Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

Web 2.0 Tools

in the Classroom

Animoto is a Web 2.0 tool that allows users to create videos using pictures, text, video clips and music. Users can access Animoto using any web browser on a computer or apps designed for iDevices  and Android devices.

Animoto in the Classroom

Animoto is designed with flexibility in mind by providing users a variety of options of the types of content to use in their animoto: video, pictures, text, and /or music.

Students who have written expression difficulties may be more successful at expressing themselves by creating an Animoto because it does not rely on text to convey the message.  Also, Animoto includes scaffolds; a variety of styles and helpers for various types of videos as well as a large library of music, that support users in successfully expressing themselves through this tool.

Students could use Animoto to create a movie trailer for a book. Students could also create a promotional video highlighting a geographic area that they have studied in Social Studies.  For more ideas of how to leverage Animoto in your classroom check out Videos are a great way to bring vibrancy into the classroom!

Animoto is licensed for users 13 years of age or older.  There are provisions granted for schools to generate accounts for users under the age of 13 provided that they comply with the terms of the agreement and that no personally identifiable information is collected.

Tagxedo is a Web 2.0 tool that creates word clouds in a variety of shapes. The amount of times a single word is put into a word cloud will determine the size of the word itself within the object of your choice.

With Tagxedo, you can:

• make word clouds in real-time
• customize font, theme, color, orientation, and shape
• fine-tune with lots of options
• save as images for printing and sharing
• view your word clouds as thumbnails, and pick the one you want for further tweaking or saving
• choose from many standard fonts
• use custom fonts (e.g. your own hand-drawn fonts)
• constrain the word cloud to selected shapes (heart, star, animals, etc)
• use images as custom shapes (e.g. a portrait, an animal silhouette)
• use inverted shapes

With tagxedo, teachers are able to easily present content to students in a visual format that can support meaning making.  Also, this tool provides students an easy way to express themselves creatively.

I would use tagxedo to have students create concrete shape poetry.  Students can generate a list of words pertaining to a particular topic and then choose an appropriate shape. For more ideas of how to use Tagxedo, check out 101 Ways to Use Tagxedo.

There are no age limitations in the Terms of Service.

CAST UDL Book Builder is a free web-based tool that allows users to create and share eBooks quickly and easily.

Although this site was designed to assist educators in creating digital books that engage and support diverse learners, students could also learn how to use this web 2.0 tool to create and publish their own eBooks.

When creating an eBook with the CAST UDL Book Builder, educators have a range of options they can leverage creating supported eText;  electronic text that is modified or enhanced in ways that supports comprehension.

Through these options this web 2.0 tool supports educators in designing flexible eBooks that reduce barriers and provide robust supports to all learners.

Students who have reading difficulties may be more successful at comprehending materials represented through a Book Builder eBook.  For example, they can choose to read with their ears instead of their eyes by using the built-in text-to-speech support.

Check out this video Techsploration of CAST UDL Book Builder to learn more about how to create a book with this web 2.0 tool.

CAST UDL Book Builder, and the potential for this tool to connect student-authors with readers all over the world, can increase student engagement in writing activities.

Authors can allow people who enjoy reading what they write to comment on and/or rate their eBook. This may support student-authors in sustaining effort and persistance.

Student and/or teacher 'completed' books can be read online, downloaded to be read offline, printed and/or published to the public library.

CAST UDL Book Builder could be used by teachers to recruit interest in creative writing. Students could write stories then share them with classmates, their teachers.

No minimum age to use this site is indicated.