection, and a microphone.
Traditional Presentation
The final Web 2.0 tool that I am going to display on this page is one called Prezi. This is similar to something like PowerPoint, but it has kind of a fun new twist, which can be unexpected and engaging. Prezi takes some time to get used to it, and honestly I hated it at first. However, as I have had the opportunity to tinker around with it, and see it's application in real life, it has grown on me. The controls are different from what you would typically use in applications like Photoshop or PowerPoint, but they make sense in the context of our new "touchscreen" obsessed society.