I've been using / experimenting with some Web 2.0 tools in my classroom recently. For the most part theses activities have been tools to work with a text and have been minimally graded or not graded at all, or they have been used to get familiar with the the Web 2.0 tools and have not been attached to an actual assignment yet (still used educationally and based on curricular goals, but with a focus on getting familiar with the tools).
Some of the Web 2.0 tools I've used recently: blogging (through blogspot), Todaysmeet, Picnik (for 6 word story), Audacity (is this classified as a web 2.0?), MixedInk, linoit, Weebly (an easy and free website creator), and digital photo taking (for 10 pic tour--again not really a web 2.0 tool). I have also used ComicLife (for Macs) recently.
A number of these have not come in for any marks, but rather were used to get kids working with the tools, or with information, or both. For example, I used MixedInk to have grade 9's share their essay introductions and work together to create one introduction for the class to use. It helped students to see what others did, practice evaluating their own work and others', and work together collaboratively to produce the best introduction they could. In addition to that, they also got to learn how to use MixedInk, a tool they'd never used before. For their body paragraphs, we switched to paper and highlighters and kept the collaborative learning. For the conclusion, we used Linoit and they posted their conclusions in 3 parts--rewording of thesis, restatement of ideas, link back to background on topic from intro (on three overlapping stickies). Students were able to see if they missed a part from their conclusion by using 3 stickies, one for each part, and were able to view their classmates' conclusions in order to see various approaches. Many decided they needed to rewrite--without being asked to. AND all of this was for the sake of learning. No marks were given for any part of these activities. Next week, students will sit down and write an essay on their own, on a new topic, and that will come in for marks.
On the other hand, I did use the blogging my grade 10's did as a mark. We had watched a film, A Few Good Men, and students kept notes on a particular topic (old diploma topics). There were multiple topics and multiple students for each topic (they got to choose their topic). I created a post on my school blog (for students and parents; it's new and barely used still at this point, though I'm trying to get kids to it by using it as part of activities like this one), for each topic. After the film, students took their notes and made comments on the blog for their topic. Then they commented back to others pushing them for more details, asking questions, clarifying points, etc. They also had the opportunity to post on the other topics to provide their insights and help out their classmates. To evaluate this activity I simply took a look at all the comments made by a student (lots of scrolling) and assessed the quality of their comments as well as making a subjective assessment regarding collaborative learning based upon the number and distribution of their comments--were they all on one topic, all at the beginning suggesting they only looked at this once, all at the end and simply repetition of the comments from others, etc). It was a small mark that didn't amount to much as far as their overall grade, but enough for this class to actually care about doing the assignment. And it has opened the door for future assessments like this now that they have had some experience with blogging and know what I'm expecting.
I also recently introduced my grade 7's to the 6-word story, audacity, and 10 pic tour, activities. This was to get this class starting to use more tech (they are quite resistant and have very poor computer skills) so that I can begin offering it as an option for assignments without needing to "hold their hand" through it all. I did a write up of the activities for them, with steps to follow, right through from the beginning to emailing their finished product to me. Afterward, we discussed their likes and dislikes of the activities and also how they thought I could assess their work. They had some good insights.
I know I'm a messy writer--I swear it's a genetic issue and teachers who insist on trying to correct are wasting their time :) On the bright side, it makes my messy-writing students happy that I can read their work, and they know that if I can't they need to do something about it.
Students found the activities fun and new. They took ownership. They liked being able to choose from the 3 activities. We did have some computer issues (our school uses macs and for whatever reason we have been having network problems and computer issues--I use my personal macbook at school with none of the same issues our school macbooks have, so I'm at a loss to explain the problems). Because of these issue, unfortunately, some students found the activities boring and it reinforced their opposition to technology. I did find that after discussing the issues, these students were open to giving it another try later. A few of the students had problems following my instructions and complained that they didn't get enough help. 8 times out of 10 their questions were clearly answered in my photocopied notes for them which they had refused to read carefully. The other 2 times out of 10 I discovered just how weak their computer skills were as I'd made some assumptions and left out some "obvious" steps (like how to attach a file to their email) or that they'd have to look under "file" to export their Audacity work. It did provide the opportunity for me to reinforce the need to follow directions and reread assignments carefully, as well as the fact that working with computers requires some experimentation and problem solving--It rarely gets perfectly laid out for you.
