Wki+Group+One

Web Tool #1 media type="custom" key="10338072" [] Glogster was fairly user friendly, more clip art choices would be ideal. Glogster is a great way to present and execute paper outlines. It’s an innovative type of assessment that tests students’ knowledge without implementing traditional testing methods such as fill in the blank, true false and other summative assessments. Our group had difficulties with the Surry Community College server, but we believe that using this tool on our personal computers would be a more successful endeavor. Glogster is an alternate social network that allows users to import pictures, videos, audio clips, texts and many other multimedia tools to implement in our classrooms. It's a great way for teachers to get to know students, for students to get to know each other and for parents to know what students are doing in class.

The following is a screen shot of the Glogster get started/home page.



__**Web Tool #2**__

For our second web 2.0 tool, we choose to experiment with Animoto.com. This is an extremely easy website and program to navigate through and to produce the type of project or work that a teacher or student may wish to accomplish. Creating a video is easy. First you must choose your background images or video that best fits the theme of the video. Next you would want to load your own pictures and videos that would help the video to make a statement or establish what you want to be presented, and then choose the background music that you feel best fits your video, The last thing you do is click publish and you are done. Simple, right! In the 21st Century classroom, as teachers we have to prepare students for a technological advanced society and by introducing them to different web tools, they will have more creativity and understand technology better as well. As demonstrated below a great use for this website would be for the students to do their book reports through videos. They get to be as creative as they want and it is a way for the teacher to give the student a formative assessment. An idea would be instead of using accelerated reader the teacher could encourage the student to produce their own video about the book and rewards them with points for the information included in their video about the book (plot, setting, characters, theme, and style). Another way teachers could use this program would be to do lesson introductions for the students on what they are getting ready to learn. These are just two ideas but with this program anything is possible for the teacher and how he/she could incorporate it into their classroom. The only downside to this program is that you are limited to only 30 seconds of video on the free version, but it’s only $5.00 a month for the premium update. As a teacher in the 21st century classroom, we believe that $5.00 is not such a bad price to pay if the students will use this program consistently within the classroom. We would suggest setting up one account that all the students could access so you would only have to pay $5.00 and not pay for every student to have their own. Overall we would recommend this program to every teacher! It’s fun, easy, and a great way to use new technology tools within your classroom!

This is a book report done through animoto and is a simple way for a teacher to assess a student. media type="custom" key="10455954"

The following is a screen shot from the animoto website that demonstrates just how simple it is to make a video! 

[]


 * Web Tool # 3** __**Flickr**__

[]

We chose Flickr. On Flickr.com you can upload pictures or videos. Once your pictures are there you can change the layout of your photos into sets by opening up your organizer. You have several options. You can also create a sideshow, which we thought was neat. Your creations can be shared through email, facebook, and on twitter. You can add friends and share groups. Flickr also has its own blog for photos. Some other really cool features of Flickr are that you can tag your photos so it will be easier to locate them when your collection begins to grow. You can also organize them by favorites, most popular or put them into galleries.

We felt this would be the perfect web 2.0 tool for middle school students that go on field trips. The Flickr we created are pictures of a field trip to Washington. The eighth grade class went to DC and their assignment was to take pictures and present when they returned. This was a way to show what they learned. It would have been so much easier to present to the entire class on the smart board with organized pictures in a sideshow or in sets with the title and information right there like with Flickr, then to have to pass around photo albums. Also, if the students were working in groups they could do that as well with this program. They could work at home and still communicate with one another. There is another Washington trip coming up this month and I think we will recommend this tool to the teacher that organizes that trip each year.


