After using human filters to narrow my search results, I have found a few Web 2.0 tools to analyze closely with a rubric to determine their usefulness within my own classroom. Below is a rubric score for 3 different Web 2.0 tools and a brief summary analyzing each tool's score.
Tool #1: Pixton
Analysis of Score: Pixton scored a 24/28 on the rubric. Pixton is a cartoon creator that allows students to create their own cartoons. Unlike some other less functional cartoon creators, Pixton allows users to choose the number of panels and layout of the cartoon, add characters, props, background, and other images. Users can save their cartoons to the site, embed them in other sites, save them on Facebook, or print them. Users can collaborate by giving constructive criticism to other comics, and even by remixing comics. Because of these functions, Pixton scored very well in User-Friendliness, Collaboration, and Final Products. It also scored well in Higher-Order Learning because of the potential to create a comic and analyze and evaluate course material within a comic. However age appropriate, Pixton scored a 3 in this category because inappropriate content can still be published on the site until it is reported, so some monitoring may be required. Edu-Friendliness also scored a 3, due to the need for students to sign up individually, unless under a teacher-created account, which requires additional cost. Pixton scored a 2 for Cost, because, in order to fully access all of Pixton's features, teachers must pay roughly $100 for 50 students for 4 months. The features included in the subscription are highly useful for educators, such as rubrics for scoring student-created comics, the ability to create entire comic books, project-based activities, classroom settings, and teacher moderation.
Criteria | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Age appropriateness | Tool is age appropriate for the selected students. Meets all CIPA, COPPA and School Regulations. Content, access online, and student information leave few risks. No visible objectionable content | Tool is mostly age appropriate for the selected students. Meets CIPA, COPPA and school regulations. Content, access online, and student information require some additional monitoring and some risks. Potential to view objectionable content through site search. | Tool is minimally age appropriate for the selected students. Meets some CIPA, COPPA and school regulations. Content, access online, and student information require monitoring. Site contains gallery of user created content that may be objectionable. | Tool is not age appropriate for the selected students. Does not meet CIPA, COPPA and school regulations. Content, access online, and student information require to much additional monitoring and has high risks. Site contains highly visible gallery of recently created items. High potential of objectionable content. |
Cost | Site has no cost and allows unlimited users, or the cost can be justified by the usefulness of the tool in furthering educational objectives. | Most services are free; only advanced services require purchase (freemium). | Site is free for limited number of users, but can be upgraded for minimal cost (<$3/student) to cover all students, and is worth a trial to determine if it is useful for furthering educational objectives. . | Site has significant cost per student to use (>$5/student), and its use to further educational objectives has not been determined. |
User Friendliness | Main page is free of clutter (ads, etc.) and navigation buttons and site areas are easy for students to navigate. . Little to no learning curve involved. | Main page contains some clutter (ads, etc.) and navigation buttons and site areas are somewhat easy for students to navigate. Minimal time needed to learn how to make use of site. | Main page contains quite a bit of clutter and site areas are not clearly laid out. Instruction required touse site with students. | Main page contains too much clutter (ads, etc.) and navigation buttons and site areas are difficult for students to navigate. Extensive direction required to make use of site. |
Collaboration | Allows teachers and students to collaborate with other site users | Allows teachers, but not students to collaborate with other site users | Site allows minimal collaborative opportunities between users. | Does not allow teachers or students to collaborate with other site users. |
Final Products | Final products that can be created have educational purpose, are interesting to students, demonstrate mastery, and are aesthetically pleasing. Options available to publish privately, save offline, or embed in other web sites. | Final products that can be created have educational purpose and demonstrate mastery. Options available to publish privately, but online only, on site or embedded. | Final products that can be created have some educational purpose. Content is saved and viewable only on that site. | Final products cannot be created or do not serve an educational purpose. Content not shareable with others. |
Higher-Order Learning | Use of the Web 2.0 tool encourages use of higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). | Use of the Web 2.0 tool encourages use of 2 out of 3 higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). | Use of the Web 2.0 tool encourages use of 1 out of 3 higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). | Use of the Web 2.0 tool does not encourage use of higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). |
Edu-Friendly Features | Site is intended for education or provides education portal. No registration required, and/or teachers can create accounts for students/classes. Does not contain a search box. Does not post most recent items on home page. | Educational nature of site is obvious. Requires students to sign up individually, but can be associated with class/teacher account. Contains search box on main page, but searchable content is safe for students. May post favorite items on home page, not most recent items. | Individual logins with unique email addresses required, but information is kept private. Contains unfiltered search box on main page. Posts recent items, but none seem to have questionable content. | Individual logins with unique email addresses required. Information supplied is visible within profile. Contains search box on all or most pages. Posts unfiltered recent items on home page. |
Total Points | ||||
Tool #2: XTimeline
