Web 2.0 tools

I've spent the summer going doing research and going to workshops to gain more knowledge on using web 2.0 tools in the classroom.  I always wondered why they call them web 2.0 tools.  Well, when the web was first created, it was used for research and to gain knowledge in a variety of topics.  Now, there are many sites out there that are interactive in nature.  These sites still help students gain knowledge, but through interacting with learning instead of just reading about it.  These sites are called web 2.0.

I have spent many hours this summer visiting sites on a variety of subjects and have compiled the following list of my favorite web 2.0 sites.  The topics I have compiled so far are: Student Engagement, Collaboration, Math, English/Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science.  I will also be researching sites on Art, Foreign Language, Business, and more, and will post those when I get the list compiled.

I hope you enjoy the sites I have found.  If you have a favorite site, please leave a comment, and I can add it to the list.

Student Engagement:

These sites can be used for a variety of subject areas.

• Voki -  Create Talking Avatars that you can animate to demonstrate learning (summarizing text, speaking as an animal (habitat, predators, etc.), historical figures, explaining how to do something like a science experiment or math problem; or, teachers can use it to provide feedback in a creative way.
• Museum Box -  create historical museum box for historical figures, time periods, characters in a book, etc.  Contains teacher resources and lesson plan ideas.  Students can add rationales to explain why they chose certain pictures, quotes, etc.
• Audioboo App -  provide oral feedback for your students.  Record on mobile device or PC, add images, embed on website, use as a podcast.
• Classroom Blogs
• Blogger - Google's blogspot
• Word Press - This requires a download to create your blog site
• Glogster Edu - A blog dedicated to only educators and their students
• Edublogs - A blog dedicated to only educators and their students
• Learning Management Systems - An online place to post assignments, display calendars, announce news, etc. for your students and parents to see and respond to in forums.
• Moodle
• Edmodo
• Educational Videos
• Khan Academy -  video clips for teaching or reviewing lessons. Some teachers are actually “flipping their classrooms” by assigning video clips as homework to do the actual teaching and during class time is when students apply what they have learned with the teacher guiding them through their learning process.
• Ted-Ed -  Free talks/speeches, ELA common core for speaking/listening, argument writing, introducing a new unit of study;  use videos to engage students and help them master new ideas (similar to Khan Academy).
• Discovery Streaming - video clips and full videos for teaching or reviewing lessons, professional development, quiz builder, assignment builder for online activity/web-based projects, interactive map, and more.
• YouTube - Google now partners with YouTube so you can create channels and favorites for easy access through your Google account.  There's even a teacher side to YouTube that you can browse (YouTube EDU and YouTube Teachers).
• Teacher Tube - A wide variety of videos on various educational topics.
• Learner.org - video clips for all subject areas.
• National Geographic - Science videos and clips.
• Free Documentary TV - A free website full of documentaries on historical topics as well as science, psychology, and the arts.
• EduTube - Educational Videos on a variety of topics.
• Neo K-12 - Educational videos, games, and lessons.
• Presentation Sites
• Prezi - Create dynamic presentations online; add pictures, music, and more!
• Animoto - Turn photos, images, and/or slides into a dynamic slideshow
• Google - Each student can make presentations (like PowerPoint) in Google Presentations.  They can share it with the teacher for evaluation and share it with classmates for collaboration projects.
• Virtual Fieldtrips -
• UEN -  Teachers can use ready-made virtual field trips or create their own.  This site also includes interactive games for students to practice a variety of topics.
• Students can also create their own virtual field trips to a variety of places by usingGoogle Maps, Google Earth, Microsoft Live Maps, etc. and researching different places along the way.
• Sheppard's Software - Amazing site that covers a variety of subject areas for preK-high school.
• Xtranormal -  reinvent lectures with Xtranormal.  Students are more engaged in learning than ever before.  One exciting thing to do with this is to have students debate topics (as needed in CCSS).
• Funschool - Fun and Educational games and activities for elementary students.  There is even a preschool area of this site.
• Brain Flips - Create flash cards or use ready-made flash cards for a variety of subjects.
• Brain Pop - Animations and interactive games to demonstrate a variety of subjects.
• Go Animate - Animate your own videos.
• Cookie.com - This site is geared towards preK-2nd grade students.  It includes reading, math, science, and arts/craft games and activities.  It also includes projectable books and videos.
• Kids Know It - Videos, games, printables, and more on spelling, math, science, and social studies.

Collaboration:

• Google  - Docs, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Forms - students can create documents, charts, presentations, and more and collaborate in real-time
• Zoho Projects -  wikis, project chats, project forums, document storage, task lists, and more
• Social Networking Sites -

• Facebook - Teachers can create class pages
• Connect Yard - social media platform
• Twiducate - Educational Platform for Social Networking like Twitter, but safer
• Wikis - create a sandbox (area for students to read, post, and share)
• Wikispaces
• Primary Pad - Collaborative text editor.  Teachers and students can work together in real-time
• Stixy - Upload files, create sticky notes, create a photo album - collaborate
• Lino It - Online post-It notes
• Wallwisher - Online notice board maker; Similar to a post-it note board.

