Overview
Our group made a concise and conscious decision to create a website that was visually appealing and very easy to navigate. Our main goal for displaying our work was to make it user friendly and to keep the user from becoming overwhelmed. Since our focus was on Web 2.0, we decided to include different Web 2.0 tools whenever possible. We identified the set up instructions to be crucial to the success of the user and so we created simple instructional screencasts indicating how to set up the tool and basic instructions to guide the user through the beginning implementational stages. Our intent was to create a webpage that introduced our educational tools and provided examples of ways to use those tools immediately.
When choosing tools to include in our project, we developed the following guidelines:
~Tools that have already proven effective in our classrooms and professional lives. These are tools that we continuously explore and adapt.
~ Tools that intrigue us, but that we have not yet mastered or put into classroom/professional use.
~Tools that we feel benefit our teaching/librarian practices, help build our personal learning networks and would also benefit others.
Our tools were purposely dispersed between our four main categories:
1. Tools for Communication (Skype, Kidblog, Twitter and LibraryThing)
2. Tools for Collaboration (Twitter, Skype)
3. Tools for Creation (Animoto, VoiceThread and ComicLife)
4. Tools for Curation (Pinterest and Paper Li)
We intentionally chose tools that had multiple functions and uses. This allowed for some tools to fall into multiple categories. As classroom teachers ourselves, we are all too aware of the time constraints we face daily and as such, it was important to us that the t tools we chose multitask as efficiently as we do.
The top priority for us was to make our training modules as user friendly as possible as we anticipated that our target audience may not be comfortable with Web 2.0 tools. Everything was organized so that our website was easy to navigate. It was important that the toolbar be clear and visible at all times. To allow for consistency all modules were created following a similar format.
At the forefront of our minds during the creation of this website was the idea that our target audience is comprised of Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers. We were very aware that within this group, the Web 2.0 experience and expertise levels would range from nonexistent and reluctant to competent and confident. Our main goal was to educate those teachers who were new to our specific educational tool, but we also wanted to include the teachers who were familiar with the tools and wanted additional ways to use them. Our “Top Ten” lists allowed us to give ideas for classroom use beyond the basic introduction.
Program Objectives:
1. Encourage exploration of Web 2.0 and new technologies by primary teachers.
2. Learn about specific Web 2.0 tools and classroom applications.
3. Learn how to use certain Web 2.0 tools to build a PLN or expand an existing one.
4. Create awareness, skills, and effective practice in the use of Web 2.0 tools.
When choosing tools to include in our project, we developed the following guidelines:
~Tools that have already proven effective in our classrooms and professional lives. These are tools that we continuously explore and adapt.
~ Tools that intrigue us, but that we have not yet mastered or put into classroom/professional use.
~Tools that we feel benefit our teaching/librarian practices, help build our personal learning networks and would also benefit others.
Our tools were purposely dispersed between our four main categories:
1. Tools for Communication (Skype, Kidblog, Twitter and LibraryThing)
2. Tools for Collaboration (Twitter, Skype)
3. Tools for Creation (Animoto, VoiceThread and ComicLife)
4. Tools for Curation (Pinterest and Paper Li)
We intentionally chose tools that had multiple functions and uses. This allowed for some tools to fall into multiple categories. As classroom teachers ourselves, we are all too aware of the time constraints we face daily and as such, it was important to us that the t tools we chose multitask as efficiently as we do.
The top priority for us was to make our training modules as user friendly as possible as we anticipated that our target audience may not be comfortable with Web 2.0 tools. Everything was organized so that our website was easy to navigate. It was important that the toolbar be clear and visible at all times. To allow for consistency all modules were created following a similar format.
At the forefront of our minds during the creation of this website was the idea that our target audience is comprised of Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers. We were very aware that within this group, the Web 2.0 experience and expertise levels would range from nonexistent and reluctant to competent and confident. Our main goal was to educate those teachers who were new to our specific educational tool, but we also wanted to include the teachers who were familiar with the tools and wanted additional ways to use them. Our “Top Ten” lists allowed us to give ideas for classroom use beyond the basic introduction.
Program Objectives:
1. Encourage exploration of Web 2.0 and new technologies by primary teachers.
2. Learn about specific Web 2.0 tools and classroom applications.
3. Learn how to use certain Web 2.0 tools to build a PLN or expand an existing one.
4. Create awareness, skills, and effective practice in the use of Web 2.0 tools.