Web 2.

0 in the Classroom
Collaborative Learning Tools for Science

MSTA 56th Annual Conference

Detroit, Michigan

Stephen Best
University of Michigan School of Education
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
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
 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
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
 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
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
• Webspiration, Spinscape,
MindManager, and other tools for the
web (similar to Inspiration)
 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”
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)
Research and Reading Text
• 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
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.)
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)
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
For More Information

• Handouts and slides available at:

http://mmstlc.net

• Slide shows, commentary, podcast,

and other resources at:
http://catalyst.mmstlc.net

• Contact information at the MMSTLC

Site listed above