Web2.0 options as instructional tools and it's role in creating classroom environment

Cooperation is a very essential key to guarantee any successful classroom whatever the environment is. Cooperative learning should be infused in all subjects because of the role that plays in all of life's experiences. Students will learn important life skills by working together and collaborate their ideas ( Encouraging Cooperative Learning, 2000).



There are two kinds of motivation, integrative and instrumental ones. Students are said to have integrative motivation when the learner wishes to identify with groups, while instrumental motivation is when the learner is motivated to learn for utilitarian purposes, such as furthering a career, improving social status or meeting an educational requirement (Posner & Rudnitsky, 2001).



According to what illustrated above, students differentiate from one another. Some of them are motivated because they seek to improve their social status; on the other hand, there are others who are familiar of their being motivated naturally. In addition, many factors influenced students' motivation, such as learning situations that affect students 'degree of success'. In this case, the learner can hold negative attitudes towards learning situations if the teachers' agenda is very different from the learner anticipating. Sometimes, this negativity becomes severe enough that learners abandon the learning completely.

There are also major aspects that play on a student's role as a learner which are teachers, and community including parents, peers in students' society. Teacher's attitudes towards learners, of course, can also affect the quality and quantity of the learning in the classroom. Guided by the encouragement of their teachers, students can be motivated in many ways. For example, engaging the student's voice during the lecture is more than just asking them for comments or feedback.

Tool's like Web2.0 can be used for students to express themselves in terms of comments or feedback within their classroom group. This is another way of having every one's voice heard.

Community also plays a most important position for increasing caring and collaboration among students all of which can be done on a blog like this one. We know that students belong to societies including parents at the first place, relatives and peers. Some of students live in very high motivated community, so they try to do their best to be necessary member in that community. When the students are able to communicate, they will produce more and their motivation will increase.

Today our goal as educator's is to create learners equipped with life skill's that make them more confidant to face the challenges of the future. Having children become technologically savvy and using tools like web2.0 allow information to be integrated immediately into a standing curriculum, engaging students and providing innovative and collaborative solutions to teacher's.

Teachnology such as Web2.0 serves to build community within the classroom and can be used to involve parents participation in the students learning process.

Do students lack motivation?

Students lanck of motivation whether it be the difficulties of keeping high interest for advanced learners or tending to the needs of struggling students remains the constant dilemma for teachers. The typical unmotivated student does little or no work, acts out in class, or chooses to not attend class and thus becomes a source of daily frustration for their teachers. Eric Jensen claims there is no such thing as an uinmotivated learner (1996). Intrinsic motivation is the key in which teachers needs to activate and engage all learners in the classroom. This internal motication comes from within the student, a drive in which the student takes the responsibility for his or her own learning. Our goal is to activate and enagage student's intrinsic motivation in ways that encourages academic success and increases attendance through the foundations of a caring and collaborative classroom environment.

Ability & Motivation

" Children cannot be fooled by empty praise and condescending encouragement. They may have to accept artificial bolstering of their self-esteem in lieu of something better, but what I call their accruing ego identity gains real strength only from wholehearted and consistent recognition of real accomplishment, that is, achievement that has meaning in their culture." Erik Erikson

The belief in one's capabilities motivates people to learn quickly and in turn prepares them for success. As a teacher I understand how very important it is for students to come to the classroom everyday knowing their abilities and trying their best every single day. A few startergies to develop, encourage and strengthen self-efficacy is to establish attainable goals and feedback from time to time, rewards and self-instruction for verbalization of startergies and participant modeling. Once a student has learn to accept himself not only will he be able to set goals but also achieve them which in tuern will increase his self worth! Teaching children not to be afraid to take risk and learn from their mistakes will help children be motivated and take ownership in their learning and in turn lead to higher performance.

"The only real failure in life is the failure to try.”

Motivation is a desire to achieve a goal, combined with the energy to work towards that goal. Students who are motivated have a desire to undertake their study and complete the requirements of their course.

Then why do so many students feel so de-motivated to accomplish a task?

This brings us to the Attribution Theory which is a cognitive theory that considers a person's attitude about causes of results and how these results influece prospects and performance for the future. Causes of results include the following factors:

• Ability
• Effort
• Task difficulty
• Stratergies
• Luck

This can help us as teachers to explain success and failure in the classroom and can help us foresee the expectancies held by students and develop an approach plan for intervention when needed.

Introduction

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it!

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!" - Goethe

I never imagined that I would one day have my own blog but here it is and I am really excited and looking forward to use this tool throughout this course and later. I love learning and trying new things and am definitely interested in learning more about engaging and motivating all types of learners in the classroom.