Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
BP9_2010011_Web 2.0 T3 - eyePloyer
EyePlorer.com is a highly visual and interactive tool that explores knowledge. It helps explore knowledge in a very simple way. The first step to exploring this web 2.0 tool is to choose a topic. When you enter your topic, EyePlorer scans the web, using Wikipedia, and distributes facts about the specific topic. Within seconds EyePloyer produces eyespots in a circle map with words relating to your topic. There are over 30 million facts to explore. If you want to know how the eyespot is related to your topic, all you have to do it click on it. To learn more about how the two are related, you can click on a “more” button. EyePlorer also offers a notepad where you can drag and drop information to remember.
When I discovered this tool, my brain went crazy. I found myself typing in all kinds of things just to see what came up. If it sparked my interest, I am positive that it will intrigue your students. EyePlorer can be used in the classroom for numerous things. It can help students improve their vocabulary skills by visually explaining the relationship between individual words. EyePlorer can also be used to assist students in research. It opens new avenues that might not have been thought about relating to a topic. Students can quickly collect a list of related keywords that help them with their research. Eyeplorer would be great to uses an interactive whiteboard that can help the students brainstorm or to use as an introduction to any new material. The possibilities are endless. I highly suggest trying this out as a resource in your classroom. It’s fun!
