One neat little web 2.0 I just discovered was a site called Storybird. On Storybird, users can collaborate to create and share stories. After exploring a bit, I began to see all of the exciting possibilities for my classroom. Two or three students can take turns writing a story together and use artwork on Storybird to illustrate it. They can then share it with younger students and help to foster a love of reading. Teachers can create customized stories to teach younger students in an engaging and friendly way. As a bilingual teacher, I can see many possibilities in using Storybird to improve English fluency and vocabulary. Students will be truly motivated by seeing their stories come to life and being able to share them with just about anyone. It would also be useful for students learning a foreign language to create content in their new language.
Anything that gets kids excited about reading is, in my opinion, a beneficial aspect of web 2.0 technology. We are so worried about kids' literacy skills because they are constantly texting and chatting online, we need to learn to embrace these technologies and and help teachers use them to further education instead of fighting against it.
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