INTRODUCTION

What are Web 2.0 Tools?

Web 2.0 Tools are online software applications that allow users to do a variety of things. They can be used to teach curriculum content, store data, create or edit video, edit images, collaborate and more. These services are mostly free and are used very commonly by teachers, students and even by parents, both in and out of the classroom.

Some of the examples of Web 2.0 tools are wikis and blogs such as PB works and WordPress, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, image and video hosting sites such as Flicker and YouTube and applications to generate web content for education, business and social purposes such as Wikipedia, Weebly and Instagram.

So, in the next section, we will discuss more about the Web 2.0 tools and its benefits in education.

ENTRY 1

Newsletter

The first tool of Web 2.0 is newsletter. A newsletter is a printed or electronic newsletter containing news about the activities of a company or organization that is sent to its member, customers, employees or other subscribers. Generally, newsletter contain one of the main topics of interest to its recipients.

In school, the newsletter acts as an email promotional tool that is part of the student management software. For example, school newsletter is a medium that the school can use to inform parents about everything that related to the school such as school activities, policies, news, schedule changes, updates, events, performances, student awards and community events.

Examples of school newsletter:

In the future, I would like to use the school newsletter as one of my web 2.0 tools to my students. As we all know, these days students are more engaged in technology, so by using the newsletter, the students will find it interesting and make them more alert on the updates or any important things. Apart from that, by using the newsletter also, the students will get the information faster as it is generated through their emails and they can see the information at any time and anywhere.

ENTRY 2

Instagram for Education

Instagram is one of the most influential applications for social networking. Unlike earlier days, Instagram has now dominated most of all age groups. From children to the elderly, everybody appreciates Instagram as it seems to be. Since Instagram is the freshest sensation in this century, it is one of the effective Web 2.0 Tools for teacher used in teaching.

It may sound weird, but one of Instagram's main advantages for students is its ability to help users improve their emotional intelligence. This is particularly true as students can use video clips and images to react to something that has actually happened in the classroom or anywhere else. Not to mention that observing a range of images and snapshots while browsing the Instagram feed, students can get empathize with others, have fun and explore the deeper meaning of things portrayed in a simple way.

Next, Instagram lets students practice interpersonal skills. We may not have thought about this before, but the basic design of the Instagram platform helps students to focus on their interpersonal skills. Essentially, being part of a purely visual social media network puts someone who uses it in a position to learn more about the people they follow. Most importantly, Instagram is a platform that very clearly let users experience all kinds of emotions, opinions and ideas through the eyes of other and in a creative way.

Therefore, I will use Instagram to help my students such as I will post homework and project reminders, as well as post picture-by-picture tutorials. Not only that, I will also make sure that Instagram will attract my students to learn by encouraging them to join classroom discussion through the comments section if they need help or ask questions. 

ENTRY 3

Padlet

Padlet is a free online tool best described as an online notice board. Padlet can be used by students and teachers to post notes on a shared list. Teachers and students notes can contain link, videos, photograph and document files. 

Padlet has its own benefit. It is easy to use and really convenient. This is because Padlet allowed the teacher to continuously evaluate the success and difficulties of the students, through a review of the contributions made in real time by each student and group of students in the wall.

In addition, Padlet allows students to focus on their own learning and increases the versatility of the learning process, as both students and teachers can contribute to the wall everywhere and at any time. For example, whoever activates the Padlet board on his mobile or computer will see what's on it and what everyone's writing on it. Students  just need to take a tablet and start inserting some sticky notes online. 

Overall, I think Padlet is a great tool to use in classroom environments. It's a perfect way to engage in a classroom conversation without really having to talk. It's good to get students who are usually nervous or do not want to speak a chance to answer the question and share their thoughts. It's a perfect way to mix it up instead of simply answering questions and getting students to raise their hands to answer them.

ENTRY 4

Google Classroom