The Newbie’s Intermediate Web 2.0 Guide A dozen more tools to enhance your technology experience.
Written by Julie Greller, Media Specialist A Media Specialist’s Guide to the Internet http://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.com
Block Posters
With school budget cuts putting a dent in spending, it’s great to have a free online program such as Block Posters. You can easily make wall posters from any size image, simply by uploading, slicing (choosing how many sheets of paper you’d like to print out your image on) and then downloading your finished image (PDF file) for printing. You will have to cut and overlap your sheets. (Glue stick is a great help) That’s it! HINT: Print your image on photo paper and it will look even nicer! From the distance, people will think you enlarged the photo at a lab.
Blogger If you are looking to start a blog, (online journal) Blogger is one of the easiest to use. Many templates are available, and you don’t need any HTML knowledge. If you already have a G-Mail account, you can log in with your information and start creating. There is a full page devoted to help topics, and you’d be surprised how easy it is to post and add images and links. With Google AdSense, you can earn money by allowing ads on your page.
Delicious The social bookmarking site Delicious is a place for you to save and share web sites with others. You can add tags to each bookmark, making it easy to search for a subject or topic. Bookmarks are public on Delicious unless you mark certain ones private. Registration is free.
Gliffy Gliffy is a wonderful online drawing tool which lets you create Venn diagrams, organizational charts, flow charts, floor plans and more. All the work is done in your web browser, so there is no download necessary. You can collaborate on a project with others simply by sending the URL to them. NOTE: Gliffy’s free plan allows only 1 user, 5 diagrams, 2MB storage and public diagrams only. However, they have a discounted rate for academic institutions for their standard ($4.95/user/month) or pro ($9.95/user/month) versions. You can create projects which look professional.
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Go! Animate
With a special free account for educators (and up to 100 accounts) Go! Animate 4Schools is a terrific tool for teaching. You can interact with educators worldwide or use lessons from the lesson gallery. With the free account, animations you or your students create can be no longer than 2 minutes. Check out the account differences here.
Motivator Big Huge Labs has created the online program, Motivator. All you have to do is upload a photo and add an inspirational message. Then, just hang the signs in your classroom. Need ideas for messages? Click here, here, or here.
Quizlet
Make flashcards for your students with Quizlet, the “largest flash cards and study games web site with over 6 million free sets of flashcards.” You can find flash cards on the site by browsing six main categories, including languages, standardized tests, math & science, history & geography, arts & literature and professional & careers. The site has a blog, which provides updates and tips. Students can ctreate their own flash cards and share them with friends in their class. Quizlet will also test the student to see if they are prepared for class.
Rubistar Rubistar helps you create rubrics in a short amount of time. You can choose a topic and open one of the templates on the site. Editing the template is easy. You can also search for rubrics which other teachers have already made. Here’s a video tutorial on Rubistar.
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Tagxedo Word clouds (or tag clouds) are visual depictions of words or tags. If you have ever used Wordle, you’ll understand what I mean. Tagxedo takes it up a notch and makes the clouds in shapes such as stars, ovals, hearts. The official blog, “All Things Tagxedo” even has a great post on 101 ways to use the program. No matter what subject you teach, I’m sure you’ll find some way to use Tagxedo.
Wikispaces As an educator, you can sign up for a Wikispaces account and get all the features of a Plus account for free. Just provide your school e-mail address and all the upgrades which normally cost $60/year are free. So far, Wikispaces has given away 433,927 free wikis for K-12 education. Wikis are a great place for you and your students to share your lessons, ideas and more in a private environment. The Wikispaces Blog is a great place for you to learn how to use this tool.
YouTube EDU Launched in 2009, YouTube EDU lists videos from over 100 higher education organizations. Students can find free lectures, campus tours, college news and research on the site. When doing a search, results can be limited to EDU. If your school blocks YouTube, click here for 85 other educational alternatives.
Zamzar
Here’s a great online program which can save you in a pinch. Ever needed to view a file but you didn’t have the correct program? Zamzar’s list of conversion formats is long, covering video, images, docs, music formats, book formats and more! The free online file conversion takes only four steps: 1. choose the file to upload 2. choose the format to covert to 3. enter your email address 4. click “convert” When your file has been converted, you will receive an email and can download the file. The Newbie’s Intermediate Web 2.0 Guide
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