Web+2.0+tools

There are many web 2.0 tools available for starters I would like to introduce RSS feeds and how they can be useful both personally and professionally today along with classroom application for them as well. RSS is real simple syndication, simply put, is that information comes to you, you know longer have to go looking for it, it is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. Many news-related sites, weblogs and other online publishers syndicate their content as an RSS Feed to whoever wants it. RSS feed icons look like this you would use a rss feed reader such as [|google reader], [|bloglines], [|netvibes], [|yahoo reader]as your aggregator, the benefit if using an online aggregator is it enables you to access it from anywhere you have an internet connection. You can subscribe to news feeds, blogs, and podcasts of whatever you are interested in. Here is a video, RSS in plain english, which is a good summary of what RSS is and how you can use it. media type="youtube" key="0klgLsSxGsU"

Web 2.0 applications there are so many of these available we are going to go over several, what they are their uses and how to create accounts. [|Google docs] Click this link to go to google to create your account, this will enable you to use all of the features available in google, the docs, spreadsheets, google reader, google notebook, blogger, create a custom search engine, gmail and many more features. Google docs allows you to share documents either for review or for collaboration with others you invite to share the documents. As a classroom teacher you could use this for collaboration time with other grade levels teachers throughout the district. No more emailing attachments and trying to figure out who made the last changes. With this service multiple users are able to work at the same time and the documents are updated as you go. What could be easier! [|Pageflakes] - This site allows you use RSS to subscribe to content from newpapers worldwide, podcasts, blogs you can create a bookmark section each different section on your page is a flake, add as many as you want, update or delete as often as you want. Create a different page for each class or section you teach, students will have current information, information you deem valuable at their fingertips anywhere they have access to a computer. Add a flake and add a feed having information come to you couldn't be easier! [|Box.net] This is an online storage site, you can sign up for a free account, save your files and be able to access them from any computer anywhere, no VPN? No problem! Your files are always accessible. Have students who do not have flash drives or computers at home but are able to get to the library, have them create an account and they are able to work on assignments outside of school anywhere they have access to a computer with internet access. Students who work collaboratively on projects in your classroom have ht ability to share the files they work on without violating the AUP, all they have to do is create a folder and share it with whoever is working with them.