Jane's Pick of the Day

Photopeach and Toondo

Today, two more tools that just missed being placed on the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 list:

PhotoPeach

The idea of Photopeach is to help you ..

"tell better stories online using photos...  You can create a rich slideshow in seconds to engage your friends or family in a natural way. This is done by allowing two-way commenting right at each photo in the show and automatically pausing so you have time to express yourself before continuing."

They also support zooming comments, sound-effect smilies, and music so you can elaborate on your story further.

Toondoo

Toondo is a free comic-creating tool and a fun site for kids. Here you can create and share your comic strips.

Similar sites here: Story-telling/Comic strip/Screenwriting tools

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009: The Final List

Here is the final list of the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009, compiled from the contributions of 278 learning professionals - from education and workplace learning - worldwide.  Thanks to all who contributed their Top 10 Tools for learning. 

Below is the presentation I have shared on Slideshare.  You will also be able to find the full list at my main C4LPT site: Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009.

View more documents from Jane Hart.

I have also produced two other related lists:  One shows the Top 100 Tools by category.  Here you can find, for example, the top blogging tools or mindmapping tools or e-learning authoring tools on the list.

The second list shows the Winners & Losers in 2009, e.g.

• the new tools on the list this year, 25 of them - of which the highest placed is Evernote, followed by Prezi.
• the tools that returned to the list this year after a break in 2008, including Elgg and Picasa
• the tools that moved up the list this year.  Note although Twitter moved up 10 places this year to become the top tool, in fact there were other tools that moved up even more places, e.g. YouTube has jumped 15 places to come in at 3rd place, Slideshare up 13 places, and Google Apps and Bubbl.us moved up 28 places
• the tools that moved down the list this year, e.g. Delicous and Google Reader moved down one place, Powerpoint and Moodle down 5 places, Firefox (2007 winner), Skype and Facebook down 7 places, Word  down 14 places and Bloglines down 56 places
• the tools that moved off the list this year, e.g. MediaWiki, Adobe Reader, Ustream, Yugma, Polldaddy, Exe and Google Scholar

To summarise then: I think this year's list, once again, is a great demonstration of how learning professionals are making use of a wide range of both traditional and innovative tools and services both for personal learning and within formal structured learning contexts.  The fact that Twitter is now the Number 1 tool shows that learning professionals clearly appreciate the power of social media technologies for learning and are demonstrating its use in ways that would have been unimaginable a few years ago.  I also believe that although some well-known tools have moved down or even off the list this year, this doesn't necessarily mean they are  no longer of value for learning; it is much more likely that they are now just "taken for granted".  This year's list once again shows that learning moves on!

Last chance to vote for your Top Tools for Learning 2009

If you are a learning professional (e.g. educator, L&D manager, trainer, vendor, etc) then you are invited to help me build the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 list.

The basic information I need is your name, an optional picture), brief details of your role as a learning professional, and the names of your 10 top tools for learning - i.e. for your own personal learning or for creating learning for others.

There are a number of ways to contribute:

• TWEET me - @c4lpt - the names of your Top 10 tools
• EMAIL me - [email protected] - the names of your Top 10 tools - and if desired add a sentence or two about each one describing why you have chosen it and how you use it.
• WRITE a blog post with your list - and then tweet or email me the URL

I will be closing for contributions at 8 A.M. (GMT) Sunday, 15 November 2009. 

Shortly after that I will release the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 list - both as a webpage and a slide presentation on Slideshare.

At the time of writing this post, there have been 247 contributions.

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 - August Update

165 learning professionals have now shared their Top 10 Tools and here is a snapshot of the current Top 10 as at 8 August 2009.  As you will see Twitter is still way ahead of the pack  ...

It's interesting to see how Delicious has maintained its position in the Top 10, and that Firefox (#1 in 1997 and #2 in 1998) is no longer in the Top 10.  Slideshare has now moved up the rankings into the Top 5, and YouTube is now in the Top 10 in a strong 6th position alongside Wordpress which has held into its placing over the last few years.

But in this month's update I wanted to focus more on some of the new entrants on the list this year.

The highest new entry is the online presentation software tool, Prezi, coming in at 18th place. This tool is steaming up the chart very quickly.  But other new entrants that currently hold places in the top 50 are:

• Evernote - the note taking tool - at 28
• Tweetdeck - the desktop Twitter client - at 41
• animoto - for creating videos from your images - and Dimdim - the free web conferencing tool - at  joint 42

Take a look at the emerging Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 list here.

If you are a learning professional and would like to contribute to this list, then all you need to do is share yout Top 10 Tools for Learning.  You can do this in a number of ways - which ever is easies or most convenient for you

• email me your Top 10 with some brief information about yourself OR
  
• tweet @c4lpt with your Top 10.  I can pick up your bio from your profile OR
  
• blog your top 10 tools  and send me the link

More info on contributing appears here.

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 - July Update

136 learning professionals have shared their Top 10 Tools for Learning so far this year. 

