Web 2.0 tools are very quickly becoming the tasks of the online learning environment. I want to use tremendous caution here because these tools can be over and mis-used. These are tools of the online course, not the online course itself. A course consists of instruction, resources, assessment, tasks, and discussions. A couse does not consist of a bunch of web 2.0 tools slapped together to create a bubbly project. When used appropriately Web 2.0 is a powerful set of tools to enhance student achievement and content knowledge.
When thinking about a classroom, it's difficult to find an example lesson that can not be replicated and enhanced in the online learning model. I think the challenge lies in creating a whole course, not a single lesson, in the online model.
6th grade students are required to address the ideas of vulcanism (not Star Trek) and plate tectonics. Students will generally design and color maps, both 3 dimensional and on paper that display areas of heightened plate tectonic movement. They identify global hot spots for earthquakes and try to make connections to the various plates and how they move. This kind of activity is a natural fit with the online model due to the enormous amounts of information that are readily available from sites such as the USGS and NASA. The experience for students will be collaborative in nature especially for visual learners as there are a number of resources that dynamically display plate tectonic movement in interesting ways
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