Cool Web Tool: Wall Wisher

 photo provided by dkuropatwa's Flickr account

Today I wanted to share a cool web tool that several of my TRC (Technology Rich Classroom) teachers have been using and loving. It's called Wall Wisher. Wall Wisher is a site that allows the user to basically post information (limited to 160 characters) virtually. It's awesome because it's easy to use and so many ways you can use it. You have several options to choose from when you create a wall. You need to decide on an address or URL for the site, an image to display, a title and any information that the end user would need to know as well as the wall's color of course. You will also need to decided who can view and post on your wall, this depends on how you are going to use it.

You don't have to register to create a wall nor do you have to register to use the wall, which is great for students under 13. You do have to give the site your name and an email address but that is only because they create a temporary account so you can come back and edit the wall you created if needed. I say just register for an account because you will be back and use it again. If you have a Google account you can just use that, if you don't join the 21st century and get one DUH. LOL!!! I mean that in the sweetest way possible.

Moving on...to create a wall you need to click on the Build a wall link on the top right. From there you will need to fill out your name and an email address, the URL to your wall, as well as all the other options we discussed above. Pretty cool, huh?

So, lets get to the good stuff...how you can use it with students or teachers you work with:

• Use it as a reflective tool or students or staff
• Use it was a way for students to share questions while doing a picture walk
• Use it to identify different elements of a story (characters, setting, plot, problem/solution)
• Use it when collaborating with another classroom
• Use it as a "parking lot" for questions during a training
• Use it as a "to do" list for yourself
• Use it when working with an expert in your classroom so they don't have to come in to the classroom (when it's not possible)
• Use it for your blog to gather feedback (embedded)
  
• Use it as a way to survey people to gather data
• Use it with parents during conference or any time of year
• Use it as a "back channel" during a presentation to get a feel for what your audience is thinking

There is a draw back to having the site public, anyone can post on it. That means that you could possibly end up with content that isn't appropriate for students. So be on your toes with it and teach your students what to do when they run across stuff like that. Please share on my wall ways you think you might use it in your classroom or with teachers. To do that click on the Post a Sticky link below.