Carolyn Kraut

Some of you may already be familiar with a great screencasting tool called Jing. This software helps you create annotated screen captures and narrated screencasts very easily. The files can either be stored on your computer or uploaded to Flickr or screencast.com for sharing and embedding.

I still use Jing at least twice a day to create quick images like this…

But when it comes to screencasts, I’ve found something even better. Screenr helps you make quick screencasts for your students and provides you with a variety of distribution methods. If you’re already invested in Jing, you may want to take a second look . I’ve outlined a few key reasons why you should make the switch.

Web-based recorder uses your Twitter account to log in. This is great for two reasons:

1. There’s no software to download and the “bookmarklet” works the same regardless of your browser or operating system.

2. No need to remember another password and makes the next item possible.

Seamless Twitter integration. After you’re done recording, you’re asked to describe your video and given the option to post to Twitter now or on your own later. Your screencast is then processed and posted to your Screenr account. Viewers can discuss the screencast from the videos’s page by Re-tweeting or replying to the author, share the URL, grab the embed code, or subscribe to your rss feed. Watch this video to learn more about Screenr’s user interface.

The videos are mobile friendly. Unlike the Flash-based Jing videos, Screenr publishes multiple versions of your video and all can be viewed on a mobile device. You can download the .mp4 to distribute your videos in podcast form, publish to YouTube, or simply share the URL with your audience any way you’d like. Here’s a quick video to show what a Screenr screencast looks like on an iPhone.

Best of all…it’s free!

Not on Twitter? It’s worth signing up just to use Screenr!

We are constantly looking for better ways to communicate with our students – especially online students. It’s no secret that Blackboard, Moodle, and many other LMS’s fall short in this area. Discussion boards were a great start about 5 years ago – and even Skype – but the web has changed. We need something more dynamic and easier to manage.

Google was on the right track with the development of Gmail, Google Docs, Chat, Sites (wiki), Picasa, ect. These tools changed the way we collaborate on a project, write and share papers, files, and images, and how we search and organize email. They have attempted to integrate all of those things into a single platform. Google Wave.

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It’s easy to get caught up in all the bells and whistles that encompass emerging technology. I’ll be the first to admit that when I first hear about a new tool, I spend a lot of time horsing around. That’s not always a bad thing, as long as I remember the task at hand… HOW CAN THIS BE USED IN AN ONLINE COURSE? But more importantly… IS THERE A NEED FOR IT?

I’ve developed a short list of my favorite teaching tools and would like to tell you how I’ve been using them. The common theme here is mobility. All but one of these are web-based applications, which means you create the content and interact with other users online. You aren’t tied to a single computer. You don’t have to transfer files or folders to a thumb drive. Though, you do have to remember the password. All of these tools can be integrated into or used in conjunction with Blackboard, BGSU’s learning management system. However, I prefer to interact with these tools on my phone, for true mobility. These tools are great for today’s mobile learner because they can interact with you, the instructor, and their classmates whenever they have a spare moment, and enough battery power. Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t seen the demo of Google’s new project, I’ve embedded it below. Google Wave is essentially an “all in one” communication tool that “equal parts conversation and document, where people can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.” This will change the way we interact with email, blogs, wikis, documents, and each other. And did I mention it’s OPEN SOURCE??? The product is in VERY early stages, but was released to developers in hopes that they jump in and get their hands dirty developing their own API’s to improve interface, functionality, and applications. Read the rest of this entry »

A colleague in my “Instructional Design” network on Twitter recently posted a presentation she found about the “Top 10 Free Web2.0 Tools for Educators.” As you’ll see by clicking the link, this is no ordinary presentation. I was expecting an embedded show from SlideShare or authorSTREAM (both of which I will talk about in a later post – stay tuned). But instead I was introduced to a new way to present using a web application called Prezi. Read the rest of this entry »

Evernote is a way for you to stay connected to your thoughts in a searchable and accessible way. Basically, There are three different ways for you to create digital post-it notes: desktop application, browser plug-in, and mobile app.

I can’t see myself relying totally on Evernote to remember everything I come across in my life. I would, however, use the mobile app if I had a phone that supported anything other than dialing a number. I can think of two situations this would have come in handy over Thanksgiving:

1. A friend shared a great bottle of wine with us. I would have taken a picture of the lable so I could pull it up the next time I was in a wine shop.
2. While discussing Christmas lists, I would have either taken a picture of a written list or searched Amazon while the person was talking, enabling me to save the item info and URL in my Evernote account.

The web-based client provides a nice visual way to retreive notes, and you can import bookmarks from Delicious. However, the free account is somewhat limited (40MB in uploads per month).I think I’d rather stick with Delicious.

I do no think I would get in the habit of using this account as a crutch. There’s something to be said about remembering the “old fashioned way.” Might keep my mind sharp.