Wednesday, November 2, 2011 1:40 pm, Posted by Jeff Dunn - Executive Editor
One of the most popular posts on Edudemic in 2010 was The 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools Chosen By You and I felt it might be time for an update to that list for 2011. In order to put together a list of the best Web 2.0 classroom tools, I polled my Twitter followers, Facebook fans (are they still called fans? Likes?) and ran a contest to try and get as many submissions as possible.
There were more than 900 submissions but many were duplicates. This left me with 100 different Web 2.0 tools that are recommended by your peers. After all, what better way to uncover new products than by the people you are already sharing with?
Want to add your favorite Web 2.0 tool to this list? It’s not too late! We’ll be adding items through the rest of 2011. After that, we start building the 2012 list. To share your Web 2.0 tool, just leave a comment on this post or on the Edudemic Facebook page.
The following list is in no particular order so be sure to examine it closely. Think of it as a Where’s Waldo but for awesome resources. Each resource is written in big bold letters, followed by the description offered by the person who submitted the resource.
- PENZU: Penzu is a great tool to encourage students to do some online journaling and then they can share their entry via email.
- COZI: I love Cozi because it lets me share photos, calendars, shopping lists etc. with partner, who hates technology. This one is easy enough to use on my cell or anywhere – ease of use is the trick.
- AUDIOVOX: I love Audiovox. This is a great tool for having students practice their target language. I can post a topic or a question and students can go on-line and record their comments at leisure. They can also join a conversation started by someone else. Second Language oral blogging – What’s not to love?!
- GEOGEBRA: I think Geogebra (www.geogebra.org) is a fabulous tool for any math teachers and students! The ability to dynamically look at mathematical concepts for free makes it one of the most useful web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning mathematics. Not to mention all of the matericals which are being shared on geogebratube.org.
- GOOGLE FOR EDUCATORS: At Google, they support teachers in their efforts to empower students and expand the frontiers of human knowledge. That’s why they’ve assembled the information and tools you’ll find on that site.
- ICOFX: The best Web 2.0 Tool is IcoFX Simply amazing. Create your own icons. For e.g for movie GODFATHER create an icon of Clemenza kissing hand of The Godfather Simply Awesome
- GMAIL: Gmail is definitely the best one! It’s simple, it’s fast, it’s gorgeous. The filters you can create are just great and the connection with other Google services (e.g. Documents, Calendar) is a great advantaege over the other platforms.
- WEBQUEST: WebQuest. I teach in college and in elementary school and I try to integrate new and fun activities every semester.
- YOONO: Oh yoono is brilliant! You can even hide Facebook updates by application. Turn off FarmVille and suddenly it’s readable. THIS IS THE FUTURE.
- TUTORVISTA: I think tutorvista is best web 2.0 it teaches me math english etc
- IBIS READER: The Ibis Reader is one Web 2.0 tool I couldn’t do without in the classroom. It is a lightweight, Web-based EPUB reader that I use to share .epub files created in InDesign.
- TEXTFUGU: Textfugu is a really interesting one. It is an online subscriber-based (or one time payment) Japanese textbook created and updated by Koichi, one of the top online Japanese language bloggers.
- SLIDESHARK: SlideShark converts your PowerPoint files without losing any of your original formatting, transitions, or animations.
- KAYWA QR: Kaywa QR code generator (http://qrcode.kaywa.com/) is a web tool that I use quite often. I’ve put codes on our business cards, web page, bulletin boards, etc. I’m in the process of adding QR codes to some trade books to enhance the reading experience.
- REDDIT: Reddit is the best upgrade to the Digg formula that I have seen. Great way to see what is the most popular thing at the current time.
- WOLFRAM ALPHA: Wolfram Alpha has changed the way I take math classes. A search engine where you can search for anything from terms to full on equations. Excellent help for calculus problems.
- CHROME APP STORE: The Chrome App Store is great as it has many different apps from education to entertainment (some free, some not). It is great as a games platform or a reference for learning new things.
- TUMBLR: Best blog platform ever. The ability to follow people and see their posts in a list format is what makes this website the best.
- TRENDS MAP: Trends Map is a Google Maps display of topics current trending on Twitter. The map displays the trends according to their locations. If you want to see what people are talking about in France, just use the map to zoom-in on France and see the topics that are trending.
- 30 BOXES: It is an interesting Calendar tool that doesn’t require you to manually enter everything. You just type the gist of the appointment as well as the time and date into the text box and it makes it for you. It is so easy.
- ETSY: I really like Etsy. It is an Ebay-like site except it deals in handmade crafts and supplies only. I like to knit sometimes and Etsy provides a place for me to sell what I make.
- USTREAM.TV: Ustream.tv is a great place for anyone to broadcast whatever they want to live. From podcasts to do it yourself news.
- PANDORA: I use Pandora to find out about new bands that are similar to the ones that I like. It being free is also a plus.
- SONGMEANINGS: Songmeanings.net is the only place I will go to for song lyrics now. Under the lyrics is a comment section where you can analyze the lyrics. Sometimes reading through those will make you think about a song in a completely different way.
- IMDB: I can’t watch movies without browsing IMDb while it is on. I just love reading the trivia and seeing what else the actors have been in.
- RSS GADGETS ON iGOOGLE: My homepage on Google is now the central portal with all RSS feeds that I need along my Google Docs, Gmail, blog notifications.
SOURCE: http://edudemic.com/2011/11/best-web-tools/
2010 list
The List
- Slideshare
Don’t waste your presentation after it’s over, share it with millions
- GoogleSites
Make your own website while knowing nothing about websites!
- GoogleEarth
View anywhere in the world anytime
- Wix
Easily make your own flash-based website
- Primarypad
Web-based word processor
- Spicy Nodes
Innovative way to organize your web visits
- Myebook
Virtually publish your book and sell it
- DoInk
Create animations using this simple website
- Warning Sign Generator
Make your own caution and warning signs in a flash!
- Scratch
Create and share stories, games, art, etc.
- Kerpoof
Cool way to make a movie, card, picture, and share it all
- Tagxedo
Like Wordle but a step farther as text can be used to build bigger images
- SmartKiddies
Creative math and other educational problems to help everyone learn
- Bitstrips
Make and share your own comic strips with thousands of others
Added in the comments and via Twitter:
- Storyjumper
Easy way to create your own stories for kids and bring them to life
- GoAnimate for schools
State of the art animation tools for schools
- Schoology
Learning management, online education tools, and much more
- Google Timeline
A unique way to view the news
- Online-Convert
Convert anything to anything (audio, video, text, etc.)
- ReadWriteThink
Tons of classroom resources and PD goodies
- Storybird
Build your own stories (with images) and share them with others
- Word Magnets
Phonics reinforcement and sentence building exercise
- Atmosphir
A build-your-own video game
- Zoho
A great alternative to Google Apps
- EasyBib
The free automatic bibliography and citation maker
- ToonDooSpaces
Easily publish custom comic strips
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Pinterest - pinterest.com
