Web 2.0 Tools

Web 2.0 Tools

The Innnovation of UDLs in the Classroom

What is Web 2.0? 

Web 2.0 is the term used to describe World Wide Web sites that reach beyond the technology of earlier websites. 

The '2.0' refers to the second generation of the web. There have been significant advancements in technology since the first generation that are now allowing for collaboration amongst people which was previously limited or non-existent.

There are many Web 2.0 tools that are now being used in classrooms to encourage collaboration of students. 

Prezi

https://prezi.com

Prezi is a effective Web 2.0 tool that can be used in the classroom that acts much like a powerpoint presentation or a notebook presentation you would have on the Smartboard.

It is a presentation software that is free or offers updates for a monthly price. 

It lets you choose between the freedom of the cloud, desktop, or even a mobile option like an iPad.

Prezi presentations are very engaging and allow you to be create in your designs to communicate more effectively to students.

Prezi would be a good tool for students to use if they had to make some sort of presentation. They would be able to create a more cinematic presentation making it engaging for their peers as well as Prezi offers a shared virtual whiteboard so you could be across the continent and still be able to work together on a project. It can also be 3D!

Prezi would work for most age groups that have the ability to use a computer. This would excellent for the new BYOD (bring your own device) system that is now in schools. Students could create one presentation but be on their own separate device. 

Voicethread

https://voicethread.com

Voicethread is a web-based communications network that is built specifically for K-12 students as well as for educators.

Creating a Voicethread account is free. However, if a teacher wants to create accounts for their students that would be within a secure collaborative network they they can pay a certain rate per year or month for a license. 

Voicethread is based on the 3 C's: Communicate, Collaborate, Connect

There is no software involved in this tool as well as you are able to keep all of your Voicethread creations private

Voicethread allows students to be able to use text, voice and video to create projects.

Students can upload their own media and then allow for people to comment on it as well as they can comment on others work.

This limits barriers in the classroom because students have the option to write text, use voice recordings, and upload or create videos to complete a project. It is versatile to the kind of learner that will be completing the project in the classroom.

Printing Press

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/Printing_Press/

Printing Press is a free Web 2.0 tool that you don't have to create an account for and is great for a social studies assignment!

Students would be able to go on this website and create either a newpaper article, a brochure, or a flyer/poster. They would be able to choose from a variety of different templates and then they can add text and pictures throughout the templates. 

Printing Press gets students to be creative especially with current events. 

If students learn best by creating and organizing this would be a great tool to help them with current events or even historical events. 

After students have created their project they are able to save it into any file on their computer and it saves it as a pdf.

The only issue I would have with it is that you cannot stop and work on it later because it won't save. You would have to work on it until it is finished and then save it.

Maps of War

http://www.mapsofwar.com/index.html

The Map of Wars website is a free no register site that is more suited to junior high/high school students.

This site provides maps as well as timelines and presents them in a video type format so that students are able to view changes in the world in a fast pace motion.

I chose this particular site because I really liked the history of religion map/timeline. I hope to be teaching religion and social studies so this pertained to that. Students would be able to physically see the progress through a timeline rather than the teacher just giving them a timeline on a sheet of paper.  

The End

Thank you for reading my ebook on Web 2.0 Tools!