Web 2.0 world just keeps getting bigger and bigger! It is hard to keep up! Here are a few of my favorite applications with ideas and examples of how we are using them with our elementary students.

http://www.wordle.net/

Have students copy and paste their essays into wordle to see which words are used most frequently and have them edit them to use words less frequently.

http://www.tagxedo.com/
Another great word cloud generator. This gives the creator more options for fonts, colors, and shapes. The most best reason that this is better than Wordle, is that it is editable and you are able to save a work in progress. you can also put your word clouds into shapes. It is a lot of fun!
Just heard about a great idea for word clouds! Have the students keep a food diary for a week and see which foods come up largest on the cloud!!

WIKI

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the type of website. For other uses, see Wiki (disambiguation).

"WikiNode" redirects here. For the WikiNode of Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:WikiNode.

A wiki (pronounced /ˈwɪki/WIK-ee) is a website that allows the easy[1] creation and editing of any number of interlinkedweb pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor.[2][3] Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems.

Wikis may exist to serve a specific purpose, and in such cases, users use their editorial rights to remove material that is considered "off topic". Such is the case of the collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia.[3] In contrast, open purpose wikis accept content without firm rules as to how the content should be organized.

Ward Cunningham, the developer of the first wiki software, WikiWikiWeb, originally described it as "the simplest online database that could possibly work."[4]"Wiki" (pronounced [ˈwiki] or [ˈviki]) is a Hawaiian word for "fast".[5]"Wiki" has been backronymed by some to "What I Know Is".[6]

There are many free wiki providers available on the web. They are simple, basic webapge creators. This wiki that you are on right now is sponsored through my school district. Wikis can be updated anywhere you have an Internet connection and aew live, corrections and additions are viewable as soon as you click the save button. There are many limitations to wikis, we have nicknamed them "Icky Wikis" because they lack the ability to be personalized easily. However, the funcitonality and ease of use makes them invaluable tools! My personal favorite is pbwiki because it is so simple to use.

Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/
The best photo sharing site. There are many other sites that mash-up and integrate with Flickr. Once your photos are uploaded to Flickr, there is no need to upload again and you can use the URL provided for different sizes and for other applications as well. You can even get Flickr on your Uverse TV!

Some photos on Flickr are licensed by Creative Commons and you can use them in the classroom. Others are not. Please be legal!! Watch the labels!

Image chef

http://www.imagechef.com
Turn your pictures and words into works of art. Create poetry, word mosaics, etc.

Build Your Wildself

http://www.buildyourwildself.com
Select animal characteristics to build your wildself. Have students identify why each characteristic is important.

Kerpoof

http://www.kerpoof.com/
Kerpoof is a site that provides a variety of creative tools for animation, drawing, and movie creation. Users can choose from a range of preset characters and environmental options, or they can create their own. The site offers drag-and-drop simplicity coupled with advanced animation and editing capabilities. Students can create their own stories, spelling words can lead to stories and characters, the possibilities are endless!

Skype

http://www.skype.com
This tool provides free voice and video calling to other Skype users worldwide via your computer. Some uses of the platform include multi-class and cross-district collaboration, professional development, and virtual field trips. We have Skyped with other classes in the school and district, classes in other parts of the world.

Slideshare

http://www.slideshare.net
Upload your students’ or your own PowerPoint files in order to embed them on your classroom wiki.

Scratch

http://www.scratch.mit.edu

This is a fun site created to let students create animation, interactive stories, games, music, games and art. It is an easy way to show how computer programming works. We haven't posted to the gallery due to many inappropriate items there at times. We have used it for basic animation with 1st graders. You build lego-like blocks to make the cat figure move. We have also used it to type and animate their names. It is fun, but time consuming. We have used it to animate the life cycle of a plant. I am still looking for ways to better tie this in to the curriculum without spending a ton of time on it!

First grade scratch on short i sound

Comic Life

We use Comic life in 1st - 4th grade in lots of ways.

Goal setting - each quarter we take the students' pictures and have them record their goals, some teachers include their goals for the students on this sheet as well. Parents love to see them at conferences and what a neat way of watching the children grow throughout the year. They love to go back and look at how they have changed - especially those toothless ones!

Story mapping

Reading Reactions

Goal Setting

Character analysis

Fact sharing - quick and easy nonfiction reports

Storyboarding

Story telling

Graphic organizers

Biographies

VoiceThread

We are just starting to use this! . As we have issues with posting student photos on the web, we had them create a KidPix drawing of themselves to be used as their identity. Take a look at them.

