5TH WEEK BLOG: WEB 2.0 TOOLS FOR MODERN TEACHING (COURSERA)

Before starting the topic, I will briefly talk about what I learnt from the course and the difficulties I encountered and try to explain what I learned with the help of the videos I watched. I have learnt the importance of integrating Web 2.0 tools in education and how to use these tools with the right strategies. I believe that this knowledge will help me to develop more effective and interactive methods in education. In particular, I have realised the importance of selecting the tools that suit the needs of the students and implementing these tools step by step. However, I face some difficulties in determining which tools are the most appropriate and learning how to use these tools in the best way in my lessons. These difficulties are minor difficulties caused by using any web 2.0 tool for the first time or not fully understanding how to use it. In this process, I think I can solve the problems by improving myself through continuous practice as well as getting support from my colleagues and online communities.

To start with, Sarah McNeil claims that it is significant to integrate Web 2.0 tools through correct strategies and approaches. You do not have to be very experienced to use these tools. Web 2.0 tools provide effective solutions to cope with problem-based scenerios. Of course, you should find the appropriate tool to meet your students’ needs. Practical ideas and best practices are gained with the help of online discussion forums, sharing your experiences and learning from fellow teachers. Applying Web 2.0 tools in lessons is a gradual process so you should follow the process step by step.

The history of Web tools dates back the early 1990s. Web 1.0 was the first version of World Wide Web and it was difficult to improve web content because you had to have lots of knowledge and skills. Moreover, the access of hardware was not cheap. For instance, it was essential to know HTML that was the code necessary to create a web page. Also, a web content developer had to have Access to a web server which was quite expensive. This web server was always on and connected to the internet. In this version, web content flowed in one direction. Unfortunately, there was little multimedia and pages were linked via hyperlinks. Therefore, Web 1.0 was known as the read only web.

Fortunately, a change occured in the early 2000s. Technological changes made the internet and the ability to develop more accessible. There were new tools named as Web 2.0 which enabled people with an internet connection to create and upload content to the web cheaply or free. In addition, developers did not need to know HTML or buy a server. Unlike Web 1.0, Web 2.0 was democratic and bottom up with users who could create content, share it, collaborate with others without meeting face to face. Web 2.0 was known as the read write web. To illustrate, in web 1.0, users had to read stories what the publisher considered were important, but in web 2.0, users had the chance to decide what stories were important through voting for them on news affregator sites like digg.com.

Another difference was their dynamic content. In Web 1.0, information was uploaded very slowly and the pages seldom changed. In contrast, in Web 2.0 information was very dynamic and pages changed quite fast. Blogs, podcasts and wiki’s became popular. Thanks to blogs, such as Blogger, users could create and share their stories on their own blogs without paying and money. It was also possible to add audio content to a blog easily. With the help of podcasts, anyone could become a radio disc jockey, talk show host or a recording artist. Furthermore, people had the opportunity to collaborate with others to create content. The most popular one was Wikipedia which was a multilingual free access internet encyclopedia that includes 20 million articles in 287 languages. Social applications like Youtube and Facebook let users not only read, listen or watch the content, but also interact with the content creators and others by liking or disliking content, leaving comments, sharing information with their friends.

Finding the right Web 2.0 tool for teaching is similar to find the appropriate tool to repair your house. When you  move to a new house you have to use a toolbox to hang pictures, assemble bookshelves and fix a leaky faucet. After a while, you need more tools based on your needs. Thus, your collection of tools gets bigger and bigger. Your tasks including home maintenance grow and new chores come up. You have to choose the best tool that fits the task. The same tool is not always useful for all tasks, specialized tools generally make the job easier and more sufficient. You ask for other people’s opinions or read books to find solutions to the problems of your house. You can find various sources on the internet. The number of tools increases the number of skills you have, so your confidence grow more. However, you should keep your tools organized and accessible. If you put them away, out of sight and do not use them very often, you will forget how to use them. Hence, practice makes it better.

Sometimes, a teacher has limited time to teach and there are so many teaching tools around. How can this teacher decide which tool is suitable? A teacher has to have a reason to use a specific tool to create an effective teaching environment. It is not useful to try all teaching methods at the same time, the most suitable one should be selected according to the task which is going to be carried out. Also, you can seek help from your colleagues to find the best tool if you cannot decide how to choose it. Besides, you may search online bloggers to get information about the latest teaching tools and do not forget to practice with the tool to see if it works or not during your lessons. The more you use the tools, the more you improve yourself as a teacher who is interested in evaluating how the tools meet your needs. Continue to add new tools every time because your teaching journey will never end.

CHATGPT PROMPT PART: 

1. Setting Lesson Objectives:

Prompt: ‘ChatGPT, can you help me set clear and measurable learning objectives for a lesson on the water cycle for 5th grade students?’

Reflection: This prompt helped me understand how to write specific objectives that fit curriculum standards and student needs.

2. Creating Interactive Activities:

Prompt: ‘What interactive activities can I include to keep high school students engaged in a lesson plan about the American Revolution?’

Reflection: ChatGPT offered creative activity ideas involving technology and collaborative learning, which improved my lesson planning skills.

3. Developing Assessment Methods:

Prompt: ‘What formative assessment techniques would you recommend for a maths lesson on fractions?’

Reflection: This prompt has guided my selection of appropriate assessment methods to measure student understanding and guide instruction.

4. Integration of Artificial Intelligence Tools:

Prompt: ‘How can I integrate generative AI tools into a creative writing lesson plan for middle school students?’

Reflection: ChatGPT offered innovative ways to use AI for brainstorming and drafting, which helped me see the potential of AI to foster creativity.

5. Improving Instructional Design:

Prompt: ‘What strategies can I use to differentiate instruction in a class with mixed ability levels during a science lesson on ecosystems?’

Reflection: ChatGPT's suggestions helped me to develop a more inclusive approach to lesson planning so that I could ensure that all students' needs were met.

MY CERTİFİCATE: