Web-based Desktop Alternative

Here is a another web-based tool sent to us by a reader, Desktoptwo.

" For Mac's I also like Desktoptwo.com as an alternative online desktop."

Desktoptwo is a free web-based desktop- that mimics your desktop. So go mobile- all you need is an Internet access and a web browser on any computer device to access your account.

Thanks Kelly- I am sure others will like to try it too.
And thanks for letting me know the links weren't working- have no idea of what happened.

More Browser Based Software Tools

We've highlighted many Web 2.0 tools this past year such as YackPack, Flickr, Google Spreadsheets & Docs, and del.ici.ous for class resources, but here are some more worth checking out.

These tools can be used with very young students as well as college students. And since they’re browser based and free they’re available from any computer, any time.

So, if students begin their work in class or in the campus computer lab, they can access it from any computer later- whether at home or at the local java joes. With this generation- Think Mobile

Desktop Publishing & Spreadsheets
->gOffice

Spreadsheets, Word Processing, Presenting, Sketching and more…
->Ajax13

Photo Manager
->PXN8

Instant Messengers
->Campfire
->Gabbly

Music Players
->Jinzora

Video Tools
->Jumpcut
->Vimeo

You just might find some new tools to add to your teaching toolkit and some you want to share with your students.

US History Digital Resource

Classbrain.com has put together a compilation of the most important documents of the United States.

The collection contains informational content, as well as links to additional sources of information and includes: treaties, amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and Proclamations, to name just a few.

Curriki- Global Education & Learning Community

“Welcome to Curriki, your world of open source educational resources and curricula.”

Curriki is a collaborative project to improve education around the world by allowing everyone free access to resources.

It provides a space for educators to view lessons, assessments, resources, and textbooks. It also allows teachers space to create their own lessons to share with others. Curriki grows continuously as members contribute.

Join the Curriki Community and learn collectively.

NoodleTools

Here's a site I passed along to my Librarian friends, NoodleTools.

NoodleTools provides resources to make research easier. The site offers free and subscription services to support teachers and students through the research process.

One of the free tools for a bibliography maker will support the youngest students, grades 1-5, to create a full bibliography.

Make sure you also check out the Curriculum Collaboration Toolkit and Noodle Teach- for teaching intelligently.

Effective teaching with technology matches the teacher's goals
and the learner's characteristics and needs, with tools that enhance understanding.

Why not begin checking out all the Noodletools now ?

Yackpack Live

Yackpack has introduced a new feature that allows you to talk live to people in your pack! And just like the rest of Yackpack it's easy to use: you push and button and talk, and all folks logged into your pack can hear you!

Pretty cool, eh?

This new Yackpack Live feature is an easy and convenient way to introduce synchronous communication in a distributed learning environment. So why not try using Yackpack in your e-learning back of Web 2.0 tricks?

Educause "The Future of Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education"

The Article, "The Future of Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: The Survey Says... " from Educause forecasts where online learning is headed. The article is based on a survey of instructors and administrators in postsecondary institutions, mostly in the US.

"The study makes predictions regarding the changing roles of online instructors, student expectations and needs related to online learning, pedagogical innovation, and projected technology use in online teaching and learning.of reminds us that project-based, collaborative learning projects in the curriculum best to engage students whether the course is online of in face-to-face. "

Most surveyed felt a need for more collaborative, project-based, learner-centered curriculum to be incorporated into online courses.

"Over half of the survey respondents predicted that online collaboration, case-based learning, and problem-based learning (PBL) would be the preferred instructional methods for online instructors in the coming decade.

The study also reminds us of the need for teacher training- but don't traditional teachers need training and support? Yes they do, just in different ways.

Read on....

Learn Out Loud

LearnOutLoud.com podcasts will change the way the world learns. It brings audio files to your computer/ mp3 player where learning becomes music to your ears. It's a podcast directory for podcasts you can learn from.

Learn Out Loud has searched the Internet to find podcasts that inspire, motivate and teach. Learn through free podcasts such as AudioBook of the Month, The Philosophy Podcast, Newsweek On Air, TOEFL, The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson; or locate podcasts by topics such as History, Science or Literature.

This site s a great professional development resource and a great curriculum resource.

Be sure to subscribe to their blog to learn so much more....

ESL POD

Got ESL Students? Be sure to check out the English as a Second Language Podcast brought to us by the Center for Educational Development with more than 300 English Podcast Lessons on their website.

You can subscribe thru iTunes or listen right from their site. ESLPODs are free, but they offer the accompanying Learning Guides for a fee.

Do You Speak American?

Do you Speak American? is a great site to start conversations with your language or ESL students and a great site to learn about regional differences, regional prejudices, the evolution of American English, why Americans make up more new words than any other English speaking country, and what lies ahead for American English.

