Activity 1: There are several websites – Shelfari, http://www.shelfari.com , Goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com and Librarything, http://www.librarything.com  – that allow you to find information about books, keep track of the books you have read or want to read, add comments and/or reviews, and exchange ideas about what you’re reading. All three of these options also let you display a “shelf” of your books on your blog. The sites all require that you sign up for a free account. Set up a free account, then add some favorite books to your shelf and embed the shelf on your blog.

Activity 2: Now, write a blog posting about which site you explored and how you think you could use this software for school projects or for fun. Make sure you added your shelf to your blog.

Activity 3: Sync, http://www.audiobooksync.com/,  offers two free YA audio books all summer each week from May 15-August 20, 2014. You can download and install the Overdrive Media Console on a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Librivox, http://www.librivox.org, free public domain audiobooks  for your computer, iPod, other mobile device or to burn onto a CD. Use the search tools and find something you would like to read. Write a blog post about using either Sync or Librivox.  Discuss what you learned and how these Web 2.0 tools might help today’s readers.

Activity 4: Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org , offers over 45,000 free e-books including ePub or Kindle to read online or download them. Write a post about how you used Project Gutenberg. What did you learn? How might you use this free ebook site?

Topic 7: Creating Animations and Videos and Screencasting

In addition to still images, there are lots of great Web 2.0 tools for creating your own videos.

Activity 1: Animoto lets you upload or select images and music, then generates a video for you with stunning transitions. To give credit to the images and/or music you upload, you can add an image file with urls for these items. You will need an account to create an Animoto video. Your Teacher librarian or teacher can set one up for you.

Use Goanimate ,  http://goanimate4schools.com/public_index, to create a video with simple do-it-yourself tools. Select a theme based on its visual style. You can create using a free student account. Create your characters or use the stock characters. Think of something you have learned this year and maybe use that as your inspiration for your video.

Wideo.co, http://wideo.co/,  is another tool where you can start from scratch or use their templates to create! Use the how to make a video – getting started video (YouTube) to learn the basics.

Touchcast.com, http://www.touchcast.com where you can annotate  documents, the web, or even video through Touchcast! This is a mobile app to make great looking videos on the iPad. The App is free and seems easy to edit and easy to share. Photos, maps, “touch” any of the video apps on the screen and include in your video Touchcast! You can embed any file—images, documents and other videos, along with quizzes, polls and surveys.

Activity 2 : Screen casting tools to try. Choose one and learn how it works. Write a blog post about what you created, how it works, and give specific examples to application for your school work.

Screen-cast-o-matic, free version software allows you to create an online screencast to teach someone using screen shots.  I will download and install the application. Create a screencast teaching someone how to use an online database, OPAC or e-reference book for this assignment.

Jing, http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html, another free downloadable tool  to share images and short videos on the computer screen. The assignment is the same as listed under Screen-cast-o-matic.

Activity 3: Now, write a blog posting about what site(s) you explored and how you think you could use this software for school projects or for fun. In your posting, link to or embed what you have created to share it.