Web 2.0 Resources

I have been thinking about all of the concern over using online resources and whether or not these resources were aligned to an "industry standard". I have been doing some research to see if there is a published list of industry standards or recommended online resources - which we all now know would be called Web 2.0 resources!

I found a list of recommended resources on the ISTE site. This list is neatly organized by the type of Web 2.0 tool you are seeking. I have copied this list (below) in case the links "die" at some point, we will still be able to see what was there.

One exciting point to note is that we already offer classes on several of these, such as Google Calendar, Photostory 3, Delicious, Blogging, and Flickr. I am still wondering about this topic and want to do further research as we seek to plan our classes using the latest & greatest resources for integration.

Here's the list from the ISTE site:

Explore Resources for Web 2.0

Examples and Tools for Educators

Blogging
*Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.comA really easy-to-use site that allows even non-technical types to start a blog in just three basic steps using a range of templates. Most first-time bloggers use this platform. The site was started in the dotcom boom of 1999 and is now part of Google.
*Class Blogmeisterhttp://classblogmeister.com/David Warlick created this site specifically for classroom educators who want full control over the blogs created by, read by, and used by students. Teachers can evaluate, comment on, and publish students' blogs in a controlled environment.
*Edublogshttp://edublogs.orgAn easy-to-use blog-creation site with customizable templates (themes) for educators, K–12 and college students. Blogs created with it will include links to Chalkface, an assessment tool; to IncSub, dedicated to online projects; and to BlogSavvy, which helps bloggers become better bloggers.

Wikis
*Jotspothttp://www.jotspot.com/learn/Recently purchased by Google, Jotspot has more features than other wiki sites, and is intended for businesses as well as education. Jotspot allows users to create Web-based spreadsheets, calendars, documents, and photo galleries, all without having to know HTML. It also offers varied levels of access from read-only to full editing.
*Pbwikihttp://www.pbwiki.com/The site's slogan is "Make a free wiki as easily as a peanut butter sandwich." Educators can use the wiki to create a multi-user Web page or to have students write online collaborative essays or develop PowerPoint presentations.
*Wikispaceshttp://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers/Another site dedicated to educators, it offers sites with three levels of security: public (viewable by all); protected (viewable by all but editable by members only), and private (viewable and editable by members only). It is free to educators.

Social Bookmarking
*Blinklisthttp://www.blinklist.comEducators can create individual lists of recommended sites by tagging bookmarked sites. They can also create and serve as a moderator for a collective Blinklist Space, to which students can contribute recommended sites.
*del.icio.ushttp://del.icio.us/Bookmarking a site is an excellent idea, and using del.icio.us allows people to store and find bookmarks from any computer with Internet access. Using tags helps users organize bookmarks into virtual folders, which is helpful for group research projects.

Photo and Drawing
*Google SketchUphttp://sketchup.google.comThis sophisticated drawing tool is ideal for creating three-dimensional models of houses, schools, and other objects in a community for a classroom project and placing them into Google Earth. It offers "real-time" shadow-casting and thousands of predrawn components.
Microsoft Photo Story 3 for Windowshttp://www.microsoft.com/photostoryThis powerful and free download allows users to create super slideshows (with motion, music, and narrative) from just a set of digital photographs. It is an excellent tool for student presentations.
*Tux Painthttp://www.tuxpaint.orgGeared to a younger clientele, Tux Paint provides a colorful, easy-to-use, and fun online drawing application with some relatively sophisticated features such as Magic tools (they create realistic bricks, grass, and mirror images), plus Rubber Stamp, Shape Tool, and more.

Photo Sharing
*Flickrhttp://www.flickr.comAlthough commonly thought of as a place to show off one's prowess as a photographer, Flickr can be very useful for group work. The Organizr feature, for instance, allows individuals to add photos to a group pool. Photos can also be organized by tags, which would make for some collaborative decision-making.

Video
*EyeSpothttp://www.eyespot.comThe site's slogan is "Movie Making For all Of Us," and it adheres to that slogan by providing easy-to-use editing tools for producing sophisticated finished products. The site advocates sharing by posting finished films to blogs, and allows users to view such posted films.
*YouTubehttp://www.youtube.comPurchased by Google in 2006, this video-display and sharing site has become the most popular of the group. It is the place to be seen. Unlike some others, it is used for storing and displaying videos only and offers no editing capabilities.

Web-based Word Processing
*ajaxWritehttp://www.ajaxwrite.comThe two big advantages are that the program can read and create MS Word files, and it has the look and feel of MS Word, making it more intuitive and eliminating the need to learn a new program. Files can be saved to a computer or server. The program requires Mozilla Firefox browser, which is available as a free download from Mozilla.
*Zoho Writerhttp://zohowriter.comAs the site says, "Access, edit, share documents from anywhere." The program accepts a wide range of file formats, including PDF, RTF, and even HTML. It also offers support for multiple languages, a significant advantage for ELL classes.

Web-based Spreadsheets
*Numblerhttp://numbler.comA big advantage of Numbler is its similarity to the look and feel of MS Excel. Multiple users can work with a spreadsheet, view changes in real time, discuss changes, and edit the master. Users can import data from and export data to desktop spreadsheet applications.

Presentation Tools
*Microsoft photo Story 3 for Windows.This powerful and free download allows users to create super slideshows with motion, music, and narrative from a set of digital photographs. It is an excellent tool for student presentations.
*SlideSharehttp://www.slideshare.netTeachers may create a mini-lesson slideshow to explain or enhance a concept, and student teams may create their presentations and post them. Presentations are accessible from any computer, and users are able to post comments.

Search Tools
*Technoratihttp://www.technorati.comThis tool specializes in searching through the 57+ million blogs out there, and also highlights the videos to which many blogs are currently pointing at any one moment.

Task Management
*Google Notebookhttp://www.google.com/notebook/ No more laborious and frustrating copying and pasting from Web pages to a Word or Excel file! This new tool allows users to clip and save text, images, and other Web data to one or more Notebooks without leaving the site. The notebooks are accessible from any computer with access to the Web. They can be organized and edited, and they can be made either public or private.
*Ta-da Lists http://www.tadalist.com/Offers the option of sharing lists with the world or just with a few people. Educators can maintain a list of lists to determine the status of various projects in a particular class. One unusual feature - a dot before each list indicates progress or lack of same. The larger the dot the more is left to do on that particular list.

Online Calendars
*Google Calendar.This free online shareable calendar service allows users to add events and invitations effortlessly or share with others. Teachers can set up calendars for each class and include information about class topics and descriptions for each session, activity, assignment deadlines, test and quiz dates, etc. It can also be useful for managing group projects.

Task Management
*Ta-da Listshttp://www.tadalist.comOffers the option of sharing lists with the world or just with a few people. Educators can maintain a list of lists to determine the status of various projects in a particular class. One unusual feature – a dot before each list indicates progress or lack of same. The larger the dot the more is left to do on that particular list.

Mapping
*Google Earthhttp://earth.google.com This mapping product combines satellite imagery from around the globe with Google search capabilities. Its navigational features allow users to explore the world and gather geographical information by zooming in from space to street level views. It offers tools for measuring, drawing, saving, printing, and GPS device support. Teachers can use Google Earth to get students excited about geography, economics, and demographics.

*selected resources taken from "Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools" by Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum. To purchase this book, visit the ISTE Bookstore