Web 2.0: Livebinders
- 1. Christina Carrion CI 350 Web 2.0: Livebinders Dr. Harold Blanco 26 April 2014 Every Web 2.0 application shares three basic elements, they must be free, allow for collaboration, and have real time elements. Livebinders is an example of a Web 2.0 application. Livebinders are virtual 3 ring binders that streamline record keeping. It’s like having a favorites bar or bookmark, but it goes beyond just saving frequently visited websites. Livebinders can store websites and documents in one, paperless place. Everyone can use it, and it’s free. Every Livebinder is public under the free profile. Members have the choice to upgrade their account for more features and storage, and educators receive a reduced price. Teachers can use Livebinders as easy, available storage for lesson plans, supplementary instructional material for students, blogs, videos, lesson ideas, interesting/relevant information for students, differentiation techniques, Webquests, etc. Each subject could be a different Livebinder, or it’s possible to make one Livebinder with multiple tabs and subtabs; the tabs even look like tabs in a file cabinet. Livebinders members can upload their own documents and PDFs to their Livebinder. Users have the opportunity to use a Livebinder bookmarking tool to make it easy to add URLs to their Livebinders account. Otherwise, Livebinders members must sign in, and copy and paste the URL into the insert bar. Livebinders can be private or public, and can be shared (private livebinders will need to be viewed via an Access Key the user created). Teachers can share their Livebinders with students. For instance, a teacher could have a livebinder dedicated to one single class, full of supplementary material. The teacher could have a homework help tab with links to websites for additional help, helpful videos, games for practice,
- 2. etc. There could be a general tab for websites with interesting information and career applications. Different tabs for homework, for project submission, for homework submission, the list could go on and on. In general, the teacher can share course materials, resources for help, and allow collaboration. Livebinders members can allow other users to collaborate on the same Livebinder. The creator must invite the other collaborators using their Livebinders’ account email address. Therefore, if a teacher wants students to upload homework or projects to a Livebinder, all the students must have a valid email address connected to a Livebinders account. Once collaborators have been added to the Livebinder, they have the ability to edit that Livebinder. They can add links and documents, they can edit existing tabs or create new tabs and subtabs, change tab colors; in short, collaborators have the same editing power as the original creator. Collaborators are able to input text onto different tabs. However, Livebinder does not allow members to collaborate on a single text document in one tab, unless they use an editable Google Doc. The website allows users to collaborate simultaneously rather than in turns, making this website real-time. This feature is important because it allows students to collaborate in groups. Instead of having only one person working a computer, every person in the group can be involved in the project, and encourage accountability. This also allows teams to multi-task on a project. Livebinders are extremely useful to a variety of professions. The Livebinders website advertises that livebinders are helpful for businesses, for education, and for portfolios. Members have reported using Livebinders for new hire/intern materials, customer service packages, and marketing materials. Members with portfolios can include the URL on their resume for potential
- 3. employers to access. Teachers can create Livebinders for substitute teachers full of instructions, lesson plans, seating arrangements, etc. In conclusion, Livebinders embodies collaboration, real- time, and accessibility for its members.