If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.
You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!
The free Novel Effect app follows along as you read aloud from a print book (or ebook) and plays customized music and sound effects at just the right moment. Thanks to TL Ella Munro for this tip.
A fun and easy way to share ideas on a website. Bounce is a screen capture tool that lets you annotate a web page you discovered, annotate it and then share the annotated version with a unique url.
Cooliris is a 3-D wall for browsing video and images. You can use it to browse the images & video on your computer or those that are on the web. There is a search function that can access some of the most popular source of images. Install the toolbar for easier access. Cooliris Preview is another useful application from Cooliris.
Fefoo is not a search engine. It's a fantastic, simple little application that makes your searching more powerful. Use the toolbar that appears to select search type and search engine.
Upload your photo collection, pick your favorite template and then let Photovisi arrange the pics into a collage for you. No registration required. Thanks to @kjarrett for the tip. http://www.ncs-tech.org/?p=3215
Zotero is a free easy to use tool to help you collect and manage information, cite sources, and work collaboratively. See the video at the site above for more info.
To create an audio slideshow on Sharalike simply import some images from your computer, your Android device or from your iPad, drag them into the sequence in which you want them to appear, and then add some music. Watch the video at https://youtu.be/loEnBqumyqo
A "toy in a linguistic playground", Word Sift permits you to paste text, create a word cloud in a variety of shapes from that text, and search from that word cloud. For more features, watch the application of Word Sift in this YouTube Video http://bit.ly/16VT4G
One of a set of "generators". This one has 2500 suggestions of activities for learners to do. There are a couple of other learning event generators listed here. Source: EdTech Women of Web2.0 podcast25/03/09
Skitch is The Internet Camera™ for Mac users that want or need to capture on-screen content. Click on the snap button to take a picture of the screen, then annotate or draw. Look here for another way to use Skitch...as part of a screencast tool set - http://learningischange.com/
ggl.to is a web service that provides short, easily typed aliases for web searches for sharing. You may have to add http:// in front of the resulting ggl link that you create to have it work from Twitter or a wiki. This tool would be great for TLs or teachers who want to point quickly to online resources for students or colleagues. Also good for demonstrating the effect of using different search strings. TL or teacher could do a number of searches ahead of time with ggl.to and ask students to select the best results, then go back to examine the most successful search string. The following link was made from a search string including these keywords... teacher, earth day, interactive to create this link ... http://ggl.to/teacher-earth-day-interactive Thanks to @lessig for this tool suggestion.
The first online social dictionary. Upload photos, tag, and rate your favorite words. Search for definitions simply by adding the word after the url - example: http://word.sc/favorite . More Web 2.0 dictionaries are reviewed at the SJL Blog, NeverEndingSearch.
Handy little bookmarklet -Markkit- Highlight text with Markkit to save to your Markkit log. If you click on the highlighted text you can expand your search. You have to drag the bookmarklet to your toolbar. It works with Firefox, Safari, Opera, & Chrome.
Diigo is a social bookmarking site. "You can highlight portions of web pages that are of particular interest to you. You can also attach sticky notes to specific parts of your bookmarked web pages." It's easy to import your del.icio.us bookmarks into your Diigo account. RSS feeds will give you updates to your preferred Diigo accounts. Tags and lists make organizing and retrieving bookmarks from your own account easy. View each bookmarked page by clicking on the view webslide arrow at the top right of the page. Diigo has been nominated as a finalist for the Webware 100 2009 Awards put on byCNETin the Browsing category. Here's a sample account.
Gathers a word cloud based on the bios of your followers. Clearly Schlib at Twitter is being followed by the right people:) The words "librarian", "school", "geek", "professor" and "teacher" were also in the cloud but do not show in the image below. Thanks to http://twitter.com/kjarrett for the site suggestion.
Try it out. The public beta version is free. "Use Webspiration's diagramming environment to create bubble diagrams, flow charts, concept maps, process flows and other visual representations that stimulate and reflect your thinking."
Widgets for Your Web Pages
Thanks to @joycevalenza at Twitter.com, we heard about the National Geographic and PBS widgets that can be easily added to your blog or web pages. Look at the sidebar at the Schlib blog or the Schlib wiki Resources page to see an example. The widget in the sidebar leads educators to Shakespeare resources and activity ideas.
Video directory/website specifically for children, although some more senior users will enjoy the selection. The site is moderated. It is powered by YouTube.
Join the ning to find or share videos about books. It was initiated by Joyce Valenza on December 12, 2008. It is possible to embed suitable videos found on the ning into your wikis, blogs and web sites. You'll also find other recommended video sources at the ning, such as Scholastic's Video Booktalks.
If you like Storylines, you'll love this. You'll find books online, celebrity readers, teacher resources, and technology that enables kids to make their own recordings.
