Web 2--An Endless Source of Entertainment and Education

Mostly, this post is going to be about links, links, links.  There is so much out there on the Interactive Internet for both productivity and time-wasting, that I'm mainly interested in showing you different things you can use and then letting you just play with them.

To narrow this session down, I began by asking myself what Web 2 tools I use most and which ones I just would not want to give up.  Then, my phone buzzed and it was a new message from Twitter.  Hmm....that's a really good place to start.

Twitter is a microblog site.  Basically, you can send and receive messages of not more than 140 characters, or the same length as a text message.  Whohoo, you say.  Why do I need one more way to get text messages when I can barely keep up with the ones my kids send me?  Professional Development.  Put another way, Twitter is a really, really effective way to grow your Personal Learning Network.  I know very few of my Twitterverse face to face, but they are all people I learn from, some on a daily basis. Let's take a look...

A term you will be hearing more and more often is "cloud computing."  No there's isn't some nefarious plan by Gates and Jobs to turn the ionosphere into a giant mainframe.  Cloud computing refers to internet-based applications and storage.  Google Docs are a great example of computing in the cloud.  This blog is a great example of computing in the cloud.  I don't have to have anything installed on my computer to create content and what I do create gets saved somewhere in the cloud.  Another really nice example is Windows Live, something you may have noticed is being integrated into Hotmail. 

And, now for something completely different:  Matzoh Ball

For your edification, or to figure out what your children are saying in their texts to you NetLingo 


Here's a paperless way to publish student work in journal form;  Youblisher

One for the "Wow" factor and a terrific illustration of how technology can make the distant become immediate.  Panoramic tour of the Sistine Chapel.

There's been a lot of talk about the various Google toys.  One that hasn't gotten a lot of press but is a nice survey/collaboration tool is Google Moderator I've created a Moderator discussion that I'd love to have your feedback on.

Other Interactive Internet sites you might find useful:
Flikr  Photo sharing social network.  Can be searched by copyright permissions.

Snagfilms Watch documentaries for free.  Very high-quality films, many foreign.

SafeShareTV  Enter the URL of a YouTube video you want to share and watch it without all the advertising.You can also crop out inappropriate content.


Scriblink Online interactive whiteboard.  Great way to collaborate, and that's not just for classrooms.

Voo2do Shareable to-do list.  Assign tasks, add tasks, delete them when they are complete.