Top 3 Web 2.0 Resources for Teachers

Here we have my Top 3, in no order, of on line resources for teachers of any level.

• Classroom 2.0 – a quintessential resource for anyone looking to harness the power of Web 2.0 and apply it to education.  Classroom 2.0 is a social network for anyone interested in combining Web 2.0 technology and philosophy in the education space.  It’s a pretty cool network of over 10,000 members that not only provides an interface for sharing ideas, but their resources wiki is massive and you don’t even need to be a member to use it.  Definitely worth checking out, within the wiki you can learn about using everything from Google Earth to cell phones in the classroom.
  
• Learnhub – a social network like Classroom 2.0, but of a different variety.  Learnhub is designed for both educators and learners, whereas Classroom 2.0 is primarily for educators.  Communities centered around specific subject matter can be created by student and teacher alike where people can ask for help or share knowledge and ideas.  It’s a unique way of approaching education and while not huge yet, it’s potential is incredible; imagine a wikipedia of ideas that is constantly developing and evolving new communities around those ideas.  
• TeacherTube – exactly what it sounds like: Youtube but strictly for teachers.  Everything from instructional videos on how to teach a certain subject, to teacher interviews, the physics of golf and Mrs. Burk rapping about perimeters.

There are more out there, but these three are my personal favorites.  They seem to be in the minority of sites that are embracing Web 2.0 and applying it to education.  For example, PBS has a great site for teachers, but it lacks the community feel that these three provide right from the minute you load up their title page.  So kudos to these three, the top tier, for recognizing that there’s great potential in the meshing of technology and education under the heading of Web 2.0.