Web 2.0 Tools for Educators - Recently Updated Pages

Miscellaneous

jholland — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:10:59 CST

The items on this page just didn't quite fit in any other category- and some of these can be the most useful tools out there!

Wordle
This great site generates a cloud map based on text that you enter or paste into the field. The more frequently a word appears, the larger it is displayed. You can manipulate the image layout, colors, etc. There is no registration required. The only downside- you must use a screen capture utility to grab the image!

Corlive

An email alternate (see http://corlive.com/jholland to send me a message)
Get your own personal web form for users to send you messages
Users can send attachments as well
Cut down on spam and prevents web crawlers from harvesting your email address
New features coming soon- message forwarding

CuePrompter

An online teleprompter (pictured to the right)
Write or paste your script into the appropriate field
Several speeds for reading
Full screen capabilities

JayCut & JumpCut
These are both online video editing sites with some basic features:

Upload videos/images in a variety of formats
Use the online editors to mix & cut videos
Export the mixed video in various means
Embed the edited video
Collaborate with friends

Kuku Clock
If you need an online alarm clock to sound at a particular time, this is for you. Set the alarm (it reads your current system time), choose from 4 different annoying sounds, and you're set. Just leave the browser window open (minimized is fine) and all will be well.

Online Stopwatch
This great tool will let you run either a stopwatch or a countdown timer on your screen. It's simple to use- and it has a full screen mode! Where has this been hiding all these years? Be sure to explore the links at the bottom for different graphics for the timer- like the hourglass. You can also download an application for Mac or PC... all for FREE!

Random Name Picker
This is a great tool to choose random students for questions or prizes. This could also be a good in-class review for a spelling test as each student is given a random word from your own list. This little gadget picks a student with one of two graphical interfaces. It can be embedded like this one- try it right here.

Search this site

flutterbyu — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:44:52 CST

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Web 2.0 Tools for Educators Home

jholland — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:43:38 CST

Web 2.0 is a cool buzzword floating around, but its meaning has become somewhat diluted and obscured like a spoken story handed down from generation to generation. So many people limit their thinking of Web 2.0 to blogs and wikis, but it's so much more. So here's my working definition of this thing we call Web 2.0:

- the next generation of the internet where the content of the web is created or edited by end-users (either individually or collaboratively) rather than those few geeky computer nerds. Further, these sites often allow collaboration, sharing, and assimilation to bring about exchanges of ideas from many different perspectives in the form of text, photos, videos, and/or other multimedia components.

See a slideshow here!

The foundation web tools are blogs, wikis, and virtual desktops. Using these as a foundation, you can do all things Web 2.0. Oh yeah- and they are all almost always free (if they aren't, keep looking for alternatives that are).

The blog (like mine shown here), wiki (like the one you are exploring right now) or virtual desktop (such as my iGoogle page) acts as the "host" where clips or "widgets" are embedded from other web resources. These widgets may include images, videos, news feeds, podcasts, interactive applications, etc. There's so much out there- and it's evolving almost daily!

A Simple Analogy: Think of the "old" web as a movie screen that you watched, gathered information from, etc. Think of Web 2.0 as a stage where you can either "act" yourself or invite others to "act" with you or for you. You determine what gets placed on the stage. You are now the director of the show, not merely an audience member!

Our wiki celebrates its 32,000 th page view and counting! This site is being visited from users in:

Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
London
Bacelona
Netherlands
British Columbia
Belgium
Australia
Venezuela
and more!

See all the nerdy current stats here!

This wiki is maintained by Jim Holland but can be edited by anyone who joins the wiki!

Sandbox

jholland — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:45:06 CST

Slide.com

My Widget should appear here when working:

Librarians

jholland — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:03:53 CST

Studiyo

Wrapped Code

SlideShare - doesn't appear to be working well within AISD

Phone Tools

Vandenbroek — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:21:14 CDT

Duka Dial
Yet another Web 2.0 Tool that is no longer with us. RIP!

