Web+2.0+tools

Web 2.0 Tools

Intro: Blogs Wikis - Educause explanation - [|video explanation] - del.icio.us bubbl.us - FANTASTIC! - online brainstorming - free (instead of Inspiration) [|click here] podcasts - explanation - good for teachers - [|Podcasting in Education] [|pbwiki]: A wiki is a great tool when you want collaboration but also need one 'true' version of whatever you're working on ... good for a variety of planning tasks. [|Google Docs & Spreadsheets]: This web-based word processor and spreadsheet has changed the way I write and works well when a small group needs to be able to work simultaneously on editing a doc or spreadsheet. [|Skrbl]: I'm using this tool more and more. The Graffiti Boards can be embedded in a Web or blog page and are an excellent way to enable an entire group to brainstorm on a topic. [|Visual Ranking Tool]: Administrators often need to have staff members prioritize various issues or needs. This tool from Intel makes it possible to do the ranking online and allows each individual to compare his/her results to those of the entire group.

[|VoiceThread] //"A VoiceThread is an online media album that can hold essentially any type of media (images, documents and videos) and allows people to make comments in 5 different ways - using voice (with a microphone or telephone), text, audio file, or video (with a webcam) - and share them with anyone they wish. They can even be exported to an Archival Movie for offline use on a DVD or video-enabled MP3 player. A VoiceThread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world."// [|Example of VoiceThread use in the classroom] Created by Marnie Thomas, Auckland [|VoiceThread for Education Wiki]

Getting their interest: selecting one or two participants and ask them what their interests are and how they learn and grow in those areas, and then using [|technorati] search for blogs these catagories to show how to expand their circles of knowledge and knowing using these new tools.

[|Top 100 tools] -

PD activity (based on CurtisB's course)

Collaboration: Google CEO Eric Schmidt says, "When you say 'collaboration,' the average forty-five-year-old thinks they know what you're talking about--teams sitting down, having a nice conversation with nice objectives and a nice attitude. That's what collaboration means to most people." We're talking about somehting dramatically different. The new promise of collaboration is that with peer production we will harness human skill, ingenuity, and intelligence more efficiently and effectively than anything we have witnessed previously. Sounds like a tall order. But the collective knowledge, capability, and resources embodied within broad horizontal networks of parpticipants can be mobilized to accomplish much more than one firm acting alone. Whether designing an airplane, assembling a motorcylce, or analyzing the human genome, the ability to integrate the talents of dispersed individuals and organizations is becoming //the// defining competency for managers and firms. And in the years to come, this new mode of peer production will displace traditional corporation hierarchies as the key engine of wealth creation in the economy. (p. 18)


 * Survey Tools**
 * [|SurveyMonkey]
 * [|Polldaddy]
 * [|ZohoPolls]
 * [|Zoomerang]
 * [|Vizu]
 * [|Viewlet Poll]
 * [|Stellar Survey]
 * [|Survey Scholar]
 * [|Response-o-matic] (for websites)
 * Tracking Tools**
 * [|Easycounter]Count visitors to your site.
 * [|NeoCounter]Counts visitors and country hits
 * [|Clustr Maps]Embed a map to show where visitors to your site come from.
 * [|Clocklink] Put a clock on your site to show local time. Great for collaborative global projects so students can see what time it is in their partner schools

and from Josh Catone:
 * Visual Thesaurus**
 * [|visuwords]
 * Free Graphic Organizer Software**
 * [|Gliffy]
 * [|Bubbl.us]
 * [|Mindmeister]
 * [|Mindomo]

Office Replacements
There's no software package I used more in college (or today, for that matter) than Microsoft Office. But who wants to plunk down $150 on office software? You're in college, after all, and I'm sure you can think of better uses for your cash. 5 years ago the alternative was Sun's suite, Corel's  (still not free), or a handful of even less developed offline tools. But now there are a large number of impressive web apps that can handle your academic needs. The cream of the crop are below.
 * [|Google Docs & Spreadsheets] - One of the more developed online office tools, Google only offers a word processor and spreadsheet, though there have long been rumors of a presentation tool (and recent acquisitions by the company would suggest that they are likely true).
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.zoho.com/"]] - Zoho is one of the most complete online office suites, offering more tools than you'll even find in Microsoft Office's student and teacher version.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.goffice.com/"]] - No frills gOFFICE has a very familiar look and feel.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.thinkfree.com/"]] - ThinkFree can replace Word, Excel, and Powerpoint with its suite of online apps, and they offer downloadable versions of their software as well.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.editgrid.com/"]] - EditGrid only does spreadsheets, but does them very well.



