Thing #6

Web 2.0 Tools

I was totally amazed at how many websites/tools there were on the list of Go2Web2.0, 73 pages worth of information. I was happy that the website had a search option to narrow down the list. I happened to come across the website eLearning4Kids which I thought would be very useful for an elementary school classroom. I was first very impressed by the fact that the website offered 5 different languages that it can convert to. I thought this was a great option for working with ELL students to help with the language barrier. I am guilty of the thought that when someone says that they have an ELL student, I automatically think that their primary language is Spanish. Clarksville is a very diverse community with many other languages spoken other than Spanish and I think that this website with it's multiple language options would be a good tool for students. Students can choose from multiple skills to practice and grade levels K-6 are available. In particular, I thought the "life skills" lessons were interesting to have. While I was observing at an elementary school in Clarksville, I was surprised to learn that one of the "specials" the students attended was a life skills class taught by the school counselor. I think that these life skills lessons would be a good addition for students to reinforce what they have learned. I think this would be a great tool for students to use inside and outside of the classroom. There are so many options that a student would never get bored and would never have to repeat a lesson. It is also a free website which is also very nice although it does ask for donations. 

Some of the my dislikes about the website were that some of the lessons would not load so it made it hard to evaluate the website for these particular lessons. Some of the lessons that I was able to review had a lot of words to read and would make it difficult for a young elementary student to follow along with the lesson. Younger students would need the help of a teacher or a parent to be able to read the information in the lesson. 

This website would be great for school or at home. I think it keeps students engaged in their learning at the end of the lesson the student gets a certificate which is great. First, I think students enjoy receiving a certificate after completing the lesson and second it serves as a record for which lessons they have completed. I think this website would be very good for a child who was home schooled. I think I will use this website when I have a class of my own to see how students like the website.