ViaTalk

Connects two phone numbers
No charges- not even long distance
10 minute limit
No registration required

Let's Call Me
Example of a "freemium" site that removed its free offerings. Boo!

Dial My Calls
The free version of this service will allow you to record a message (via phone, by uploading MP3 files, or using built-in text-to-speech). The site will then call the numbers of your designated contacts and play the message immediately or at a designated time. In addition you can view a report after the call to see which calls were answered, which ones went to voice mail, busy signals, etc.

Registration is required. The free version is limited to one phone call per day for up to 25 recipients!

Phone My Phone

Have a pre-recorded audio message sent to your phone (any phone) for free
Great for reminders & such

Dial 2 Do

Send reminder audio recordings to your email account (or anyone in your contacts list)
Voice messages are converted to text and sent to the recipient (as well as a link to the voice recording)
Can post to your Twitter page on the fly!

Sly Dial

Use any mobile or landline to secretly go directly to a mobile phone's email.
No registration required
Note: does use your minutes and standard long distance charges apply
Free version has quick add before patching you through to voice mail (less than 10 seconds)

Annotation Tools

jholland — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:31:19 CDT

With Web 2.0, you have the ability to "markup" or clip portions of documents or websites and share them with others. You can also use some tools to comment on or introduce a website. Or better yet, take students on a journey of several websites where they are to accomplish certain tasks at each!

Storytelling Tools (Comics, Video, etc)

jholland — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:17:09 CDT

Drawing Tools

jholland — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:34:47 CDT

These sites allow you to draw or sketch online. The site then hosts the resulting drawing or animation so it can be accessed by other web tools and applications. Disclaimer: I am not, have never been, and in no way whatsoever claim to be an artist!

Slideshows (Part 1)

jholland — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:47:38 CDT

There are so many tools out there that will allow you to create online slideshows, scrapbooks, and other multimedia creations. Some of these create slideshows out of your images, some use your PowerPoint slideshows. Some allow you to add their music. Some will animate your stuff with some great transitions and effects. Just check them out!

Photo Effects

killarney98 — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:44:59 CDT

If you don't need a full photo editor but just want to add some cool effects to an image, try these:

LoonaPix

Put your image into different compositions, frames, etc.
Upload image from your computer
Images can be downloaded or hosted for 3 months
No registration required

Slideshows (Part 2)

jholland — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:46:42 CDT

Flowgram
This company went bankrupt as of June 30th, 2009.

SLSA Conference

jholland — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:03:00 CDT

MagToo (no registration required)

Website Generators

jholland — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:57:52 CDT

OK, so there is only one entry on this page as of now. But this one didn't seem to fit in any other category- and there are several of them. These types of sites allow you to create a hosted website with meaningful content in minutes (OK, lots of minutes) rather than hours or days. Furthermore- they are hosted automatically and for free. And we all love free!

Mind Maps

jhnsn.c — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:03:13 CDT

When creating mind maps (thinking maps, concept maps, webs, etc.) nothing beats Inspiration (or Kidspiration for younger students). But if you can't afford to purchase such software, there are free options available. If you are an avid user of Inspiration, the limitations of these sites will drive you crazy! Also, most of these types of tools allow for online collaboration!

For lesson ideas and sample, see the Inspired Learning Community!

myWebspiration
At last! Inspiration has released their free online mind mapping tool! And if you know Inspiration or Kidspiration, you'll recognize the look and feel of the interface immediately.

Rapid-fire function works great!
You can print your diagram
You can switch between diagram and outline views
The clip art is present but is greatly reduced
Most of the features are retained from the full version
You can invite others to collaborate with you on a document and control the permissions
You can download the diagram into Inspiration 8
You can't embed the tool as a widget
Registration is required- email is not verified

Gliffy
This online diagram designer will allow you to create a variety of diagrams such as mind maps, flow charts, floor plans, computer networks, user interfaces, etc. Here are some features and limitations:

Large delay when entering text
Doesn't remember color selections
Aligning objects isn't easy
Link styles are limited and are difficult to adjust
Basic and standard tools
Can upload your own images (must be tagged)
Can print to printer or save as .jpg .png .svg (Visio)
Multiple people can collaborate on the same diagram

