New Tools for School

As usual, Larry Ferlazzo has come up with another great set of "Best of..." lists. I went through his 25 best web 2.0 tools for Education 2008, and hand-picked a few that I thought were relevant to our TILT days and what you have been doing in your classrooms. I also want to list a few that have been mentioned in the past but need repeating!

Some Web 2.0 Tools to Use inside or out of the Classroom:
1. Flowgram:
You can combine web pages, images, powerpoints and other documents...then narrate to create a tour or tutorial. You can even add highlights and notes.

2. Bookr:
This is a very simple way to create a storybook using flickr photos. You simply search Flickr by user or tag and place your pictures into pages and type your story (or captions) with each photo. It would be a great way to explain a concept or publish and online book. It reminds me of iphoto on the web. You might want a Flickr account and upload photos for students to use.

3. Edublogs.TV:
This is another hosting site for videos. You can upload your own or pull them from YouTube. Like SchoolTube and TeacherTube, this site is dedicated to creating a repository of videos for educational use.

4. Digital Vaults:
You have to visit this site to appreciate it. It is a visual representation of the National Archives in a very cool, interrelated, interactive way. I can't even begin to explain how cool this site is - and how much kids will love exploring it!

5. Moblying:
As you can see from the Sidebar...Moblying is a slideshow creator. It is a lot like other slideshow or photoshow creators. I was able to upload a few photos, add a transition effect, change themes...and customize it until the cows come home! When I was done, I could email it, save it as an URL, or embed it into my blog!


6. Graspr:
Another video site...this one archives tutorials. You can upload your video tutorials, create your own or just use those that are there.

7. Zunal:
If you like WebQuests, you will want to check out Zunal. It lets you build your WebQuest right on the site. You can also browse and use existing WebQuests. The site even gives you a step-by-step tutorial on planning and building a WebQuest.

8. Wix:
This is really a fun site to create a web page! It has great sound effects, easy images, and a built-in tutorial as you go. You can start from a template or blank page...you might get lost in the creativity of the site though.

9. MeBeam:
Man, this is a fun site! You can video-conference with multiple people...as long as they have video capabilities. I learned that I have to set my internal video to USB, and then it worked!

10. Book Glutton:
This site lets you read books online with other people. You can upload your work or search the site for books to read. You can read with a group or on your own. If you go to the site, be sure to watch the video that thoroughly explains how the site works. You need to watch this.

11. CommunityWalk:
I really like this easy to use map creator. You can put pins in the map by address, lat & long or just by clicking. You can then add narrative and photos to your pin. Of course you can tag and share!

12. Definr:
Simple is sometimes better. This site is a very fast dictionary. It even has word prediction for those that have difficulty with spelling.

13. CircaVie:
An online timeline creator. You can place text, pictures, video into a timeline. GREAT for history classes. You can also search and use existing timelines.

14. Digital History:
Another style of timeline. It shows the political, social/economic, or cultural events of the world though map pins. Hover over a pin and you get a description of the event. Click on it and you get a wealth of information.

15. PBWiki and WikiSpaces:
Easy wiki creators for collaboration. Both have simple editing tools and user-friendly interfaces.



So...lots of new tools to play with . How could you use these in the classroom? With your colleagues? With your family?