Alan Levine offers 50+ web tools you can use to create your own web-based story. He provides several samples that have been made with each tool. In fact, one story, that of Dominoe is told repeatedly using all of the tools.
E-Learning Pick of the Day from Jane Knight. Insert content (video, text, music, html) into pdf or image files. Imagine how this could be used in the classroom or library.
We had a request to add the technology tips, web tools and website recommendations to a blog or wiki that would enable RSS access. The blog is an attempt to satisfy that request. If you use a feed aggregator or a reader like Bloglines or Google Reader, you can now subscribe and receive the updates automatically.
Repeat posting, in case you missed it!! The WebTools wiki is intended to support school library staff but is a great place for teachers, techs and administrators to keep abreast of new technologies that have value in schools. Conveniently, handouts are available at the bottom of the WebTools wiki if you wish to inform colleagues.
Adobe Photoshop Express [beta] is an online version of the popular digital image-editing software. Obtain a free account to upload, alter, save and share up to 2GB of digital images for free.
Tell your story with Capzles, an interactive multimedia presentation tool that utilizes a timeline format to contain images, video, audio and text. Visit iLearn to find practical tips for using Cazples with students. Take the guided tour.
AllTop is a handy “online magazine rack” of popular topics.Alltop is a set of RSS feeds organized by subject making it easy to skim for items of interest. Guy Kawasaki was involved in the development and appears to be promoting it heavily on http://twitter.com/guykawasaki
You can create animated and interactive slideshows with an assortment of effects, theme templates and designs. Provides lots of opportunity for creativity. In the same category as Animoto [below]. Good example with of some of the features at http://bit.ly/jUqj
Voice thread provides a collaborative space for video, still images, audio, and text. Update: You can now make a copy of your voicethreads. "With the ability to copy your existing VoiceThreads it now makes sense for you spend a lot of time and energy creating the highest quality VoiceThreads possible, as you can use them again and again."
Can't open a file? Here's a free file conversion site. Currently on the Zamzar service you can upload a maximum of 100 MB of data split amongst up to 5 different files. Converts documents, music, video and various compressed file formats. Watch this demonstration movie for a quick view of the process.
There are many purposes for polls in the classroom. Now you can make your own surveys easily with this web-based option. The sample poll below is functional at Schlib Netvibes [News]
Click at least two colours to see the set of images transform to match your colour choices. All images come from the Flickr Creative Commons and you know what that means to teachers and students.
"Big Universe’s Web site allows you to read hundreds of children’s books for free, purchase children’s books, and even create your own children’s ebook complete with pictures using the Big Universe Author Tool. " Source: Wired Educator http://bit.ly/mLCB 08/06/08
SimplyBox is a web-based capture & share platform for students and teachers. Enables group consideration of web videos, part of pages, pictures, photos that you contain in this space. Registration required. Source: Jane Knight http://janeknight.typepad.com/pick 11/08/08
A pioneer in personalized web pages, Netvibes has made recent improvements. You can now share Netvibes via Facebook Connect, Twitter & Readwriteweb. We've made a Schlib Netvibes. This looks like a good alternative to Protopage for teachers and libraries that want a quick web presence. Here is another example, a public library that uses Netvibes. Update: Announced in December 08, Netvibes now has flexible layout options http://bit.ly/p1Hk
Remove "web 2.0" in the search box on the screen at this site and add your keywords instead. Now click on the Graph It button. The tool shows a network of links associated with those keywords. Urls will be listed to the left on the Touchgraph screen. Dig deeper by clicking on the graphical representation showing the relationships associated with your keywords.
Not a new tool, but one of the most useful for teachers and librarians who wish to direct students or patrons in a gentle way. Customized search engines provide focus and set the stage for students to make judgements more easily about the suitability of search results for their research needs. Teachers begin to make a CSE by identifying a set of preferred web sites on a given topic. Those sites are then listed by the teacher in the search engine construction area. We have created search engines that utilize more than 400 selected sites while others use less than 30. Animals for K-6 is an example of a Google CSE. Some other samples are at http://www.pembinatrails.ca/infozone/search.htm
Exploratree is a free web resource where you or your group can access a library of more than 24 ready-made interactive graphic organizers. The results can be edited, printed, and shared.
Originally designed for students with disabilities, ReadTheWords accepts multiple input formats such as MS Word, PDF , or html for users to create readings. Output is a synthesized speech file in one of fifteen voices that can be heard online, downloaded, saved, and shared. If you download the toolbar, you can convert text in a web page to speech without having to go to ReadTheWords.com. Schlib readers may be able to think of innovative ways of using this in the library or classroom. Update: There is now a crippled trial version and two levels of membership ($ and $$) for more full featured versions.