 * This screenshot for flickr tells how easily it can be utilized:**

media type="custom" key="10670852"


 * Web Tool # 4**

Google Docs

Google docs is a really great web tool and has a ton of different educational uses. It is easy to use and could be incorporated into any classroom from elementary school to college and even the workplace. The tools used in Google docs are extremely similar to the tools that most of us are used to using in Microsoft word, power point and excel. Since Google docs is web based, all of you important documents, presentations etc. are stored in the same place; in addition anything you create on Google docs can be shared with one person, a group of people or everyone. This would also be helpful in including parents in students’ progress. With older students there is always the chance that you will hear excuses about how they don’t have their presentation or document with them on the day that it is due. Some may be telling the truth that their flash drive didn’t work or they didn’t save the correct file, but by using Google docs these students will be separated from the students who just plain didn’t do their work. Do your presentation using Google docs on your home computer then, don’t worry about bringing anything to class, and pull up your presentation on the classroom computer or laptop. If you have the internet, you have your projects and documents. Furthermore this web tool could be used to facilitate group work, all that the creator needs to do chose the share option and include the email address of the people you want to share and or collaborate with.

This video depicts a sample work in Google docs.

media type="youtube" key="0Mte8gAF5BI" height="315" width="560"

[]

This is a screen capture of one of the main get started pages in Google docs. [|Google docs get started]


 * Web Tool #5**

Wordle

Wordle is a great tool for many uses in the classroom! A teacher can use it to get to know the students at the beginning of the school year with an “All About Me” assignment, introduce new spelling words for the week, use as a creative way to brainstorm, use as a collaborative group assignment to come up with different ideas about a story read in class, and many, many more ways. Wordle is appropriate for any elementary grade level. Each grade could use this 2.0 tool in a different way. For example, a kindergarten teacher could use it as a fun way to have a poster of all the students name and hang it up in the classroom. They could also use Wordle as a way to teach ABCs or numbers. For 6th grade, it could be used as a brainstorming method for writing a short story. In everyday life, Wordle can be used as a way of advertisement by using it for posters and flyers or screen-printing it on t-shirts. On the website, a couple of users have asked if they could use it elsewhere for different things. It seems to be very popular because it is such a creative and unique way for a person to express oneself, which is a very important aspect in today's culture - individualism. Although Wordle is a neat 2.0 tool that people seem to enjoy, there are some upgrades that we would make to the tool as a teacher. For example, being able to click on a specific word in the "word cloud" and make it a different color. That upgrade would allow preschool and kindergarten teachers to teach colors! The teacher would simply type in the colors of the rainbow in the word box then after the website had generated and created the "word cloud" they could click on different words and make them the colors that each one should be. (example: red should be the color red, orange should be the color orange, etc.) That would allow the kids to learn and recognize their colors while also learning how to spell them. Another excellent upgrade would be having the option of a definition for a specific word in the "word cloud" so when the student scrolls over a word a bubble with the definition would pop up. This would be a great use for vocabulary in English. All in all, Wordle was an effective, creative tool for the classroom and/or everyday use. With a few upgrades, it could be even better!

media type="custom" key="10612388"

The following is a screen capture of Wordle! It is so simple to create a "word cloud"!



Popplet
 * Web Tool # 6**

Popplet is my favorite web 2.0 tool thus far! It can be used in with any grade, from kindergarten to high school; it is very interactive and will get students out of their seats and participating. Popplet can be used to create graphic organizers time lines and presentations, in addition it is collaborative and can be shared. This means that you as the teacher could start a popplet with the class and throughout the lesson students can add their thoughts, ideas or relevant details using a home computer or designated computer lab time. This is a great way to compile the ideas of twenty or thirty some students in one well organized place where those ideas can be shared, discussed and built upon. The way one student understands or thinks about a subject may help another student gain a better understanding. An additional use would be to showcase pictures and information of a fieldtrip destination or if you are unable to take a field trip to a destination creating a popplet could be a fun and interactive way for students to compile information on that place. Speaking of interactive, popplet works great on a smart board, students can get involved in the lesson by adding and editing “poppels”, the boxes that connect to each other to form a chain of ideas, a spot on a time line or a sequence of events, themselves. For older students this would be beneficial to use in a history class for time lines and for younger students it could be used to sequence events in a story. Popplet is very easy to use and when you sign up you are automatically taken through a short how to video. I will definitely use popplet in my classroom!

This is a very informative video on how to create a Popplet. media type="youtube" key="CxLDsWHsQ1g" height="315" width="560"

This a screen capture of the Popplet home page. [|Popplet!]