Analysis of Score: XTimeline is a tool that educators and students can use to create web-based timelines about a variety of topics. Although no inappropriate content is visible through most recent posts or searches at first glance, additional monitoring may be necessary, considering that students could post about an inappropriate topic without it being caught and reported for a few days. Cost is free; however, the site is not as user-friendly as some others I've seen, so it scored a 3. The site has ads, and some time is needed to determine how to navigate the site effectively. The site also scored a 3 for final products, because timeline creators are only given the option to publish electronically, rather than printing. Higher-order learning only earned a 3 as well, because timelines do require some evaluation and analysis of material, but perhaps not at as deep of a level as other products. XTimeline only scored a 2 for edu-friendliness, because users are required to log in, a search box is present on the main page, and most recent items are viewable on the main page as well. Some positives are that the site promotes "folksonomies" through student-created tags, and teachers can create class lists, providing a central for students to post their timelines.
Criteria | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Age appropriateness | Tool is age appropriate for the selected students. Meets all CIPA, COPPA and School Regulations. Content, access online, and student information leave few risks. No visible objectionable content | Tool is mostly age appropriate for the selected students. Meets CIPA, COPPA and school regulations. Content, access online, and student information require some additional monitoring and some risks. Potential to view objectionable content through site search. | Tool is minimally age appropriate for the selected students. Meets some CIPA, COPPA and school regulations. Content, access online, and student information require monitoring. Site contains gallery of user created content that may be objectionable. | Tool is not age appropriate for the selected students. Does not meet CIPA, COPPA and school regulations. Content, access online, and student information require to much additional monitoring and has high risks. Site contains highly visible gallery of recently created items. High potential of objectionable content. |
Cost | Site has no cost and allows unlimited users, or the cost can be justified by the usefulness of the tool in furthering educational objectives. | Most services are free; only advanced services require purchase (freemium). | Site is free for limited number of users, but can be upgraded for minimal cost (<$3/student) to cover all students, and is worth a trial to determine if it is useful for furthering educational objectives. . | Site has significant cost per student to use (>$5/student), and its use to further educational objectives has not been determined. |
User Friendliness | Main page is free of clutter (ads, etc.) and navigation buttons and site areas are easy for students to navigate. . Little to no learning curve involved. | Main page contains some clutter (ads, etc.) and navigation buttons and site areas are somewhat easy for students to navigate. Minimal time needed to learn how to make use of site. | Main page contains quite a bit of clutter and site areas are not clearly laid out. Instruction required touse site with students. | Main page contains too much clutter (ads, etc.) and navigation buttons and site areas are difficult for students to navigate. Extensive direction required to make use of site. |
Collaboration | Allows teachers and students to collaborate with other site users | Allows teachers, but not students to collaborate with other site users | Site allows minimal collaborative opportunities between users. | Does not allow teachers or students to collaborate with other site users. |
Final Products | Final products that can be created have educational purpose, are interesting to students, demonstrate mastery, and are aesthetically pleasing. Options available to publish privately, save offline, or embed in other web sites. | Final products that can be created have educational purpose and demonstrate mastery. Options available to publish privately, but online only, on site or embedded. | Final products that can be created have some educational purpose. Content is saved and viewable only on that site. | Final products cannot be created or do not serve an educational purpose. Content not shareable with others. |
Higher-Order Learning | Use of the Web 2.0 tool encourages use of higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). | Use of the Web 2.0 tool encourages use of 2 out of 3 higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). | Use of the Web 2.0 tool encourages use of 1 out of 3 higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). | Use of the Web 2.0 tool does not encourage use of higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). |
Edu-Friendly Features | Site is intended for education or provides education portal. No registration required, and/or teachers can create accounts for students/classes. Does not contain a search box. Does not post most recent items on home page. | Educational nature of site is obvious. Requires students to sign up individually, but can be associated with class/teacher account. Contains search box on main page, but searchable content is safe for students. May post favorite items on home page, not most recent items. | Individual logins with unique email addresses required, but information is kept private. Contains unfiltered search box on main page. Posts recent items, but none seem to have questionable content. | Individual logins with unique email addresses required. Information supplied is visible within profile. Contains search box on all or most pages. Posts unfiltered recent items on home page. |
Total Points | ||||
Tool #3: Letterpop
Analysis of Score: Letterpop is an interactive site that allows students to create their own professional-looking publications using a variety of templates and backgrounds. Students can create, publish, and share their work, but must pay an individual cost to register, or must be registered under a teacher account, which costs $40 per year. The site is organized, and provides step-by-step instructions for creating products. Tutorial videos are also easily accessible. Site content does not appear to include inappropriate material after extensive searching, though, since any user with an account can publish content, teachers may wish to monitor content for propriety to be sure that CIPA standards are being followed. Creation of final products can easily include evaluation and analysis of instructional content, since teachers can dictate to students the content to be published in their final products.
