ek's Blog: BP5_2010042_Web 2.0 Tool #2

The second Web 2.0 Tool that I absolutely adore is eyeplorer! I really can't get enough! I think I am developing a slight addiction. Go to the homepage http://eyeplorer.com/show/ and you'll see what I mean! My students are quite inquisitive (about who's dating who and who's going to fight who) but occasionally they ask questions about the people and places we're studying in history. This site allows the user to dig deep into a topic. It is not recommended for scholarly research but it's a great place to start. I can picture my students using this to find out about the Irish potato blight, immigration during the 1800s, abolition of slavery, women's rights, racism, the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln's assassination, and so many other topics that we are currently delving into. The format is great! There is a color wheel that categorizes topics that relate to the main topic in the center. The main topic can be dragged in from the outside or it can be typed into the text box. Suggestions appear, which is quite helpful in case a student is not sure how to spell something correctly. Also, by hovering the mouse over the words surrounding the main topic a small box of additional information pops up. If you prefer to see everything listed by category with all the facts you simply click on "all facts" (small orange button to the left under the images) and it will change to a different, more detailed view. I encourage you all to check it out. It can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes depending on how curious you are at the moment about any given topic. You can click on each image below to see it full screen. This is fantastic!