Jane's Pick of the Day

eType - real-time spelling and translation

Just came across this (via the Next Web)

"eType is your online multi-language dictionary with translations and word substitutes to virtually any language in the world. eType is your writing guide that auto-completes your words as you type them, enabling you to type faster and boost your level of confidence in your writing. eType prevents you from making spelling mistakes before they happen and helps you select the best word choice possible - even if you are not writing in your native language."

Here's the explanatory video

eType

ipadio - phonecast live to the web from any phone

Now with over 200 contributions, the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010 list is beginning to take shape, although I hope many more people will want to contribute to help build it further.

One tool that has recently popped onto the list is ipadio.   Gordon Wells, a language teacher and developer,  who nominated it for the list, told me more about it. and how he uses it.  He wrote, it is  ..

"as an excellent user-friendly and free tool for genering audio material. I use it in conjunction with Wordpress  (which I would also nomiate) to create media-rich materials incorporating text, audio, and images - sometimes also incorporating YouTube (also nominated!) for video material as an alternative, or in addition to, the audio.

Ipadio is extremely flexible. You can phone in by landline or mobile (the latter meaning you can create materials "on the hoof"), and your basic webpage is created instantaneously.  If you're concerned about sound quality over a telephone line there is also an MP3 upload option.

There are numerous examples here, on my project blog, of Ipadio files embedded into Wordpress posts, using a mobile or landline: guthan.wordpress.com/

Here's an MP3 sample, used for uploading some music, onto my personal blog: gordonwellsuist.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/doubling-up-on-shak-and-sax-musical-bilingualism/

Thanks for the information, Gordon, hope others enjoying take a look.

ipadio

Mobl21 - for educational mobility

What is Mobl21?

"Mobl21 is an easy to use and cost effective platform to deliver educational mobility. Mobl21 is accessible enough for individual teachers and students to adopt, and scalable enough for institutional and enterprise adoption. The unique pedagogy of Mobl21 helps create learning assets that compliment your formal courses, extending the learning opportunity beyond traditional barriers."

What can I do with Mobl21?

• Create learning assets - topical study guides, flash cards and quizzes.
• Manage your content eco-system by making it accessible to designated users and groups.
• Push your content to a desktop widget, social networking sites, iPhone, and iPod touch (more touch points coming soon).

Sign up for free!  You can even experience Mobl21 without signing up or registering.

Mobl21

Livebinders - organise your resources in binders

Thanks to all those who have contributed their Top 10 Tools for Learning.  The emerging list of Top 100 Tools is looking very interesting with a number of new tools on it. 

One of the  tools that is new on the list this year - and was new to me too -  is LiveBinders:

"LiveBinders is your 3-ring binder for the Web

• Collect your resources
• Organize them neatly and easily
• Present them with pride

Best of all, it's free!"

Take a look at some of the examples of binders in use for ideas on how you might use this tool.

Livebinders

Tagxedo - tag clouds with style

You probably know all about  the word cloud generator, Wordle, but here's another service that turns your words into stunning tag clouds.  Here are a few examples from the Gallery to see what you can do with Tagxedo

Find out more about Tagxedo and how you can create.print and share your images here:

Tagxedo

Some new features for DigitalChalk

DigitalChalk recently released an update to their online training delivery system that includes two product enhancements, a new course element type for deploying web archives and an updated system catalog that includes customized URLs and embedded tracking codes.

The web archive is a new element type that can be added to a course, in addition to the existing multimedia chalkboard, tests, documents and assignments.  It allows instructors to rapidly integrate lessons built in third party tools such as Captivate, Camtasia or Articulate, etc. into their existing courses on DigitalChalk. 

The new catalog manager offers instructors the option to customize the way their catalog is displayed by creating filtered lists of course offerings.  These lists can be assigned a unique URL and the instructor can insert a tracking code into that link.  When this link is requested from a external website or an email, DigitalChalk displays the custom catalog view and reports all registrations from that user with the custom tracking code. 

DigitalChalk

Some cool tools for a hot topic: social learning

I am presenting at the Australian Flexible Learning Framework's "Making technology work for you" conference this morning - via Elluminate.  The topic is "Some cool tools for a hot topc: social learning".  

I'll be mentioning some old favourites as well as some new tools that are appearing on the emerging Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010 list.  Since I launched the search for this year's Top 100 tools on Saturday, there have been over 130 contributions, many thanks to all who have shared their Top 10 Tools to help me compile the list; it has been great to receive so many from practitioners from all round the world..  If you haven't already done so, you can share your Top 10 Tools here.

But back to my presentation: the slideset is embedded below but for links to all the tools and resources mentioned within it, please go to bit.ly/cool-tools .

Some Cool Tools for a Hot Topic: Social Learning

View more presentations from Jane Hart.

Help me build the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010

Since 2007 I have been building an annual Top 100 Tools for Learning list based on the contributions of learning professionals worldwide. (If you missed it, here's the 2009 list).  These lists are always very popular; the 2009 list for instance has received nearly 75,000 views on Slideshare since it was released 6 months ago.

I would now like to invite you to help me build the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2010.  So if you are a learning professional -  teacher, academic, trainer, consultant, developer, practitioner, analyst, etc - and active in the field of e-learning, then please do share your Top 10 Tools for Learning.

It's very easy to take part. Just go to THIS PAGE and log in with one of your social media connections (e.g Facebook, Twitter, etc) , then add your list of 10 tools.  You can also enter any notes if you would like.  The list will remain open till mid-October, when I will then finalise it for 2010, so if you want to amend your entry before then, you can..  

