Web trails are tools which allow the user to collect together a series of websites they have visited. A teacher could use these tools to guide their students to relevant websites. Students could also use web trails to outline their research and share with others. Some tools allow students to comment on sites they have visited allowing for peer assessment of student created web material or discussion of the content on a website. Web tours are similar although they may be focused on taking a tour of a single website or webpage. One area which I need to develop in my own teaching is the evaluation of web sources for bias, such tools could be very useful in developing a critical awareness of bias in web published information.

1. Demofuse - this website allows you to create a tour of your own website. You are given a piece of code to insert into your website which will give an explanatory tour of your website to visitors. The tour consists of a series of slides/windows that pop up accompanied by arrows and highlighted areas on your website. In the future they hope to add audio and images to the tours.

2.JogtheWeb - This tool allows you to create a slideshow of websites you wish others to see. The websites appear inside the Jogtheweb browser and is still live which allows video to be viewed or links to be followed. There is a comment function although it relates to the entire slideshow not each elemt within it. If the comment were linked to each website then it would be a good assessment tool where several student websites could be gathered together for viewing and commenting on. Click Here to see an example tour of my Department's website. As it stands you could perhaps link to a youtube video or other document and collect comments from students. Alternatively use two contrasting websites and start a conversation around them using the comment tool.

3. Middlespot - Technically this is a social bookmarking tool which allows you to gather together sights of interest. However, it collects the sites in a graphical form and allows you to comment on the pages therefore allowing you to create a webtour. As I used this tool I came to see it as a brilliant tool for reflective thinking as well as research. You can choose to search for either pages or images. I chose to search for 4 images of hunger. I then commened on what each picture told me about hunger by clicking on the comment button as I hovered over it. It is also possible to comment on the collection of pictures as a wholeby clicking on the Comment button on the main toolbar. Each time you click on maximise the comments and pictures are updated. The finished Middlespot can then be shared with others who can also comment on your pictures or websites. There is also an add URL button which would allow you to give students a particular website to comment on. The pictures and pages remain live allowing them to be viewed within Middlespot. Interesting tool with lots of potential uses.




4. SearchMe - Again, technically a search engine not a Webtrail. However, it enables you to make a 'Stack' which is a collection of web pages, video, pictures and music that you have found. This is a brilliant tool for a teacher to collect together resources for a piece of work. You could also include interactive sites so that tasks can be completed as well as information found. In theory a student could produce a project on a topic in the same way. The only downfall to this is that it is so easy that the student could put together an impressive stack in 1 minute and not bother learning anything. How about pairing your students and getting them to create a stack for their partner who has to use it to learn about the topic and then rate their friends stack. Click here to view a Stack I created on The Amazon. Is this the future for the bibliography?



5. MyJudaad - A similar tool to Middlespot but not as graphic. You create a slideshow from a list of pages and then post it for others to view. Pages are live but unlike Middlespot there is no comment function so you simply view the pages rather than commenting on them.


6. Trailfire - This tool does require a small add-on to your browser. You then visit the websites you want to add to your trail and click on them. This inserts a text box in which you can also add a comment. You can keep the trail private, e-mail for sharing or publish it on the public site. Viewers can add to the comment boxes meaning you can use the tool to direct students to search for particular information and they can leave it on the site. Alternatively you could review a site by collecting opinions and views. Click here to view a short trail I made. As with the previous tools the sites within the trail are live so by clicking on them you will go beyond the trail. Your back button will bring you back to the trail. Once you have installed Trailfire on your browser any trails that have been created on websites you visit will automatically be displayed. Some may find this useful, others annoying.