Course Overview:

Web-technologies are shaping education in ways that have been only been dreamed about before the advent of Web 2.0, the read/write/collaborate web. The new web enhances teaching practices and student learning because new tools allow us to publish and interact in ways never before possible on the Internet. In Web 2.0 students become creators as well as consumers of information and need to become critical readers and viewers, ready to hit the edit button, in the age of new literacies. As educators we must teach and model ways in which ideas and products can be published on the Internet. Web 2.0 gives us the ability to work collaboratively across the virtual environment, enhancing literacies such as communication skills and global awareness, and bringing down the classroom walls.

In this six week course, participants explore the tools of Web 2.0 and participate in activities involving some of the more widely adopted tools. This course demonstrates how Web tools can generate exciting new learning experiences and how to apply these tools in the classroom. The course will offer ideas to help you think differently about technology and how it can be used to strengthen student’s critical thinking, writing, reflection, and interactive learning. We will examine the shifts in how to best teach students using Web 2.0 and the impact of what it all means.

Who Should Attend?

This series is appropriate for:

• Teachers who want to effectively utilize a hybrid model of instruction, using online components to supplement the face-to-face experience of their students
• Curriculum specialists who need to understand the critical success elements of hybrid teaching models
• Administrators who want to experience first-hand the power of online learning while determining their own district’s online professional development needs.

What Will You Learn?

Participants attending this course will:

• Explore exciting new learning formats of the web
• Apply tools of Web 2.0 that engage students
• Learn curriculum specific teaching applications of Web 2.0 tools
• View the constructivist, collaborative pedagogy of Web 2.0 tools

Participation Requirements & Graduate Credit:

Best Practices in Online Teaching and Learning courses are 6-week courses taken entirely over the Internet. Courses move forward on a weekly schedule and there are approximately 5-7 hours of activities per week. This course is eligible for three graduate credits from Plymouth State University.

Session Dates & Pricing

Sessions for 21st Century Teaching Best Practices: Web 2.0: Collaborative Instruction will be offered

• October 15, 2008
• January 14, 2009
• April 15, 2009
• July 8, 2009
• October 14, 2009

Tuition is $275 per session

Discounted pricing is available for a group of teachers from one district or region. Please contact a VHS representative at 978-450-0418 for group pricing.

Register today for Web 2.0: Collaborative Instruction or the complete Best Practices series.