Checking out these Web 2.0 tools has been really fun. My favorites have to be Delicious and Facebook. Those are the two that I know I will use the most. I've also been interested in Netvibes. Just checking it out for now, but who knows what'll happen in the future.
I consider myself pretty tech savvy, but this experience has developed my knowledge of available tools immensely. I feel more knowledgeable in the Web 2.0 arena and hope to bring this knowledge to my fellow teachers.
I am most surprised by the sheer volume of programs available. Too many to visit. There's definitely something for everyone!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Discover Web 2.0 for Yourself!
Just looking around, I found a couple websites I really think will come in handy.
1. StumbleUpon - I have used this website for years. It cures boredom for sure! Just tell the site what your interests are and then click "Stumble." The program will take you to websites that show your interests.
2. Glogster - Here's another site that I love using with students! Create digital posters of your work. Only setback: they're charging now! They're even charging teachers on their educational version of their site. That's a shame.
1. StumbleUpon - I have used this website for years. It cures boredom for sure! Just tell the site what your interests are and then click "Stumble." The program will take you to websites that show your interests.
2. Glogster - Here's another site that I love using with students! Create digital posters of your work. Only setback: they're charging now! They're even charging teachers on their educational version of their site. That's a shame.
Online Productivity Tools
Today, I'm going to talk about a few online tools available. Some I'm familiar with, some I'm not.
1. TinyUrl - This website offers you a place to create a small url out of a larger, unsightly url. It's handy for MLA citation or Twitter.
2. Jing - Perfect for those who want to create instructional videos through screencasting. One drawback with this program is that it only lets you create videos that are 5 minutes or less. If you want more time, you have to purchase the pro version. Recently, I found a screencasting program called Screencast-o-matic. It works just as well as Jing and allows you to create longer videos (15 minutes).
3. Print Friendly - I'm not too familiar with how well this site works, but it seems very handy. It turns any website into a printer-friendly version. This is great for those busy websites that you just want to quickly print out for either student handouts or just to take with you and read.
4. Gliffy - I love Gliffy. I think Gliffy could be useful for all content areas. This website allows you to create all kinds of diagrams and charts. You can even create floorplans!
5. SlideShare - I think SlideShare is really neat and would like to use it more, but unfortunately, it is blocked in my district. I could request it be unblocked, then maybe they'd either unblock it or tell me why it's blocked. Very cool presentation sharing tool.
6. Skype - It seems like all the kids like Skype. It's the video phone that was dreamed about when I was a teen. I've not tried it because there has to be another party that's interested in trying it with you. I've not had any luck with that part yet. Teens are more open to trying than adults.
Try 'em out! See what you like!
1. TinyUrl - This website offers you a place to create a small url out of a larger, unsightly url. It's handy for MLA citation or Twitter.
2. Jing - Perfect for those who want to create instructional videos through screencasting. One drawback with this program is that it only lets you create videos that are 5 minutes or less. If you want more time, you have to purchase the pro version. Recently, I found a screencasting program called Screencast-o-matic. It works just as well as Jing and allows you to create longer videos (15 minutes).
3. Print Friendly - I'm not too familiar with how well this site works, but it seems very handy. It turns any website into a printer-friendly version. This is great for those busy websites that you just want to quickly print out for either student handouts or just to take with you and read.
4. Gliffy - I love Gliffy. I think Gliffy could be useful for all content areas. This website allows you to create all kinds of diagrams and charts. You can even create floorplans!
5. SlideShare - I think SlideShare is really neat and would like to use it more, but unfortunately, it is blocked in my district. I could request it be unblocked, then maybe they'd either unblock it or tell me why it's blocked. Very cool presentation sharing tool.
6. Skype - It seems like all the kids like Skype. It's the video phone that was dreamed about when I was a teen. I've not tried it because there has to be another party that's interested in trying it with you. I've not had any luck with that part yet. Teens are more open to trying than adults.
Try 'em out! See what you like!
Podcasts
Earth Eats - latest podcast
The above is a podcast on a topic of interest to me. Green living. I found this podcast on NPR.org. I am so glad I found it. I didn't know it existed before today.
This particular podcast is like a documentary or news article. The advantage is that I can do something else while I listen. I don't have to stare at a screen. Listening to the articles could be helpful to auditory learners.
