Thing+12

= Welcome to Thing 12! =

You will be learning
 * a host of project web 2.0 tools
 * how to use these tools professionally
 * how to use these tools with your students

Overview
No more scissors and glue for projects in your classrooms! These project tools span a wide range of categories, and they are great for students to create and for you to use as part of instruction. The sampling that are listed are only a few of the many project tools available, but all of these have been successfully used in classrooms.

[|Jog the Web]allows you to create webBooks that guide students through web pages that you have selected. You are able to include the website along with questions, and the student will be alerted if they try to leave the Jog the Web site. It helps keep students on track and because of this, Jog the Web is wonderful for creating WebQuests.

Watch this video for tips on how to get started using Jog the Web. media type="custom" key="10641238" Visit the [|EdVoices Blog]to learn how one teacher is using Jog the Web. Visit the [|Jog the Web Blog]for information about updates and new ways to use this web 2.0 tool.

Tagxedoand Wordle are websites that allow you to create word clouds using text that you provide. The clouds make a grouping of words, and the words that have been repeated appear larger. Wordle is very simple to use, but you do not have much control over the font or color. If you use Tagxedo, you can change the color, font, and layout of your cloud.

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Watch this video for a tutorial of Tagxedo. media type="custom" key="10643260"

Here is an example of a Tagxedo word cloud that I created for the book //Forge// by Laurie Halse Anderson. The words are a summary of the story.

Glogster Edu is an electronic poster website. Students can combine photos, text, and links to websites into an electronic poster format. These posters can be saved, printed and embedded into blogs and websites. Glogster offers many different background options, fonts, and colors. It has many features that are wonderful for classrooms, including creating groups for your students and giving them specific usernames and passwords. Glogster is free on a limited basis and can be purchased if you would like to use it with all of your students. If you would like a totally free option, Nota works basically the same way. It is not as classroom friendly as Glogster.

What is Glogster, and what can I do with it? media type="custom" key="10694316"

This is an example of a Glog that a student created. media type="custom" key="10694284"

[|ComicMaster] allows you to create your own graphic novels. Students can add graphics and text to create their own stories. Visit the [|iLearn Technology Blog] for more information about ComicMaster!

Ideas for the Classroom

 * These websites speak for themselves, and they have countless uses in the classroom.
 * Use them as project ideas for your students or as ways to deliver information to your students.

Your Task
For this thing you will be using one of the project tools that we talked about. Sign up for a free account and create a product that you can use in your classroom using the tool. Post a link to your creation on Edmodo.

Extra Credit
For extra credit, sign up for a free account using another tool that we talked about. Create a product that you can use in your classroom using the tool that you select. It is not required, but we would love to see your creations if you would like to post a link on Edmodo.

-Kristen Hearne