Web 2.0

I am excited about the potential of many of these new web2.0 tools that I have learned about through this blog and by reading my fellow classmate’s blogs. There is an abundance of tools that are readily available for educators and it’s our job to share this information with our school staff so that we can create 21st century educators. We already know our students are 21st century learners so it’s time we jump on board!

Lino to Review Food Chains

I have created a Lino account so that I could become more familiar with the site because I like its capabilities much more than Wallwisher’s even though I feel Wallwisher is a much simpler tool to use. I like the ability to add media to my wall which Lino provides. Both sites are interactive wikis at heart and I will likely use both of them in them in my future teaching endeavors. The educational purpose for the page I created in Lino is to review the content matter of life cycles and energy transfer which students learn about in third grade Science. I have posted two videos and an image that relates to this topic as well as an open ended question that students will answer b adding a sticky note to my wall in Lino. This will likely be used as a homework assignment so the image and the videos are simply there for their reviewing purposes. The nice thing about this tool is that all of the supplemental material can be located in one place so the students don’t need to go searching the web to find answers. I think this could be a great tool to use for homework assignments and I’m sure it can easily be used for other educational purposes as well.

Food Chains

Lino

Lino is a web2.0 tool that is similar to Wallwisher that I posted about a few days ago. What is uniquely different is the formatting ability of the sticky notes themselves. You can change the color, size, font color and you can even send your sticky notes via email to your class or friends. You can easily add anything from files to videos from YouTube, Vimeo or Ustream, photographs and more onto your wall. Once you sign up, you can use this tool and edit it like a wiki from anywhere using your mobile device, both Apple and Android have apps, and of course from your PC or laptop. You can send the link to your students and use the wall to share ideas on topics that are relevant to class discussions or you can use it as I am planning on using it with my students which I will explain more in my next posting!

Ipopetz.tv Educational Uses

When reflecting on uses of iPopetz.tv I couldn't help but think of using it as an ice breaker activity for the beginning of the school year. Students could quickly create a 15 second (because that's all you get) introduction of themselves and then save it. Because you don't need an account, students could take turns going to the single computer and saying their introductions throughout the morning and then share in the afternoon. More educational uses might include vocabulary lessons where the word is introduced using a 3D character from iPopetz.tv and then students could use the words they have learned in sentences by recording their own animations.

Another Poll Tool

This site is called Vorbeo and it's definitely the simplest tool to use if you want to add a quick poll to your website or blog. You type in your question, and then add up to 20 answer choices. All you need to do next is copy the HTML code and embed it onto your website or blog.  Easy as pie.

Would you ever use Vorbeo on your blog?

Yes
No

Seriale Online Subtitrate

Wallwisher

I love this website! I just stumbled upon it and it is a free web2.0 tool which allows you to build an online wall and then lets others add sticky notes and other multimedia content to the wall. Once you create your wall, you are given a URL which you can share with others or you can embed the html into your website or blog like I did below. You can include links, text (160 characters), images and videos from YouTube and other sites, PDF files, PowerPoint presentations, etc. anywhere you'd like on the wall. So yes, it’s basically just another form of a wiki but in my opinion I prefer this over a traditional wiki because it feels more interactive in placement of content.  I can picture using this website in my classroom all of the time. You basically just create a page and then let the students add content. I put a few educational uses on the wall below.  Feel free to add some of your own ideas to my wall! (Edit HERE for full screen)
 

Voice Message on Educational Purposes of Vocaroo

Vocaroo Voice Message

Vocaroo

Vocaroo is a simple website that allows you to record and send audio message via the internet. The best part of this site is there is no sign up required and it's free. You simply click on the record button and if you're satisfied with your message you share it a few different ways. They provide a web link, an email option, download options, embeding code, or if you have Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, etc. you can share it directly by giving your account information and it will link to your social networking site. They also provide a QR code link which could be a fun way to use this site with your students. (More to come on that:) I can definitely see myself and my students using this site for creating quick audio files.

Online recording software >>

Class Dojo

I'm not quite sure if this site qualifies as an official web2.0 site but I had to share. It's really a teacher tool that helps manage classroom discipline. It's called Class Dojo and it's really easy to set up and use. After signing up and entering your students into your class, you give each student a unique monster/alien avatar. Its purpose is to recognize positive behaviors such as participation and hard work as well as negative behaviors such as causing disruptions, no homework and being disrespectful by keeping a running total for each student. When you recognize a student for doing something positive you click on the student and choose the appropriate praise and it gives the student a point. It takes away a point for every negative behavior. There are many classroom uses that I can think of for a site like this. I'm sure people will criticize it though because it takes points away which is negative and we all know we shouldn't make a child feel bad for doing something inappropriate.... (argh) but I think it's cool and will likely try it anyways someday!



