Tag: online

Cast Your Vote in the Top 100 Tools for Learning (2010 Edition)

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August 23, 2010
by Mark

Each year Jane Hart over at the Centre for Learning and Performance Activities (C4LPA) is once again putting the call out for help in compiling the Top 100 Tools for Learning. Simply head to her site and follow the links, then add ten tools that have been invaluable to your service as an educator. So far over 380 learning professionals have contributed their opinions on the most valuable tools that they have when considering e-Learning. You can also access the results back to 2007 when this annual compilation started, when the top ten tools for e-learning were;

  1. Firefox
  2. Delicious
  3. Google Search
  4. Skype
  5. PowerPoint
  6. WordPress
  7. Gmail
  8. Google Reader
  9. Blogger
  10. Word

Polling closes this year on the 17th of October, 2010.
Post your contributions here.
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Popularity: 4% [?]

: Admin
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50 Really Cool Online Tools for Science Teachers

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July 15, 2010
by Mark

Picture 2.jpgEducation is certainly taking its place amongst the realms of the internet. From classroom blogs to fully fledged courses, it’s not just a place for school’s to advertise their wares. One place that allows participants to complete courses via cyberspace is Online Degree Programs. Here’s something from their ‘About Page’

If you are considering going back to school and don’t have the time for a traditional campus life, or if you just desire your education delivered in a different format than in overcrowded lecture halls, then online education is the solution for you. Online Degree Programs is here to help you achieve your higher education goals by sorting through the best schools with the best online programs so you don’t have to.

With everything from entertainment to communication to business going online, it is only natural that education follow suit. Online education is just the thing to bring many people back into higher education, especially those with demanding schedules that do not fit into rigid classroom presence requirements.

However, it’s not just students that they attract or target. Online Degree Programs also have features for educators. One nice resource that they have for Science Teachers is a compilation of 50 online tools. Divided into categories they cover;

  • Science tools to use with students
  • AP tools
  • Websites and resources for Science Teachers
  • Calculators
  • Online Games
  • Google Earth

You can find the complete listing here, as well as a short paragraph of each of the tools offered. A terrific resource, and one that should be shared amongst science faculties of both elementary and secondary schools.

Popularity: 5% [?]

: Resources
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Teen Chat Acroynm Decoder

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July 13, 2010
by Mark

tcd.jpgApplication: Teen Chat Acronym Decoder

Social networking comes with its own language, and there is nothing more frustrating than seeing a list of letter combinations and not knowing what they mean. If you’ve ever used Facebook, Twitter, other social networking sites, used MSN or even sent an sms, then you will be pleased to know that there is a tool out there to help you decipher what it all means. You may be a parent or a teacher wanting to understand further the online language of your teen or student; this site will help.

The Teen Chat Decoder website exists to simplify and decode the language used online. For example, have you seen, or are you aware of the following;

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As parents, when our kids started to use the Internet more and more, we did what any good parent would do – we monitored their online activity.

We reviewed their browser history, or some parental control software product like PC Tattletale. But it was really frustrating when we found that our kids used abbreviations and acronyms in when chatting online or via their cell phones.

Now some acronyms are pretty easy to figure out, like “LOL” (Laugh Out Loud), but many made no sense at all – unless you were 15!

So several years ago we put together what would eventually become the largest “Teen Acronym Only” database on the net. Teen Chat Decoder was designed to help parents understand what their kids were “really” saying online and to help keep them safe.

It’s as easy as following the instructions below;

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Not only is it an easy to use online database there are some other great resources. You can download the desktop version which is provided free. There is also the ability to add to the database should your acronym not be found.

Using this application for education and sharpening your knowledge of the ‘teenspeak’ is indispensable. Who knows, your teenage or student may just thankyou.

Link: Teen Chat Decoder

Popularity: 5% [?]

: Resources, Tools
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7 Quality Sites For Free Children’s Audio

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March 18, 2010
by Mark

Following on from my post the other day about StoryLine Online I thought I would compile a list of places where you can get audio for kids. All of the sites listed below give their materials for free.

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LibriVox- (Free) LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. There are several options for listening. The first step is to get the mp3 or ogg files into your own computer either through the catalog or the podcast.

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StoryLine Online – (Free) I’ve posted about this earlier. Set up by the Screen Actors Guild, the actors read books to a camera. There are activities for teachers to use with each of the books.
Picture 6.jpg Light Up Your Brain – (Free) This site has a page full of stories as read by Chuck Brown. There are many popular and favourite classics including Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Peter Rabbit.

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Kiddie Records – (Free) This is a goldmine of nostalgia. “Kiddie Records Weekly began in 2005 as a one year project devoted to the golden age of children’s records. This period spanned from the mid forties through the early fifties and produced a wealth of all-time classics.” This will certainly be trip down memory lane, and will be valued by old and young.

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CandleLight Stories – (Free) This is a story, audio, film and game site that also covers some current issues. Use your judgment and enjoy. Some good materials and activities for educators to use.

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Speakaboos – (Free with registration) Speakaboos brings classic children’s entertainment into a digital world. Beloved characters and treasured stories are given new life through amazing celebrity performances, beautiful illustrations, and original music. At Speakaboos, children develop literacy skills while learning about technology in a safe and fun environment.

