1. Web 2.0 in the Classroom
Collaborative Learning Tools for Science
NSTA Regional Conference 2009
Phoenix, Arizona
Stephen Best
University of Michigan School of Education

2. Objectives

3. Objectives
• Review the common practices of science and
see possible online collaborative tools to
support these practices

4. Objectives
• Review the common practices of science and
see possible online collaborative tools to
support these practices
• Discuss the considerations of using Web 2.0
tools to support science learning and
instruction

5. Objectives
• Review the common practices of science and
see possible online collaborative tools to
support these practices
• Discuss the considerations of using Web 2.0
tools to support science learning and
instruction
• Review examples of applications of commonly
used Web 2.0 tools for science instruction and
learning

6. What does “Web 2.0” mean?
• Focus is not just on content, but on
collaboration and sharing
• Underlying technology of these sites is
different from the “static” sites of the
past
• Nearly a defunct term now, as many
sites have incorporated these
interactive and collaborative tools

7. The Practices of Learning Science
• Document creation / note-taking
• Brainstorming / concept mapping
• Drawing and diagramming
• Data collection and analysis
• Researching and reading text and
information
• Viewing images or video
• Presentations and sharing information

8. Where to start?
• Before you try finding tools, decide
what the purpose of the use of these
tools is going to be!
• http://www.go2web20.net/
• Choose the tools that are likely to stick
around for a while (i.e. they are backed
by actual $)
• Limit the number of tools you intend to
use

9. Document Creation/Notes
• Lots of possible tools that allow
collaboration
• Google Docs or other web-based “office”
tools
• Note taking applications that allow for easy
searching and navigation (Evernote, Zoho,
or similar)
• Wikis can also be used for a large set of
information and tracking of collaborative
efforts

10. Brainstorming/
Concept Mapping
• Depends on the goal and functionality
of the tools
• Generally better left to other means,
but there are tools that allow for this
• Spinscape, MindManager, and other
tools for the web (similar to Inspiration)
• Expect more of these to come along in
the near future...

11. Drawing & Diagramming
Option 1: Option 2:
• Capture of your paper/ • Creation of online
writing efforts or... drawings, diagrams, and
designs
• Note-taking or
document collection • Bamboo space and
sites like Evernote other drawing and
diagramming sites
• Picture capture sites
like Flickr • Allow multiple media
and multiple “artists”

12. Data Collection / Analysis
• It all depends on the types of data...
• Numerical data: online spreadsheets
(Google Docs)
• Instrument specific data: content site tools
(i.e. Weather Underground)
• Observation data: Text can use wikis and
online documents (i.e. Google or Zoho Docs)
• Image/Video data: Flickr and other image
sites

13. Research and Reading Text
• Google Books and Google Scholar
• Wolfram Alpha (scientific search engine)
• iPaper or other document reading sites
• Delicious, Digg, and other content review
sites
• More basic text tools (blogs, wikis, etc.)
• Note taking tools that allow for web
clipping

14. Viewing Images and Video
• Common image and video viewing
sites
(Flickr, Photobucket, YouTube, Vimeo)
• Content specific images and video
(NASA, U.S. Geological Survey, etc.)
• Participant submitted video
(TestToob, TeacherTube, etc.)

15. Presentations and
Sharing Information
• Slide creation and presentation sites
(280 slides, Google Presenter, etc.)
• Slide sharing sites (Slideshare, etc.)
• Video sites (slides exported as video-
podcasts, downloadable/streaming
video, etc.)
• Online document sharing (Scribd
iPaper or others)
• New tools (Prezi)

16. Assessment
• Does not depend on the tool
• Use the collaboration features of any of
the tools, and establish useful rubrics
for collaborative assessment
• More important to develop the
guidelines and procedures for using
any of the previously mentioned sites

17. Some New Tools to Consider
• Search tools that will change things:
Wolfram Alpha, Next generation of
Google, ?
• Collaboration tools that address
multiple aspects of the process:
Google Wave, WebEx, GoToMeeting...
• Tools for small devices that customize
data for a particular function (including
augmented reality applications)

18. For More Information
• Handouts and links available at:
http://mmstlc.net
• Slide shows, commentary, podcast,
and other resources at:
http://webtools4learning.org
• Contact information at the MMSTLC
Site listed above