Twitter is still leading the field as the #1 learning tool this year, and the other tools in the  Top 10 are Delicious, Google Reader, Wordpress, YouTube, Google Docs, Slideshare, Google Search, Skype and PowerPoint.

The emerging Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 list can be viewed here.

If you are a learning professional (teacher, trainer, designer, consultant, etc) and haven't yet shared your Top 10 tools, here's how:

• If you are a Twitter user: send a tweet to @c4lpt with the names of your 10 favourite tools for learning; or
• If you are a blogger, write a posting with your Top 10 Tools and then email the link to me at [email protected]; or
• Email the names of your top 10 tools and why you like them to [email protected] and I'll set up a web page for you.  More info here

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 - May Update

Nearly 100 learning professionals from around the world have now shared their Top 10 Tools for Learning, which I am using to  build the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009.

Here is a a screenshot of the the top 20 tools on the list - at the time of writing this posting - which shows information about their place on the list over the last 2 years.

KEY
F = Free, £ = Commercial, D = Download, H = Hosted. 
Cells shaded blue are new on the list this year

You can view the complete, emerging list here.

If you are a learning professional then please do share your Top 10 Tools:  There are a number of ways to do this:

1. By far the easiest is to send me a tweet @c4lpt with the names of your 10 fav tools
2. Write a blog posting and tweet me or email me - [email protected] - the link 
3. Email me the full details of your choices together with the reasons why - and I will set up a webpage for you. (More info here)

Top Tools for Learning 2009 (April update)

As mentioned in earlier posting, this year I am building two lists - Top Tools for Learners and Top Tools for Learning Professionals based on contributions received.  Although this year's activity has only been open for a few weeks we are seeing some clear leaders.

Top 10 Tools for Learners

The current Top 10 list of tools for learners, based on contribution of 47 Learners AS AT 4 APRIL is:

1. Google Search
2. YouTube
3. Firefox
4. Twitter
   Wikipedia
6. Delicious
7. Facebook
   Gmail
   Google Reader
   Skype

Complete list of tools in the list so far is available at Top Tools for Learning 2009 in the BLUE column.

As everyone is a Learner, this list is open to ANYONE contribute. Just add your selection using the online form here.

Top 10 Tools for Learning Professionals

The current top 10 tools for learning professionals to use in their own professional practice for creating learning "solutions" for others and their own productivity is AS AT 4 APRIL as follows, based on the contributions of 21 learning professionals

1. Delicious
2. Twitter
3. Skype
4. Slideshare
5. Google Reader
6. Google Docs
7. Audacity
   Google Search
   Moodle
   Ning
   PowerPoint
   SnagIt

Complete list of tools in the list so far is available at Top Tools for Learning 2009 in the CREAM column.

You can see the individual contributions here: 2009 Contributions

If you are a learning professional and you'd like to contribute to this list, find out how on the on the Share your Top 10 Tools for Learning Professionals page.

Top Tools for Learning 2009

In 2007 and 2008, many learning professionals from around the world shared their Top 10 Tools for Learning which we used to create the Top 100 Tools for Learning.  This year I'd like your help to build two lists:

1. Top 100 Tools for Learners
2. Top 100 Tools for Learning Professionals
   

1 - THE TOP 100 TOOLS FOR LEARNERS 2009
These will be the top tools Learners use for their personal learning, be it formal or informal.  

I asked the group of learners on the MSc in E-Learning at Oxford University (where I am a Visting Lecturer) to kick-start the search for the Top Tools for Learners for me, by sharing their Top 10 Tools.  Their collective Top 10 was as follows.

1. YouTube
2. Facebook
   Google Search
   Wikipedia
5. Firefox (and extensions)
   Google Scholar
7. Google Mail
   Skype
9. PowerPoint
   Word

Contribute your own top 10 tools
This category is open to ANYONE to contribute - students in full or part-time education, workplace learners and/or lifelong learners.  Please use the online form to share your Top 10 Tools for Learners and/or encourage others to do so.

View the individual contributions - a total of 16 when I wrote this posting - in the spreadsheet.

Warch the Top 100 Tools for Learning list being built at Top 100 Tools for Learners

2 - TOP 100 TOOLS FOR LEARNING PROFESSIONALS 2009
This will be the top tools Learning Professionals use for their own productivity/learning as well as to create learning opportunities/events/experiences/solutions for others (students, employees, etc). 

A few learning professionals have already started to share their Top 10 Tools for Learning Professionals in 2009:

1. Me (Jane Hart)
2. Carol Skyring, Founder and CEO of LearnTel
3. Thomas Stone, Product Design Architect at Element K
4. Hugo Domingos, a multimédia producer and Elearning trainer for the New University of Lisboa, Portugal.

View the individual contributions so far at Top Tools for Professionals 2009 

Contribute your own Top 10 Tools for Learning Professionals
This category is open to any learning professional (from education, workplace learning or CPD). Just send me an email with the information shown on the Share your Top 10 Tools for Learning Professionals page, and I will set up a page with your list.

The Top 100 Tools for Learning Professionals list will be available shortly, once more contributions have been received.