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**Web 2.0 Tools**

__**​**__ Wordle media type="custom" key="5752077" (click on image to view larger version) Wordle is a great tool for use in a Reading Language Arts classroom. This tool combines texts and creativity while generating useful tools for analyzing a selection of text. To begin a wordle, you will need to select a text. After you have done that, it is as simple as copying and pasting the text into the first box on the create page. The website will then generate a wordle based on how frequently a word is used in the selection. The bigger the words are, the more they are used in the text. This could be used in a Reading Language Arts classroom in many ways. For example, the wordle that I created shows the words used in the 19th chapter of the book of Luke. I would give my students a copy of this wordle and ask them to look at the words, especially focusing on the size comparisons between them. I would then have my students write about what they think is going on in the 19th chapter of Luke, what themes might they see in the chapter, and how they know this. This could all be determined based on the sizes of the various words. Another way to use this tool in a Reading Language Arts classroom would be to compar texts. The students could be given the task of selecting two texts on the same topic and then create a wordle for each. The students can then compare the results and determine what words are most important to their selected topic. This would open up discussions about why authors may or may not have chosen to use certain words and why some words are used more frequently than others.

Storybird

media type="custom" key="5836451" This storybird is an example of what can be made in the classroom, either by students or by the teacher. This storybird would be an example of something that a teacher could make and then have the students reflect on. The final question in the story could be used as a writing prompt for after the students have read the story.

Storybird is a great tool for creative writing in a Reading Langauge Arts classroom. This site allows you to generate stories with preloaded pictures and graphics. It has a very easy to learn layout and procedures. To begin, you must create an account so that your Storybirds can be saved. There are options to begin a storybird using a specific theme or specific illustrator's artwork. Once you select one of these methods for beginning your Storybird, it is easy to drag and drop the pictures onto the different pages and then add text to each page. Children and adults alike can enjoy this website. It gives you the opportunity to express your creativeness in a simple book form. In my classroom, I would give my students the task of creating their own storybirds. One time I may give them a specific topic to address and another time I would let them do a creative writing story. There are so many options that you could do with this website. Storybird also allows for collaborators on stories. This feature could be incorporated into lessons by having two students collaborate on a story or myself working with the students on each of their stories. Also, there are options for parents to view what their students are doing and approve uses of their work on the site. This shows that this is a fairly secure sight for educational purposes. Also as far as security goes, students will not be able to publish there stories if there is any identifying information about them such as last name or location present anywhere in the story. After completing their stories, the students will be able to publish them online, either privately or publicly. This will allow them to share their stories with family and friends who may be far away or other students across the world.

​ ​ ** Cast Book **

Click here to read my Spring Cast Book: **Tucker's Big Game**