BP_20091213_Web2.0_tools_rational

Classtools.net is one of the Web 2.0 tools I have just recently started using with my students and will be using frequently second semester as I take over teaching the biology classes. What this does is allows you to create educational games and activities. These activities can be posted on a blog or website allowing students to access the games from home as well as school. This tools has tutorials on how to use all the features. It gives you a listing of the most popular templates and it's free.

Most subject areas are included in Classtools.net and I was delighted to find many activities to support and reinforce basic concepts such as the parts of the Periodic Table. There is an animated book which I have yet to use but can see so many applications for all of the science classes I teach. Again, this resource would be excellent to support learning while having fun.

One of the challenges all of the teachers on campus seem to encounter, particularly this time of year, is the desperate cries from students wondering how to improve their grade. I refrain from reminding them had they done the work in the first place they would not be in this situation. I do have empathy in that arena.  What I do however is have them log-on to webcast.berkeley, another web 2.0 tool. There they can find a lecture of their choice to listen to and post their comments and knowledge gained from the lecture on the class website.

Finally, for the students who are so bright, to keep them from becoming bored MIT Open Courseware has a section especially for high school students. Not only is this a wonderful resource for the students but the teachers as well. There are labs, videos, links for all kinds of cool ideas to spark the imagination of teacher and student alike.  If I had to choose one of the three I have just mentioned it would be a tough choice but keeping my gifted students in mind I would have to pick MIT Open Couseware.