Hello and welcome to Episode 4 of the podcast series, “40 Webtools for the Classroom! I’m Janice Newlin.

This series of podcasts will introduce you to some of the best web 2.0 tools you can use in your classroom to foster creativity, communication and collaboration. These tools will be presented to you using the web 2.0 tool, Only2Clicks. You may have noticed the URL to the web link at the beginning of this episode. At this Only2Clicks site you’ll be able to return later to explore and decide which web tools will fit nicely with your personal classroom curriculum. The Only2Clicks site views better in Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Please note when you click on the little yellow sticky note at each link you will find my notes from this episode.

Let’s begin with. . .

Voxopop is a web-based audio tool that enables users to create asynchronous conversations (talkgroups) for others to listen and respond. This Web 2.0 tool is very simple for teachers and their students to set up and use. Once you configure your microphone for this web-based application, you are ready to log into a talkgroup and record your comments. You can set your talkgroup to "invitation only" making this the perfect Web 2.0 tool for educators.

Nota (No-ta) is a nice collaborative space, perfect for digital projects. Similar to Glogster, it allows you to easily add digital content to a page. It also incorporates Google maps and content from many social media sites such as YouTube and Flickr.

FlipSnack is a great way to create a flip book where you can create the artwork on the pages. Students can create anything from simple picture book to a multi-chapter book. All you need to do is upload your files to the website in PDF format then you can choose a template, view and publish your book. You can also download your book right to your computer. A free account is needed to save your projects. Flipsnack would also be a great tool for creating online portfolios for either students or teachers. You could compile work from all of your students into one portfolio to keep from year to year or have each student showcase his or her work.

Speaking Image is a nice site for creating interactive images. Simply load an image and then create hotspots for more information. Create an interactive map, science lesson (i.e. parts of a cell) or anything you like. By the way, you can set groups and permissions to allow for student collaboration on their “speaking images”. Let’s watch this example of Taj Mahal. There is a great Help section you can go to view videos of how to complete your own Speaking Image.

As Chemistry is one of those subjects that really can flourish with the addition of multimedia elements, teachers should check out the Chemistry Educational Digital Library. This is a great place to find video and other multimedia elements to use in the classroom, as well as find interactive online applications like: a java-based three-dimensional molecule; diagramming program; an interactive periodic table; and a host of other collections to investigate.

Ptable: I wish I had this site when I was a high school student taking chemistry classes. This should be a useful site for teachers and students in high schools and colleges. You can click on any element and it provides the Wikipedia definition, the pronunciation, symbol, chemical series, the appearance (which includes a picture), and the standard atomic weight. It even gives all the physical properties of that element, such as density, boiling point and melting point, oxidation states, atomic radius, and more.

With DocsTeach you can find and create interactive learning activities with primary source documents that promote historical thinking skills. Docs Teach offers teachers’ access to more than 3,000 digitized documents from National Archives and Records Administration's collections, along with seven classroom activities using them. Have your web-savvy students to make and present activities of their own.

Content Clips (CC) is a free, interactive web environment that features online resources which includes images, sounds, and video clips to help build student understanding of science concepts. It offers easy-to-use tools, a growing multimedia collection, an “add-your-own-clip” feature, and a simple way to combine and arrange online content from multiple sources into customized presentations or learning activities. Let’s watch an example.

OneWord could be a great bell ringer activity for your Language Arts class. You'll see one word at the top of the following screen. You have sixty seconds to write about it. Click 'go'.

Flocabulary creates original hip-hop music and standards-based curricular materials to teach academic content for grades 3-12. Flocabulary programs are proven to increase student motivation and achievement and are currently being used in over 10,000 schools nationwide. They do offer a Free Songs and Videos page for teachers to use in their classroom. Let’s watch this “Five Things” video.

This concludes this episode of 40 Webtools for your Classroom. Be sure to view the other episodes included in this series.