On the class wiki site, post your favorite new Web 2.0 tool that has not been covered in detail in this class that you have discovered in this course or elsewhere. List the URL, what the tool is, and why you find it useful using the wiki template page. No duplication allowed-each page must be an original new tool. This can be done after reviewing the Unit 9 material, which covers more Web 2.0 resources.
This site allows a user to create interactive "lessons" using any webpage he or she might find useful for a particular class or subject. The service uses a web extension that allows one to highlight, add notes to text, and embed questions, "discussion boards," even videos, pictures or any other embeddable media directly into the text of a given webpage. The interface is so user-friendly that one need only to watch the very short introductory tutorial video to be able to create one's first "docent." The service is integrated into the Google Apps for Edu. suite and uses a class code sytem for assigning docents to students. A teacher dashboard allows access to previously created items, student completion, grades and classes in one place.
The site is only free to try (5 free docents), but the paid rate is quite reasonable at just $40 for the year per teacher subscription.
The site does not have any advertisements, except for those that might already be featured on the external sites used to create assignments.
Sharing with other teachers is as easy as clicking the share icon next to a completed docent and sending the link. Other teachers can view or duplicate and edit a shared docent as long as they also have a Docentedu account.
Teacher and student views are very similar within the site itself, and one click allows teachers to switch to a "student view," should they wish to ensure things appear as they should.
This site is appropriate for use in all schools, as its content is completely teacher-generated. It would be appropriate for students in any grade level in which a classroom teacher wishes for students to read and interact with online text.
Educational Uses of Site
This site has immediate applications in many different classroom settings but perhaps most readily in the English/Language Arts, Social Stuides, Science and Health classrooms where reading is critical to the discipline and/or one of the primary ways in which students consume new information. For example, an ELA teacher might use the site by creating a docent for a short story found at http://www.eastoftheweb.com/ that they want their students to read independently. The teacher could highlight and add notes to the text of the story in order to foster meta-cognition and text-self connections in the same way he or she might do orally if the text were being read aloud in class. Guiding questions could be embedded in the text to help students check for understanding, while the discussion tool could be used to create a social reading atmosphere even as students are doing the actual reading independently.
Review of Site
Sites like Docentedu are perhaps the most powerful way in which technology is currently impacting the teaching of reading and use of reading as a learning strategy in the classroom. This site is tops on my list of sites to show any content-area teacher who is looking for new ways to improve student engagement and retention of class reading materials. It allows a teacher (even one without an English or Reading Specialist degree) to easily implement proven reading support strategies such as guiding questions, scaffolding, and vocabulary previewing with the click of a few buttons and a couple of key strokes. It also, through the use of embedded media, allows teachers to "bring text alive" through use video or other media types that are not usually part of the traditonal reading model. In addition, formative assessments can be embedded directly into texts, which makes it quite easy for teachers to diagnose misunderstandings and use the data to drive future instruction. Finally, its interface is so easy that it takes very little time to learn, which is another tremendous benefit because, let's face it, we all know how valuable teachers' time can be!
Unit 5.2A Assignment
On the class wiki site, post your favorite new Web 2.0 tool that has not been covered in detail in this class that you have discovered in this course or elsewhere. List the URL, what the tool is, and why you find it useful using the wiki template page. No duplication allowed-each page must be an original new tool. This can be done after reviewing the Unit 9 material, which covers more Web 2.0 resources.
Student Name:
Zach MusserTitle of Site:
Docent EDUURL:
http://docentedu.com/Description of Site:
This site allows a user to create interactive "lessons" using any webpage he or she might find useful for a particular class or subject. The service uses a web extension that allows one to highlight, add notes to text, and embed questions, "discussion boards," even videos, pictures or any other embeddable media directly into the text of a given webpage. The interface is so user-friendly that one need only to watch the very short introductory tutorial video to be able to create one's first "docent." The service is integrated into the Google Apps for Edu. suite and uses a class code sytem for assigning docents to students. A teacher dashboard allows access to previously created items, student completion, grades and classes in one place.Educational Uses of Site
This site has immediate applications in many different classroom settings but perhaps most readily in the English/Language Arts, Social Stuides, Science and Health classrooms where reading is critical to the discipline and/or one of the primary ways in which students consume new information. For example, an ELA teacher might use the site by creating a docent for a short story found at http://www.eastoftheweb.com/ that they want their students to read independently. The teacher could highlight and add notes to the text of the story in order to foster meta-cognition and text-self connections in the same way he or she might do orally if the text were being read aloud in class. Guiding questions could be embedded in the text to help students check for understanding, while the discussion tool could be used to create a social reading atmosphere even as students are doing the actual reading independently.Review of Site
Sites like Docentedu are perhaps the most powerful way in which technology is currently impacting the teaching of reading and use of reading as a learning strategy in the classroom. This site is tops on my list of sites to show any content-area teacher who is looking for new ways to improve student engagement and retention of class reading materials. It allows a teacher (even one without an English or Reading Specialist degree) to easily implement proven reading support strategies such as guiding questions, scaffolding, and vocabulary previewing with the click of a few buttons and a couple of key strokes. It also, through the use of embedded media, allows teachers to "bring text alive" through use video or other media types that are not usually part of the traditonal reading model. In addition, formative assessments can be embedded directly into texts, which makes it quite easy for teachers to diagnose misunderstandings and use the data to drive future instruction. Finally, its interface is so easy that it takes very little time to learn, which is another tremendous benefit because, let's face it, we all know how valuable teachers' time can be!