Okay, Wiki's are awesome but you may need a crash course on what a Wiki is, I know my students often do. Wikis are websites that are usually open to the public and allow anyone to edit the pages. You probably know the most famous Wiki of all, Wikipedia.org. But that is not the wiki I will be talking about today. There are lots of free Wiki providers out there, but even those often offer you a limited account with options for paid premium upgrades. Almost all sites also allow you to decide if you want your Wiki to be public or private. I have used several Wiki servers, but the two most popular are Wikispaces.net and PBWorks.com (formerly PBWiki.com)
Cool
Both sites offer free basic accounts with the ability to add users to sub-accounts or licenses.
Both sites are very user friendly with simple tools much like those in Microsoft Word.
Both sites are easy to manage with tools that will allow you to track changes and even revert back to previous versions of the page (you know, in cases where little Bobby goes in and "edits" little Suzie's page)
Both sites can be used in thousands of ways, from creating class note sharing and club web pages to personal e-portfolios and group projects.
Both sites allow you to make your site private and open only to users with permission as well as to make it so private that only people with the exact link can view it.
PBWorks will allow you to batch upload users and create sub accounts for students (sadly, Wikispaces does not)
PBWorks has a more modern theme selection that Wikispaces
Mediocre
Wikispaces requires you to upload users individually when creating student accounts, though if they have an email of their own you can require they join on their own by requesting permission and signing up on their own with the site.
PBWorks has a lot of nice premium upgrades that are only available if you purchase an account upgrade, but the basic education account works well and I have yet to require more space or any of the other premium services.
Blogs are not new in the realm of Web 2.0 tools. But, they are still useful and underused. Blogs can be used by classroom teachers to reach students at home or to keep an open line of communication with parents and families. Students can use blogs to practice crucial writing and communications skills and to build projects that are meaningful and address real world problems. I have tried a few different free blog services and they all have their good points (mostly the FREE part.) However, I have noticed that two of the most popular and easy to use have a clear dichotomy in their usefulness and possible applications.
For a full review of blogs, their services and overall ease of use you can visit TopTenReviews.
The two services I will be looking at are Wordpress.com and Blogger.com. From the address of this blog, I would think that you might have a small hint as to which one I have decided is the better of the two. I originally began this blog on Wordpress.com. It was easy to use but frustrating because I couldn't embed anything beyond a simple picture or link to an external site. Video, Embedded presentations, and even Widgets are all stripped by the site to prevent any minute chance of viruses or leaks in security. This sounds nice, but truly limits the uses of a blog on Wordpress. Thus, let us look at the cool and the mediocre.
Cool
Both sites are Free (who can ague with that?)
Bot sites are user friendly with tools very similar to those used in Microsoft Office products
Both sites offer tracking to view how many visits to your site have taken place
Both sites offer some nice and clean themes to choose from
Both sites will allow you to create and manage multiple blogs
Blogger is run by Google and will allow you to give editing permission to other users (like students) you can also use your Google email to log in and manage the blogs.
The Mediocre
Wordpress (as menitoned before) won't allow you to embed anything. So, you can't share videos, widgets (like my good reads book shelf to the right), post presentations you made in Prezi or SpicyNodes and so on.
Wordpress offers to help you "Upgrade" by moving your blog to a pay server, but that negates the "Free" portion of the Cool
Blogger is very popular and because of that it can be difficult to find a theme you like if you want something that stands out or is not over used.
Okay, I am a fan of iMovie, but of course that requires one has access to a Mac. Not always an option in the home or school setting. However, Microsoft Movie Maker also has it's perks. However, it does require a little extra know how and imagination. They are easy to use, but they are also programs that one must have installed on their computer.
There are free online options that are just as useful and often easier for younger or less experienced users. The three sites I will profile today are OneTrueMedia.com, Masher.com and Animoto.com. All of these sites offer you similar products but with different tools and styles. Using these sites you can upload your own photos, videos and music to create a video. The sites will provide you with an array of ways to view your video creation from Facebook and embed codes to purchasing DVD's. So, from my observation and usage here is the Cool, The Mediocre and The Hot Mess.
Cool
All of the sites offer free accounts. But, Animoto & OneTrue Media will limit the length of your video (see the Mediocre)
All of the sites will allow you to use photos and videos from their site but you can also upload your own
All of the sites have a large library of music you can use to add to your video or you can upload songs from your computer.
All of the sites offer you a link to post your video on Facebook or other Social Medias as well as the opportunity to share a link or copy an embed code to use on your blog or webpage.
Animoto: is superbly easy to use and even my Kindergarten age child can use it.
OneTrueMedia: Shows you the progress of your uploading media so you can see how long it is going to take for you to start your project, the other sites don't do this.
Masher: Allows you to arrange your media on a time line very similar to those used in Windows Movie Maker and iMovie so users familiar with those programs will have an easier time with it.
Animoto will allow you to log off and walk away while it finishes your video and then email you a link to it for future sharing. This makes it easier to use as an inclass project as you don't have to spend class time waiting for it to finish.
Animoto will also allow you to set your video to automatically start (with embed code) when someone goes to the page and you can also loop it. I like to use it for commercial and book talk projects.
Animoto will allow you to add text for free where as OneTrueMedia won't
Mediocre
OneTrueMedia and Anmioto both will only let you make very short (30 second) videos unless you pay to upgrade to a premium account. *Animoto does have a free upgrade to an educational account, but it must be renewed every 12 months and it takes them several days to review your application and approve it.
OneTrueMedia shows you all the premium add-on's and allows you to edit your video with them, so you need to be very clear with students to only use the free items; And, there isn't a lot of variety of free items to use.
