Jane's Pick of the Day

Pixel Ruler

Scott Maryann is contiributor number 241 to the Top 10 Tools lists, and one of his favourite tools is Pixel Ruler.  Scott says:

"What a great FREE tool. Used for working out size and position of any element on a computer screen"

The website explains:

"Pixel Ruler features horizontal and vertical orientation, dynamic mouse measurement tracking in pixels, cool design."

Free to download (for Windows 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP, Vis) and easy to use

Pixel Ruler 3.1

NOTE: I am closing the Top 10 Tools lists on 15 November - so there are only two weeks left to contribute and help me complile the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 list

TinyGrab

TinyGrab is a simple tool for screenshot sharing for both Mac OS X and Windows

"Harnessing the power of pre-existing and new OS screenshot taking capabilities, TinyGrab instantly uploads and allows you to share with a small URL— all in under thirty-seconds."

Watch the video

TinyGrab for Windows Screencast from Chris Leydon on Vimeo.

[via WebWorkerDaily]

[70+ screenshot and screencast tools here]

Mozilla Jetpack for Learning

The Mozilla Foundation invites you to help turn the open Web into a rich learning environment and explore new possibilities for learning online as part of the Jetpack for Learning Design Challenge.

The brief

For this Design Challenge they are looking for innovative Firefox add-ons that turn the open Web into a rich learning environment.

Find out more here

PageZipper

Ever read one of those top ten lists or photo galleries where every item is on a different page? You spend more time clicking "Next" and waiting than actually reading anything. PageZipper is a free bookmarklet which automatically merges all the "Next" pages into one, so you can skip directly to the stuff you want. 

For more info, take a look at the video

Get the bookmarklet or Firefox extension here: PageZipper.

[via Digital Quest]

[101 browsers, extensions, bookmarklets, toolbars and players here]

10 Tools for (20)10

I have just completed a short article for the November edition of e.learning age magazine.

e.learning age is the UK’s number one media resource for the e-learning community.  The magazine is the only one if its kind for anyone involved in the e-learning industry - from board directors responsible for skilling the workforce, to training and HR professionals choosing and implementing the best systems, to vendors who want to find out the latest news and trends in the industry.   

In my article I highlight 10 of the new tools appearing on the emerging Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 list that I think are useful, innovative, cost effective and worth considering by workplace learning and development professionals for 2010.

What are the 10 tools? Take a look at my article here:  10 Tools for 20(10)

DigitalChalk

DigitalChalk has just been submitted to the Directory of Learning Tools.  They describe it simply as follows:

"Create virtual classrooms with pre-recorded, rich multimedia lessons.  It is fast, easy, and affordable!"

There are Free, Pro, Business and School plans

DigitalChalk

[95+ more course authoring tools in the Directory here]

ZoomIt v4

ZoomIt is a screen zoom and annotation tool for technical presentations that include application demonstrations. ZoomIt runs unobtrusively in the tray and activates with customizable hotkeys to zoom in on an area of the screen, move around while zoomed, and draw on the zoomed image.

Greg Friese has produced a screencast to show some of it features:

You can downloaad Zoomit for free at the Microsoft TechNet website

ZoomIt v4

Metamorphosis

Gordon wrote to tell me about Metamorphosis - the automated e-learning system.

"APIXEL Metamorphosis has been designed to automatically create e-learning courses without the need to engage programmers, interface designers, graphic artists or instructional designers.

"Unlike other authoring systems which involve a screen by screen development approach, APIXEL Metamorphosis is an automated e-learning authoring system. Users provide the system with their e-learning content in the form of a Microsoft Word document and the system chunks the content onto screens, inserts matching images from its own high quality library, generates learning activities and outputs the resulting course in the desired web-based format. Metamorphosis can also import PowerPoint slideshows and convert them into its own html based format.

"Trainee progress and performance can be tracked through Metamorphosis‟ automated database management system or through an industry standard LMS.

"The cost is £2,295.00 per licence which allows users to publish an unlimited number of courses for an unlimited number of end users."

Metamorphosis

[95+ course authoring tools are listed on this page of the Directory of Learning Tools]

ImageChef: Make Word Mosaic

Here's a fun tool - along the lines of the very popular Wordle:

Write a comment or poem in the shape of hearts or other symbols.  Send a greeting or post to your blog or social network.

Make Word Mosaic

[via MakeUSeOf]

This week's blog postings and bookmarks

Here is my weekly round-up of blog postings and bookmarks - all in one place

Jane's E-Learning Pick of the Day

• MyBrainshark
• 5 great resources to find out about Google Wave
• Knowledge Notebook
• cctext

Social Media in Learning

• All things Twitter
• Introduction to social learning environments: a social learning resource

All things Elgg

• Featured Elgg site #5: Solutions Surfer
• Featured Elgg site: #6 Primary School Teaching

Delicious bookmarks

• Aged 16 and the 'youngest headmaster in the world'
• Is your group leaving the Intranet for an online Community of Practice?
• The End of the Email Era
• Whose learning are you responsible for?
• Shared folders in Google docs
• Are You Practicing Proper Social Networking Etiquette?
  
• How to Create Screencasts You Can Be Proud Of
• Live online learning – a free download
• The 10 Most Popular And Useful iPhone Apps
• Tim Berners-Lee is 'sorry' for slashes
• Twelve Tips and Tricks to Get the Most Out of Posterous
• What To Do Before Your Web App Shuts Down
• 10 Killer content sources for your iPod Learning mix
• Have You Gone Organic?
  
• A new model of learning
• HOW TO: Organize an Event on Facebook
• What Matters: Will people pay for content online?
• The Twitter 140 Scholarship
• How To Take Screenshots in iPod Touch & iPhone
• 100 Best Professors Who Blog
• Big Dog, Little Dog's iPod Learning Mix
• 10 More Reasons Why Social Media Won't Replace Email
• How Tiny Camcorders are Changing Education
• Part 1: What are Twitter Lists?
• Grubba - free and online alternative for MS access and Filemaker pro
• Top 10 Complaints About Google Wave
• 4 Easy Tips to Improve Your Blogger Blog
• Schoology now free for teacher and professor accounts
• LearnTrends 2009
  
• A Vision for Calvin College: How to not only survive, but thrive in the future