Media Rich Blogs

I registered for Apture after reading about it in Will Richardson's Weblogg-ed. This program allows you to create media rich blogs and web sites by adding some code which enables you to link to images, maps, video, pictures, powerpoint, and even documents.

Visit my other blog where I am experimenting with Apture. Think of the possibilities for using interactive blogs; professional development, student projects .....

Below is a quicktime movie made with Camtasia to demonstrate how Apture enhances my blog.

Interesting Site - Speaking Avatar

Create your own speaking avatar and add it to your blog or website!
You have several options for adding sound.

1. Record directly into the program
   
2. Record and edit using Audacity
   
3. Type the text and choose a computer voice
   

Imagine the possibilities in an educational setting!

Helen Otway summarizes a discussion about Voki avatars in the classroom.


Get a Voki now!

Podcasting Explained

Another video from Common Craft! Their videos provide short and understandable explanations of technology subjects.

Podcasting in Plain English


Do you subscribe to podcasts? Visit the iTunes store to find education podcasts.

Web 2 Tools - Wikis

Blogs are a great communication tool for individuals to share information with others. But what can you use for collaborative student projects?

Wikis are a great tool for collaborative projects in the classroom. Students can edit pages, add links and upload files. Two wiki programs that I have used are PBwiki and Wikispaces.

PBwikis are easy to setup and the education version is ad free. Click here to learn more about the features available in PBwiki.

Wikispaces has developed materials for teachers that explain how to create wikis and provides examples of real projects. Wikispaces is ad free. Click here to go to their help page for K-12 teachers.

Using Web 2 Tools

1. Opened iGoogle to read my blogs
2. Read a post by David Warlick describing "Web Tools 4 U 2 Use" wiki
3. The topics on the Web Tools 4 U 2Use include Audio & Podcasting, Blogs, Calendars, Management & To Do Lists, Drawing, Charting & Mapping Tools, and much more.
4. Here is a quiz that I found on the Quiz and Polling Tools page

Ning in Education Videos

Find more videos like this on Ning in Education

Social networks in Education

I have been reading about Ning networks as a way to share ideas with others.

Classroom 2.0 is a Ning for educators who are interested in Web 2 and collaborative technologies.

Read this blog posted on the Classroom 2.0 site which describes how students used art, videos and blogs to focus attention on social issues in their community. Creating networks of purpose

The IL-TCE social network continued the discussion and collaboration following the 2008 Conference.

We are going to explore the possibility of creating a Ning network for a student project and invite the parents to participate.

• Forum for students, teachers, and parents
  
• Collaboration
  
• Sharing