Answer Garden is an interactive question/answer and feedback tool. On this site, the teacher creates an Answer Garden about the topic of their choice and students can post their answers on the Garden for all of their classmates/teachers to see. Here is an example of an Answer Garden I made on the topic of ACL injuries- http://answergarden.ch/view/43619. Anyone who is given the link can contribute to the Garden. The teacher can change the settings to allow students to contribute one answer or unlimited answers on the Garden. I believe unlimited answers would be best in a classroom/conference setting so students can comment on other students' responses and the teacher can provide feedback on the students' responses. The entire Garden is secured by the administrator's password so the content cannot be comprised. The best part about Answer Garden is that it's free!
Celly @ School is a service that allows teachers and administration to communicate with students, other teachers, and parents through the use of cell phones. School districts, students and teachers can use the service to take notes, stream real-world news, send out reminders and alerts, connect members of clubs and athletic teams, communicate on field trips, partner students of different ages/grades, conduct multiple choice quizzes and polls, organize study groups, and so much more. One of the most interesting Web 2.0 aspects of this service is the ability to create study groups that can be utilized in and out of the classroom. Teachers can post topics and students can work together through the use of the cell phones to post responses. The teacher can then provide feedback and share their responses with the class. Another useful Web 2.0 tool in this service is the clickers and polls. Teachers can pose a question and students can use their cell phones to answer the question. Based on the answers of the questions, teachers can assess learning and provide the appropriate feedback. All messages/conversations can be monitored by the teacher and the only price to this service is standard text messaging fees.
Cacoo is a Web 2.0 service that can be used in the classroom by student groups and teachers. The teacher or the groups can create their original diagrams and have the groups fill in the chart with their own information. The diagram can take many different forms, such as, flow chart, word webs, sequence steps, network charts, maps, and many other ways. Students can collaborate in real-time to fill in their diagrams and work together. The teacher/administrator of that chart can provide feedback to the groups and make sure they are working in the right direction. I believe the best thing about this tool, besides the fact that is it free, is the creative aspect of the charts. A teacher can give groups the assignment to talk about a character of a book they are reading in class and by using this service each group can create a different diagram. One group can create a word web about the traits of the character, another group can create a sequence of events to show how the character has evolved, and a third group can do something completely different from the other two. This website really allows students to be creative in their diagrams and the teacher can provide feedback and even display the students diagrams for other groups to see. I also like that this service caters to visual learners as well as collaborative learners.
United Classrooms is a service that connects students and teachers to each other, to students' parents, and to other classrooms all over the world. The website serves as a communication tool for teachers and students to have discussions, post/work on assignments, and communicate in and out of the classroom. Parents can access the classroom page and read announcements, teacher messages, and keep up with their child's homework and assignments. The interesting aspect of this service is the global access. Each classroom has their own personalized page that differentiates their class from classes around the world. Using this service, students and teachers can communicate with classrooms around the world. United Classrooms allows teachers to find classrooms for their students to become Pen Pals with. The students can form bonds based on academics and their cultures which can enrich their learning experience. A translation tool is used to allow students who speak different languages to still communicate. United Classrooms gives teachers full control over the conversations and they can remove students or comments if they find the content is inappropriate. United Classrooms only allows classrooms to connect with classrooms of their same grade level to secure the safety of the students/learning process. The teachers can post on discussion boards to guide the conversations of the students in their class and the students in classes around the world. This Web 2.0 tool can be used in any subject area and open students' eyes to the world around them. It is also free to sign your class up!
WatchItoo is a service that allows students and teachers to communicate via video chat and collaborate on their projects outside of the classroom. Up to 25 teachers/students can be involved in the video chat which means over 25 different points of view can work on one project at the same time together. This service can be used from any computer and does not require any downloads. Groups can work on any computer program to collaborate and complete a project/assignment. Students can ask teachers questions and receive the answer right away. Teachers can provide students with 'face-to-face' prompts and feedback. The teacher can remove students from the conference to 'meet' with them privately to discussion questions or give extra assistance. Students can be participants or viewers on the conference, which can be decided by the teacher. Teachers can also leave video messages for their class for things such as assigning homework or giving feedback on a project. The main benefit of this service is 'face-to-face' time which can clarify directions, provide feedback, and fully utilize all students ideas and time. This service does have a cost but if the benefits are described to the school district, I'm sure they will see the need for this service.
