Web 2.0 Applications

1.  Glogster EDU


Creating this Glogster was fairly easy once I realized that my flash blocker on Firefox was keeping this page from working to its fullest capability.  I felt like this was rather like creating a scrapbooking page, but only on the computer.  While I'm not particularly crafty myself, I do like utilizing technology, so this might be a fun way of introducing concepts.

*Note: All images in this Glogster are in the public domain.

2.  Social Bookmarking

https://delicious.com/emcait88

Although I consider myself to be fairly net savvy, I had not heard of this site before.  However, once I started using the site, I immediately saw how beneficial it would be for my classes, especially since I'm always running around the internet, looking for sites to help me teach vocabulary, as that's a major area my students need help in.  I will be using this site in the future!

3.  Google docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dacD6ykc31gIvy0OwHGDJLrqLHp3V3RezcKRs8pJQ9w/edit?usp=sharing

I haven't actually made a Google docs document before, but I found this quite easy.  It reminds me of the earlier versions of Microsoft Word.  It strikes me as a good place to store documents for future use, as sometimes, files can get lost on a computer.

4.  Google Reader (RSS Feed)
http://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=yy#overview-page

I found this to be rather interesting.  As of right now, I am subscribed to MIT OpenCourseWare: New Courses in Literature, Recent Questions-English Language and Usage Stack Exchange, and XKCD.com (because it might be good for finding comics to create student engagement).  This opens me up to all sorts of information, so when I'm feeling stuck on what to do with my students to help engage them, I can just pop over to my RSS Feed and see if there's anything I can borrow.

5.  Wiki
https://worldliteratureforthe21stcentury.wikispaces.com/

I decided to use this Wiki to create a catalog of literature associated with certain literary time periods, which would be a perfect way to get my students learning in-depth about literary time periods.  On my wiki, I have the links to assignment instructions and rubrics.

6.  Digital Storytelling

http://www.toondoo.com/View.toon?param=6145875

I have to admit that when I first saw this site, I thought it was a little hokey.  However, after playing around with the tools some, I can see how this would be a great way for my students to present simple presentations.  I don't think I would use this site for more complex assignments, though, as I feel as though the information is limited, what with having four panels at most.  

7.  Scribble Maps

http://www.scribblemaps.com/#id=iR5lxda_JR

I found this to be rather interesting, as it allowed me to edit maps.  On the plus side, I could use this to enhance my students' understanding of where the stories they're reading are taking place.  On the downside, I have to be extremely careful when working with this tool, as it required me to be very specific.  One of the downsides to choosing The Odyssey for this activity was that we don't really know where many of the events actually took place, so this is only an approximation.  However, I think an approximation is better than nothing.

8.  Links to blogs

Here are the links to the blogs I commented on:

http://brookeshep10.blogspot.com/-Brook Shepherd (in the post "Sport Science: Dwight Howard Max Vert Reach")

http://modernenglishisd.blogspot.com/- Nicole Renee (in the post "Google Docs and My Experience")

http://cwulfsbe.blogspot.com/- Carrie Wulfsberg (in a post from Sunday, March 31, 2013)