Kartoo
Kartoo is a search engine with visual display interfaces. Kartoo gathers the results, compiles them and represents them in a series of attractive, interactive and visual maps. Your kids will love using it. Quickly gather and present information related to a theme or topic. the visual results interface makes it good for searching the web as a group.
Survey Monkey
Survey Monkey is an online tool to quickly create and publish custom surveys and then view results graphically and in real time. Let your students create a
questionnaire and then get other students in the school to take the survey. The students can view the results as they are collected in real-time and watch live graphs and charts, and then dig down to get individual responses.
Skrbl
Skrbl is an online web resource which allows users to type notes, sketch drawings, upload pictures and share files. You can use it as an online white board or notice board, wher you could put all sorts of information. Or simply use it as a shared common space where everyone in your team can write, read, draw, edit, share files and show pictures… all on the same page. You don’t even have to sign up to start using it.
Digital Tools is list of numerous web 2.0 tools that you can include in your classroom. There are too many to name.
Below are a small sample of these programs. Click on the icon to go to the site.
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to provide their own websites, blogs, wikis etc. that are accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own for use by their clients as well as providing Internet connectivity.
I have been using Bluehost as a webhost for about US$7.00 per month, which is very cheap considering all the space and other features they provide. Today I joined another web hosting service called Host Monster costing US$5.00 per month, paid in advance for two years. They have all the features provided by Bluehost, including Fantastico, which automates the installation of many softwares, including Moodle. They also provide a free Domain as part of the deal. My new domain name is itwinning.com.
Click on the banner below if you want to sign up to Host Monster.
BubbleShare is another free photo sharing program, which makes sharing of photos via blogs, netvibes, websites etc a breeze and it does an attractive job too. You can see some photos in the sidebar of this blog.
Vodpod to help you collect videos from 1000s of sites around the ‘Net. You can use Vodpod search to find videos on YouTube, Google, Myspace, Comedy Central and Daily Motion. Or, use our browser button to add videos from 1000s of sites around the web. When you see a video you like while surfing the web, just click the “Save to Vodpod” button and we’ll add it to your Pod (that’s what we call video collections).
Once you’ve collected a few videos, you can put them on your blog, Facebook, Myspace, Netvibes or your personal website with our widgets. It is sSimply the best way to collect, share and watch videos. Adnd it is FREE and easy to use it. Sign up today.
Miketemple123 Edublogs Tutorials site has many useful tutorials on using edublogs. If you know how to embed photos, videos, audios etc, then this is a site that you must visit. You have links to many useful educational videos. There is a link to Maths Video lessons, BBC Education news and of course, tutorials on how to use Edublogs (and I am sure that you are using one, and it is free to all teachers).
Below is a tutorial on using vodpod in your blog. Please visit his site for many more useful videos.
Setting up a vodpod – for video
March 2nd, 2007 by miketemple123
Vodpod is a great way to show videos directly in your blog. No downloading needed for the viewer
- go to www.vodpod.com and register – it’s free
- give your vodpod site a name – like a username
- you probably have one already – remember, it will show on your home page
- when the site opens up, click on start a new pod
- give the pod a name – you can change this later
- it automatically adds this to the url – just leave it as it is
- you can upload your own videos to this pod, or add other pods as needed
- Now the clever bit
- click on widgets
- go to the bit with bookmarklets
- simply drag the button onto your browser toolbar
- then when you see an online video like youtube
- simply click this button
- choose the pod
- this will then automatically add the video to your pod – and update the pod on your blog
- to get the pod on your blog
- stay in widgets
- on lhs, simply select the pod from the menu
- go down the page
- copy the code
- go to your post on the blog
- click on html
- paste the code in save and publish as normal
- you should have a player on the page
Web 2.0 Workshop
Blogs, wikis, Webcasts, podcasts, RSS feeds, social networks . . . they’re all a part of what has come to be known as Web 2.0. Workshop author Vicki Davis is a classroom teacher who has been recognized for her innovative classroom practices using Web 2.0. The Flat Classroom Project, which she coauthored, won ISTE’s Award for Best Online Learning project for 2007, an Edublog Award for Best Wiki in education for 2006, and inclusion in the best selling book The World is Flat. Her Cool Cat Teacher Blog received an Edublog finalist award for Best Teacher Blog of 2006.
Atomic Learning, who host this tutorial, has given FREE access to this tutorial for the month of November (2007). The great thing about Atomic Learning tutorial is that it is built upon little short movie clips so you may just go into the tutorial and look at a few of the items that will help you.
The other Atomic Learning tutorials are also available for free for eteachers until the end of November. Send me an email if you would like to access these tutorial (there are many hundreds of them).
If you are interested in creating movies, digital stories etc and not sure what to do, then have a look at Jennifer’s Blog. You may get some ideas to use with your class.
If you have made a good movie with your class why not enter in the first ever TROP JR: The Worlds Largest Short Film Festival for Kids! By Kids! (By Australian Children’s Television Foundation).
The Ed Tech Crew chew the fat on all things ICT. They are from Melbourne, Australia. Listen to their podcast to find out how a podcast could be done and if you are planning on becoming a podcaster yourself (Maybe a famous one!).
A weekly podcast about technology in education hosted by Darrel Branson (The ICT Guy) and Tony Richards from itmadesimple.com. They discuss all things digital in education – technologies, issues, great websites, web 2.0 and much, much more!
There are many thousands of newly released Web 2.0 tools that it is almost impossible to try them all. However there are some fabulous tools that you must try. Some of my favorites:
- Flock – although not really a Web 2.0 tool but a web browser that links to many popular Web 2.0 tools and it is fast. It is in version 1.01, with many new enhancements. It is the browser of my choice for sometime now. It has an excellent RSS feed reader; a People page with links to Twitter, Flickr, Facebook etc., favorites link to delicious (another must have Web 2.0 tool). Many add ins are available to further enhance it.
- Blogging – Edublog at provide Wordpress based blogs FREE (and ad-free) at edublogs.org. My eteacher edublog site.
- Netvibes and Pageflakes - These are a must have Web 2.0 Tools. You could create teacher and students pages. Coolcatteacher uses RSS feeds via Netvibes to grade all her students work. All of the wiki edits and comments, RSS feeds from her public student Nings, blogs, etc. are here. The way this RSS reader works, it is ideal for reading and grading them. You can store all your important information here.
- iTunes – Free program from Apple. allows you to listen to podcasts using your computer or an iPod. Some believe that kids should be allowed to use iPods in the classroom when working, as it helps them to concentrate. I think so too.
- Twitter – Twitter is a community of friends and strangers from around the world sending updates about moments in their lives. I joined twitter quite recently and still trying ti figure out what all the fuss is about. Friends near or far can use Twitter to remain somewhat close while far away. Bloggers can use it as a mini-blogging tool. Possibilities are endless! The People sidbar in Flock allows you to communicate with other twitter mates easily. Snitter (from Adobe) is a free application that simplifies twittering.
- Del.icio.us – The best bookmarking and sharing tool. Again, you can access Del.icio.us via Flock or by installing the del.icio.us buttons for Flock, which then simplifies adding your favorites to del.icio.us. Tagging within del.icio.us is what makes it so useful. It is a must use program for everyone.
- Wikispaces – They are easy to use and maintain. You can control editing and even make them private. You can have a wiki for your class. Wikispaces are FREE for educators and are ad-free. Wetpaint has also started offering ad-free wikis for educators.