Wired For Books – (Free) Picture 5.jpgAnother treasure mine of classics. This site has a heavy emphasis on Beatrix Potter and her creations. However, you can also find Alice in Wonderland, a selection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, the Wizard of Oz and the Gift of the Magi. Well worth having a look if you have young students.

Popularity: 17% [?]

: Literacy, Resources
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WallWisher

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February 15, 2010
by Mark


wallwisher

Application: Wallwisher

Wallwisher is an online application that is easy to use, setup and lends itself to some great applications in the classroom. It is essentially an online noticeboard, that uses the ‘sticky note’ format for messages. Easy to set up, there is no need to have an account; although signing up does give the user some advantages in managing multiple walls. To enable you to ‘dip’ your toes in, there is a demo wall, which you can write and play with the tools without any consequence. wallwisher3

When writing on the wall, you are limited to 160 characters (nods to Twitter and SMS) but you can add images, video, music and links to web pages, so you can add a lot more content than just the usual text. And that’s what helps make it so practical for the classroom. I have been in touch with @missbrownsword in the UK via Twitter. She has used it for her Year 6 geography classes. Sarah tells me;

I’m using wallwisher with my year 6 geography classes (I have 2). Our topic is ‘How are you connected?’ and we’re looking at our connections to other countries. Last year I got them to list 5 countries they’re connected to, write them down and bring them in but this year I’ve asked them to post their lists to wallwisher. I’ve set up 2 so the classes have one each http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/6sgeog and http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/6ageog , feel free to have a look. The children were really excited today when I told them what they’d have to do and it’s definitely improved motivation, some of them have already done the homework! Also I think it will make it much easier for us to discuss and compare our connections to different countries in the next lesson as I can dispay the walls on my IWB. Next the children will be plotting the connections onto maps and after that choosing one country to do a presentation on, I’m planning on introducing some more new things for them during that part too.

Being the end of year here in Aus, I haven’t been able to use it for and extended curriculum, but I did use it to send messages to a student who had recently been in hospital.   Some students made her a physical card, but I got all of my students to write to a message to her. I was able to edit and correct any errors, and students could upload pictures and link to movies. We then emailed her the link, and she was able to join in from home. I agree with Sarah, it certainly helped motivate students and provided a novel way of keeping in touch with my students.

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With options to create your own URL link, 12 themes and controls over who can post and edit notes there’s some great potential for teachers in the classroom to use this tool. It’s not just for glorified sticky notes to yourself to pick up some milk – although that application can work too.

Being a firm believer in ‘learning by using’ I’d encourage you to have a look yourself (http://wallwisher.com) and contact Sarah @missbrownsword if you need some further ideas or help. I’m sure too, that if you are on Twitter and put out the call to your PLN for some advice or ideas they would help.

* I originally wrote this article in December last year, and looking through my drafts, realized I hadn’t published it.

Popularity: 29% [?]

: IWBs, Literacy, Tools
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Fill Any PDF

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February 10, 2010
by Mark

Resource: A terrific new program has come across my path today – Fill Any PDF. fillanypdf

The premise is simple -

FillAnyPDF.com is a website where you upload your PDF form and link to it so other people can fill it out and sign it online. No software is needed. Any PDF form can be used, even if it’s not “interactive”, so you can get started right away. You can even invite a group to fill out your forms and track the results. Anyone that collects signatures or filled out forms will find FillAnyPDF.com to be a valuable time-saving resource.

So in short, users upload their PDF form, send the link to people and then they fill it in for you. It’s all done ‘online’ so there is no need for faxing or reprinting. The person can fill it in and sign it all using the www and then you as the document creator are notified when people complete the information required. The positives below are taken from the website:

a

No Software Needed

No software is needed to fill out forms. Everything is done online.
a

Fill out Forms

Fill out PDF Forms online with variable font sizes and colors.
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Sign Documents

Sign forms just by typing your name. FillAnyPdf provides the traceability necessary for the “digital signature” to be valid.
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Share Forms

Share blank and filled forms with coworkers or anyone you want.
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Invite Others

Invite people to fill out forms. You can customize your message to each person or send a group invitation.
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View Completed Invitations

See exactly who filled out which form and when. If you invite people to fill out a form, you can see exactly which form they filled out.
a

Use Any PDF

Any PDF may be used regardless of the software used to make the PDF. The PDF does not need “fields” to be added to the form. The entire form becomes fillable when it is imported.
a

No Printing

Paper does not need to be printed, saving you time, money, and frustration. It saves a few trees and reduces your carbon footprint as well.
a

Edit Forms

White-out and Redaction tools let you modify old forms to get just the form you need so you don’t have to find the original or create the form again.
a

No Scanning or Faxing

When other people fill out your forms, they do not have to print and then scan and email the form back to you. This means you will get more forms returned in less time.

Popularity: 4% [?]

: Resources, Tools
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13 Free Video Editing Tools

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October 29, 2009
by Mark

Today I came across this neato article on the ‘Master New Media’ site which compared the best software and Web based services for video editing.  The article is quite comprehensive, explaining the need for video editing and discussing the various types there are.  The two comparative tables that are provided give a fantastic overview of the features, platform and specs of the program.  Another feature gives a brief paragraph overviewing the tool. 

Summary
This is a great ‘go-to’ resource for people who want to find a program for some simple specific needs and don’t want/need to pay big dollars for the more expensive and often complicated video editing tools.

Popularity: 3% [?]

: Resources, Video
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