Mindomo

Free registration (email verification required)
Can make maps public or private
Free accounts limited to 7 private maps
Can embed or save maps as graphics or PDF, RTF, TXT (WetPaint did not allow this type of embed, but it embedded fine elsewhere)
Can only add hosted images
Many different layout options & easy to navigate (Office 2007 type interface)
Students can collaborate on maps

Desktop Publishing

jhnsn.c — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:01:14 CDT

LetterPop
This site is the premiere online newsletter generator. Users select and edit templates, upload photos (from computer or Flickr) and place in the templates, add text, and publish online. Each template includes a variety of layouts. Registration (free) is required to publish or print the newsletters. While there are limitations to the free membership, users are allowed up to ten newsletters (published) which is more than adequate for most educational purposes. You must be signed in to save, preview, print, or publish the newsletter.

While these newsletters can't be embedded into a blog or dashboard, they can be viewed by sending the link to contacts via LetterPops own list of contacts or through conventional methods.These newsletters may be marked public or private and other users may add comments. Take a look at this 3-page newsletter about biomes.

Registration is required to save, print, or edit newsletters. Email address is verified during registration.

Tikatok
There may be no other site quite like this one- and certainly no other site that contributes to the writing process like this one. Students select from either a blank book or from hundreds of predefined stories with each page having it's own writing prompt to move the story along. Though this site is geared toward elementary students, it can certainly be adapted for upper level students, especially by starting with a blank book and bypassing the writing prompts.

Books must be marked public in order for the embed link to remain permanent (though look at the back page here- it is hidden for privacy). For online viewing, make sure students increase the font size!

Images may be uploaded from a local computer or from the community collection of drawings.

Registration is free. Email address is verified during registration.

The hope of the website is that teachers/parents would want to buy printed copies of the student creations, but hosting the online book is absolutely free!

Another Example (Thanks, Tommy- Deann apologizes).

UniFlip
(description from their website): UniFlip online publications are virtual magazines with flip through pages that turn ordinary publications and magazines into extraordinary polished, professional pieces of art - ready to share online!

Upload PDF, DOC, PDF (up to 5 MB or 100 pages per document in free version)
Can only embed using an iFrame (WetPaint does not allow iFrames)
Publications expire after 30 days, but you can reactivate them
Limit of 3 simultaneous publications active
Can zoom in to read
Email required to register, but not verified

Take a look at my sample (if it's active- otherwise email me and I'll reactivate it).

Productivity Applications (Office)

jholland — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:11:19 CDT

Google Docs
OK, most of you already know about Google Docs- Google's online office suite. We all know Google is great- and Google Docs is no exception. But when you get to look at some other options out there, you'll see some features that Google has overlooked.

EtherPad
This up and coming tool provides real-time collaboration on a text document among invited users (Google Docs does this in a limited way in which screens must be refreshed every 15 seconds or so to see the changes). No registration is required and inviting others is as simple as sharing the link to your pad with them. Each person editing the document can choose his/her own highlighted color. You may save different revisions of your text, use the on-site chat feature, and more. In the end, copy the team-written text and paste into other applications!

Zoho
There's a whole suite of applications available here- most of which are compatible with the most popular formats, including the Microsoft Office formats! All this for free- and nothing to download! Like Google Docs, you can allow multiple users to collaborate on the same document.

Adobe Buzzword
This is an up and coming online word processor from Adobe- and it's free! The application has a nice interface and is loaded with word processing features plus the ability to collaborate, set different permissions, online storage and many more. Check out all the features of this one! Oh, yes, it does import/export in popular formats: "Buzzword currently imports and exports plain text (TXT), rich text format (RTF), Microsoft Word (DOC and DOCX), and Word 2003 XML files. Buzzword also exports to Adobe PDF, Open Office (.odt) and HTML." Registration is required of course.

