My favorite Web 2.0 tools

Web 2.0 can be defined as the process of accessing selected web-based software tools and services and using these to create, edit, and store web-based documents.  The software applications and web services  include word processing, spreadsheets, powerpoint-like presentations, audio and video conferencing and productions, online calendars and scheduling, and others.  These applications can be invaluable in the creation and editing of group projects, since the common document can be accessed and edited anywhere via computer.  They can also enhance personal productivity because time is not wasted on trying to track changes in a document or project—these are made in real time.

One example of a free Web 2.0 tool is a personal productivity software application called Tiny URL.com.

Functions of tinyURL.com:

In a web-based era when communications often include directing others to particular web sites or links, TinyURL.com can be a useful tool.  Briefly, what this application does is to convert a long URL into a much shorter one.

How can tinyURL.com improve productivity for teachers and students?

• It dramatically cuts down the number of keystrokes needed to access a site and thereby reduces the possibility of keying errors (which would require doing it all over again) by teacher and students
• A teacher could give several tiny URLs to students to guide them in their research or in a group project, or students could share their findings among themselves using tiny URLs as they work on a project
• An example:  the link to the document in the blog post “Google Docs,” below, could have been easily converted to the following link using tinyURL.com:   http://tinyURL.com/googledocstiny123

Another example of a Web 2.0 tool is the screen recorder tool called TokBox.com.

Functions of TokBox.com:

Using TokBox.com, you can use a video camera and microphone to communicate with others on the web, to do video conferencing, to record and post speeches or presentations, or to send streaming video email.  Invitations to video conferences only require you to know the other person’s email address.

How can TokBox.com improve productivity for teachers and students?

• The potential uses for this tool in doing presentations are almost unlimited, and these can be simultaneously viewed and recorded for future playback
• Online discussions or debates would be especially amenable to the TokBox format
• Input from the teacher or from other students would be in real time, and the presentation can be tweaked accordingly
• There would be no time wasted in individually viewing the presentation, emailing comments, revising the script, further revising etc.
• Teachers could question students in real time to assess their understanding of the subject matter in the presentation