Thing #11

There is SO much fun stuff on the web (related to Web 2.0 or not), I decided these next couple of weeks we would take a look at several sites.  You may already be familiar with some of these sites, or they might all be new.  Take a look and spend some time exploring the sites below. 

Wordle
Flash Card Exchange
Animoto
Comiqs

To complete Thing #11, spend some time exploring the websites above.  Then, with Thing #11 as your subject or heading, share your thoughts on the four Web 2.0 tools.  Would you use any of them with your students?  Would you use them personally?  What do you think the benefits and disadvantages are of using these kinds of tools with your students?

Thing #10

One of the challenges of this new Web 2.0 landscape is how to give proper credit to the creators of material.  By definition, Web 2.0 is all about multiple people creating and sharing information, so where do the copyright rules come in to play?  Our traditional understanding of copyright, and even of fair use guidelines, just don't cut it in this Web 2.0 world.  That's where Creative Commons comes in.  It was developed as a way of sharing intellectual property, whether that is in the form of text, pictures, video, audio, or a combination of all of these.  Watch the two videos below to get a little more understanding of what Creative Commons is and why it was created (it will take you about 10 minutes to watch both).





Now go to the Creative Commons website to explore the different licenses that are available to those who want to share their work.

To complete Thing #10, watch the videos and explore the Creative Commons website.  Then, with Thing #10 as your subject or heading, explore your thoughts about Creative Commons.  Does it seem like a good idea?  Would you use and/or talk about it with students?  Do you think it would help or hinder students' understanding of copyright law and attributing the information they use to its original creator?

Thing #9

This week we're looking at another web 2.0 tool that was originally designed for personal use but may have use in the classroom as well.  Several online cataloging tools have been developed in the past several years.  Each of them is comparable in that they allow you to create an online catalog of your own and connect you to other people who have similar libraries and reading tastes.  Three of the most popular sites are GoodReads, Shelfari, and LibraryThing.  For this thing, you should go to each site, read the "How It Works" section or take the tour, and choose one in which to create an account.

To provide full disclosure, I should say I have created an account with LibraryThing.  My user name is ryoder.  Although I haven't fully kept up with it, I decided to try it as a way of remembering the books I read and what they're about.  I find that sometimes when I'm recommending a book to a student, even if I've read the book, I can't give enough detail to make that student interested in also reading the book.

To complete Thing #9, explore the three online cataloging tools and create an account with one of them.  Add five to ten books to your account.  Then, using Thing #9 as your subject or heading, state which tool you chose to use, and if you're comfortable, share your user name so the rest of us can see what is on your bookshelf.  Explain your impressions of the site you used and what, if any, application you see this kind of tool having in your environment.
Just for fun (optional)...add a widget or link from your blog to your online catalog.