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Web 2.0 Blog: Dynamic Periodic Table of the Elements

www.ptable.com

I learned something during this week's exploration of Web 2.0 tools. I found out that they are not merely collaborative tools used for group projects. Instead I learned that the types of tools in that category could be included there for other reasons. Other characteristics of Web 2.0 tools include: they are web-based, they have user-centered design, and they have interoperability.

Dynamic Periodic Table is incredible. It is a Web 2.0 tool that can be found at www.ptable.com and can be used like no other periodic table. Using this interactive application makes the user feel like they are in control of all the elements in the periodic table. With a slide bar on the table, the temperature can be raised to temperatures found in the sun and lowered to temperatures found in the darkest, remotest sections of space. As the user slides this bar from ridiculously cold to ridiculously hot, all the elements on the periodic table react by changing their form from solid to liquid and finally to gas. Using this interactive tool, I learned that Carbon is the last element to succumb to the heat and transform into gas.

Dynamic Periodic Table also allows users to manipulate the elements so you can see why they are grouped like they are in the Table. The Inert Gases and Noble Gases are highlighted and described as you roll the curser over them. Metals and Non-Metals are also contrasted in the table. In many project based learning activities students need to locate their own information. A tool like this would make discovery learning more effective and easier for the students to understand (Colley, 2008).

This Web 2.0 tool is an ideal teaching application for any teacher trying to explain the Periodic Table of the Elements and the reason it is set up like it is. 

Colley, K. (2008). Project-Based Science Instruction: A Primer--An Introduction and Learning Cycle for Implementing Project-Based Science. Science Teacher, 75(8), 23-28. Retrieved from ERIC database.

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The Web 2.0 tools that are available to learners and teachers are astounding! I’ve played with many interactive collaborate tools recently. I really enjoy the mapping tools and the collaborative word processing sites. I am also intrigued by the collaborative spreadsheets which have so many math and science applications, I feel like an entire class could be devoted to teaching EMDT grad students about them.

While the vast array of Web 2.0 tools could overwhelm the technological noob at first, most of users quickly become adept at using the tools. This is true of one of the most widely used tool, blogging. I am in the process of setting up blog accounts for all of my students so we can do our daily journal entries, in sharable blog form. This is a huge deal for my 4^th and 5^th grade students. They love the thought of having the published work read by their peers. The comment section is the most important of all. From the comments left by students, they bloggers are able to make style and grammar corrections in subsequent entries.

Only a few of my students are in the field test that I am running. Those select few talk about how awesome blogging is and makes the others yearn for a turn. I suggest implementing new programs this way. It makes the students want to participate more and they take it more seriously when it is their turn.

To implement this exciting change in our class, I turned to Edublogs.com, which is working out nicely. We are going to use the blogs to answer our Daily Journal Questions at first, but once we’ve established the routine we are going to branch out and use them in other ways.

The students enjoy using blogs. Cost is low or nothing to use them, and if all that isn’t enough, they also help reduce our carbon footprint (Shimabukuro, 2009).

Shimabukuro, J. (2009). Innovate-Blog: A Step into Blog 2.0. Innovate: Journal of Online Education, 5(2), Retrieved from ERIC database.

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Students are faced with drill and practice teaching because that is a form of teaching that shows results in standardized testing. This can be seen as fact in my school district because of the pacing and teaching materials provided. The training in repetitive test taking skills is laughable in Florida classrooms right now. Material is covered and then rapidly relegated to the ‘done pile’ as teachers struggle to keep up with pacing guides that outpace most students and most teachers.

Blogging allows teachers and students to have a little more reflection on what was learned and why it was relevant. For example, a student learning how to multiply fractions may wonder why in the world it is important to know the skill. Blogging about the topic makes students think about why learned material is important. A student might spend 10 minutes thinking about a real life example of multiplying fractions, but after the “forced” higher order thinking exercise, the student will know how to multiply fractions because they were expected to explain why it needed to be learned.

Exploring this kind of reflection in a Web 2.0 tool like the blog, excites many students and makes them want to please an audience of readers. This “forced” reflection becomes more relavant and important because the students like the delivery format.

There are many “benefits of using blogs in a multicultural education course include(ing) fostering students’ critical thinking about important issues, connecting theoretical and popular texts and practice, encouraging dialogue among the class community.” (Hong 2008)

Hong, W. (2008). Exploring Educational Use of Blogs in U.S. Education. Online Submission, Retrieved from ERIC database.

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Web 2.0 tools are making a huge impact on how we learn together and work together. One of the most powerful attributes of Web 2.0 tools are their collaborative applications. These tools can be used by students to plan group projects and study material. These collaborative tools bring students together to share in learning in ways that were not possible before.

Student created wiki environments are giving entire classes a chance to share in the creation of projects. News feeds and threaded forums give groups a chance to make plans and keep members up to date on changing information. Interactive and shared mind mapping tools allow a class discussion to continue long after the actual school day has ended. All of these collaborative types of Web 2.0 tools allow students to learn together.

Having taught team building and communication skills on a ropes course for 10 years, I have seen first hand what team work can accomplish. One person, all alone, is pretty smart. However, when you link the minds of a group of people you can accomplish things that individuals could not have done.

I found a great Web 2.0 tool that is a collaborative application that allows students to work together in organizing data, ideas, and information. It the WriteBoard and can be found at www.writeboard.com. With this tool members of a group can log in to a blank page and fill it with whatever information the group needs to share. In my classroom I would use it for students to share rainfall totals that are recorded in different parts of the city—or any data-collecting project. I might also use it for students to use in script creation. It is like all of these collaborative tools in that it tries to connect human brains so that ideas can smoothly flow between them.

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I teach a fourth and fifth grade combination class. There is a lot of center work, small group work, and independence in my class because I have so many kinds of kids to teach. While I am working with 4 students, the rest of the class must stay engaged in learning. This can be done with projects and regular book work. However, it can also be games. When looking for RSS feeds to follow, I liked Education Games - Games at Miniclip.com because it showcased games that have some use in my classroom. They look fun, but most of the free games had a purpose. I was also drawn to Education Week American Education News Site of Record. It has news about my profession and lets me know what changes are in the works. I am concerned about the laws that are passing that regulate education, and this is a great feed for keeping up with these issues. The RSS feed Educational Technology is right up my alley. It is for Ed Tech professionals, but I could read it for fun. It specifically talks about using technology in the classroom in many different ways. Educational Technology and Life is a daily link list sent out and I could spend all day JUST exploring this source. It connects to everything I’m interested in. Surfing the Net with Kids: Educational site reviews and kids games is an elementary teacher’s best friend. It gives theme after theme after theme for educational units and technology extensions to go with them.

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