Notetaking
More and more students are bringing laptops to class. Owning a laptop is a requirement for all first-year undergraduates at the University of Denver, for example. The proliferation of portable computers means that note taking doesn't have to happen with a pad and pen. The following web apps will help you take and organize your notes.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://notemesh.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.shorttext.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://notepad.yahoo.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.yourdraft.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.mystickies.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://notetango.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.jotcloud.com/index.php"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.notecentric.com/"]]

Mind Mapping
Now you have your notes, you need to put them together. The following mind mapping/flow charting tools will help you get your thoughts in order so you can go from raw notes to polished dissertation.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://thinkature.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.mindmeister.com/"]]v
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.gliffy.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.kayuda.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://bubbl.us/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.mindomo.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://flowchart.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.comapping.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://mind42.com/"]]

Studying
So you've got your notes, and you have them all mapped out and organized, but you still need to fill in some blanks. There are a number of online study aids that exist to help you find the answers you need.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.wikipedia.org/"]] - Wikipedia should probably never be used for serious academic research, but it is a great "jumping off point." I often use Wikipedia to get quick background info on unfamiliar subjects and point me in the right direction for more in depth study.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://answers.yahoo.com/"]] - When searching the web fails, someone on Yahoo! Answers may be able to show you were to find the information you're after.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.answeru.com/"]] - AnswerU is like Yahoo! Answers for college, sadly not the most academic of sites, but you could certainly try your luck.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.sparknotes.com/"]] - SparkNotes are (mostly) free, online CliffsNotes for a large number of books. They also do test prep, mathematics, science and a number of other subjects. Of course they can't really substitute for actually reading a book, but they can help you if you're having trouble figuring out Emily Bronte. (And it turns out that many [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.cliffsnotes.com/"]] are now online for free as well!)
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://news.google.com/"]] - Google News, especially with their new [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://news.google.com/archivesearch"]], can be an invaluable research tool if you're researching a recent historical or current event.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.college-cram.com/"]] - Free online study guides for science, math, language, and business topics.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://tutorlinker.com/"]] - When all else fails, hire a tutor.



Bookmarking
With all that online studying you need a way to keep track of what you've read. Online bookmarking tools are a great way to do just that.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://del.icio.us/"]] - There are a large number of social bookmarking apps, but del.icio.us is king among them. If you don't like it, try [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.furl.net/"]], [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://ma.gnolia.com/"]], or [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.blinklist.com/"]].
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.clipmarks.com/"]] - Save just a selection of a site. Don't like Clipmarks? Try [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.web-chops.com/"]] (and read our [|reviews of both sites]).
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://wizlite.com/"]] - Highlight text in online documents the way you would in a text book. Don't like Wizlite? Try [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.i-lighter.com/"]].

Collaboration
Why study alone when you can get help from a friend? There is power in numbers.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.facebook.com/"]] - The quintessential college network can be used for more than just planning parties and dating. Facebook can be used to keep in touch with classmates, share and discuss notes, and create study groups.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.stikipad.com/"]] - A collaborative wiki service that you can use to keep track of group notes on a project.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.backpackit.com/"]] - All your notes, lists, and ideas in one shared space.

Calendars
Juggling your class schedule, extra cirricular activities, study time, and social life can be a challenge. The calendar apps below might help.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.30boxes.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.calendarhub.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.hipcal.com/"]]
 * [|Spongecell]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://calendar.yahoo.com/"]]
 * [|Google Calendar]

Calculations
What college arsenal would be complete with out a calculator?
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.calcoolate.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://calcr.com/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.e-tutor.com/et2/graphing/"]]
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.calcresult.com/"]]



Other Tools

 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.easybib.com/"]] - A tool to take the pain out creating a bibliography.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://ottobib.com/"]] - Enter the ISBN of a book, and automatically have your bibliography entry created in MLA, APA, Chicago, BibTeX, or Wikipedia style.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.zotero.org/"]] - A Firefox extension that lets you "collect, manage, and cite your research sources" from within your web browser.
 * [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.google.com/"]] - Google really is the killer research app. You can do simple math, currency conversion, get answers to questions (like "what's the population of albania?" -- it's 3.6 million), search the text of books, look at satellite maps of the place your studying, and of course, search the web. Just check out [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features.html"]]. (And [[image:http://shots.snap.com/images/v2.18.1/t.gif link="http://labs.google.com/"]] in the future.)