6.+Technology+for+Online+and+Active+Learning

Web 2.0 is the term given to describe a second generation of the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability for people to collaborate and share information online. Web 2.0 basically refers to the transition from static HTML Web pages to a more dynamic Web, that is interactive and collaborative.

In planning online classes, an activity to augment online discussion can involve group collaboration on a variety of websites that encourage research, analysis and higher-order thinking. With the advent of Web 2.0, it is becoming increasingly easy for teacher to manage complex projects while organizing and facilitating learning.

A comprehensive [|collection of Web 2.0 tools can be found here]. My top choices for collaborative and interactive tools include Google docs, sites and other Google tools, Timerime, and Voicethread. This is by no means a final list. Web 2.0 tools change and develop so fast, keeping current is important.

**Lew's Favorite Online tools:**



Google Docs is an easy-to-use online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation editor that enables you and your students to create, store **and share** instantly and securely, and collaborate online in real time. You can create new documents from scratch or upload existing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The concept behind google docs is collaborative. Because of the sharing capacity, anyone with editing rights to a document can add, remove or change information. Users have free access to these tools, although access may be limited by firewall and proxy settings. Some school districts are converting their email systems to the Google platform, so faculty, staff and students have access to the full suite of documents and sites through the school domain.

__**[|Voicethread]**__

Voicethread is an online collaborative tool that allows students to research, comment, highlight and collaborate on the topic of the teachers choice. Accounts are free for students, and have activation access, so there is no spam from setting up an account. For privacy, Voicethread allows the owner of the project to limit viewership to the members of the project. For a very reasonable fee ($60 for a calendar year) teachers can buy an account that allows for management of 100 students per project, and offers greater storage for images and audio. Video clips are added through embed codes.

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The example above is a Voicethread that was completed as a "Do Now" warm-up exercise in my music class. The pictures on the slides are the album covers. At the bottom right, there is a thumbnail of all of the album covers, next to the right arrow. By putting the cursor on those thumbnails, the name of the song will appear. The music was played for my students from my iPod. The overall goal was to get the class listening to upbeat instrumental music they would not normally listen to.



Timerime is an online timeline tool. Students collaborate on assigned topics through research, posting findings to a timelime project that they have been invited to. The free version works well, and "gets the job done," but there are also memberships and accounts for both business and education. Pricing for paid accounts can be found [|here]. [|This is an example of a basic timerime]. There are many more to look at on the website.