Me and my tame web developer, Aaron have been thinking about putting together a directory for educators to search for web2.0 sites and applications to help with their teaching and learning. Aaron has come up with a genius database for behind-the-scenes but I wanted to get some views from my PLN before we commited stuff to the web.

I’d like your help shaping this. I’d even like it if you told me it was a bobbins idea and not to waste our time.

The reasoning behind doing it is that looking for web2.0 tools can be overwhelming, especially for neophytes. There are excellent blogs that share new finds and ideas and great Tweeters. The main problems as I see it are twofold:

  • Finding stuff – Searching these when you have a particular requirement is a pain in the backside. It’s really easy to miss a blog post or a tweet and you may have missed that crucial app which may inspire your students. Finding things in retrospect involves hours of searching.
  • Evaluating – A blog or tweet recommending a particular app, however well written, can give a narrow view of what an app is capable of or how it can be applied to learning. Much better if there is a place for a community of people the comment, give reommendations/horror stories etc for the benefit of others. 

So, let me give you a sketch of what it might look like…

  • Searching – As simple as possible. No searching for subject, key stage etc. Applications and sites are grouped (inclusively) into Make Stuff (tools for creating – maybe Animoto, XtraNormal, CoolIris etc), Share Stuff (tools like Fliggo, Voicethread,  etc) and Chat About Stuff (tools for getting involved in “the conversation” and recommended blog, good tweeters, forums etc). Make and Share then break down into Video, Sound, Images, Numbers, Places, Ideas.
    Questions: Is this too broad brush? Are there any glaring examples that this wouldn’t accommodate?
  • Community – Anyone can nominate something so long as there’s an email address (like comments on blogs). Nominations would be moderated and all directory entries would be credited. There’s then a facility for people to star rate the tool’s usefulness in education and write a comment about their experience using it (what age groups, subjects, technical hints and tips). Imagine something a bit like the reviews on Amazon.
    Questions: Is this an effective way of sharing experiences? Is it done better in a different forum?

I hope it would be a useful facility but worry that it would become some massive, time consuming beast that misses the whole spirit of web2.0.

I’m a bit too close to it so need the benefit of some other, better brains. Please give me your thoughts…

Image – quinnanya on Flickr