I confess that I have been very busy with fighting off a bad cold and finishing my final projects for my courses, so I have not had a lot of time to explore the Web 2.0 tools. However, I would like to list my contribution of the Web 2.0 tools that I have explored through the MET program:
Picasa – This is a great photo and video album. You can also create slide shows and presentations using the platforms features. I have sometimes uploaded some videos to this site if I am having any issues on Youtube. For slideshows you can add captions, but this platform does not have the capability of adding music and it does not have any panning capabilities.
Youtube – Youtube has been a crucial tool in my time during the MET program. It is one of the easiest ways to upload videos and slideshows, but you do need to be aware of the time limit. Youtube even has a way to create interactive videos. I have yet to experiment with this particular feature of Youtube.
SlideRoll – This is an easy to use program that can be used to create slideshows. You can upload pictures, add captions and music to the slideshows too. This program is great in that it also has panning capabilities too. I can vouch for how easily you can re-organize your slides. For the Digital Storytelling project in ETEC 565a, my initial attempt ended up being a presentation, so I needed to hurriedly rearrange things to meet the assignment’s criteria.
Moodle – Moodle is a great LMS. I have used this when doing a project for ETEC 565a. I encourage everyone to try this program as it is open source and free. It really gives you a feeling of what you need to think about if you are creating a course that has an online component to it.
ToonDoos – This program is a quick and easy way to create cartoons. I will warn everyone, that it is so fun that it will distract people from doing their work! I really enjoyed this program as it really allowed me to express myself in a very visual and funny way. Programs like these really allowed me to express myself artistically, quickly and without frustration.
Google Blogger – This blog site is a great site to start off with if you are just starting to blog. However, I will say that I find Google Blogger to be a little static and not very customizable.
Google Docs – This is the staple of all group work in the MET program. I don’t think any of us could have completed the group work without it. I love this program and the fact that we can now do collaborative PowerPoint presentations, drawings, tables, spreadsheets and collections. I remember for one of my past projects, I had our class contribute PowerPoint slides which would communicate their views on a particular concept and after about a week we then created a video of the resulting PowerPoint slides. It was very collaborative and it was interesting to see everyone’s thoughts in such a visual way.
WordPress – I am ending this post with this site as it is what I use for my e-portfolio. I like its flexibility and how easy it was to set up. I also like how it has so many nice themes to it. Please feel free to check out my e-portfolio. It also has projects where I have used some of the above Web 2.0 tools.
Future Directions:
In future I do want to explore Kerpoof and some of the other sites listed on CogDogRoo. I think Xtranormal would have come in handy this week with my media projects as it would have relieved me the necessity of having to narrate the presentations while battling a hacking cough.
Oh well. May be next time.
Juliana.
