The Best Resources for Elementary Schools Introduction to Elementary School Tools Web 2.0 applications are a fantastic addition to any classroom because of the way they invite information sharing and collaboration. Students become creators of content in a virtual learning community. Web 2.0 gives students an audience and a community to learn with. The web 2.0 experience is often ongoing, and the learning continues as dialogue unfolds. In the elementary classroom, federal laws such as the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) must be taken into account before using web 2.0 tools. These laws are designed to protect students from receiving inappropriate materials or from having their personal data shared inappropriately. Sites created specifically for children under 13 years old generally include terms of use that require parental consent. Parental consent can be gained through a permission slip sent home, or an email confirmation. Some web 2.0 applications specifically state in signup that you must be 13 or older to register to use the site. This doesn’t put these web 2.0 application out of reach for the elementary classroom, but it does change their use. Always check a sites terms of use and privacy policy before using it with your students. What follows are my favorite web 2.0 applications for the classroom. Next to each application I will share some ideas for use, and indicate if the site is for students 13 and under or 13 and older. When a website asks for an email address for registration, I use temporary inboxes such as: http://mailinator.com or http://tempinbox.com. These are particularly useful when the email address is only part of the registration process and the site does not rely on the email address for communication. Kelly Tenkely Kelly Tenkely is an educational technology and curriculum design consultant who was previously a 2nd grade classroom teacher and a K-5 technology specialist/teacher. You can learn more about Kelly on the “about the authors” pages at the end of this book.
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