Social Interactions

jholland — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:58:31 CDT

Ning
Ning is a place where you can create your own "walled garden" type of social network. Here, members can post blog entries, embed widgets, etc. in a protected environment that can be completely sealed from the outside.

You may consider this for a place to allow students to do internal posting of their work and/or commenting on the work of others.

Shelfari
This is a bookworm's dream! This social website allows you to track the books you have read, are reading, and want to read. Other members can make comments about books on your shelf or recommend other books to read based on your selections. This has one of the best graphical interfaces out there!

Take a look at My Bookshelf!

Pal Bee
Free live videoconferencing. Right now, all videoconferences are public, but the site says privacy controls will be added soon. Keep an eye on this one- nothing to install and easy to use!

FreeConferenceCall.com
Just what it says- free phone conferencing (long distance charges may apply). It will record your conference and store it on their site for playback using a private access code. The recorded call may also be downloaded.

Cover It Live
Live blogging! That's right- text streams to your viewers much like a one-way IM but also allows comments and questions on the side. You can also add video, images, polls and audio files live on the fly. And when it's over, users can replay it! You may link to or embed your live session. Viewers need to download nothing!

Online Editors

jholland — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:54:08 CDT

Yes, Photoshop is the program to have for all of your photo editing needs (Gimp for you free software junkies). However, not only is Photoshop extremely expensive, it comes with a high learning curve and is way overkill for most common photo editing applications. You may want to consider these online alternatives (notice you won't find any downloadable software here, just true web 2.0 tools):

Picnik

No registration required (unless you want to save your image for future editing)
Nice, intuitive interface
Can upload images or use a host service (Flickr, Picasa, etc.)
A full slate of editing features

Great effects
Levels & curves are available only in the premium version
Full screen mode available
Easy to use!

Photoshop Express
This online version of the oh-so-popular image editor has familiar tools such as basic editing, effects, and fine tuning. What you won't find are the draw tools, layers, and more advanced tools. This does include 2 GB of free storage for images, personal galleries, and the ability to upload from Flickr and other hosting sites.

FotoFlexer

No registration required (unless you want to save your image for future editing)
Nice, intuitive interface, though it contains ads!
Can upload images or use a host service (Flickr, Picasa, etc.)
A full slate of editing & decorating features including layers, distortions, smart cut-outs, recolor, etc.
Great effects not available elsewhere, including morphing

Splashup
This is definitely a Photoshop and GIMP competitor with many, many features including:

Pixel-level control
Layers
Multi-image editing
Many effects & brushes
Floating toolbars
Open images from most image hosts
Easy -to-use

Sumopaint
This is another Photoshop clone with many features including:

Shape tools
Brushes
Layers
Filters
Gradients
"Gravity"- smoothing out of drawn lines
Shape trails
Unlimited magnification and more!
Registration not required unless you want to store images on their server

LunaPic

Full menus of effects and animations that you can't find elsewhere
Upload an image or open from a URL
Add cool effects such as3-D cubes, animations, etc.
Can make adjustments and use various Draw tools

Phixr

Standard set of tools for basic editing
Can upload an image or get one from a host
No account required (temporary accounts last 3 hours)
Can save as JPG, PNG, PDF, GIF

PicJuice
This is a bare bones, minimalistic photo editor with very few features. This may be a good alternative for younger students who aren't quite ready for more advanced skills. You can only upload one photo, make edits, then save from the displayed image on the web page.

Pixenate
This nice little site gives you some easy-to-use tools, effects, and filters. There is no registration required and no image hosting. The edited photograph must either be downloaded or sent to a Flickr account. Not a bad tool at all!

Pixer
This online editor lets you do the basics of photo editing through a menu-driven process- nothing using draw tools. This has some nice effects and is very simple to use. Only one image can be loaded at a time and only from a local computer. Edited images can be saved as JPG, PNG, GIF, or BMP.

Snipshot
OK, this one barely made it- for the simple reason that many of the nicest features are reserved for premium (subscription) users. Nonetheless, for basic edits, resizing, adjustments, it's adequate.

