BP4_Penzu

So, I am researching and trying out Web 2.0 tools that I think will work in my classroom, and while completing my CBR (Challenge Based Research) project.  And finally, I think I have found the Holy Grail! Penzu! Penzu is an online journaling tool that offers a plethora of practical uses for students and teachers.  As a 9^th grade English teacher I just love this tool! Language Arts and Literature classes lend themselves very well to journaling, but an online journal that offers the same features and advantages of the tried and true, hard-bound composition book is just awesome!

Penzu offers 2 versions: a free version, and a paid (19.00), Pro version.  The Penzu interface is just like a diary.  The free version of Penzu enables you to create entries, add pictures, share entries via email, and also lock entries you want to keep private.  In addition to these features, Penzu also has a search feature that will allow you to quickly search through all the entries within your journal.  For those of us that need a little push or a reminder, Penzu also has an email reminder feature that will send you an email reminding you to write. 

The Pro version of Penzu offers all of these features and more. Within the pro version you can customize the work space by adding custom backgrounds and custom tablets.  You can also customize the font style, color, and size.  The pro version also gives you the ability to high light information that is important.  Two really neat features offered in the pro version are tagging, and importing and exporting.    The tagging feature functions like a typical tagging feature, giving users the option to tag their entries with topics related to those being discussed within an entry.  Another feature I found useful was the importing and exporting feature.  This feature makes it possible to import entries from a blog and export entries to PDF, TXT, or XML; thus, giving a user the option to print entries.  One of the best features of the pro version, in my opinion, is the ability to access Penzu from a mobile device. 

Students can use Penzu to:

• Document their daily activities for a class
• Take Notes
• Keep and Online Journal
• Reflect on Their learning
• Respond to literature
• Respond to writing prompts

Because Penzu is free, it is available to all students (at some point).  Free is good, but that fact that Penzu is hosted online is even better. Students can access it from any computer with internet.  This alone is great because it extends the classroom beyond the classroom right into a student’s home.  Beyond this, Penzu has an incredibly easy user interface.  So easy, even an elementary student can use it.

For teachers using Penzu, the possibilities are endless.  Teachers can document the daily activities of their classes.  They can maintain a reflective journal where they reflect on their classroom practices, and they can even add pictures to each of their entries.  For teachers who do not want the responsibility of maintaining a full fledge web site, Penzu is great.  Teachers can post vocabulary, daily bell ringers, writing assignments, and much more.  Students with a password can easily access this information from their personal computers, or any computer with internet access.  Penzu is also a great place for teachers to keep anecdotal notes on students in their classes.  Penzu offers another forum for communicating with parents.  Teachers who keep anecdotal notes on students can do so in Penzu.  They can keep these notes private (as documentation) or they can share them with parents.

There are a multitude of Web 2.0 tools out there. Some I will never try, some I will try and never use, but Penzu has not seen the last of me! I like the possibilities it offers, and I am excited about sharing it with my students next semester!  I’ve already signed up for the Pro version, added it to my Blackberry, and my iPod touch, and I am busy looking for more ways to use this very practical application!

Happy Blogging every one! Thanks for stopping by!