Text is a premium feature, but if you want a title you can add one by using a PowerPoint slide you have converted into a Jpeg.
Masher has some cool video effects, but they take a while to load.
Masher also won't easily let you rearrange the pictures once you have navigated away from that page (ie to add music or themes)
Animoto won't allow you to edit transitions but you can choose themes that dictate the transitions and order/highlighted pictures. It is kind of like throwing your video into a Kaleidoscope to see what comes out.
Hot Mess
Masher: If your connection isn't a fast high speed the site takes forever to load and doesn't tell you it is loading at all. So, kids with little patience or teachers sitting at home with an internet connection that keeps fluctuating will spend a lot of time jumping around which the site does not like. It can also be more time consuming than the other sites in my opinion so may not be good for an inclass project.
Examples: I created these first two using the same images but you can see the difference in the video qualities. However, the Animoto video was created for my class webpage using my free educator account.
Word Clouds and Word Artwork are a fun way to spice up your classroom whether it be on a bulletin board or a webpage. Many teachers use blogs and webpages to keep in touch with their students, even if they don't teach on line. These tools are a fun way to spice up your webpage, and can often be printed out to spice up your bulletin boards.
Basically, these sites will allow you to use an URL or copy and paste in text to create a word cloud. The sites very on their usability and method of delivery of your finished product, but in the end all have their Cool and Mediocre points. The three best sites I have found and used are Wordle.net, Tagul.com and TagCrowd.com.
The Cool:
All of the sites allow you to add your own text via copy and paste or linking a url.
Tagul will allow you to add text by uploading a file
Wordle and Tagul will allow you to re-shuffle your text, change the fonts, colors and themes until you get what you like
Tagul and Tagxedo will allow you to form your text into shapes like hearts, stars, triangles and circles
Tagul and TagCrowd allow you to link Tabs, and add hyperlinks to the text
Tagul and TagCrowd allow you to use an embed code to link it to your blog (other than Wordpress) and webpage.
Tagxedo will allow you to download a picture of your creation or (and I am so into this, but haven't tried it yet) buy merchandise with your word creation on it. (I have my heart set on a t-shirt with the ALA banned and challenged book list collage on it)
The Mediocre:
Wordle
To get your picture you will usually need to do a screen shot and then paste and crop it in either Word or PowerPoint
Your school's web-filtration system, like mine, may allow you to see the site, but not see what is created. It works fine for me at home, but I can never use it at the school which stinks.
Tagul
Asks you to sign up for an account and only allows you to create 20 word clouds before paying for more. --To get around this and create multiple word clouds you can take a screen shot of your creation before you save it and waste one of your 20.
The set up is slightly more complicated than the others and my be confusing to users with only an average knowledge of computers and HTML
TagCrowd
Will not allow you to re-shuffle your cloud to change the fonts and colors
Doesn't put your text into neat shapes or fonts, basically just lists out your most commonly used words.
Taxedo
Requires you sign up for a free account (not that bad, I know, but I had to put something here, right?)
Requires you pay for the cool shirts, mugs and mouse-pads you can make with your word art....I understand it, but still wish I could get a freebee for pumping their site ;)
The Examples:
To create each of these examples I used the URL for this blog. I have also used it with student writing samples, my syllabi, school announcements and just about anything else that you can find in writing. The examples below are linked to their parent sites, but again are just screen shots as Wordpress for one reason or another won't post the images when an embed code is used.
My students love to make presentations in PowerPoint. But, there are only so many times you can look at the same PowerPoint theme and 40 nauseating transitions before you want to bang your head off your desk. Frankly, my students feel the same way. If teachers use the same presentations over and over again, they tune out.
A fellow teacher told me about Prezi.com, a presentation site and I stumbled across it's cousin site SpicyNodes.org by accident. Both sites allow you to create interactive presentations that you can share in class, on your blog and edit on the fly. They also offer you the opportunity for your students to create presentations that will blow your mind.
The Cool:
Both sites are very engaging to students and teachers.
Both sites allow users to add pictures, Youtube video and text.
Both sites offer free user accounts: Prezi.com offers you an upgraded free education account with more than enough perks to make it worth the upgrade.
Prezi.com offers collaborative workspace. So, students and teachers can work together on the same project without having to hover over the same computer screen.
The Mediocre:
Neither site allows you to set up sub licensed accounts for students
Prezi.com can be frustrating for teachers and students who are not creative thinkers or patient with technology--It requires a level of computer knowledge that goes a step or two past "average"
SpicyNodes.org is very linear in the way it is laid out and very user-friendly, but there is limited space for text
Examples:
I created each of these presentations in under 30 minutes for use in my classes. The students loved them.
I am a teacher in a rather unconventional school. Although I teach the 9th grade, I don't see my students faces each morning, I don't have a planning time or have to hit the school cafeteria if I forget my lunch. I teach my students online.
Though this may sound easier than the traditional classroom, I assure you it is not. In fact, I truly feel that teaching in an online environment is far more challenging than the teaching I did in the classroom. I have quickly learned that I need to think like a student to identify questions they will have even before they have them (be a mind reader and fortune teller all in one), be available nearly 24/7 by phone or email, be aware of my students' cultural and religious beliefs, and be prepared for just about anything. I also need to be fully aware of the Technology Standards and how to incorporate them into my classroom. Because of this, I have found several "Web 2.0" tools that can be used in my class to save time, engage students and further their learning. I have also found that when I share some of my favorite tools, other teachers get very excited (even if they teach in a traditional classroom.) I decided to start this blog to share these tools and how I use them, and hope if you are reading this and want to share you will too.
