WEB 2.0 Applications

Let's "Glog" About All Things Classical


What IS "Glogster"?
Glogster is a VERY fun and useful tool! You can condense a blog into a dynamic visual format with animated details and embedded audio and/or video to help you tell your story. You can make a Glogster Poster to tell a main idea for just a single post, or sum up your whole blog in a Glogster poster and save it to a PAGE on your blog. The page will always be there and act as the most fun and interactive bio or mini-lesson ever. What a great way to introduce a topic, a person -- make your case for just about anything. Go Glogster!

Google - DRIVE!!
Why didn't I think of this?
Love Google Docs & Google Drive!
Finally, no need to keep up with discs or flash drives! Access power point-style presentations from anywhere you have internet access! OR documents you've created! Or anytype of file! Google drive is a cloud-style storage/web application/document creation and collaboration wunderkind. I highly recommend it and am grateful to know about it. Makes working at home to school and back so much easier.Google Drive


RSS Readers:
Once again  -  a case of "Why didn't I invent this?" or at least - "where has this been all my life"?
There are many blogs I follow: ones on parenting, friends' blogs, health & cooking and teacher blogs. I used to always go to each blog to see what was new by typing in the URL address. How great to have access to an RSS application (check out www.feedly.com, my favorite!) An RSS reader effectively manages your favorite blogs for you: sorting and storing them all in one place. Much more time-wise! Love it!
RSS Reader

Wikis
We've all been a part of a deluge of emails flying between group members who are trying to collaborate on a project, be it business or pleasure. Wikis solves this problem! Create a Wiki, include members and you can co-edit and collaborate to plan just about anything. I created a wiki about a Literature List for a Classical Kindergarten Classroom. I decided to plan a reading list around 26 authors or themes for a 26 week school year. I didn't complete the list, but am instead going to invite colleagues to suggest authors! Love the instant organizational power here - you get the sense that details won't fall through any cracks...
Wiki

Digital Storytelling
Zimmertwins
Your average 30 second Super Bowl commercial costs 4 million dollars for the airtime. Advertisers are literally banking on a picture being worth a thousand words. In the case of a television commercial, its a MOVING picture with music, humor and a great tagline usually. They tell a story in 30 seconds or less and are intended to pursuade. Young learners (or young-at-heart learners) can easily dabble in moving picture and sound to tell a story with digital storytelling. Resources abound online, but I love the Zimmertwins.com best! In comic book fashion, a team of simple characters move from frame to frame to get YOUR point across. Limitless possibilities here folks! Check out my bit on classical education as "Edgar ponders a trillion dollar question"....

MORE cool tools to increase fluency in technology!
Check out A Graph-Creating Tool
to see a brilliant graph-creating tool - excellent for class math projects. Graphs (of all styles!) can be edited as needed easily and shared easily with parents who are excited to see their students' progress.