__**Web Tool #7**__ For the next web 2.0 tool, we choose wallwisher.com to explore and find ways to incorporate it into our lessons. This was very simple to set up and would be easy for any teacher (even one close to retirement) to use for everyday polls or questionnaires for the classroom. When you get to the homepage of the website you choose to make a wall. On the next page you fill out a few simple questions and poof there is your interactive bulletin board for students. This can be used in many ways. You can continue your lesson after school and allow the students to discuss or comment on what they learned, what they would like to learn, and what they already knew. It can also be used as a discussion on a book and comparing a book to their own personal experiences, and as a poll as well. Each day the teacher could post a question and allow each student to poll and the next day or that afternoon they could discuss that poll and how it goes with what they are learning about. This website may not have all the glitz and glam (graphics and being able to embed videos) but it is a simple technique that could be used in the everyday classroom that every student will be able to understand and hopefully will open up on topics that they might not get a chance to in class. Students could even make their own board for topics that may have on projects or as a way to get more feedback on projects (each student could have their own board and after a presentation students could post positive and constructive criticism on their boards). I love this tool and think that it can be incorporated into every class in some way.

This is a video on how to use WallWisher media type="youtube" key="APHZu4HNhqM" height="315" width="420" []

__**Web Tool # 8**__ Storybird

For our eighth web 2.0 tool we chose story bird. It is a collaborative storytelling tool that is designed for all ages. It is especially good for ages 3-13. The way storybook works is, one or more people create a story then someone else takes a turn, adding to your story. After each group takes a couple of turns you can share your finished product. The interesting thing about this tool is that you might be creating a storybook with someone sitting next to you or you may be creating a story with someone on the other side of the country. Storybird is a great tool to promote literacy, creative thinking, and imagination. Storybird is free unless you use services such as printing. Once you have an account you can share your storybird with others to help create or you can choose to have it private. There is also a storybird blog where you can share your storybirds with family and friends. creating a Storybird with someone on the other side of the country. Storybird is a great tool to promote literacy, creative thinking, and imagination. Storybird is free unless you use services such as printing. Once you have an account you can share your Storybird with others to help create or you can choose to have it private. There is also a Storybird blog where you can share your Storybirds with family and friends. This site is very safe and secure. All Storybird are read and reviewed before they are allowed to be published. Anything that is not appropriate is eliminated and their account is deleted.


 * Click on screenshot below to go to Storybird website:**


 * Web Tool #9 Warning Sign Generator**

For our ninth web 2.0 tool, we decided to pick the warning sign generator. It is extremely easy to use and would be wonderful to use in class when reviewing or an issue arises that might need to be looked at carefully. When you go to the website you are given four steps that will allow for you to make your very own warning sign or caution sign. The negatives to the website is that it doesn’t leave the student with a lot of options to be creative. A great way to incorporate this tool into the classroom would be for learning spelling and grammar usage. For a way to formatively assess the students the teacher could allow each student to make 4-5 different signs about grammar or spelling rules that they remember and then they can share with the class their rules and why it is important to remember then. It is simple but would be a great way to review. Students could also use it when giving a book report or review. It isn’t something that could be used with any lesson but there are definitely ways to use it within the classroom. We liked it and hope that someone might find it very useful in their classrooms.



[]

Wiki #10 - Bubbl.us

For our tenth web 2.0 tool, we chose bubbl.us. It is a very simple website that is great for creatively brainstorming. It is a simple website and does not have many bells and whistles. However, we do not think that this aspect of being simple is technically terrible. This is because when a student is brainstorming, if there is doodles, bright colors, and other distracting things everywhere, it will be hard for them to focus. It is a very easy web 2.0 tool to use. Extremely user friendly and does not cost anything! We think this could be used for any grade, depending on how it is used in the classroom. For the younger grades, like kindergarten and 1st grade, the teacher would need to make a bubble on the SmartBoard and have the students give her different words to put in the bubbles. The students would probably be confused with what they were supposed to do, unless the teacher models it for them. For the older grades, it is a great way to creatively brainstorm for a research paper! There bubble can be export - which means it can be saved as a picture to their computer so they can print it out or save it as a file! Very nifty!

This is my Bubble that I made:



[|Bubbl.us Website]