Free. Capture Fox is a Firefox add-on. Records your computer screens and your voice. Output is in movie ( avi ) format. The extension is available for Windows XP as well Vista. Easy to use for training and sharing. Has many applications in the library and classroom environments.
Ever print a webpage only to find your printout is full of ads, empty space and other junk you don't want? PrintWhatYouLike is a free webpage editor that gives you control of how webpages look when printed.
Updated: Improvements include access from the SU website. No need to register. "StumbleUpon discovers web sites based on your interests." To use it you visit the site or you install a handy toolbar with a button that when clicked leads you to sites in categories that you have pre-selected, eg. K-12 Education or Library.
Promote your library or classroom activities with your own custom made cartoons. Easy and fun, this site could be used to add some humor to any subject :) Challenge the students to create cartoons for the library or classroom. More Library Kids cartoons are here.
This cartoon was created in 2008 when Obama was elected.
Searchable site. Database includes lyrics from more than 600,000 songs and includes those from many children's artists such as Raffi and various Sesame Street singers. Great for ELA and EAL.
Searchable database of sound effects. A good alternative is SoundSnap. This will be added to the Schlib list of free legal sounds (music included) and images for use in the classroom legal3.doc
Update: New educational version in Oct '08. Teens and teachers, as well as library staff will want to try this tool that helps them create online posters. Imagine an online poster for your library. Good example: Winnipeg Strike 1919
Looking for a speedy way to make a bibliography? Here's another citation/bibliography creation service along the lines of the Citation Machine that is so popular. It's called BibMe. Like Citation Machine, it's free, although you do have to register. It seems to be simple and flexible. Try it out at http://www.bibme.org/
Fun and free application. Good for making word splashes, posters, tag clouds, bulletin boards, I Spy, and more. If your words are used more frequently, the size increases as happens with tag clouds. Type words directly or copy and paste text from a file. You will have some orientation, colour, and font options. Requires current version of Java.
Gliffy, Mind42, bubbl.us and now Mindmeister. Check out these online tools that enhance collaborativedecision making, project planning, strategic planning, and brainstorming.
Boolify allows the student to create a Boolean search graphically. Students will be able to experiment easily and then select from resulting web, news or image hits after conducting a "Boolified" search. Search results come from Google. Teachers and library staff may want to use it just to demonstrate the power of a well structured search.
Combine your photos with provided music (or music from sources that allow its use). Animoto is free for short compilations. A cheap subscription allows longer productions.Educators can get special terms.
Rival to PBwiki. Advertising-free if you indicate you are in education. Wetpaint has just announced it has integrated discussion forums into its wiki platform.
Here's a site that searches del.icio.us to find sites similar to ones you already like, according to the preferences of other users. It's handy for when you find a great resource, and want to compare it against those of a similar stripe. (Mike F)
Record your message and send it. No special software required. You can also meet live with others in your group. It has enormous potential for classroom teachers and library staff members.
Splashup is a Flash-based Photoshop look-alike, one of the best online image editing resources. Note As of November 2007, Fauxto is called Splashup and is at http://www.splashup.com/
Picnik is an online photo editing tool, one of the best. It is Flash based. Once you are done editing, you can transfer your photos directly to Flickr.
Pop-up pictures are used to show ways of representing ideas and connections. Interesting, but perhaps not as useful as Eduplace Graphic Organizers that instructs students in how to use the graphic organizers. Also, the site called Graphic Organizers is another good spot along the same line.
"Enter what you're reading or your whole library—it's an easy, library-quality catalog. Library Thing also connects you with people who read the same things."
Great choice for middle and senior students. The default is set to provide an overview of the news patterns evident in US news sources but you can select other sources by clicking on the country buttons at the top of the screen. The articles can be accessed by clicking directly on the headline. It is an interesting exercise to compare the news emphasis of one country to that of another. This might also be a good tool for identifying bias or different perspectives of the same event. In a way, Newsmap goes well with Popurls (http://popurls.com) that also mirrors what is getting attention in our digitized world. Note: New url in Apr '09
A tool that provides access to satellite and aerial imagery from a variety of online mapping websites such as Google earth, NASA, Microsoft, Ask, and Yahoo
Very popular. Citation Machine is an interactive web tool designed to assist students in constructing their bibliographies. Updated to Version 5.0 in December, 2008. Video athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wXdbDCdzjc
Build your own search engine easily. Seems like something teachers would appreciate because they could have students search within a specified, narrow set of web pages. Go here to see how a search can be focused.
Try this! You'll see the great range of results for searchers and how easy it is for them to reach the information they want. The side bar info allows for broadening or narrowing the search easily.
Point at bookmarklet link. Click right mouse button and choose "Add to Favorites" . To make the bookmarklet work for you when you are on a web page you want to affect, simply go to your Favorites and select it from the list of Favorites.
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.