Xtimeline www.xtimeline.com The second website that I have chosen to share for authentic assessment activities is Xtimeline. Xtimeline is an online timeline creator that allows users to plot dates, events, plot details and other linear occurrences. Xtimeline is a great tool for authentic assessments because the students create the timeline from scratch and build on their timeline as they continue to work on it. Xtimeline also provides access to previously created timelines for research and background purposes. Xtimeline is capable of creating advanced, organized and visually advanced timelines for free. I especially appreciate the fact that Xtimeline lets members (membership is free) upload pictures to add to the timeline making them much more appealing and interesting to look at. I like Xtimeline because it helps me to observe the linear thinking process of my students. I have used Xtimeline for plot diagramming lessons as well as biography mapping. Xtimeline is a resource that I believe social studies teachers would find extremely useful and purposeful in their classrooms. I also like the physical set up of Xtimeline the tabs, categories and search engine make using this site easy for any user no matter their experience.

Glogster EDU www.glogster.com The first authentic assessment activity website that I chose is called Glogster EDU. Glogster EDU is a website like no other resource I have ever seen. Glogster EDU is a creative, dynamic and innovative digital outlet for online creations that keeps learners in engaged in course content, and makes teaching and learning more fun (Glogster EDU, 2009). Glogster EDU is a vibrant, multi-sensory learning experience which integrates learner's knowledge and skills into traditionally text-oriented subjects and motivates learner's desire to explore topics in which they may previously have been less interested (Glogster EDU, 2009). The reason I chose Glogster EDU as one of my authentic assessment activities is because I have used it in my classroom and it works great. Glogster EDU is a powerful resource to use with students of the middle and high school levels because its possibilities are controlled by the students knowledge and creativity. Educators can set up assessments easily and quickly using the resources provided by the site host. Glogster EDU can be used for any type of assessment where students need to illustrate their understanding of course content. Glogster EDU also provides its own video site called Schooltube where students can research, watch, and add video to their personal glog adding the much needed audiovisual aspect to projects that normally would have been text based. I also really like the fact that Glogster EDU is a private site monitored by teachers; it gives me a sense of assurance that my students won't be accessing information that could get them or me in trouble.

Showbeyond http://www.showbeyond.com Showbeyond is a resource that I came across while I was teaching my journalism students how to create a photo essay. Even though I just randomly stumbled across this resource it has proven to be a wonderfully simple to use slide cast program. Slide casts are an online multimedia format that combines and synchronizes slideshows with podcasts. I have found this format perfect for online story telling as well as online presentations. I think Showbeyond is a resource more fit for middle and high school students and educators. Showbeyond allows students and educators to design and create multimedia presentations easily and quickly. Showbeyond is a resource that lets you select and manipulate photos and text to create a visual presentation which you can add podcasts, music, and videos to. I chose Showbeyond because I don't think you can find a more accessible multimedia to create simple presentations on. I say simple because Showbeyond is not capable of some the more advanced features such as animation and timed slides like PowerPoint and MovieMaker are capable of. However, I do use Showbeyond in my classroom often and my students really enjoy the products that they can create.

Virtual Dub http://www.virtualdub.org/ Virtual Dub is a free downloadable online movie editing software for PC users that allows the manipulation and revision of avi files, jpeg and bmp files, and mp3 files. It is a website that allows you to quickly and easily design short videos to present to students or to create personal slideshows set to music. Either way Virtual Dub provides an opportunity to educators to take presentations past PowerPoint and to the next level of engaging video presentations. For the students of today we know and understand the importance of presenting our learners with the fast paced and visually stimulating graphics that they have been raised with. I chose to incorporate Virtual Dub because it is a free resource that is very effective that produces high quality presentations with an easy to use format. Another feature of Virtual Dub that I really appreciate and use frequently is the batch operation feature. This feature allows me to upload many photos or files all at once. Virtual Dub also allows users to edit their photos with advanced filters such as blur reduction, sharpen, emboss and many other features giving the final presentation a more clean cut and professional look.

Bubbl.us http://www.bubbl.us/ Bubbl.us is a free application that allows users to brainstorm and think online using colorful mind maps. While this application is a bit different from Webspiration the concept is the same. If you are looking for a very simple and easier to use program for younger students this might just be your answer! With just a hit on the enter key you can quickly and easily design and create spider mind maps. I believe that Bubbl.us is a website that can absolutely help learners think with more organization and it illustrates how connections can be made between information. Compared to Webspiration Bubbl.us seems a bit elementary to my likings for my high school students, but for someone who is working with the elementary crowd this would be perfect because there are not as many bells and whistles to this program. Even though students are still able to modify colors and change the location of the bubbles.

Webspiration http://www.mywebspiration.com/about Webspiration is one of the best tools for gathering and organizing information that I have ever used. Webspiration allows the user to group information into any type of format that works for them. There are mapping tools, charting tools and my favorite thing about Webspiration is that with a click of the button all the information that you have used to create your mind map or chart can become a wonderfully organized outline. Webspiration allows users to be visual learners which can help them retain information. The main reason that I chose Webspiration as one of my graphic organizer websites was because Webspiration has a collaboration feature which many other sites do not. The collaboration feature is wonderful because it is always available with an internet connection, it helps keep the lines of communication open between group members and Webspiration automatically saves the work you have completed. I love the fact that I do not have to worry about losing my documents. Webspiration also lets users share their creations by posting them to a web page where they can be accessed by anyone. Webspiration is probably the best thing I have learned so far through my classes at Walden.

Vocabulary A to Z- Custom Vocabulary Builder http://www.vocabularya-z.com/ I believe that Vocabulary A to Z can be used for pre-training because before I ever start anything new I need my students to be aware of and know the definitions for words that will be introduced and by doing vocabulary before I start the new information front loads my students to be prepared for the information to come. Vocabulary A to Z is a site that offers a free trial for 30 days and then requires a low annual payment of $19.95. I have found this twenty dollars a year to be indispensable when I consider the types of products that I am able to create with it. The wonderful thing about Vocabulary A to Z is that it offers so many different types of resources for all different subjects, grade levels and disciplines, but the feature that I love the most is the custom vocabulary builder they provide. I can enter my list of vocabulary words for any given novel, text book chapter, poem, anything and this custom builder helps me to organize and produce high quality and visually pleasing handouts and information sheets for my students.

Teachnology- Web Quest Maker http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/web_quest/ Teachnology is a website designed by educators for educators that has endless resources including a Web Quest Maker. This website is absolutely one of the simplest ways to create a web quest that I have found. To use the Web Quest Maker one just need to fill in the appropriate fields with the information they would like to use. Web quests are one way to introduce new topics and information in an exciting and engaging way for students at any grade level. I found Teachnology's Web Quest Maker easier to use and more thorough than any of the other web quest makers that I found. I also especially liked the fact that the creation took place all on one screen and that the host provided pictures and clip art for visitors to use.

* Teachnology- Web Quest Maker http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/web_quest/ Teachnology is a website designed by educators for educators that has endless resources including a Web Quest Maker. This website is absolutely one of the simplest ways to create a web quest that I have found. To use the Web Quest Maker one just need to fill in the appropriate fields with the information they would like to use. Web quests are one way to introduce new topics and information in an exciting and engaging way for students at any grade level. I found Teachnology's Web Quest Maker easier to use and more thorough than any of the other web quest makers that I found. I also especially liked the fact that the creation took place all on one screen and that the host provided pictures and clip art for visitors to use.