As for the evaluation, I agree with their points. It was important to them that they be creative and not simply copy the work of others. Also, to use their chosen medium to its fullest extent rather than just the minimum capacity--I liked that they avoid the word "effort" (as I have taught them to) and focused instead upon the notion of creating a thoughtful piece base on the options available in the medium. They recognized the vital need to say something meaningful despite the presentation medium. They realized they could be assessed for group work and consultation skills, evaluating and fixing their errors, following all instructions/knowing what they had to do.
I believe that assessing these types of projects will come down to basing the assessment on curricular outcomes. Assess the ideas and details, assess the writing skills (even more important when putting something out there for a public audience--and students know that), assess the use of form, organization, and consideration of audience. Assess their evaluation and revision of the work. It doesn't require a heavy focus on the medium itself (perhaps more for this leeway in ELA) except as far as using the capabilities of the program.
I also believe that it "choice" should be offered whenever practical. Students don't all like the same things, and a lack of interest can affect the skill level and the effort, which in turn will affect the quality of work a student produces. For example, if I said use Picnik to create a 6 -word story for a summary of each chapter in a novel, and a student tells me she can produce the same assignment using an iPhone app instead, should I force her to use Picnik? Or what if a student comes and says he loves drawing and would like to do his assignment by hand on paper? Should I force him to use Picnik? Is the focus on the tool or the product or the interaction with the literary text? Am I looking for technology skills or am looking to see that the student knows and understands the chapter well enough to effectively summarize the importance of it with a meaningful visual and word choice combination?
On the other hand, if I need students to be able to post their work for others to see and evaluate, and my focus for them here is to give and take feedback as a part of a group, then allowing a student to do their work using a different site may not be practical.
In addition to these situations, I have also been confronted by some students wanting to use various technological approaches with assignments I've created to be done using paper and pen. For example, my grade 7's completed a menu project the other day. They were asked to combine visual and written text to engage a customer. A large focus was on item descriptions that incorporate figurative language. We looked at some example menus on paper and online, but my assignment write-up clearly indicated that the expectation was that this should be completed on paper. I had 3 students from my class of 13 ask me at the end of class if they could create their menu online. I began to say "no" then caught myself. I was literally silent for a good 30 seconds with these kids staring at me as I debated in my head if this was a good idea. "Why Not!?!" was the question I kept coming back to. Availability of computers? More work? Can I mark it the same way? How will they do this--do they have the skills? I ended up saying "Why Not?" and they responded, "I don't know." I addressed my concerns and we worked it out. They all had computer access at home. 3 laptops are easy enough to book. The marking guide didn't need a single alteration. None knew how to create a website so I told them I'd look into it and get back to them. I spent an hour searching out free online website creators and settled on Weebly.com. It's free and it's easy. In the end, one of the three switched to paper because creating the website was beyond her current capabilities. The other two blew me away. I was happy to evaluate something different and these students had the opportunity to try something different and experience an extremely high level of satisfaction and ownership for their work. At our Menu Celebration night I had all the handmade menus laid out for parents to see and right in the middle of the row I had a laptop loaded up to the online menu. Everyone was extremely impressed.
Some questions I have found myself asking when it comes to assessing Web 2.0:
Is it necessary to mark this work, or is good enough that students are completing it as a learning activity?
What do I want students to get out of this activity?
Can I offer choices for this assignment that involve alternate tech or traditional tools?
Will skills with the technology affect the mark I will end up giving a student?
Have students had enough time to practice using the tech if it will affect their mark?
WHY NOT! has become my initial reaction now when a student comes to me looking for alternatives and choices. Sometimes the answer to that question means the student ends up doing what I originally asked (though now they always understand why), but usually it means the student is more engaged in their learning because they have taken ownership of it.
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