The Read Write Web Chapter One Presentation By Shontae Dandridge October 20, 2011

A New World Wide Web We are no longer limited to being independent readers or consumers of information; we can also be collaborators. In 2003, a Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 44% of adult internet users used the net to publish their thoughts, respond to others, post pictures, share files and otherwise contribute to available content online. 64% of teens would be considered content creators.

Extraordinary Changes The ability to publish text, pictures, and video is also changing the face of journalism as we know it. The public is now included in everything from adding to the stories with more information and pictures. We are fact checking as well! Businesses have begun exploring the use of Weblogs, wikis, and even twitter for everything from public relations to customer service and internal communications. We are creating what author Douglas Rushkoff calls a “society of authorship”-where every person with access will have the ability to contribute ideas and experiences to the larger body of knowledge that is the Internet. There is also a growing gap between how this digital generation defines privacy and the way most adults do. Communicating and collaborating with peers using IM, Twitter, or MySpace keeps others constantly informed.

The Read/Write Web in Education Our students’ realities in terms of the way that they learn and communicate are very different from our own and as a system we are very slow to react. Our ability to easily publish content online and to connect to vast networks of passionate learners will force us to rethink the way we communicate with our constituents, the way we deliver our curriculum, and the expectations we have of our students.

Important Questions to Consider as Educators What needs to change about our curriculum when our students are able to reach audiences far beyond our classroom walls? What changes must we make in our teaching as it becomes easier to bring primary sources to our students? How do we need to rethink our ideas of literacy when we must prepare our students to become not only readers and writers, but editors, collaborators and publishers as well? How can we as learners begin to take advantage of the opportunities these tools present, so we may understand more clearly the pedagogies of the classroom?

Social Learning Today’s students are far more computer literate than their teachers. Students prefer to access information on the Internet, where it is more abundant more accessible and more up-to-date.

Learners As Teachers Before you attempt to bring these technologies to the classroom, LEARN THEM!!! Learning in this environment is about being able to construct, develop, sustain, and participate in global networks. It is not a must that every teacher have a personal blog, but we must tap into the potential that these tools give to us.

The Toolbox Weblogs- easily created and updateable Web sites that allow an author(s) to publish instantly to the Internet from an Internet connection. (Blogs are the first widely adopted easy publishing tool of the Read/Write Web.) Wiki- a collaborative Web space where anyone can add content or edit content that has already been published. Really Simple Syndication-allows one to subscribe to “feeds” of content on the Internet. Aggregators- collects and organizes the content via the RSS feed.

More Tools School Bookmarking- allows users to not only save web addresses but entire pages for a personal search experience. Online Photo Galleries-Publishing digital photos on the web and becoming a part of a community of photographers. Audio/Video Casting- Publishing and distributing voice and video files to wide Internet audiences. Twitter and Social Networking

Using the Tools Weblogs- It can allow teachers and students to interact exchanging information as a class. Wikis- Teachers can use password-protected wikis to create textbook and resource sites. RSS- Teachers can have their students subscribe to a feed that sends information about a particular subject or unit that they are covering. Bookmarking- teachers can bookmark certain information to make it more accessible to their students. There are bookmarking sites that allow teachers and students to build subject-specific resource lists.

More Tool Application Online Photo Galleries-Digital images in the classroom can aid in instruction. Audio/Video Casting- students can create live streaming TV online Twitter and Social Networking- Teachers can use these to help teach network literacy required to navigate these sites

Keeping Students Safe It is our obligations to teach our students what is acceptable and safe. Be sure your school internet filters content. Talk to your students about how to be responsible internet users. Plan and test the sites before you allow your students to search. Get parent approval. Decide how much will/will not be shared.

Safety Checklist e5t50053bIwww.youtube.com/watch?v=P e5t50053bI