Web 2.0
VWCC July 2007
"I'd like to talk to you about diarrhea."
So began a popular news time commercial from my youth. I've always been a mighty fine little consumer. I can spout back in amazing detail commercials from thirty and forty years ago. It's one of my special talents.
Coming up next week, I'm placing myself out there in an alien world. I'll be stepping in front of a class of adults at a local community college to teach material in which I am by no means completely competent.
Web 2.0
Do you know what it is? I didn't think so. Welcome to my world. Some time between now and this coming Monday, I'd better figure it all out.
So I thought I'd use this space tonight to bounce around a few thoughts and begin coalescing my teaching strategy.
In general my happy class of seven will most likely not know as much as I know. This should put me at an advantage. However, I've never worked in the college's computer lab. This places me at a disadvantage. Since the whole idea of Web 2.0 is radically evolving into Web 3.0 and beyond, I figure that the class can operate as an open laboratory in which my students can try new things and work on developing applications for the classroom or for their personal lives.
I believe that I'll start with a very popular YouTube video...
I might end my three day class with this funny little spoof on Web 2.0...
Of course, then I keep finding really cool nerdy, geeky videos. This one is from the Google guy, Eric Schmidt. He's having a conversation with us.
More and more video shorts keep popping up. Thanks to Diane below, I've been pointed to the following video clips.
Speaking of conversations. I've come hear the words of of techno-prophets, David Warlick and Will Richardson. Will is the one who likes to refer to the web today as a conversation.
Will is always discussing trends and attempting to push the future with his growing audience. He's especially adept at blogging and molding podcasts and wiki's.
David Warlick
David is a curious experimenter who isn't afraid of new horizons.
I plan to delve in to many of my favorite places and just have my students explore. Here's a list with a brief description of each. By no means is this list comprehensive or static.
VWCC July 2007
Music
The most fascinating radio site on the web. Set up channels based on a music artist. Pandora will find music that matches that style. Then you can either give it a thumbs up or down. Eventually, Pandora learns what music you like.
My personal favorite radio site. You plug in an artist and seeqpod finds music by that artist on the web. You can piece together playlists much in the same manner as iTunes. The cool thing is that seeqpod finds obscure recordings of your artist as well as popular tracks.
One of the oldest radio sites on the web.
Social Networking
What is there to say. On MySpace, you set up a page and personalize it with your content and populate it with your friends.
This is the big boy MySpace. You need a school web address to secure an account. It operates much in the same manner as MySpace
Some say this site is the future. It’s a virtual world that you can have your avatar join. You can wander around looking for adventure. Some say that education “islands” will radically change the nature of education in the near future.
Video
The hands down dominant force on the Internet regarding video. “End Users” provide an almost endless array of video content to be digested. Some is junk; some is masterful.
YouTube with a twist. End Users earn cash based on traffic on their provided videos.
Randomness comes alive. Similar to Pandora. You choose a topic. It begins parading videos onto your screen. You vote them up or down. It learns what you like.
Absolute goofiness. You add dialogue to short snippets from very bad Inia (Bombay) films. The results are sharable and riotess.
Photo
The photo standard site. Upload, store, and share photos. View photos from other people. Comment on them.
A refined search engine designed to bring forth more relevant photos on Flickr.
Photo site much like Flickr; however, it is heavily tagged.
A well-designed photo store and share site. Easy to use and navigate.
The GooglePlex
The Beast
All the rage two years ago. Incredible satellite images and melded with detailed maps. The resulting interactive media captures kids’ imaginations.
Solid application similar to Mapquest.
The new Google world where the end user stores specific content on one home page.
Instantly scans world and national news and brings you the stories you desire quickly.
An application in the Google suite that allows you to create and share Word and Excel documents and share them with people of your choice. The people you invite can edit and modify the documents allowing you to conference and collaborate.
Google’s liberating email service. As with many things it’s by invitation only since it’s in double secret beta testing.
Find It and Mark it
A “metacrawler” search site that is child friendly. While this site could be classified as Web 1.0, it is extremely well organized and easy to use.
Another Web 1.0 application, but it offers a way to easily manage and harness the Internet for kids.
The world of Tags comes alive. Find almost any kind of media by using a standard search or by utilizing Tags.
Portaportal on steroids. Find and share interesting Internet sites. Organize your bookmarks and Tag them.
Users submit content and share it with others. Others view it. Digg ranks the views. People talk about the content. Very hip and Web 2.0.
Allows the user to expand keywords for more effective searching.
