Discovering Web 2.0 tools is a thrilling new adventure, which creates so many unique learning opportunities. It can also be quite daunting, knowing there is so much out there to choose from. Starting small, I have explored two Web 2.0 tools that are productive, engaging, and fun.
Blabberize is a quirky site where you can upload a picture of a frontal view of a face, place an animated mouth over the photograph mouth, and attach audio by uploading, recording, or using your mobile phone.
It creates a simple animation of the mouth moving to the sound of the voice, this animation has been used on talk shows and other shows in the past. It has a very humorous effect, but is often used to provide users voices to almost any photo.
This Web 2.0 tool can be used when students are asked to give presentations over certain topics as an alternative to power point or other presentation slideshows, which are overused and boring. Through Blabberize, students can share relevant and factual information in a silly yet entertaining way. Because this tool can be a little silly, I would develop a rubric for the students to closely follow when they are making their project video. To keep the students from getting too “creative” an Internet code of conduct is in place at the county level. All students are required to agree to the rules and sign the code of conduct at the beginning of the year. General Internet misconduct is not tolerated and the consequences are in place.
That does not mean that Blabberize is not without its challenges. In fact, when I was reviewing the site, I quickly realized how captivating, fun, and easy it is to make and share a video. I was immediately drawn in; I quickly made a video and shared it. The problem is, I kept going back to make more videos. The videos are so much fun and I feel certain that my students will have a great time using this tool, even if the information they are imputing in educational.
The second Web 2.0 tool I plan to incorporate in to many aspects of my classroom is Google Drive. Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service created and managed by Google. It allows users to store documents in the cloud, share files, and edit documents with collaborators. Google drive is used to store and organize all your files. Some of the Google Drive applications are: create, add, or upload a file with a single button; easily find and add shared files and share files with others and choose what they can do with them: view or edit.
Google drive is a great tool when students are working on a group project to share ideas with each other, and easily make edits or additions to projects in the works. It alleviates the mess created by long email strands and can even work in place of a face to face meeting. This is the ultimate streamline tool for student collaboration.
Because Google is so dominate on the Internet scene, most students have heard of it and used a Google application at some point. It is easy to download, if it is not already installed on a computer, and everything is stored in the cloud. Good Drive is rather easy to manage, because documents, presentations, and other projects can be obtained, and edited anywhere Internet access is available.
Just like all Web 2.0 tools, Google Drive does have its challenges. The learning curve for Internet storage and collaborative tools can take some getting used to. It is slightly different, because files are not saved to a specific computer; they are all saved in the cloud, and Internet storage space. Another challenge for Google drive occurs when using it for a group project. Because all edits are made real time and can be made by any group member, the team needs to be sure they are all working toward the same result, so the changes and edits are agreed upon by each student in the group.
For both of these Web 2.0 tools, I strongly feel that the positive aspects outweigh the negative, and I am excited to incorporate them in my classroom.
Citation:
Get started with Google Drive. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2424384?hl=en
Blabberize is a quirky site where you can upload a picture of a frontal view of a face, place an animated mouth over the photograph mouth, and attach audio by uploading, recording, or using your mobile phone.
It creates a simple animation of the mouth moving to the sound of the voice, this animation has been used on talk shows and other shows in the past. It has a very humorous effect, but is often used to provide users voices to almost any photo.
This Web 2.0 tool can be used when students are asked to give presentations over certain topics as an alternative to power point or other presentation slideshows, which are overused and boring. Through Blabberize, students can share relevant and factual information in a silly yet entertaining way. Because this tool can be a little silly, I would develop a rubric for the students to closely follow when they are making their project video. To keep the students from getting too “creative” an Internet code of conduct is in place at the county level. All students are required to agree to the rules and sign the code of conduct at the beginning of the year. General Internet misconduct is not tolerated and the consequences are in place.
That does not mean that Blabberize is not without its challenges. In fact, when I was reviewing the site, I quickly realized how captivating, fun, and easy it is to make and share a video. I was immediately drawn in; I quickly made a video and shared it. The problem is, I kept going back to make more videos. The videos are so much fun and I feel certain that my students will have a great time using this tool, even if the information they are imputing in educational.
The second Web 2.0 tool I plan to incorporate in to many aspects of my classroom is Google Drive. Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization service created and managed by Google. It allows users to store documents in the cloud, share files, and edit documents with collaborators. Google drive is used to store and organize all your files. Some of the Google Drive applications are: create, add, or upload a file with a single button; easily find and add shared files and share files with others and choose what they can do with them: view or edit.
Google drive is a great tool when students are working on a group project to share ideas with each other, and easily make edits or additions to projects in the works. It alleviates the mess created by long email strands and can even work in place of a face to face meeting. This is the ultimate streamline tool for student collaboration.
Because Google is so dominate on the Internet scene, most students have heard of it and used a Google application at some point. It is easy to download, if it is not already installed on a computer, and everything is stored in the cloud. Good Drive is rather easy to manage, because documents, presentations, and other projects can be obtained, and edited anywhere Internet access is available.
Just like all Web 2.0 tools, Google Drive does have its challenges. The learning curve for Internet storage and collaborative tools can take some getting used to. It is slightly different, because files are not saved to a specific computer; they are all saved in the cloud, and Internet storage space. Another challenge for Google drive occurs when using it for a group project. Because all edits are made real time and can be made by any group member, the team needs to be sure they are all working toward the same result, so the changes and edits are agreed upon by each student in the group.
For both of these Web 2.0 tools, I strongly feel that the positive aspects outweigh the negative, and I am excited to incorporate them in my classroom.
Citation:
Get started with Google Drive. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2015, from https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2424384?hl=en