BP2_Lists

Web 2.0 brings what seems an endless amount of new tools that educators can use to help students.  At staff development meetings all over the United States, indeed all over the world, teachers are being pointed to applications to use in the classroom.  There are so many new apps with educational potential they can all blend together like the cacophonous roar of a stadium crowd, powerful but without focus.  I, like many digital educators, keep a long list of Web 2.0 applications with great potential.  Pondering over the list I fear that so many possibilities may cause teachers to, as some cowboys say, put their socks on over their boots.  First things first. For students to benefit from Web 2.0 curriculum they must first remember to do their work.

To this ends I recommend use of a Google gadget titled simply Lists.  I know, I know, what a simple application, but how simple is it to get students to remember their homework.  Students desperately need agendas that can't be lost or forgotten in their lockers.  Lists  simply saves to do lists that can be pulled up on any computer with internet.  Lists can be made for different categories, so perhaps teachers may prefer individual lists for each class.  Items can be prioritized as low, medium, or high priority.  Once an item is completed it can be checked off.  The item remains listed but crossed out, allowing for that cathartic feeling many get from scratching items off paper lists. Teachers can share a list so students don't even need to enter items themselves.  Lists only requires that students & parents remember the same password that is used for any other google applications they use, such a gmail. When added to an iGoogle page or coupled with Google Calendar, Lists gains even more power.  At the heart of this suggestion however, Lists is a simple tool that will help students get their work done.