Exploring Web 2.0: Second Generation Interactive Tools - Blogs, Podcasts, Wikis, Networking, Virtual Worlds, and More is designed to help the casual computer user, students, parents, and teachers understand the latest in free and inexpensive web tools and their power for research, collaboration, and communication. It provides the history, background, and current overview of Web 2.0, RSS feeds, metadata, tags, tag clouds, and folksonomy to demystify the current jargon connected with this latest web phenomenon. Web 2.0 tools covered include: 1. Social bookmarking 2. Photo-sharing 3. Blogs 4. Podcasts 5. Vodcasts/Screencasts 6. Wikis 7. Mashups 8. Virtual Offices 9. E-Learning Course Management 10. Social/Professional Networking 11. Virtual Worlds 12. Online Communications


Ann Bell is an Adjunct Online Professional Development Instructor and Course Developer for the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She has developed and instructs the courses Digital Media and Visual Literacy, Learning Applications for the iPod(r) and Handheld Computers, and Implementing Instructional Technology Innovations. Mrs. Bell has been a high school media specialist for twenty years in Iowa, Montana, Oregon, and Guam. Ann received her B.A. degree from the University of Northern Iowa, a library media endorsement from the University of Montana, and a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Hawaii. She has completed postgraduate work at Drake University and the University of Northern Iowa. Ann was the recipient of the 2001 Information Technology Pathfinder Award from the American Association of School Librarians and the Follett Software Company and the 2002 recipient of the Iowa Educational Media Association Lamplighter Award. She was featured in the December 2001 issue of Teacher Librarian: The Journal for School Library Professionals and has been published in Library Media Connection (Linworth Publishing, Inc.). Ann has published two books for Linworth Publishing, Inc., Creating Digital Video in Your School: How to Shoot, Edit Produce, Distribute and Incorporate Digital Media into the Curriculum and Handheld Computers in Schools and Media Centers. She has published a series of eight novels plus one stand-alone book for Heartsong Presents Book Club. Barbour Publishing republished and combined the first four books into Montana and the second four into Montana Skies. Gale-Thorndike Press released this same series in a large print edition. Mrs. Bell was selected to be included in the 2008 Contemporary Authors (volume 259) series by the Thomson Gale Publishers.