Trackstar
Allows a teacher to develop lesson tracks for interactive teaching.
Communicate and Share
One of the major blog services out there. Easy to use and full of functionality.
Blogs for educators.
More Blogs for educators.
Even more blogs for educators.
Learn about just about anything. Develop content. Share content. Beware of content.
One of the more cool sites on the Internet.
The world’s greatest “How To” manual. Loads of fun. Hours of laughs. Incredible tips.
Wiki site recently acquired by Google. New registrations are closed, but the service allows for a greater content flexibility.
Express yourself. Share your feelings and beliefs. Read others feelings and beliefs. Connect with people.
Easily take photographs and narrate them or comment on them. Search for other’s photo stories.
Center for Digital Storytelling
Want to know what it’s all about? This site explains digital storytelling in great detail.
David Warlick has developed a site that provides interactive links to technology conferences.
Podcast
Clever, simple, easy podcast creation host. Free or fee. You can even create a podcast using your telephone.
The industry leader (but limited) podcast site. Create. Find. Share.
Free music for your podcasts. Works are under creative commons license.
RSS
Google's news aggregator. It allows you to subscribe to blogs, podcasts, etc and then allows you to view all new content in one location.
It allows you to subscribe to blogs, podcasts, etc and then allows you to view all new content in one location.
It allows you to subscribe to blogs, podcasts, etc and then allows you to view all new content in one location.
Cool and Fun
You can find about anything you want. It’s all free and copyright-free. Their music selections are awesome. The site is so huge it sometimes bogs down.
The site where you can apply for a special license for your created works. Their licenses clearly spell out for users how they are allowed to use your stuff.
Just a little hilarity.
A fine example of today’s interactive Web 2.0 webpage.
More hilarity with a purpose.
Indispensable for academics writing papers. From David Warlick
A great tool for children to allow them to see related words. Such visualization fosters more powerful written constructions.
My personal favorite weather site that no one knows about. This real-time site collects rainfall data from all over the region and displays it.
Photo mosaic comes alive. You’ll need to download the free program.
A grand Web book discussion. Share your favorites. Learn about more books than you ever dreamed.
Another grand book discussion
Swap your used books. Talk about books.
The most incredible movie database in the world. Becoming more interactive all the time.
A student note-taking service. Allows easy integration of notes into a Facebook account.
Try not to go insane as you play real time flight controller for real flights. Track them all.
Information
Mashable: Social Networking News
This site sponsors the Social Networking Awards. It has an excellent reference list of popular Web 2.0 sites.
A little diversion that taps into the undercurrent of American society. What is Technology's impact on society? How has technology affected what people know?
Technology resource site for teachers.
The Read/Write Web
Excellent resource on everything Web 2.0
5 comments:
Newt, Thanks for such a comprehensive list! I'll also be stepping out of my (Librarian) comfort zone next fall to teach a Current Events class, using a variety of tech tools. Have you seen the Commoncraft clips explaining RSS, Wikis, and Social Networking?
http://librariesinteract.info/2007/07/01/rss-wikis-and-social-networking-explained-simply/
I plan to use these with students AND teachers.
There is also a Special Report on Global Literacy in Newsweek that could be used in a variety of instructional situations.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19389357/site/newsweek/
Please keep us posted on the progress of your class.
Happy Fourth!
diane
http://dmcordell.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the tips and treats Diane! I'll load those links into my conversation. There's no stopping CyberSmarties!
Hope your summer is going well.
thom
Newt, Just saw another excellent Web 2.0 and tech tools post on my Google Reader. This one's from the UK:
http://teaching.mrbelshaw.co.uk/index.php/2007/07/06/using-podcasts-blogs-wikis-and-new-media-to-solve-learning-problems/
My del.ici.ous list keeps growing!
diane
Newt, Last post today, I promise! (that Google Reader keeps me hopping)
Joyce Valenza's latest NeverEndingSearch post links to NECC presentations
ttp://joycevalenza.edublogs.org/2007/07/06/necc-if-you-missed-the-thrill-of-being-there/
My dream is to attend the San Antonio NECC next year - have you ever have the chance to be a part of this conference?
diane
Thanks for all of the links. I'm using them to build my presentation that begins Monday. Nothing like the last minute, but that's how I normally operate.
I would also like to attend NECC. I had the opportunity with Meg and the girls from Roanoke County to attend NCAECT (North Carolina...we're not far from the VA/NC border) Conference this past April. It was there that we sat in the main conference room and listened non-stop to Will Richardson and David Warlick for two days. They made quite an impression on me.
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