My “Favorite” Web2.0 Tools

When the internet was developed, it was mainly used as a a one-way communication tool, place to post and retrieve information. In the past few years, it has exploded into a whole other world. Web2.0 is a place to create, share, connect and most of all interact with the world. You no longer have to physically travel to another country to see it – you can go online and get real-time, live feeds to what is going on. You don’t have to go to a library and look through stacks of books to find a single piece of information – you can type in the information you are looking for and instantly be connected to billions of resources. “Snail mail” is slowly fading into history as families connect through the internet – they can not only talk to each other while on opposite sides of the world, they can see each other, too.  Face-to-face interaction is no longer required to live your daily lives, as everything you need, including education, is accessible with the click of a button.

Two Web2.0 tools I recently explored are 4Shared and VoiceThread.

4Shared is a free online storage space for all your files. You can store documents, photos, music, video, and books. You can retrieve these files from anywhere (including mobile devices), so there is no need to be tied to one computer or computer system. Better yet, you can also use 4Shared to share your files with others.  Because of the large file size you can store, there is no worry about attachment limitations through e-mail. By using a tool like this, you can make important files accessible to students, parents and colleagues, and they can retrieve the information when it is convenient to them. You can store the most recent copies of files, so students know when they retrieve the file, it is the most current copy available. This will save time looking through e-mails to determine if they have the latest copy. Accessibility to needed information is key in saving time searching, thus making time for learning.

VoiceThread is a really cool tool that lets you share a variety of files, from PDF's, pictures, documents and videos so you and your group can collaborate on the same content by leaving real voice comments on the file. Your group can use a doodle feature to draw on and highlight the file, and rewind and fast-forward videos,. This can be a powerful tool to use when you want to share one presentation for your class, but would like each individual student to comment on, or collaborate on, that one presentation. By putting it on the web, you are creating a workspace for your students to be able to access outside of class, and when they have time to do so. The particular project can then be shared in class, with parents, or be part of a student's educational portfolio.

I can see benefits of both of these tools in a educational setting, and am interested in learning the nuances of them in an actual classroom setting.