2nd graders studied Abraham Lincoln and compiled their facts into a class Voicethread! Our first activity was through projectsbyjen

http://voicethread.com/share/342595/

Avatar Maker

Need an avatar? Of course you do! Go here to create it!

http://www.moeruavatar.com/index_en.shtml

Create a Graph

Ever want to have your kids make a graph - easily?? This is the answer! So easy and customizable!

http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createAgraph/default.aspx

Animoto

We are currently working on putting together some animoto projects. This is an easy way to create videos and do digital storytelling. We have issues with student pictures on the web, so I included a personal one as an example. The free version limits you to less than a dozen photos, yet it is still amazing!! You will never go back to making slideshows again!

http://education.animoto.com/

Here is a great one on Science vocabulary!

http://grangerland.conroeisd.net/Science%20Vocabulary

My 8 year old created one about his favorite football play!

http://animoto.com/play/AaBA9EmOWTnjQFy7TTyAOg?from=share

ABCYa.com

Glogster

Jog the Web

http://www.jogtheweb.com/

Tracks searches on the web!

A web 2.0 track

http://www.jogtheweb.com/allTracks.php?crit=trackTitle&terms=web%202.0

Diigo, Dilicious and other Social bookmarking sites

http://www.delicious.com/

http://www.diigo.com/

These are great way to make your bookmarked sites available on any computer, anywhere. It is also a great way to find resources that other people have already decided have good information.

http://www.littlebirdtales.com/home/default/

A great site to create digital stories. There are story starters that you can use or you can have your students create their own tales.

http://storybird.com

Create stories using artwork that is available for you to use right on the site. You can have students work together collaboratively to create stories in classes, or on their own. Storybird reverses the process of visual storytelling by starting with the image and "unlocking" the story inside. Choose an artist or a theme, get inspired, and start writing.

http://sqworl.com

A great website creator that allows you to not just link
sites, but make screen captures of the sites that you 
bookmark.

Google

Google has so much to offer beyond searching!! Go to www.google.com/educators to find activities and lessons.

Google Docs is similar to Word! Create a survey, or test and then send it to the spreadsheet to score for you. You can create "powerpoint" type presentations if you go to NEW and go down to Presentations.

Google Sites is an easy website creator.

Google Scholar is a way to find to research like ERIC searches, scholarly articles that you can use for research.

Google Book Search is just that.

Google Reader After 75 years the copyright has expired so you can read books on Google!

Doodle 4 Google has a contest that closes on March 17 to create their logo.

Google Chrome is a web browser.

Google Spreadsheets are just that.

Google Gears takes your Google apps offline.

Gmail is a free email service.

Google Earth has lessons to coordinate with your literature, history, etc. lessons. Not to mention you can see around the world. Go to the 3D warehouse to see artifacts, buildings, etc. Go to earth.google.com to find searches of 3D places that you are teaching about. Search for kmz files and see what you can find! Requires a pretty big download.

Google Sketchup 7 is a 3D building tool. If you run Google Earth at the same time, it should take you to the actual place that you are working on if it is a real place. You can use Sketchup and download images and places that you can use for your sketching. Requires a pretty big download.

Google Notebook is a great place to store your citations

Google 411 on your phone! It is cheaper

Text Google and get the answer to whatever you need texted to your phone

Twitter and Plurk

These are 2 great places to create your PLN, Personal Learning Network. You can "follow" people and find out what they are learning and sharing. Can be confusing at first. I prefer Twitter to Plurk, but it is a personal opinion. Sign up for both and then you can find the one that you like!

Second Life

There are so many places to learn on the web! Second Life offers online PD from tons of sources! Personally. I have a hard time finding time in my first life for a Second Life, but there are tons of great learning opportunities available here!

Skype/iChat

Moodle

Projects by Jen

http://projectsbyjen.ning.com/

This site is an awesome place to look for interactive online activities using many web 2.0 applications. There are projects going all year long, with many levels of participation, check it out and see if you can join it.

Web collaboration tools put together by Jen can be found on her wiki

http://jlwagner.pbwiki.com/WCT

Other Web 2.0 Resources that I use

http://www.appappeal.com/web-2-0-application-world-mosaic/

http://www.go2web20.net/

A complete - if there is such a thing - list of Web 2.0 applications. Not all appropriate for school, but neat anyway!

Kathy Schrock's Site of the School Day is focusing a lot of Web 2.0. You can subscribe and get the email updates or just go to the page.

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/sos.html

Share your Powerpoints online

http://www.authorstream.com/

http://www.slideshare.net/

UStreamtv A great tool for sharing videos for anything!

http://elearnr.org/

Joanne Troutners's awesome Web 2.0 Tools Wiki!

http://jtweblearning.wikispaces.com/

Can't watch You Tube at school? Simply convert your videos using:

Website creators