Web 2.0 Tools

Some of the last Web 2.0 tools we learned how to use were Smilebox, Voicethreat, and Animoto. I think all of these tools are fun to use, but I do not see myself using them much in my future classroom. For now, I do not see how I could use smilebox to improve my math instruction and therefore to enhance learning in math classes. Thus far, I see that a teacher may use smilebox to create photo albums of field trip pictures and slideshows for lessons, but I do not see how these could help me improve my teaching. I think Voicethreat can be useful in the classroom. For example, as a math teacher, I could assign groups to work on different problems. This would be very beneficial for most students; the students with high math skills could start the problem and give hints to the rest of the students. By doing this, they would surely benefit from thinking how to begin a problem, without actually solving it, and help others understand the process of solving the problem. Similarly, students having trouble with math would definitely benefit from the assistance of other students to solve math problems. However, I would not use this tool much in my classroom because I think wikis are better for this kind of activities of having students collaborate. Now, I think Animoto could be very useful in the classroom. However, I would not use it much in my future classroom because thus far it’s not totally free to use and has several downsides; I think a teacher could do big thinks with this tool to enhance learning if it were not this limited to use.