Gapminder - Looking and Playing with Data
I found Gapminder through Edutecher.net. This is simply a great way to look at and play with data dealing with global trends and topics. Health, education, climate and poverty are but some of the few areas of research that have been collected and compiled into these interactive graphs. When you launch Gapminder World, you will be able to select values and indicators charted on the graph axes as well as identify and track specific countries.
Basically - it is just too hard to describe the power of this online tool. Any teacher that deals or refers to current and historical events and trends will definitely find Gapminder to be compelling tool!
One goal of KidPad is to enable children to create non-linear stories to express their thoughts visually, in a more natural way than linear storytelling allows. KidPad supports collaboration between children because it can be used with multiple mice on the same computer. Certain tools in KidPad encourage collaboration because they enable two children to perform a task that they would be unable to perform alone. For example, if a child wants to draw in orange she must work with another child. There is no orange crayon but if the red and yellow crayons are put together the colors mix and two mice can draw in orange.
Popplet is a new web app that is like Wallwisher on steroids. You can make an online "bulletin-board" with virtual "post-its" (called "popplets), just like in Wallwisher. And, except for the fact you have to register to use it, Popplet is just as easy and, in some ways, easier to use with a lot more functionality. With Popplet, you search for images and videos on the Web directly within the "popplet" instead of copying and pasting the url address (as you need to do in Wallwisher). You can draw within the "popplet" and it doesn't appear to have an limit on the number of characters you can use. You can connect the "popplets." You can also embed the whole thing.