Educational Web 2.0 Resources

WEB 2.0 Resources

1- www.60secondrecap.com.  I would refer to this site as "Youtube meets Sparknotes". It provides visitors with 60 second video summaries and commentaries on a wide variety of classic literature that is usually read in secondary English classrooms. These videos include commentary on the novel's plot, themes, characters, author's style and many other aspects that students may need to know. The site also includes brief  tutorial videos  on writing papers  and a dictionary of literary terms. In addition, the site contains a blog where individuals can review and comment on books they have recently read. Lastly, students have the opportunity to create and post their own video summary on a selected book.  I think this site is a great way to engage students and motivate them to read. It may also be effective as a starting point for class discussions, literature circles and book talks.

2- www.voicethread.com  VoiceThread.com is a collaborative multimedia slideshow. Those who visit this site can post pictures, videos and documents. Visitors also have the opportunity to comment on  photos via text, audio file or video. While this site is not primarily used for education, it can be an excellent resource for teachers. I imagine this site to be very effective in a social studies classroom. Teachers can post historical pictures and have students post their thoughts. This is an interesting way for students to make personal connections to historical events. The only negative aspect is that there is a fee of ten dollars to create accounts for students. This might be an issue for some students and their parents.

3-www.animoto.com -This site allows student and teachers to create multimedia presentations. The site enables them to add text and music to make the enliven their presentation. Also, users can add their own pictures from Facebook or Instagram. Using this site, students and teachers can share their work via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Work can also be shared through email, YouTube, and an iPhone app. This is a great site for collaborative group work in any classroom.

4- www.edmodo.com  This site is sort of a Facebook for teachers and students. It allows students and teachers to communicate with each other outside the classroom. Teachers can post messages, discuss classroom content, assign classwork and share materials. Students have easy access to homework assignments and projects, which is effective when students are absent from class. This site also allows teachers to collaborate with peers on lesson plans and professional development. I think it's great that their are social networking sites like this for educators and their students. It's an effective way for teachers to connect with their students' interests as well as adapt instruction for each individual student.

5- www.zooburst.com . Zooburst is a digital storytelling site where students can create their own pop-up books. There are many interesting features students can use to "jazz up" their books such as 3-D features and "chat bubbles" for characters. Users can share their completed stories through a hyperlink, or embed them in a website or a blog. While this site looks as if it designed for elementary school students and teachers, I believe it can be used in all grades. Older students can create books to read to young children. It is also great for any high school creative writing class.