Math:

All Grade Levels:

• InstaCalc Online Calculator - From a basic calculator to a scientific calculator to unit conversions, this site has many choices for all grade levels.
• Johnnie's Math Page - Online practice games for math (including counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, geometry, place value, decimals, integers, operations, and functions).
• Chart Gizmo - Create free online charts.
• National Library of Virtual Manipulatives - A wide variety of manipulatives to use on the interactive whiteboard or for students to use while completing classwork.  
• Khan Academy - Videos to explain math topics.
• Create a Graph - Kids can choose from a variety of graphs to create for a variety of projects.
• Illuminations - Resources and interactive activities for teaching all types of math topics.
• IXL - Interactive math practice organized by learning standards.  

Elementary (PreK-4)

• Arcademic Skill Builders - Online practice games for elementary math topics.
• Tutpup - Compete online against students all over the world in elementary math topics.  
• Crickweb - Online interactive math resources and games.
• Math Playground - Practice math facts, complete logic puzzles, or build your own practice worksheets.
• ABCya - This site offers free reading and math games for grades K-5.  All activities were created or approved by teachers.
• PBS Kids - This site offers videos and interactive learning games.
• Fun Brain - Reading and math games.
• Utah Education Network - Interactive games for practicing math topics (K-2).
• Utah Education Network - Interactive games for practicing math topics (3-6).

Intermediate/Middle (5-8)

• ABCya - This site offers free reading and math games for grades K-5.  All activities were created or approved by teachers.
• Math Playground -  Practice math facts, complete logic puzzles, or build your own practice worksheets.
• Tutpup - Compete online against students all over the world in elementary math topics as well as algebra.
• Utah Education Network - Interactive games for practicing math topics (3-6).
• Utah Education Network - Interactive games for practicing math topics (7-12).
• Gooru - Video clips and lesson plans on a variety of math topics for middle and high school.  Click on the word "Library" on the main page of the site to view the topics available.
• Get the Math - Let students see how Algebra is used in the real world (fashion, restaurants, music, video games, basketball, and special effects) by going to this site.
• Fun Brain - Reading and math games.

High School (9-12)

• Num Sum - Online Spreadsheets.
• Archimy - a service for drawing graphs for all kinds of functions
• Utah Education Network - Interactive games for practicing math topics (7-12).
• Just Math Tutorials - Videos on a wide variety of math topics from Algebra to Calculus to Trigonometry and more.
• Gooru - Video clips and lesson plans on a variety of math topics for middle and high school.  Click on the word "Library" on the main page of the site to view the topics available.
• Get the Math - Let students see how Algebra is used in the real world (fashion, restaurants, music, video games, basketball, and special effects) by going to this site.

English/Language Arts (ELA):

All grade levels:

• Google - Using the students' Google accounts, students can write and collaborate with others.  Have students "share" their work with the teacher, so the teacher can see revisions and add comments.
• Storybird -  Storybirds are short, art-inspired stories you make to share, read, and print. Read them like books, play them like games, and send them like greeting cards.
• Quizlet -  Create online quizzes and flash cards for vocabulary or class concepts.  Students can review the vocabulary and play games with the words online.  Also, students could create their own flash cards.
• Tutpup -  Compete against kids from all over the world in spelling.  This site is free and totally safe.
• Xtranormal -  reinvent lectures with Xtranormal.  Students are more engaged in learning than ever before.  One exciting thing to do with this is to have students debate topics (as needed in CCSS).
• Sharendipity - Students can play a variety of ELA games or create one of their own.
• Bubbl.us -  Students can create their own graphic organizer webs to keep track of their brainstorming or to show their learning on a topic.
• VocabAhead -  Great for ELL students; has audio and video to illustrate vocabulary words.

Elementary (PreK-4)

• Jayzee Bear - A preschool site for reading games.
• StarFall - Interactive games and books.  Teachers can use these as interactive whiteboard activities or students can interact individually with the activities.
• Scratch -  Create your own interactive stories, animations, or games and share your creations on the web.  Geared for elem/middle or even ELL or special needs students in high school.
• Kerpoof -  students can draw and create stories - This site is made by Disney and is geared towards elementary students.
• Highlights for Kids - The popular magazine offers a terrific site for reading activities.
• ABCya - This site offers free reading and math games for grades K-5.  All activities were created or approved by teachers.
• Bembo's Zoo - An exciting way to learn the alphabet.
• Tagxedo - Turns groups of words into artistic, engaging word clouds
• Wordia - Games and activities for vocabulary fun
• Spelling City - Create your own spelling lists or use ones that are already made.  Students can play spelling games with the word lists.
• PBS Kids - This site offers videos and interactive learning games.
• Scholastic - Learning games, printables, and videos.
• Fun Brain - Reading and math games.