Is American English in trouble? Apparently not according to professional linguists, they see “language reflecting a society that has become more informal in its dress and manners and more permissive in its sexual morality, but still quite concerned with correctness.”

Speaking is a part of culture and instead of trying to force everyone to speak alike linguists are finding a trend in our language that Americans are embracing different dialects as a part of our natural cultural heritage.

View the short videos with your students to discuss not only different dialects of American English, but the regional dialects of other languages and countries, such as Tagalog, Spanish, and Thai. Educators may find the curriculum units useful with high school and college students.

Web 2.0: A New Wave of Innovation for Teaching and Learning

This past year we have blogged about Web 2.0 and curriculum ideas to jump start your thinking about how to use tools like del.icio.us, YouTube, and flickr with your students.

This article from Educause “Web 2.0: A New Wave of Innovation for Teaching and Learning?” reflects the fast, growing developments of the Web 2.0 and provides ideas for using the software components in Higher Education. These ideas are also well suited for senior high school students.

The article mentions so many Web 2.0 tools your head will spin. If you haven’t read this article yet, it’s a must read to catch you up to date. Considering it seems like new social tools are emerging each week, you have a lot of catch up on.

Sites to Share this New Year

A few utility tools I discovered while I was playing, -I mean practicing, on my holiday break to share with your students:

• KoolIM – an Instant Messenger
• Flock – a web browser
• MyNoteT- an organizer for notes and more
• Ask City – a mapping tool
• Zoho- a web-based collaboration tool

Use them in the context of your curriculum. From English to Social Studies, these tools are useful.

getFAST.ca

GetFast.ca - It's a free online assessment summary tool to use with your students.

With a new semester just around the corner think about using this tool to access prior knowledge at the beginning of your course, or use it often during the semester when you introduce new topics, themes or units. Usually assessments are found at the end of chapters, units, or semesters, but web-based assessments can be easily administered during the course to find out if students have met the student learning outcomes, or if a review of the materials is necessary. Course assessments are useful for Instructors to use to guide the direction of their course, allowing instructors to adjust the material to the level of the students and their needs. Once you have acquired the results have a conversation with your students, discuss what they have learned, what they still need to learn, and what you learned from the assessment outcome.

Since FAST is free, jump right in and try it to see if it can improve your teaching & student learning.

Best Inventions 2006

2006 brought many innovations in technology. Browse through Time's 2006 Best Inventions. But don't be surprised at who won the invention of the year -- YouTube.

According to Best Inventions 2006, "YouTube created a new way for millions of people to entertain, educate, shock, rock and grok one another on a scale we've never seen before. That's why it's Time's Invention of the Year for 2006."

I'm not at all surprised if you think of YouTube's possibilities.

Shoot, Practice, Share - YouTube

Being a ‘research practitioner’ I research new technologies as tools for use in curriculum and instruction, and recommend tools to use along with ideas on how-to incorporate these tools into teaching. In my research phase I try them out. In other words, “I practice what I blog” in Blendedu.

Over the break I spent time playing with YouTube. I was practicing, though the word ‘playing’ sounds like so much more fun.

We easily shot some video on our digital camera, and then uploaded it to YouTube.

To begin, find something that you want to video such as your new puppy playing or your cat curled up in a breadbasket. Choose something you want to video and something you want to share with others. That’s the reason behind YouTube. It's a new tool to share video with your friends. Plus it is a great tool for your students to use in their science lab classes, in Criminal Justice, Sociology, or Math. Then practice uploading the video you created. It’s very easy and with practice you can then walk your students through it.

So…
1) Choose something to video you want to share with others
2) Practice uploading the video
3) Send the URL to others to share

It’s really that easy..so share.

Begin Anew - Try Photobucket

2007 is a very exciting time to begin to use the new technology that surrounds us. It is an exciting time to begin anew. There are so many sites and so many new ways to use these new tools.

Take some time to reflect on Blendededu and our previous posts about all the new Web 2.0 sites that are available for us to use and think of ways you can use them with your students in your classrooms or in our own work. Pick one and learn to use it, and then share your enthusiasm with your students.

One that I pick to try is Photobucket.com. My son shared this site with me over our holiday break and he insists he likes Photobucket over Flickr. Humm? Humm. That is a stretch for me, since I love Flikr, but I will definitely learn to use Photobucket and see what’s got a young 20-year old so hooked.

Learning something new is a good way to kick off a Happy New Year.

Teaching Toolbox: del.icio.us Tutorial

Video originally uploaded on YouTube by jutecht on March 8, 2006.

This is a fantastic video tutorial on using del.icio.us in the classroom! Social bookmarking tools like del.icio.us are a great and easy way to find those hidden threads of community knowledge.

Give it a try--soon you'll wonder how you lived on the web with out it!