Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom

After reading a post from Edudemic I was shocked about how many technology tools there are being used by teachers in classrooms all across the world. The post list the top 35 web 2.0 tools and there were a couple in particular stood out to me. 

The first web 2.0 tool that I really like is Animoto. Animoto allows you to create short videos (using images and a small amount of text) for virtually any topic or subject. I find myself having a hard time learning new technology, it often seems too complicated for me; but Animoto is so easy to use and it takes no time at all. (If I can do it, you can do it too.) After exploring Animoto’s website I found out all the amazing ways that our teachers, schools and even universities are using Animoto. For example teachers use Animoto to have their students create book trailers (like movie trailers but about a book) instead of the traditional book reports. Schools are also using Animoto to document student events (competitions and fairs) as well as class reunions and alumni events. I also found various videos that cover everything from historical events to a twist on the traditional alphabet song. With Animoto students are able to demonstrate their learning and teachers are able to present content in fun and creative ways. 

The second web 2.0 tool that I really like is Wordle. Wordle allows you to take a list of words and turn it into a artistic word cloud. When creating a word cloud the words that are listed more than once become bigger (basically the more times the word is listed the bigger the word will appear in the word cloud). Wordle is a very simple tool to use and the results look amazing. With Wordle you can customize everything from the color of the text to the shape of the word cloud. There are so many ways that teachers are encorporating Wordle in their classrooms. I found a post that list 46 ways that teachers are using Wordle and every single one was really innovative. For example one teacher had their students create an "All About Me" Wordle. Students type in words that represent them (repeating any words that are more significant) and then create a world cloud! This is such a cool idea because it is an new way to learn about your students in a way that is way less intimidating the answering the question "who are you?" in an essay or a poster. Another interesting way teachers are using Wordle is by having their students analyze character traits of the characters in a story. This is not only a fun way to teach your students about character traits but it can also help boost their reading comprehension. Wordle is a a great tool that can be incorporated into many different lessons. 

With these web 2.0 tools, as teachers we are able to extend our student's learning beyond the walls of our classroom. Each one of these tools allows us to enhance a student's education and really make learning meaningful. Web 2.0 tools will definitely be apart of my future classroom.