Book Recommendations: What rearch has been done to support the use of Web 2.0 tools?

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Permalink Reply by Kevin H. on January 18, 2010 at 4:28am

Hi Jessica
A book I co-edited and wrote a chapter for is not exactly what you are looking for, but it might be helpful. We have teachers talking about how technology is influencing their classroom instruction, particularly in the age of standardized testing and assessement:

Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in th...

By Teachers College Press

I do think there is a lack of real research around the impact of Web 2.0 tools in student learning, though.

Kevin Hodgson

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Permalink Reply by John Sowash on January 18, 2010 at 6:24am

I would also be interested in research supporting the use of Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom. I haven't seen very much.

I have read a few books that are about the power of web 2.0 technologies as they apply to business, not necessarily education. They have been very insightful and have convinced me that one of the reasons we need to teach using these tools is because they encourage the development of skills that are essential for success in todays workforce. Here's my list (with links to Google Books):

1. The World is Flat by Thomas Freidman (convinced me of the importance of collaboration)
2. Free: the future of a radical price by Chris Anderson (a book about marketing, market forces, and the power of the masses)
3. The Long(er) Tail by Chris Anderson (a book about niche markets and the death of the one-size-fits-all approach. Has some interesting correlations to our current educational system)

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Permalink Reply by Krittika Adhikary on January 18, 2010 at 7:43am

Hi,

I have a similar query. Are there any online resources on the subject?

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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Baus on January 19, 2010 at 6:48am

Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works. It's based on Marzano's research about classroom instruction that works.

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Permalink Reply by Sally Irons on January 30, 2010 at 9:38pm

There is a report on a national survey that was done.
You can download a free copy of the report. Here is the link...
Results to Survey

Good Luck!
Sally Irons
Niles, MI

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Bellah on January 31, 2010 at 12:22pm

This may be what you're looking for:
Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools
Gwen Solomon, Lynne Schrum
ISBN: 978-1-56484-234-3

A great text about using web 2.0 - we use it in my Master's of Educational Technology program and I've referenced it several times. Published by ISTE.

:)

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Permalink Reply by Klista Lawyer-Reynolds on January 31, 2010 at 2:59pm

I did an action research project on Web 2.0 tools (specifically blogs) for my master's degree. I can sum up what I found for you -
Two classes used blogs for communication in science classes (myself and another teacher, two very different groups of students, teachers taught the same thing every day). The experiment groups commented each other's blogs following the lessons. I taught another control group and instead of blogging, they journaled in a notebook.
After one semester, the two experiment groups showed improvement in test scores by 57% and 56%. The control group showed 36%. The biggest increase was from the lowest readers.
I don't know if this helps you, but at least it justifies what you're doing with your own kids.

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