Why Web 2.0 in the Classroom?

Web 2.0 in the classroom on Prezi

I found this presentation at www.prezi.com. It outlines how and why web 2.0 tools should be used in the classroom. The neat thing about prezi.com is that it allows you to create non-linear presentations for a variety of uses. You can create instructional presentations and your students can create projects for their classes. Prezi allows you to combine text, video, web resources, and other media to create a comprehensive way to share your ideas. Take a minute to check out this presentation and take a look into the many ways to incorporate web 2.0 tools into your classroom.

Empressr

Empressr is a great presentation site. It works like a PowerPoint but there are more options for creating your presentation. You can easily add music and create animated slide transitions. You can also upload photos and video. It is easy to move around all of the elements that you need to create an impressive presentation.

The example above is a PSA that a university professor created. Empressr presentations would be great for classroom projects in any subject. The site requires an account to save. Each student can create an account or you can create one account for your class.

Voki

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This is a Voki created on www.voki.com. This site allows you to create avatars that you can add to web pages, blogs, or social networking sites. You can customize the look of your Voki and there are multiple options for adding a voice. You can call in your audio using a cell phone, type it in and have a computer voice speak, record it on your computer or use a file already recorded.

This is a great site for adding a creative touch to computer projects or for student introductions at the beginning of the year.

You do need to create an account to save your Voki creations. They are coming out with an education version soon but I think that there may be a fee. I am waiting to hear back from the company. Each student can create an account or you can create one for your class and have all of your students log-in and save to it. Create your own Voki today!

Wordle

I love creating word clouds using Wordle. This is a great site for adding a little creativity to brainstorming or other projects in the classroom or out. It can be used to show off character traits of a main character in a novel, to practice vocabulary, or for an 'all about me' project. The possibilities are endless!

This site allows you to print your project, save it to the gallery, or embed the code in a blog or website. I don't recommend allowing students to explore the public gallery. Not all Wordles that are posted are educationally appropriate.

PicLits

See the full PicLit at PicLits.com

PicLit.com is a great website to work with sentence structure. The site allows you to choose a picture from their gallery and add your own inspirational sentence to it. You can create your sentence using a drag-and-drop word bank that is conveniently separated by parts of speech or type in your own sentence.

To use them in your classroom, you can set up a class account that all of your students can save under or you can have each student create an account. I would recommend creating one account that all of your students save to. That way, you can view all of the finished projects of your students at once.

The only drawback to this site is that you cannot print your picLits. You can post them to a blog or website or you can send the link in an e-mail. There is a way to save the picture but it comes out really small.

Dreamweaver

I am at my first Dreamweaver class tonight. I am excited to get started on my own website. I hope that is coming soon.