Web 2.0 tools - working collaboratively

To assist you with your selection, particularly when there is a choice of tools that appear to be similar, I have attempted to oganise the apps according to a number of categories. Please note that that rankings such as rating and ease of use are subjective. If you do not agree with what I have written please let me know! ​

Collaborative tools / sites	Cost	Age	Rating (1-5)	Ease of use
PB Works is a wiki host site that has a free educational version. This would be a good replacement for wikispaces as it contains the same functionality that teachers are used to. It is great for working on group projects and the global sharing of resources.	Free - upgrade available	All levels	5	Easy
Edublogs blogs are a useful motivating tool for students who like to see their work published. You can set up individual student accounts in a single blog, creating a community or can also set up individual blogs for students, establishing a network. Blogs can be used to communicate with parents and administrators about what each class is doing and encourage students to contribute collaboratively to a classroom newsletter. You need to be careful when choosing privacy options, and use the platform as an opportunity to discuss online safety and privacy with students, as well as the digital footprint they may be creating. This article outlines how you can limit access to your blog so that it can be viewed only by children and their parent.Scroll down to the section that relates to Edublogs.	Free - A pro version with extra functionality is available	All levels	5	Easy
Blogger is another blog site that is free for teachers to use. You can sign into it with your Google account and create a blog in minutes with one of the many templates on offer. Check out this PDF which outlines possible uses of Blogger in the classroom.	Free	All levels	5	Easy
WordPress is a very useful and sophisticated website creator. In the classroom it can be used to develop blogs, personal websites, portfolios, photography and video sites, group and multi-user sites. With the thousands of plugins, you can add/change/modify your blog for any specific use. There are two versions - WordPress.com and WordPress.org. This article outlines the differences between the two.	Free with paid plans available	All levels	5	The .com version is easier than .org
EtherPad is a web-based word processor that allows people to to collaborate on text documents in real-time. When multiple people edit the same document simultaneously, any changes are instantly reflected on everyone's screen. Edits are highlighted in the author's colours so that people quickly know who contributed what to the document.	Free	All levels	4	Easy
Evernote enables teachers and students to capture notes, save research, collaborate on projects, snap photos of whiteboards, record audio and more. Everything you add to your account is automatically synced and made available on all the computers, phones and tablets you use. A YouTube search will provide you with several suggestions for using Evernote with your classes.	Free	All levels	4	Easy
Screenleap is downloadable software enables users to share their computer screen with other people. Simply click on the share button and email the generated link to the people with whom you wish to share. Viewers don't need to have an account to be able to view the screen on their computer, smart phone or tablet.	Free with limited functions	All levels	3	Easy
ELanguages helps teachers to find international partners for their school and provides a safe, secure, easy-to-use space to share the partnership work online. You can find new partner schools and projects to work with (searchable by language, student age and country) or get support to develop a school partnership you already have.	Free	All levels	4	Easy
ePals Global Community enables languages teachers to connect their classroom(s) globally. Check out this YouTube video which outlines the why, the how and the what.	Free	All levels	5	Easy
Twitter is an online social networking/microblogging service that enables users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters. If you do a google search "twitter in the languages classroom" you will find lots of examples of using twitter in education such as this link. Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano has developed a useful classroom policy and rationale on the use of Twitter. See also Silvia's Guide to Twitter in the k-8 classroom.	Free	All levels	4	Easy

Note: A wiki contains shared content that doesn't appear in chronological order. 
A blog is like a diary or journal, with entries that are arranged in the order in which they were created.
The type of information you want to put on your site will help determine whether it appears in a wiki or in a blog.

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