5 Sites for Classroom Improvement

I chose these sites based on this post about the Top 25 Web 2.0 Sites for Education. I went in thinking that I would pick them based on sites that I am unfamiliar with, because I want new and different ways to engage my students! Sadly, I was unfamiliar with many of the sites for a reason-- Many of the listed sites are great for elementary school use, but kind of basic for high school students. After going through all of the sites, I picked the five (new!) sites that I would be most likely to utilize in my own High School English classroom.

1. Primary Access Primary Access gives users the opportunity to create movies or presentations using Primary resources. This would be especially useful when teaching the importance of primary resources to students, as they could do a mini-project with the site. I watched a movie on the book Number the Stars on the site and it looked like the teacher gave an introduction to the book and the time period using the software provided by Primary Access. It could give an extra boost to teaching books set in a particular period of time, or teaching new literary periods to give a more historical context. In particular, I always think it's difficult to keep track of a literary timeline as well as a historical timeline, and this could help ease that problem!
2. Edmodo Edmodo looks and feels like Facebook from the screen shots I can see on their website. It provides a way for students and teachers (and parents!) to connect to each other outside of the classroom, while still being educational. You can personalize Edmodo with apps, upload calendars, track student progress, and students can have engaging discussions without feeling put on the spot in the classroom. I want to use this site right now! There's even an app for Edmodo, which is incredibly exciting, because everyone is so plugged into their phones or tablets these days. I think Edmodo definitely appeals to an older student demographic, which is great. It's like a one-stop shop for students and teachers, and because it looks and feels like Facebook, students might be more inclined to use it!
3. VoiceThread I think the art of VoiceThread comes down to this post on their blog. Classes can still have discussions, even when the class isn't in the classroom. Essentially, VoiceThread allows users to join a conference call they've been invited to, and record their responses, statements, and questions. It also has a slideshow option, so you can time your responses to the slides. I watched this video, which provided an example from an 8th Grade classroom. Not only does VoiceThread allow you to record your voice, but you can also respond to the initial question with text or video feed. This would be great for days when class doesn't meet (snow days, teacher development days, etc.) or even for class discussions outside of the classroom!
4. ToonDooSpaces allows students to create comics or cartoons on the computer. As a person with little or no artistic capabilities, I always hated when teachers wanted me to do some sort of art project. ToonDoo allows classes to collaborate and communicate about a project within a private environment. The downside to this website is that you need a license to use it. I checked their price predictor and for a 9 month license with 100 students (I got 100 by estimating 25 students per class, with four classes a day) you would have to pay $181. This is definitely something that I would not spend money on, especially because educational budgets are tight, and there are probably free comic creating websites available!
5. Zunal is a Webquest Maker and WebQuest sharing site. To create a webquest, you just have to select a topic and fill out a pretty standard form. The site creates a link to your WebQuest, and you can share it with your students. You can also skip the hassle of creating your own WebQuest and search for some of the pre-made WebQuests that are available on the site. WebQuests would be especially useful for teaching an introduction to a book, author, or new literary movement.