Web 2.o was a bit overwhelming. There was just so much stuff to sort through. After much digging here is what I’ve found:
1) Google Earth and Littrips:This gives students the ability to experience the setting of a piece in a more personal way, this creating a more personal connection. I also love that students can create a trip, like this young person did for fifteen poets http://web.mac.com/jburg/GoogleLit/9-12/Entries/2008/10/27_Fifteen_Poets.html
2) Ning: This kind of forum generator is imperative for teaching English lit. online. Much of the learning experience in this subject area depends on class discussion. This allows me to join the students in discussion and allows them to wrestle through their thoughts on what a piece of writing means.
3) Internet for Classrooms: There is a plethora of resources within, including grammar exercises, types of writing, and analysis tools. This site http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/1437/howto.html was great because it teaches the basic formula for a solid essay, a concept I communicate continually in class.
4) Plagerism Checker: This tool is also helpful http://www.plagiarismchecker.com/ It allows me to check students’ work for authenticity without having to sort through a whole lot of search engines and such. I think every English teacher could benefit from a service like this one.
5) The Owl at Purdue: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ What can I say, the Owl at Purdue rocks! It is the go to place for simple, true, clear direction. It includes rules for grammar, citing sources, and pretty much anything else dealing with the use of the English language. I used it as a college student, and I think my students would benefit from it too.
