Thing 11: Web 2.0 Tools

When I went to the link for the Web 2.0 Awards, I couldn't actually see the list of awards.  Browsing around on other people's blogs, though, I found Popplet.  I could definitely see a use for this Web 2.0 tool in my classroom.  I just wrapped up a Nonfiction Reading Strategies unit with my 6th graders.  One thing we covered was the use of graphic organizers.  My students practiced using webs to organize their ideas- and Popplet would have been great for them to use to make their webs.  My students are also doing group presentations in which each group must present the main ideas of a particular section of a nonfiction book.  I showed them Prezi, and I gave them the option of using Prezi or PowerPoint for the visual component of the project.  Wish I'd known about Popplet!  Next year, I'll include it as a presentation tool option. 

I also checked out Go Animate.  This is a fun site, but it might be stretching it to find educational uses for my classroom.  My students might be able to create videos to use, but I do think that this site has more entertainment value than it does academic value.  I signed up for a free account, and was able to create a little animation.  It appears that I can't save her without actually purchasing "GoBucks"-and I am not going to do that, nor would I want my students to do that.  Here's my Go Animate girl.  What should I name her?

I enjoyed checking out StoryJumper, and I definitely see how I could use it in my 6th grade class.  My students write short stories throughout the year, and this would be a great tool to bring those stories to life.  I also like what the website had to say about the Classroom Edition. The Classroom Edition is designed to...

• give teachers an interface to manage and review students' work.
• enable kids to share stories between the classroom and home.
• maintain strict privacy controls over student information.
• enable educational discounts when ordering books.

In particular, I love that StoryJumper makes it easy for kids to share their work with their parents, and I believe that my students would be proud of the work they'd created through StoryJumper and would be excited to share their work with others.   I like the stories can be shared online or printed as hard copies. I know the parents of my students would love to order their children's stories as books.

I can also envision my students using StoryJumper as a collaborative tool.  My 6th grade students "buddy up" with the kindergartners at my school.  We do fun projects with them- but so far, none have been educational.  I recently sat on an airplane with a woman who described a similar buddy/mentoring system at the school at which she teaches.  She described older students collaborating with younger kids to write a simple story to help teach the younger students literary elements like plot, characterization, conflict, setting, to name a few.  I've been wanting to try this story activity with my students and their buddies for awhile, and now StoryJumper has made me more eager to give it a go.

 I'm also pleased to read about the privacy controls.  As my school gears up to become a 1:1 laptop community, and as we continue to integrate technology at a rapid rate, we are also stringent about students' safety and privacy online. 

Finally, though StoryJumper is clearly geared towards student-use, I could see ways that I could use it to teach.  I'm always looking for new ways to present information to my students.  I use PowerPoint, but I also use Prezi quite a bit too.  I could see myself using StoryJumper to create not necessarily a story- but a book of notes on a particular unit.  With interesting graphics, my students would be more inclined to pay attention to my presentation.