Web+2.0+Paper

**In re-reading this essay, I see that my common denominators are surprise, variety, fun and speed. Though I've finished the class now, and learned much more than I knew when I wrote this essay, I still have to agree with my June self that those are very important considerations when designing lesson plans today- for any age audience!** Teaching with Web 2.0

 Web 2.0 is changing education very quickly to suit the climate of the times. Teachers previously unable to hold their students' attention during subjects that are hard to relate to, like history, can now use a medium that is easy for them to relate to because they probably use it every day at home //for fun//. Kindergarten teachers know the value of bringing fun items into the classroom from their students' homes—the tradition called "Show and Tell" is based on that. Computers and websites are enjoyable and familiar and can speed up a lesson that might otherwise be boring. In addition to the appeal that Web 2.0 offers students, teachers benefit from using Web 2.0 tools because their lesson plans are so much faster to prepare than they used to be. Photos, facts and even ideas for lessons are available instantly.  My goal is to be a trainer for business organizations, hopefully many nonprofit ones. Though I don't plan to teach children or teenagers, I believe that Web 2.0 will be just as effective at enhancing my teaching and training of adults. Everyone knows that many children have a difficult time sitting still or concentrating in a classroom while listening to a long lecture, unbroken by other activity. The often ignored side of this is that those children grow into adults who have a difficult time sitting still or concentrating during long, continuous lessons too. Web 2.0 tools can do the same wonderful things for an adult trainer as they do for a K – 12 teacher. I hope to engage my adult students and hold their attention while giving them a variety of activities that stimulate discussion and their imaginations and allow plenty of opportunity for participation. I hope that the surprise and variety of what I present using Web 2.0 tools will help them remember the information and continue to be interested in the topic for years to come.  At least five specific Web 2.0 tools will make my training memorable and effective: Animoto, photo sharing sites, online libraries, RSS feeds, and blogs.  Animoto will help me document my training and remind participants of their experience. With permission, I'll set up a small video camera in one front corner of the training room. Within days of the end of the training session, so as to be timely for my client, I'll give the film to high school or college students to pick highlights, and use Animoto to set it to energetic, motivational music. I'll give a DVD to the organization's HR department with permission to reproduce it and with the suggestion that everyone gather in two months time to watch the DVD, which will include clips of employees looking interested in the material, discussing it, laughing, doing activities. Then they can discuss how far they've come and any new ideas that participants' have come up with since the training. New employees will benefit from watching it as well, thus maximizing my training opportunities.  One to two weeks before I go to an organization to lead a training session I'll ask managers to take a group photo of the staff and some candid photos of them at work. I'll ask the manager to upload the photos to a photo sharing site so that when I find a few free minutes (the middle of the night is my best work time) I can quickly incorporate them into my presentation. The personalization will be an appreciated attention-getter that helps localize the ideas. One training program I'm currently writing is about diversity and multicultural communication in the workplace. It will help employees to see the value of variety in their staff and cover some common cross-cultural misunderstandings, among other topics. By seeing photos of themselves on the SmartBoard or in a PowerPoint, interspersed with information about the multicultural topic, employees should be able to envision themselves enjoying their diversity and using it to their organization's advantage.  RSS feeds from Business Weekly and the American Association of Training and Development should give me new, creative information tidbits that participants in a morning training session haven't yet heard, or if they already have, I might be able to use them as timely tie-ins with my presentation. Since I don't like to get up early to do a bunch of research, having headlines come to my email will provide me with new information in effortless minutes. I can think about how to incorporate them while driving to the training site, then take 5 minutes in the conference room to incorporate them into my presentation.  Blogs are another Web 2.0 tool that I can use to personalize my training sessions. I will ask Human Resource managers within the organization I'm going to train to ask their employees to spend a few minutes per day for a week or two before the training blogging their thoughts on a company blog site that I will set up for them (unless they already have one). I'll ask for comments, concerns, ideas and stories relevant to multicultural communication in their workplace. By knowing what they're thinking about, I can make sure to address what's most important to them and to aim the troubleshooting portion of my training directly at any problems expressed in the blogs. This blogging should be anonymous to protect the participants, but for further assurance I'll direct them to my Facebook page and tell them they can message me privately if they desire.  You may have noticed that although I devoted a paragraph to each of my five selected Web 2.0 tools, I briefly mentioned some additional tools such as the Smart Board and Facebook. This is evidence of the all-encompassing path of Web 2.0 tools in educational possibilities. I look forward to graduating and starting my training and organizational development career with Web 2.0 tools at my side. With them I'm sure to deliver the most up-to-date, interesting information in a memorable and effective manner.