| Criteria | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Age appropriateness | Tool is age appropriate for the selected students. Meets all CIPA, COPPA and School Regulations. Content, access online, and student information leave few risks. No visible objectionable content | Tool is mostly age appropriate for the selected students. Meets CIPA, COPPA and school regulations. Content, access online, and student information require some additional monitoring and some risks. Potential to view objectionable content through site search. | Tool is minimally age appropriate for the selected students. Meets some CIPA, COPPA and school regulations. Content, access online, and student information require monitoring. Site contains gallery of user created content that may be objectionable. | Tool is not age appropriate for the selected students. Does not meet CIPA, COPPA and school regulations. Content, access online, and student information require to much additional monitoring and has high risks. Site contains highly visible gallery of recently created items. High potential of objectionable content. |
| Cost | Site has no cost and allows unlimited users, or the cost can be justified by the usefulness of the tool in furthering educational objectives. | Most services are free; only advanced services require purchase (freemium). | Site is free for limited number of users, but can be upgraded for minimal cost (<$3/student) to cover all students, and is worth a trial to determine if it is useful for furthering educational objectives. . | Site has significant cost per student to use (>$5/student), and its use to further educational objectives has not been determined. |
| User Friendliness | Main page is free of clutter (ads, etc.) and navigation buttons and site areas are easy for students to navigate. . Little to no learning curve involved. | Main page contains some clutter (ads, etc.) and navigation buttons and site areas are somewhat easy for students to navigate. Minimal time needed to learn how to make use of site. | Main page contains quite a bit of clutter and site areas are not clearly laid out. Instruction required touse site with students. | Main page contains too much clutter (ads, etc.) and navigation buttons and site areas are difficult for students to navigate. Extensive direction required to make use of site. |
| Collaboration | Allows teachers and students to collaborate with other site users | Allows teachers, but not students to collaborate with other site users | Site allows minimal collaborative opportunities between users. | Does not allow teachers or students to collaborate with other site users. |
| Final Products | Final products that can be created have educational purpose, are interesting to students, demonstrate mastery, and are aesthetically pleasing. Options available to publish privately, save offline, or embed in other web sites. | Final products that can be created have educational purpose and demonstrate mastery. Options available to publish privately, but online only, on site or embedded. | Final products that can be created have some educational purpose. Content is saved and viewable only on that site. | Final products cannot be created or do not serve an educational purpose. Content not shareable with others. |
| Higher-Order Learning | Use of the Web 2.0 tool encourages use of higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). | Use of the Web 2.0 tool encourages use of 2 out of 3 higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). | Use of the Web 2.0 tool encourages use of 1 out of 3 higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). | Use of the Web 2.0 tool does not encourage use of higher-order thinking skills (analyzing, evaluating, creating). |
| Edu-Friendly Features | Site is intended for education or provides education portal. No registration required, and/or teachers can create accounts for students/classes. Does not contain a search box. Does not post most recent items on home page. | Educational nature of site is obvious. Requires students to sign up individually, but can be associated with class/teacher account. Contains search box on main page, but searchable content is safe for students. May post favorite items on home page, not most recent items. | Individual logins with unique email addresses required, but information is kept private. Contains unfiltered search box on main page. Posts recent items, but none seem to have questionable content. | Individual logins with unique email addresses required. Information supplied is visible within profile. Contains search box on all or most pages. Posts unfiltered recent items on home page. |
| Total Points | | | ||
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