The disadvantage is there is no visual aspect that might be helpful at times. Another limitation of podcasting might be the fact that it's not as popular as it could be. There are many that know about podcasting, but not as many as could know about it.
The above is a podcast on a topic of interest to me. Green living. I found this podcast on NPR.org. I am so glad I found it. I didn't know it existed before today.
This particular podcast is like a documentary or news article. The advantage is that I can do something else while I listen. I don't have to stare at a screen. Listening to the articles could be helpful to auditory learners.
The disadvantage is there is no visual aspect that might be helpful at times. Another limitation of podcasting might be the fact that it's not as popular as it could be. There are many that know about podcasting, but not as many as could know about it.
YouTube
Bob Ross - I enjoyed watching him as a child.
YouTube definitely has a purpose beyond that of simply entertainment. YouTube can be used in education. I use it in my English classes to show clips of some movies or TV shows that are connected to curriculum. Many students are visual learners and require that visualization. I will be using it in the future when I "flip" my classroom. I will create videos and post them on YouTube for students to view before entering class, so they have been front-loaded with information. This will enable them to be ready to start activities immediately upon entering the classroom. I know there have to be more ways to use this software. The world is your oyster!
I have a twitter account, but very rarely use it. I think this is because most of the people I know use Facebook, so I just stick with them. I've tried inviting some of them to twitter, but they just won't come. Even students. They're not interested in following their teacher's tweets.
I think twitter can get a little ridiculous depending on who you follow and who follows you. Some of the celebrities who tweet are just not that interesting. I have my twitter locked so that people have to ask my permission in order to follow me. I am constantly getting requests from "girls" who are ... let's just say, not exactly modest people. This annoys me and is one reason why I won't recommend my children use twitter.
Then again, there are the interesting celebs. For example, I follow Wil Wheaton who could very well be a male version of me. We have the same thoughts only he speaks his thoughts through twitter, GoodReads, and Tumblr. He has one central location where all his thoughts go and then they are broadcast across all his accounts. His blogs go to tumblr and GoodReads, his shorter comments go to twitter, and everything links to Facebook which is how I follow him. I want to find out what this program is called. If I do, then I'll blog about it. It seems useful to be able to reach everyone through their interests rather than making them come to you. This could be quite useful in a library. They could follow or subscribe to your feed through the networking site they prefer and still see all your comments.
Twitter could be good for library patrons to keep up with new developments in the library.
I think twitter can get a little ridiculous depending on who you follow and who follows you. Some of the celebrities who tweet are just not that interesting. I have my twitter locked so that people have to ask my permission in order to follow me. I am constantly getting requests from "girls" who are ... let's just say, not exactly modest people. This annoys me and is one reason why I won't recommend my children use twitter.
Then again, there are the interesting celebs. For example, I follow Wil Wheaton who could very well be a male version of me. We have the same thoughts only he speaks his thoughts through twitter, GoodReads, and Tumblr. He has one central location where all his thoughts go and then they are broadcast across all his accounts. His blogs go to tumblr and GoodReads, his shorter comments go to twitter, and everything links to Facebook which is how I follow him. I want to find out what this program is called. If I do, then I'll blog about it. It seems useful to be able to reach everyone through their interests rather than making them come to you. This could be quite useful in a library. They could follow or subscribe to your feed through the networking site they prefer and still see all your comments.
Twitter could be good for library patrons to keep up with new developments in the library.
I do have a Facebook account and have had for quite a few years. Facebook is more my cup of tea than MySpace. I used to enjoy the games quite a bit, but now only go on as a way of sharing ideas about my interests and staying in touch with family that I wouldn't normally see or hear from. I've got so many picture albums stored on there of my family. I check it every morning and every evening. I generally do not look at it during the day while at work. It's not blocked, but I don't feel the need to do that. I know several people do feel that need. If there are people that are "friends" with me on Facebook who cannot keep it clean, I tend to remove those people from my friend list. It's not been a big deal.
One concern I have about Facebook is the recent increase in employers asking for employees' or job seekers' passwords to their Facebook accounts. I feel this is a violation of privacy. Looking at an employees page is one thing. Asking for their password is another. No one should have to give their password to any account.
One concern I have about Facebook is the recent increase in employers asking for employees' or job seekers' passwords to their Facebook accounts. I feel this is a violation of privacy. Looking at an employees page is one thing. Asking for their password is another. No one should have to give their password to any account.
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