Web 2.0 and Social Studies

Definition of Web 2.0:  The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators (prosumers) of user-generated content in a virtual community, in contrast to websites where users (consumers) are limited to the passive viewing of content that was created for them. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, web applications, mashups and folksonomies. Definition from Wikipedia.

Great information
Social Studies Central
Tech Learning 2.0 - Social Studies
Favorite Web 2.0 Apps of Social Studies Educators
Social Studies « Web 2.0
A Day in the Life of Web 2.0
Monday Models
Web 2.0 Dashboard
Googlios
Top 1000 Web 2.0 Sites
21 Things for Teachers
Jenison Public Schools
Cool Tools for Schools
The Ultimate Web 2.0 Sites Listing
Blogs, Wikis, and Google Docs Oh My!
How to Teach with Tech Tools
Common Craft (Videos for those of us who don’t know anything about specific Web 2.0 tools)
Paul and Todd’s Excellent Ed Tech Adventure (Become a follower) (Lot’s of Google info)



Great Places to Begin

Get a Gmail account: It is your ticket to everything Google and there is a lot of good stuff!

Sign up for Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Sites, and Blogger. (With your Gmail account)

Get a SharePoint site at Sparta. Student drop boxes, Web space, Wikis, and more! (Todd or Paul can help)

Find class materials on YouTube. There is probably something you could use there right now.

Google Tools for Teachers

Everyone has heard about Google, the world's most popular place to search the Web. But, Google offers a lot of tools that many educators will want to explore and use in their classrooms. Each week for the next several weeks, I will explore a new tool for you to try out. Some of the items I will be test-driving for you are:

• Gmail
• Google Docs
• Google Calendars
• Google Sites
• Picasa
• Google Groups
• and much more

Did I mention that Google also owns YouTube and Blogger? We will have a lot to explore in the upcoming weeks. If you would like to join in and try out some of the cool features that these Google applications have to offer then get a Gmail account and follow along. Many of the tools I will be discussing require a Gmail account log in. Super easy directions to sign up for your account are below. Plus, it is always a good idea to have a back-up E-mail account to use.

If you don't have a Gmail account, get one! Why you ask? Here are 10 good reasons. Sounds good, huh? Click the "Create an Account" button, fill in some basic information. You will be in your very own Gmail account in minutes.

Good luck and I will talk to you soon!