Tech tools

updated 4 January 2009

Introduction

This page is intended to be a collection of links to technology tools and resources that can be useful for elearning.  It will grow as we go along.

Current configuration

My most recent find is Drop.io. It is a way to set up private drops where you can share files including audio and video files. It can be integrated into Facebook and other applications. See my drop for postcards from the bottom of the ocean.

Currently I am using WordPress for this blog, Picasa for web photo albums, both Google Reader via a customised Google homepage and customised Live.com for newsfeeds, Live Messenger for instant messaging, deli.cio.us for bookmarking (shifted over from Google bookmarks and notebook).

I’m heavily into Facebook. The nicest thing about Facebook is the status feeds, you can see what your friends are doing.  I’ve had a quick go at Twitter, but I prefer using Facebook status instead, integrated into Live Messenger for example.

I’ve had a go in Second Life but don’t spend much time there.

We just acquired Campus LX blog/wiki/podcast/e-portfolio tools for Blackboard, and this is getting much of my work-based attention. For sound editing, the free Audacity editing package is fine.

For music, I went into and then mostly out of Last.fm, although I do dip in from time to time.  Now I’m using iTunes for music podcasts and radio, finding it both broader and deeper.  Of course, it also means that I’m actually purchasing more that way.

For a more up-to-date set of resources, see my del.icio.us http://del.icio.us/msjaco (it’s not all e-learning, you will see other hobbies and interests there, but e-learning does comprise a big part of it).

Tools

• Drop.io for file sharing http://drop.io/
• Campus LX blog wiki podcast e-portfolios: http://www.learningobjects.com/campuspack.jsp
• Audacity sound editing: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
• Tumblr: http://tumblr.com/ (blog: http://blog.davidville.com/) Simpler than a blog, collect and share snippets from the web or your own material
• Clipmarks: http://clipmarks.com/ Collect bits from the web.
• Webducate: http://www.webducate.net/index.php has three tools:  Dragster (makes drag and drop exercises for the web), Pollster (online polling), AMP (makes multimedia for the web).
• Writeboard: http://www.writeboard.com/ collaborative writing, very simple Wiki-like tool
• Google has a lot of nice tools, an ever-expanding list.  http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/options/ I rather like the Reader for RSS feeds and I use Picasa heavily. Docs and spreadsheets can be used for file-sharing. I intend to check out the Notebook feature and compare it to Tumblr and Clipmarks.
• Meebo: http://blog.meebo.com/about web-based instant messaging, can integrate with blogs
• Eclipse crossword maker: http://www.greeneclipsesoftware.com/eclipsecrossword/
• Wimba Create (formerly Course Genie): http://www.wimba.com/products/coursegenie/reusable learning object (RLO) creation
• FaceBook http://www.facebook.com/about.php
• BluWiki http://bluwiki.com/go/Main_Page This is the Wiki hosting service that is used by NetSkills in their training courses.
• PageFlake: http://www.pageflakes.com integrated RSS feeds, gadgets and blog similar to Live Spaces etc but with a few nice features, worth a try-out

Resources

• Podcasting for Pedagogic Purposes Special Interest Group (PPPSIG) has a fantastic wiki http://podcastingforpp.pbwiki.com/ and a podcast page http://pppsig.podomatic.com/
• ERIC (Education Resources Information Center): http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal huge searchable index of articles published in a variety of sources
• Educause: http://www.educause.edu/ Educause Quarterly and Educause Review have useful articles and there is also a searchable resource base. Their motto is ‘transforming education through information technology’.
• JISC elearning focus: http://www.elearning.ac.uk/ The full JISC site is a maze, but good for UK policy documents etc.
• HEA (Higher Education Academy):  http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ You can find stuff in here but it isn’t all that easy. There are links to reusable learning object (RLO) repositories. We are participating in the HEA’s benchmarking project.
• British Learning Association: http://www.british-learning.org.uk/home.htm
• IMS Global Learning Consortium http://www.imsglobal.org/

News

• BBC Click technology programme: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/default.stm
• First Monday http://www.firstmonday.org/ peer-reviewed technology journal
• Innovate http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php journal of online education
• Distance Educator http://www.distance-educator.com/ online and distance education journal
• Educause Review and Educause Quarterly (see above) http://www.educause.edu/
• Online Learning Update http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/onlinelearning/blogger.html a blog featuring excerpts from many different professional elearning journals