Web 2.0 Tools

As a future teacher, it is always helpful to find innovative and creative websites that I will one day be able to incorporate in my classroom. Web 2.0 tools seem to be a nifty way to bring technology safely into lessons to make them fun and enjoyable. The following is a list, along with a summary, of some Web 2.0 tools I found interesting.

1. PreZentit is a web based presentation site. It allows you to create presentations easily and they are web pages so you can even edit them manually. It also allows you to have multiple people work on them at one time. This would be a great tool in the classroom for group projects. Because this tool allows multiple people to work on the children wouldn't have to go through the trouble of getting together if they were unable to.
2. WolframAlpha is not the normal search engine. It is a "computational knowledge engine." Instead of searching the web, they use built in data and logarithms to effectively compute the knowledge you are seeking. This would be very useful in the classroom for showing children step-by-step how to work a math problem. It would enable them to effectively see how to work specific math concepts.
3. Student Publishing is a site that allows the anyone to become an author. It has the programs needed to write a book or comic book. It will help format and situate all the aspects of a good book. This would be a great way to allow the students to be creative. They could have all year to continuously work on a book of their very own for the final grade.
4. Webspiration is a great way to improve writing skills. It provides a space to organize ideas and collaborations to effectively create any kind of writing assignment. Once organized it can be shared with chosen people or put to a website, wiki, or blog. This would be a great tool to help students organize their thoughts. They would be able to get all of their ideas together in one place allowing them put it all together in a very well thought out paper.
5. WordItOut is a website that allows you to take any words you want place them in any order. They can be different font, colors and sizes. The more important words can be bigger and these designs can them be shared in multiple fashions. This would be a great introduction activity for the beginning of the school year. The students could each make one which would help them all get to know one another.
6. Montage is a web-based service that creates albums of photos for any topic. Once the topic has been chosen the site will generate a collection of pictures and videos based on that topic. It uses all different sites including social media and YouTube to compile an album for your topic. In the classroom the students would be able to create a slideshow effect using this tool. With an assigned topic they could easily use this site to create their visual aide for a certain report.
7. DebateGraph is a useful tool to help organize debatable topics. It allows groups to collaboratively organize different ideas about a specific topic. It helps to see each issue from a different perspective. In the classroom this would be a great way to get the children involved in different issues. They would have the freedom to share their beliefs and ideas in a safe manner and eventually be able to possibly write a paper or make a presentation on the different sides of an issue.
8. My Studiyo is a fun site that allows anyone to create a quiz. It has quiz formats you can use to fit any style you might want. It also lets you add up to five quiz endings so the answers can be creative. this would be a creative way to have the children teach each other certain aspects of a topic. Once they have given their lesson they can create a quiz to go along with what they had to teach.
9. Tux Paint is for bringing out the creativity. It is an easy program for drawing whatever comes to mind. It is meant for children 3-12, so they start with a blank canvas and have many drawing tools to choose from. This would be a good tool to use for the students to perhaps draw what they think might happen next in a book. It would allow them to be creative and come up with the next scenario of whatever the class might be reading at the time.
10. FormatPixel is a fun site that allows you to make multiple different kinds of presentations. You can make brochures, magazines, and even portfolios. It also lets you insert images or videos of your choice. This would be a great way to have the children make a brochure or magazine for an event in history. They could act as if they were from a different time period and using their knowledge of that time create a brochure a magazine about what was going on.