Free Graphics

jholland — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:35:46 CDT

Avoiding copyright violations is always a concern for educators using multimedia in their presentations- and even more so when teaching students to use multimedia in their technology integrated projects. Here are a few sites that will help avoid such issues. Keep in mind that usage agreements change often, so before recommending sites to students, verify that these sites are free and fair to use.

Pics4Learning
"Copyright-friendly images for education." By far the most recommended site- contribute your own pictures and expand the library for all of us!

Free Foto
Professional photographers sell their photos here. However, the usage agreement on the front page states:

"Also non-commercial users may download our web size images to use off-line in school projects, church services, cards, leaflets, etc. Basically if your off-line use is not commercial you can download our web size images for free."

Some of the images are watermarked and navigation can be tricky?

Flickr (Creative Commons)
This is not necessarily a site you'd want students to use, but it's a great resource for you to gather images needed for projects. Though Flickr's guidelines state that inappropriate material cannot be posted on the site, every now and then you may find something that shouldn't be there. And who defines what "inappropriate" really means?

P D Photo (public domain)
(description from website): "PDPhoto.org is a repository for free public domain photos. Unless something is clearly marked as being copyrighted, you can assume it is free to use. But if you intend to use an image you find here for commercial use, please be aware that standards for such use are higher." The site has many different categories, but very heavy in landscapes and scenery.

Gif.com
(description from website): Search our collection of more than 17,000 quality free clipart images. No popups, no tricks.

This is a free offering from the parent company ClipArt.com (which is a paid subscription website)
No login required

Photo Home
Allen Matheson, a Texas photographer, has made his 72 dpi images available to educators and students for free (read the conditions here).

Photos 8
(description from website): "This is a place for free public domain photos and desktop wallpapers. Large collection of High Resolution photos and wallpapers, Thousands of high quality public domain pictures, easy to search, All photos on Photos8.com are public domain. You may use these images for any purpose, including commercial. As the owner I have explicitly placed all the photos in the public domain. If you do use any photo, please consider linking back to this site or giving credit to this site. Just something like, "Photo courtesy Photos8.com", This is not required, but its a very good way to support the site efforts here."

Library of Congress American Memory Museum
The Library of Congress has great primary sources for you to use in your projects. Just because it's on a government website doesn't mean it's necessarily public domain. However, abiding by Fair Use guidelines, students should be able to use these resources.

National Archives
There is more here than you ever imagined- and the number of digital resources is constantly growing!

Stock.xchng
(description from website):
Whether you just want to browse our huge image gallery or want to share your own photos with others, this is the site for you!

Browse through the categories of our huge gallery containing over 350,000 quality stock photos by more than 30,000 photographers! Share your photos with fellow designers! SXC is a friendly community of photography addicts who generously offer their works to those who need them free of charge. If you have some nice photos that you'd like to share with others, join us!

Great collection of photos
Registration (free, email verified) required to download images
Commercial images displayed first, so scroll down

WP ClipArt
(description from website): WPClipart is a fast, clean and safe site for children and others to find good-quality, printable images that have no copyright restrictions. All the images are in the Public Domain. Ads on pages are minimal to make the site as fast as possible. While there are literally thousands of "fun" images -- I take great pains to find, edit and retouch images of historical and/or general educational value.

Student Clip Art (hand-drawn from Sam Houston State University)
(description from website): These images are primarily for the use of K-12 school students and teachers. All drawings are original works done by students or staff. All photographs are originals, taken by K-12 students and staff. This site is intended as a royalty free source of clipart for educational uses. If you use one or more of our images, we would like to hear from you.

Free Pixels
Around 3,500 photos that can be used in your projects. No login required.

Karen's Whimsy
(description from website): On the following pages you will find hundreds of beautiful images gleaned from my collection of old books, magazines, and postcards. They are all from material printed prior to 1923 and are in the public domain.

PublicDomainPictures.net
(description from website): PublicDomainPictures.net is a repository for free public domain photos. You can upload your own pictures and share your work with others.

No login required
Browse by categories or use search features