Screen shot of my demo class using Class Dojo

Response to Voki (Kate Mason)

Educational Uses of Polldaddy

I am a third grade teacher as mentioned before and I think Polldaddy would be an excellent addition to any classroom blog or telecollaborative classroom project. One of its most basic features can be very powerful and that's the ability to create simple online polls that are motivating and spark discussions. The online polls can be on any topic that's relevant to in-classroom discussions or activities you are working on with collaborative partners. The example I gave below is an opinion question on favorite characters in the story "Charlotte's Web". We read this story as part of our LA curriculum and for this activity students can vote on their favorite character using Polldaddy and then create a blog entry telling why they chose that character as their favorite. The poll simply adds a visual and fun aspect to the learning objective of character analysis because they get to see if their favorite character is everyone else’s favorite and I'm sure they'll make it competitive! In a telecollaborative setting students can create and exchange polls with their partner classrooms and use the results to compare and contrast cultural differences. There are countless ways to use online polls and I'm excited to add Polldaddy to my classroom blog next year!

Charlotte's Web Poll Using Polldaddy

Choose your favorite character from Charlotte's Web.

Polldaddy

Polldaddy is a website that allows you to create stunning surveys, polls, and quizzes in minutes. It is free to sign up and create a basic account with the obvious option to upgrade to a professional account with more advanced features for 200 dollars a year. The free option would work fine with individual classrooms because you are permitted up to 10 questions per survey and 200 surveys per month. This application could be a great asset to any classroom blog which could lead to rich discussions in and out of the classroom. One thing I really like about the polling feature is the ability to add comments. If a classroom doesn't have a blog set up the users could post comments about the survey on the Polldaddy website which links directly from the online poll, allowing for asynchronous discussion on their choices. I would likely use this site mostly for the online polls since I prefer surveymonkey.com for surveys and have a set of Smart Response clickers for quizzes.

Educational Uses of Tube Chop

Have you ever found a great clip on YouTube that fits perfectly with your curriculum but realize that it's part of a really long video and all you really want to show is that one section? As a teacher, this is where Tube Chop can be very useful to you. You can edit any portion of a video, put the link on your class webpage or blog, and assign it to your students for homework or view it together in class as part of your lesson. In my opinion, a short meaningful clip can be much more powerful than a full length video. Another innovative way to use this tool would be to assign your students a YouTube search for a 30 second clip on a particular topic you are teaching about in class. The students would be responsible for finding a clip, using Tube Chop to edit it to 30 seconds and posting it onto a class blog. The students could then view and comment on each other's clips and debate about how their videos relate to the assigned topic.

Example of Tube Chop from Khan Academy

I "chopped" this video from 9 minutes+ to 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Tube Chop

Hi everyone! I found a great web2.0 tool that may be especially useful for teachers in schools with tight security who block websites like YouTube because they fear their students will use it improperly. The site is called Tube Chop and it's a very simple to use application that searches preexisting YouTube videos and then allows you to "chop" or edit the video to the exact length you need. After locating and chopping the video, it gives you the code to embed the video on your blog or on your social networking site and the direct link to the video. I found a 9 minute and 48 second video from the Khan Academy on adding and subtracting fractions which I chopped down to 1 minute and 31 seconds to use as an introductory video for teaching the concept. I have not had the chance to see if my district blocks Tube Chop like they block YouTube but it’s worth a try!

Ipopetz.tv



Ipopetz.tv is a fun web2.0 site that allows users to create and share mini 3-D cartoons using the ipopetz.tv website or their app on an iPad or iPod Touch. The site is very user-friendly and only requires an account if you want to save your cartoon (which is free and beneficial if you want to use in your classroom and view your student's work). There are many characters to choose from and each one has their own unique backgrounds and movements. Once you choose your character and background it's time to record. The application records your voice as if it were coming out of the 3-D characters' mouth which in my opinion would thrill many students.  The site's biggest drawback is it only allows you to record a 15 second video clip. Another similar site for the iPad and iPod Touch is Puppet Pals which is less interactive but allows you to record for longer periods of time.  This web2.0 site is simple to operate and free to use so if you're looking for something fun for your students, give ipopetz.tv a try!

(I couldn't embed the video I created into this blog, but if you click on the link above it will take you to the site and my video should be near the top on the right hand side entitled "iPopetz.tv Intro" from wemlet)

Welcome

Hi! Welcome to Emlet's Blog House for ET630 Digital Communitcations in the Classroom! This blog will be used to discuss Web 2.0 technologies. Thanks for dropping by!