Free Web Tools to Spice Up Your Class

Free Web Tools to Spice Up

Your Class

Honória BaloghInstructional Designer, Iowa Valley Community College District

Iowa English Round Table 2010

Image credit (CC): http://www.flickr.com/photos/a3aanse/4324162867/

Why this topic?• Currently teaching hybrid developmental English

using an LMS.• Working as instructional designer with various

instructors teaching OL courses.

• Trying to get organized and failing… So what can I expect from my students?

It’s my job to entertain students!

Image credit (CC): http://www.flickr.com/photos/85128884@N00/2694022573/

Image credit (CC): http://api.ning.com/files/VBE-wsjXsqC93*cKcsmBJ57Dh718dJXHY5I2R23jR*5qlU-vjCm3dpufD*fmMqjUOIh4y5fCUUMEZt14sJQdpa5KIqHtkpE*/networked.jpg

PLE?

Image credit (CC): http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosefirerising/535944177/

Web 2.0

According to Wikipedia, …• The term "Web 2.0" (2004–present) is commonly

associated with web applications that facilitate – interactive information sharing, – interoperability, – user-centered design,

– and collaboration on the World Wide Web.

Examples of Web 2.0• web-based communities• hosted services• web applications• social-networking sites• video-sharing sites• wikis • blogs• mashups• folksonomies

Examples of Web 2.0• web-based communities• hosted services• web applications• social-networking sites• video-sharing sites• wikis • blogs• mashups• folksonomies

What do you use

?

Encyclopedia Britannica Online vs. Wikipedia

• Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0• Expert-created static articles released periodically

in publications vs. user-created and critiqued content which is constantly changing

Wikipedia in my classroom • Used for topic generation• Used for directing further research (info to be

supported/refuted)• Used as a source of additional research (replacing

keyword entry in search engine)• Used to develop critical thinking skills• Collaborative projects?• Others?

Image credit (CC): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Wikipedia-logo.svg/600px-Wikipedia-logo.svg.png

Creative Commons• License launched in 2002• Used as the legal and technical standard for OER

(Open Educational Resources)– Creative Commons opens up educational resources so

that they are accessible, as well as adaptable, interoperable, and discoverable.

• Creativecommons.org

Who uses Creative Commons?• MITOpenCourseWare• Connexions Repository• P2PU – Peer 2 Peer University• Search Engines (Bing, Google, Yahoo…)• Flickr• … and others

Image credit (CC): http://www.flickr.com/photos/prof_jourde/4164476086/

OER – Wikibooks?• Free library of educational textbooks that anyone

can edit• Movement toward no more traditional textbooks in

class? E-books? Free books?

• Example: http://simple.wikibooks.org/wiki/English/Table_of_contents– Grammar, syntax, parts of speech, etc.

Mind Maps• Brainstorming and organizing information• MindOmo.com• and many more…

ToonDoo

ToonDoo

Image credit (CC): http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/1410105

Audacity

Google Docs

Social Bookmarking

From http://delicious.com/about

Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows users to tag, save, manage and share web pages from a centralized source.

With emphasis on the power of the community, Delicious greatly improves how people discover, remember and share on the Internet.

•Bookmark any site on the Internet, and get to it from anywhere•Share your bookmarks, and get bookmarks in return•Discover the most useful and interesting bookmarks on the web

Image credit (CC): http://blog.delicious.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/deliciousblog.gif

delicious.com

Jing! • Screen capture• Handout: http://www.slideshare.net/honoria9/jing-it-

presentation

SlideShare.Net

Questions?http://www.slideshare.net/honoria9