Intermediate/Middle (5-8)

• ABCya - This site offers free reading and math games for grades K-5.  All activities were created or approved by teachers.
  
• Scratch -  Create your own interactive stories, animations, or games and share your creations on the web.  Geared for elem/middle or even ELL or special needs students in high school.
• VisuWords - An online graphical dictionary.  This shows students definitions and relationships to other words.
  
• Conjugation - A fast and fun conjugation engine.  Gives parts of speech and how to use the words in sentences.
• Museum Box - Build an argument or description by filling a virtual museum box with resources.
• Acapela - Set text to audio with fun characters and backgrounds.
• Spelling City - Create your own spelling lists or use ones that are already made.  Students can play spelling games with the word lists.
• Scholastic - Games based on favorite book titles, interactive quizzes and polls.
• Fun Brain - Reading and math games.

High School (9-12)

• Capzules - Capture different images, videos, and more and place them in an animated timeline.
• Notaland - Create slideshows and collaborative wikis.
• BitStrips - Curriculum-connected activities and comic-making.
• Open Library - A great source of authentic documents and online books on a variety of subjects.

Social Studies:

All Levels

• History Channel - A variety of videos for a variety of history topics
• America on the Move - This site, hosted by the Smithsonian Institution, teaches students about transportation in America and the changes transportation made on American cities.  It includes interactive games for students and learning resources for teachers.
• Smithsonian's History Explorer - Contains a wide variety of lessons and interactives.   Also, this site includes downloadable history stories to share in with your students.
• PBS Teachers - Lessons, activities, and games for all grade levels.
• ePals - Connect with classrooms from around the world.  Excellent way to learn a different language and culture.  Also, a terrific way to practice writing skills.
• Econ Edlink - Lots of videos on a variety of economic topics.
• National Geographic Education - A variety of videos, map making activities, and more.
• Scribble Maps - Draw on maps and share them with others.

Elementary (K-4)

• Animaps - Create your own animated maps.
• Time Capsule - Create a time capsule for any date from 1800 - 2003.
• Missouri Kids - Students learn about the history, symbols, and government of Missouri through interactive activities.
• Kids.gov - The government site for kids includes games and videos about the U.S. government and more.

Intermediate/Middle (5-8)

• Bio - The Biography Channel website offers many biographies and videos on historical figures.
• Animaps - Create your own animated maps.
• The Living Room Candidate - Presidential election commercials from 1952 - present.  Students can learn about the election process, view  actual commercials used in various elections and even create their own election ad.

High School (9-12)

• Bio - The Biography Channel website offers many biographies and videos on historical figures.
• Open Library - A great source of authentic documents and online books on a variety of subjects.
• Historical Newspapers Online -  links to historical U.S. newspapers that are available online at no cost.
• The Living Room Candidate - Presidential election commercials from 1952 - present.  Students can learn about the election process, view  actual commercials used in various elections and even create their own election ad.

Science:


All Grade Levels

• NASA.gov - Science activities on earth science and space for all grade levels.
• The Cassiopeia Project - Free videos on biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, space, and more.
• Science Buddies - A site to help with K-12 science fair projects.  Also includes classroom activities on a variety of science topics.

Elementary (K-4)

• The Weather Channel - This site has games about weather and climate.  Some of the links don't work and there are outdated ads, but the games are still worth using.
• Eco Kids - This site is from Canada so some of the words are spelled differently, but this is a great interactive site to teach environmental topics.
• Science Up Close - Although this site is correlated to the Harcourt textbooks, this site has a lot of free videos and activities that can be easily integrated into your curriculum.
• Exploritorium - Hands-on activities, videos, and online interactives for a variety of science and art topics.
• Foss - Foss kits have come to the web.  Interactive games and lessons for K-4.
• Discovery Kids - Many interactive games for elementary science topics.

Intermediate/Middle (5-8)

• Eco Kids - This site is from Canada so some of the words are spelled differently, but this is a great interactive site to teach environmental topics.
• Science Up Close - Although this site is correlated to the Harcourt textbooks, this site has a lot of free videos and activities that can be easily integrated into your curriculum.
• Foss - Foss kits have come to the web.  Interactive games and lessons for 5-8.
• Freezeray - This site contains many simulations on a variety of science topics.

High School (9-12)

• Vision Learning -  A set of peer-reviewed materials for learning science including modular readings, interactive multimedia, and a glossary - all available for free on the web in both English and Spanish.
• Molecular Workbench -  Explore physics, chemistry, biology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology with interactive simulations.
• Lab Outloud - Free Podcasts for a variety of science topics
• Get Body Smart - Interactive tutorials and quizzes on anatomy and physiology.
• Freezeray - This site contains many simulations on a variety of science topics.