Web 2.0

Kerpoof is free multimedia software that can be used on any computer that has Internet access. The site is great because it has an area that is specifically for educators and it lists ideas and benefits for incorporating this Web 2.0 tool into your classroom. It also has lesson plans and how Kerpoof connects to the standards. You can make pictures, movies, drawings, or create stories using the Kerpoof multimedia tools. I think it would be a great application to incorporate into any elementary or middle school classroom. I think that any you could structure the lesson accordingly to the age group you are teaching, but overall it would be a great way for the students to express themselves. I think that I could use it in my classroom for story creations. We try to have the students work on retelling stories and connecting the pictures to the stories that they are creating. I think that they could use the program to create drawings to go along with the stories that they create or they could make a story using the multimedia tools on the site. Check it out at http://www.kerpoof.com .

Totlol is a great 2.0 tool that I could definitely use in my classroom. It is powered by YouTube and has pretty much the same set up, but is for children. You are able to set up your own favorite videos, keep track of ones that are watched, and block certain videos from being viewed. This would be great to incorporate into my kindergarten classroom. I am constantly searching for video clips that I can connect to the concepts that I am teaching. It is a really great way to get my 5-6 year old students excited about what we are learning and focused on the concept. Check out this Web 2.0 tool at http://www.totlol.com .

Another Web 2.0 tool that I found was ispeech. It is a tool that allows you to convert text to speech. This is a great application for me teaching kindergarten because there are so many tools that I would like to utilize within the classroom, but it is hard because my students are unable to read. One thing that ispeech does offer is the fact that you are able to take the text in your blog and convert it into a talking blog. This would be great for my students and would allow me to create a blog geared toward them that they were able to participate in. This way whatever I posted the students would be able to listen to, whether it is in centers or from at home. Check it out at http://www.ispeech.org .