There have actually been 19 contributions so far, and on the basis of this very small number, I can reveal that the Top 5 tools SO FAR are ...

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
   YouTube
4. Google Search
5. Google Docs
   Moodle

Of course, this is very likely to change as more contributions are received, but you can keep track of the emerging list of Top Tools for Learning 2010 HERE.

Social Media and Training - some tweets from #lrnchat

Yesterday afternoon we had another #lrnchat session on Twitter. For us in the UK it takes place at 4.30 pm BST (that's 11.30 EDT).  There is also another later version for those in the US at 8.30 pm EDT.

Yesterday's topic was "The Intersection of eLearning & Social Media" and for me there were some very interesting thoughts about the use of social media for training - ie formal learning. 

Here are some of the stand-out tweets for me - which are around CONTROL, CONTRIBUTION, PARTICIPATION, LEARNING, PERFORMANCE and the ROLE OF TRAINING.  (Note I've taken the liberty to include some of my own too)!

Q1: How would the training profession be different if all elearning had social media features?

• RobRobertson: SoMe enabled content would (could) stay current and relevant due to users instant feedback. 
• c4lpt: It wouldn’t just be about “training” any more
• StephanieDaul: elearning would not be an event but a journey
• mpalko: the learning would continue even after the session ended
• barrysampson: there would need to be more focus on helping people turn learning into performance
• KoreenOlbrish: I think we’d see all learning as “mobile” just like all learning is “social,”
• ghenrick: the training professional would become more of the background and less of the foreground.
• sifowler:  social media with elearning can expose there are great teachers amongst the learners
• c4lpt: Learners could “learn” from one another – at last – and not just from the e-content
• mira_bell:  involves losing control over how people learn – its the only way to really have it stick
• mpalko: we’d definitely have to give up some control
• barrysampson: don’t think we’d need to give up control. Learners will just take it 
• drtimony:  it would begin to resemble authentic performance
• mbr1online: If all elearning had social media features, we would transition to a community of learners – break the isolation of elearning
• KoreenOlbrish: people already learn socially…social media just provides additional tools. showing value should be simple, no?
• leadmusicpic: provide a sense of connection as well to others with similiar interests that an eLearning environment alone does not provide
• drtimony: SoMe and training should learn from DayCare play: solitary , vicarious, parallel, associative, interactive
• barrysampson: Do we really need trainers to be involved in SoMe? Assumption seems to be that they need to lead things. Why?
• c4lpt: You can’t force participation or contribution; it doesn’t work – I’ve seen it backfire badly many times
• moehlert: @c4lpt  Couldn’t be more right Jane…so question is…can we look at places w participation and learn lessons from them?
• c4lpt: @moehlert Works best when not “forced” – ie is a natural outcome
• moehlert: @c4lpt So we maybe we can learn more from out-of-game WoW communities than in-game play RE participation..study succeses
• c4lpt: Social media is being used all the time by people in their jobs and daily lives; forcing it into “training” is counter-productive 

Q2: What would be biggest change?

• KoreenOlbrish: sigh…we ARE all social, but not everyone talked at the water cooler. Not everyone will want to use SoMe.
• mpalko: People have to feel or be made to feel like they are part of the community in order to participate
• drtimony: SoMe is not the new ‘watercooler,’ it’s the new office with a window…and a view…and a library…and a…
• TerrenceWing: @johncloonan I participate because I want 2, not because I have 2. Forcing people 2 participate kills authenticity. 
• KoreenOlbrish:  Ppl would form their own learning communities, mentoring would be fluid & ongoing, learning wouldn’t be seen as an “event”
• moehlert: Biggest change? Its about CAPABILITIES NOT CONTENT. Content doesn’t affect performance; capabilities do!
• larshyland: Again, it’s not about SoMe tools, rather fostering a culture of sharing – there is always a way (e.g. email lists, group SMS)
• c4lpt: SoMe will mean the end of a lot of training; pple can do/learn things (by) themselves so much more easily 
• barrysampson: It would mean training having to be more willing to be part of the business and take accountability for results
• barrysampson:  @c4lpt it will also let training focus their time where it is useful
• jadekaz: @c4lpt Right. Because if SoMe (aka convos) can end the training, it shouldnt have veen training in 1st place

Q3: What can we do to include social media in training without it being a feature?

• StephanieDaul:  have it BE the delivery method
• barrysampson: We need to make SoMe a feature of the organization in which the learning takes place
• c4lpt: NOT design it in!  Allow it to happen naturally if it is needed and desired
• @moehlert: We could begin by getting out of the way.
• barrysampson: @moehlert and then stay out of the way #lrnchat
• c4lpt: @jenisecook right! don’t force, encourage, support, adopt viral approaches – it works a dream

Of course, these are only a fraction of the tweets that were made.  You can view the complete transcripts on the lrnchat blog - (here's the one for the early chat.  And  if you would like to join the weekly conversation, come and join us next week, when we are discussing professional development for workplace learning professionals. 

CourseNotes for the iPad

I have been on the look out for some more interesting iPad apps - here's one for students.    The CourseNotes website says:

"CourseNotes lets you take notes during your classes and keep them organized by subject and class meeting. Review your notes later and search through multiple class meetings and notes all at once.

Miss a class? Need to print or share your notes with a friend? CourseNotes lets you share your note sessions via email or peer-to-peer networking with other CourseNotes users over Bluetooth or a local network."

Here's the explanatory video ...

The CourseNotes spp costs$4.99 or £2.99 from the iPad store

CourseNotes