Web 2.0 Tools

The classroom I am currently student teaching in does not take advantage of incorporating multiple forms of technology in the classroom. Most of the technology we utilize includes, the SmartBoard, a document camera and computers or iPads for browsing the web or using basic tools such as Microsoft Word. Reviewing the web 2.0 videos and learning about all of these different applications that I was completely unaware of made me want to learn more so that I could take advantage of such tools, either at my current placement or when I have a classroom of my own.

Diigo
     As I learned, Diigo is very similar to tools like kurzweil and bookshare, but is unique in that it can be used for ANY webpage. Similar to those tools, diigo allows you to post comments, make sticky notes, and highlight text. I think it is great that when using this tool, all changes are saved in "my library," and can be accessed from anywhere at anytime. Additionally, the library ensures that changes made in this interactive tool won't disappear if you logout and then revisit the page. I think this is great for school schedules since subjects are usually restricted to one period per day. I also liked how the application is very secure and organized, allowing teachers to create different groups for different classes or as a way to differentiate material and assignments for specific students within the class.

Little Bird Tales 
    Little Bird Tales is a digital story telling app that can be used to create online books with artwork, photographs and voice. When I first saw this application I immediately thought it would be great for children in the lower elementary grades. I could see my fourth graders being enthused about it at first but then slowly loosing excitement with the tool. With that said, I do think this could be a great tool to use for read alouds or a way to document and display the students' work. I think that since this tool seems very clear and effortless, it could be utilized for a fun and interactive homework assignment that will then be played for the next day for the class.

Popplet 
    I have never heard of popplet before completing this assignment, but I have heard of similar tools. Popplet is a concept mapping tool that looks like a graphic organizer. I liked how you could share it with others and that it could be edited in real time. I do think this tool would be a great place to have students post their thoughts and ideas about certain topics. Since popplet seems relatively easy to manage, I think it would be especially beneficial for brainstorming activities or group projects. However, with this application I worry that my students that it would benefit most are also the students that would be most distracted by it and may start to use it for non-educational purposes.

Prezi 
   When choosing what tools I would like to incorporate in my classroom, prezi was probably my least favorite. Prezi reminded me of a more complex version of Powerpoint that would take a while to learn how to use effectively and become comfortable with its options. The feature I liked the most was the ability to use freestyle options for adding text and images. It seems as though there is no restriction as to how you can incorporate text and images in this tool for presentation purposes. Despite that, this tool did not seem like something I would want to use in the classroom. This may be because I immediately labeled it as being too complicated but I also believe that the intentions of this tool were not created for an elementary student. It reminded me of something that would be used in a business like atmosphere to streamline presentations while giving it a creative edge. I do see this being a beneficial tool for high school students or college students, but I do not believe it would be as beneficial in my fourth grade classroom. 
 
Titan Pad
    Since I am a huge fan of Google Docs I immediately loved learning about Titan Pad. Titan Pad seems like a great tool for collaboration and is very easy to use. While using Titan Pad you can see the evolution of the document and can work in real time with your group or others that you have shared the document with. I loved that there are colors to differentiate users. When I noticed this I immediately thought of how my students are current editing and revising their narrative writing pieces by using colored pencils to indicate changes that must be made before publishing. Rather than bringing home their writing notebooks I thought this would be a great tool for the students to use before publishing their stories. The teachers or parents could also have access to these documents and would be able to make necessary revisions. The color discrimination between users would show who changed what and the the history option would allow users to see when these changes were made. The only negative thing I could say about Titan Pad is that a person can delete another group members comments. Otherwise, I think Titan Pad could be used as an awesome collaborative and educational tool.

Voicethread 
     I had never heard of Voicethread or anything like it before, but it looks like a great interactive webinar tool. My initial reaction was that this tool would be a great resource for online classes. Voicethread is a cloud based application, like many other application that are coming out these days, and works like a slideshow. It is accessible in a multi-modal format and allows users to make comments through the microphone, webcam, text, phone, or by uploading audio files. Thus, this tool would be useful for a range of different learners. 


Stixy 
   Stixy definitely seems like a fun interactive tool. It reminded me of a combination of Popplet and the dashboard of a mac computer with widgits and sticky notes. Although there are some great features of Stixy, such as the ability to share with others and upload documents, photos, and pdfs, there also seemed to be many negative aspects. The layout of this application would probably be overwhelming  especially for students that may already struggle with organization. Also, it does not seems to be easily condensed or transferrable into another format such as, microsoft word.