Site Evaluations:
By far, the most time consuming portion of this project was finding Web 2.0 sites that I wanted to evaluate for future use in my classroom. I spent a long while checking out the http://www.go2web20.net/ site. There are tons of resources on here, and I finally narrowed my choices down to three.
First up is, MapSkip. I made an account at this site as a teacher, and while the site isn't wildly popular (only about 3500 registered users), it looks like a valuable resource for students and teachers to share stories about different places on the map. I'd love to use this site with my students to share stories about field trips. Mapskip allows you to upload photos, sounds, and YouTube clips, along with the written story. This sight looks promising, and I'd love to see more users check it out. In my opinion, MapSkip is a solid Web2.0 app for classroom use. It gets 34 out of 36 points, and you can find the breakdown here.
Next up, my take on LittleBirdTales. This is an awesome site for youngsters that want to tell a story. This site allows individuals to upload personal artwork, or draw your artwork in the app itself. Text or recorded voice is added for each page of the masterpiece. Once finished students can share their stories via email. If tales are set classified as "public" anyone has access to an embed code, this option is not available for "private" stories. This storytelling platform could be used across the curriculum, which makes it a valuable tool. It's easy to use, and teachers can set up and maintain student accounts. The only downfall is the sharing aspect. LittleBirdTales gets 32 out of 36 and here's the breakdown.
The last site I chose to analyze is CarrotSticks. This site is a simple site focussing on mathematical computation practice. Students can compete individually or with other students in their class, or around the world. This site has a free edition, which allows students to practice addition. There are several options for subscriptions, as well as an educators subscription. The very cool thing about the educator subscription is that it is free, and any students added to the account has full access to the site during school hours! I have never seen such an account, but I think it's such a smart idea! This site doesn't score well on our rubric because it does not allow for any type of sharing, and it is limited to mathematical problem solving. It still looks to be a valuable tool for classroom use, and it does get students working or competing together, but that's the extent of the collaboration. CarrotSticks gets 21 out of 36. Check out the breakdown here.
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