11 Tools #5- Web 2.0 Tools

I have been using web 2.0 in my classroom since learning about them through the classes 23 Things and 11.5 Things.
The kids really enjoy them and ask to use them all the time.
Wordles--
-Get to know  you: pairs made a wordle with their names and things they had in common with each other
-Language Arts: describes story elements of a book
-Any subject: beginning of a lesson-what we know, end the lesson-what we learned
My class really enjoyed the taste off that we did this year. The kids decided that we needed a wordle to show our favorite fruits and one for our favorite vegetables. Here are the finished products:

     

We also used the Trading Card creator through Big Huge Labs. Each student created a trading card about the bird they researched for the 4th 9 week project. Then after they gave their presentation they gave everyone a trading card. At the end of the presentations each student had a ring of cards about birds.
We also created trading cards about our favorite books. Each student also recieved a trading card of everyone's favorite book. They could then use these card rings to look up books in the library and read the books recomended to them by their peers. Here are examples of each:

 

We also used Animoto this year. The students made a Holiday greeting for their parents and emailed it to them. Including pictures and a short video greeting into the animoto. It was a hit the last two years that I did this.
I also used Animoto to help me create an end of the year movie for the kids. In the past I only used iMovie with the pictures taken throughout the year. This year a fellow teacher figured out that the animotos could be exported and then dropped into iMovie to create a movie that spanned the entire school year.
Here is one of my videos:



Next year I plan to also use the following tools:
Glogster-this would also be a great addition to the bird project as well as our research during our heros unit.
Storybird or Storyjumper- Being able to take their writing into a online publishing format that can be emailed to their parents will be so meaningful and such a great incentive to go through the publishing process. Storybird seems easier to use however I like that Storyjumper gives you the option to upload your own images, truly making the work all their own.
Comix.com- with the many comics that the kids love to read this would also be a great way for them to publish their own comic strips.