March 2008 — News

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A Taste of Web 2.0

by Patricia Deubel, Ph.D.

Elgg, named after a town in Switzerland, is free open source social networking software. It "offers blogging, networking, community, collecting of news using feeds aggregation and file sharing features. Everything can be shared among users with access controls and everything can be cataloged by tags as well." If you are concerned about using Elgg in K-12, consider that you can install it on your own servers and have complete control over it. You can also create your own customized social network for students using Ning.

Think.com, from Oracle Education Foundation, is free and provides a safe password-protected environment for K-12 students from around the world to collaborate on projects. Simple publishing tools enable teachers and students to create their own Web pages and engage in discussion. TIGed (TakingITGlobal) offers a collaborative environment in which students gain access to global perspectives on global issues and new options for expressing their creativity.  They can engage in project-based learning.  A database of lessons is included.  The environment is under control of the teacher, making safe social networking possible. TakingITGlobal.org membership is free, but small fees are attached for TIGed virtual classrooms, activity database, and teacher discussion boards.

There's Class BlogMeister for teachers interesting in using blogging to publish their own articles and those of their students.  After setting up a class account, teachers can set up student accounts and maintain control of content that students wish to publish. If you prefer a blog that can run on your own Web site, consider the free open source platform of b2evolution.  It has additional features beyond those of traditional blogs, such as file and photo management, user and group management, and options to make posts private or protected. Wikispaces for Educators offers K-12 educators space to create their wikis--all for free and without advertising.  Designate your wiki as public, protected, or private.  Public wikis can be viewed and edited by anyone.  Protected wikis can be viewed by anyone, but only members can edit content.  Private wikis might be preferred by educators, as only members can view and edit pages.

Still not convinced? Check out the Edublog Awards from 2004-2007 in best of everything categories (e.g., individual, group, new, and teacher blogs; best educational use of audio, video, social networking service, virtual world, wiki and more). Of course, you can then visit those sites.