Web 2.0 and Google docs

Don't know why this post didn't stick the first time so I will re post it now. Michael, do you have any idea what happened to my first post? Web 2.0, which is named from a term used in the O'Reilly Media Conference several years ago, has evolved to mean any web tool or application that allows users to communicate, collaborate, or otherwise interact across the Internet. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are the most famous but there are numerous others that exist to make communication among students, friends, and work colleagues easier. Blogs, like this one using blogger.com, allow users to share ideas and opinions with virtually anybody that wants to read what they have written. Video sharing sites like YouTube.com allow users to post videos and comment on them. This site has made many people recognizable because of something they have done in a YouTube video. It has also led to the term "viral video" which didn't exist until recently and occurs when a video is literally viewed by millions of people worldwide. Educators can use tools like these in the classroom as well. I use YouTube for showing short video clips to my health classes. Blogs can be utilized for group or team assignments. Teachers of any subject should be able to use some sort of web 2.0 tool in their classroom. All they have to do is find the right tool for the class and assignment. Google has created several tools that fall into the web 2.0 category. These tools include Sites, Reader, Blogger, and Docs. Sites allows users to build their own web pages, all you need is a google account to get started, it is completely free. Reader allows users to have every online newspaper, magazine, or blog within easy access so you don't have to go running all over the Internet to read them everyday. Blogger is for creating, maintaining, and reading blogs. Docs basically acts like Microsoft Office. It allows users to create documents, presentations, or spreadsheets. Docs would be most easily introduced into classrooms as it involves items students and teachers are generally familiar with. But tools like Blogger and Sites could be used by teachers that want to try something new or push the envelope with their students.