Why yes it is! I saw its debut on abcnews yesterday morning. My first impression was... "eh... big deal". But this morning, I sat with a cup of Chai and checked it out. My impression now ...
I'M SOLD. Why? because it sorts information for me. I am certainly capable of googling key search terms, skimming and scanning addresses, reading the selected sites, gathering ample amounts and analyzing the information, and finally synthesizing to form a summary. But let's face it, it takes time. Now imagine while creating curriculum, you need quick clarification on a concept or need to build a bit of background, you can accomplish it in
less than a minute. What's even more super cool, it reads it to me while displaying an
interactive multimedia presentation. And get this: it can be personalized as an alarm clock, then while waking up, tell me the time, details of the weather, and run down my schedule for the day via my phone!
Below are two links: the first is a link to abcnews so you can watch the broadcast and read an article describing the qwiki.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/qwiki-change-search-engine-experience/story?id=12737804
Next, click on the link below to watch the demo video, then scroll down to experience samples.
http://www.qwiki.com/
It's not available yet, but you will be prompted to leave an email address to be "invited" before the launch.
Leslye - I love your ideas and your writing!
ReplyDeleteWe're using it in the classrooms! 4th grade went on a scavenger hunt of the Midwest Region, stopping at different places in the Midwest to watch the videos, listen to information, and record information. Kids loved it! Teacher's were impressed with the information that students gathered and remembered.
ReplyDelete3rd graders chose a president, embedded the Qwiki on their own blog page, then wrote 3 questions that could be answered by watching their Qwiki. Another 3rd grade class watched the Qwiki and answered their questions in the comment section of the blog. Lots of skills were practiced as they turned declarative sentences into imperative. Good stuff! Remember to update the flash before using Qwiki with the class.