As with many of my recent Fresh Look Fridays posts, this one comes courtesy of a valuable member of my PLN. Meet Melina (@MelinaAkins) -- a fan-TAB-u-lous teacher in the Calgary area whom I've had the pleasure of not only conversing with online, but also in the more traditional face-to-face setting. Most recently, we spent some time chatting at the Calgary Teachers' Convention, where Melina shared a WONDERFUL site that I am now sharing with you!
Web 2 is essentially a Web 2.0 Tools Library, broken down first into 3 types of activities, and then with TONS of information, ideas, instructional videos on usage, etc. Simply choose one of the three options on the home page, and voila! An instant list of applicable Web 2.0 tools!
Click on the icons (when available) to get further information and support for the use of each of the tools in the list.
For example, under the collaboration section was a tool called Dipity. Never heard of it? Yeah - me neither. BUT, thanks to the creators of this website, I can quickly have access to activity ideas for using Dipity in the classroom, and watch a tutorial on how to use it.
So why do I love, love, LOVE Web 2 so much?
- For starters, could this website BE any easier to navigate? Even the most technologically challenged of those among us can follow the simple layout and get instant help for that ever-present question "When would I ever use this?"
- I find that more and more, my SMART Board/Notebook/Response/Math Tools/Ideas workshops turn into a philosophical conversation about technology in the classroom in general. And what could possibly be more at the forefront of educators' minds than "that cool thing my colleague used?" 9 times out of 10, that "cool thing" was a web 2.0 tool. The challenge with this? Finding the time to play and evaluate the tool, the links to the resources, the time to learn/master the tool and the creative application for each person's classroom. This site does all of that for you! 'Cuz really, teachers have way too much time as it is, right? ;)
- People who may have been looking for great supplements to some of the standard interactive lessons done at their SMART Board have a ready pile of resources to explore. Web 2.0 oftentimes works hand in hand with what many educators are trying to accomplish by give students more time at the board for collaboration and exploration.
Thanks again to @MelinaAkins for pointing me in the right direction with this site! Happy Friday and stay warm! (for all of you fellow Albertans that are wondering why we don't live in Arizona right now...)
Vanessa
