Let's Talk Tools!

-

Wow, have I been introduced to a wealth of Web 2.0 tools during the summer semester. 


First let's take a look at the master list of tools (I created my own list by noting the tools we explored each week and noting their categories):

Blogging: 

  • Blogger 
  • Wordpress 
  • Edublogs

Social Networking: 

  • Twitter 
  • Instagram 
  • YouTube 
  • Reddit 
  • LinkedIn

Feed RSS Readers 
  • Feedly
  • Inoreader
  • Feeder

Badging Tools: 
  • Badgelist 
  • Badgr
Knowledge Sharing Tools: 
  • Quora
  • Wikipedia 

Social Bookmarking Tools: 
  • Diigo 
  • Pinterest 
  • Peartrees 
Intellectual Property:
  • Creative Commons
  • OER Commons 
  • MERLOT 
  • Wikimedia 

Automated Content Curation: 
  • Refind 
  • Nuzzel  
  • Pocket

Specialized Communal Collection and Curation: 
  • Cluster 
  • Flickr
  • Goodreads

Writing and Publishing:
  • Stories for School 
  • TinyLetter
  • Letter 
  • Futureme
  • Framapad

Concept Mapping Tools:
  • Bubbl.us
  • MindMeister
  • Canva
  • Miro

LMS/Discussion Tools: 
  • Edmodo 
  • Piazza
  • Hypothesis 

Online Bulletin Board: 
  • Padlet 

Teamwork and Project Management: 
  • Slack 
  • Trello

Other: 
  • Teachers Connect 
  • Symbaloo
  • GoogleMaps
  • IFTTT
  • Sutori


My Top 10 Favourite Tools: 

  1. Diigo
  2. Feedly 
  3. Blogger
  4. Pinterest 
  5. Trello 
  6. Slack
  7. Badgelist 
  8. Bubbe.us
  9. Reddit
  10. and drum roll please..... Twitter! 

I did not enjoy Twitter or understand why it was a popular social media tool, but wow, it has been the tool I have used the most and consistently during this course. Twitter LiveChats- I absolutely love those (they are so much fun and highly engaging). If you haven't participated in one yet, I encourage you to try it out (at least once). I have actually grown my instructional design PLN through Twitter and stay connected to people in my PLN with Twitter. I believe it will be something I will continue to use too! 

Many tools grew on me and changed my perspective on them. Wikipedia is an example of this. I used to think Wikipedia was a site to stay away from, but after learning about produsage, I am more open to using Wikipedia because I have a better understanding of the history of produsage and how collaborate knowledge sharing sites like Wikipedia work. 

I have also come to enjoy Blogger (and blogging!) and using Feedly to stay updated on posts and content. Feedly has been huge in allowing me to quickly look at all my classmate's recent posts and read them right from Feedly without visiting each individual blog to see if there are new post (how tedious my old ways were). 

I am grateful for the range of tools we have been introduced to and am excited to continue to use some of my favourite tools that have streamlined my online engagement, networking and learning.  

What were your favourite tools that you learned or used this semester? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Listening and Viewing for ELLs

-
Image
Completing ESL courses or an English Language Learners certificate does not always mean you are fully prepared to jump right in and be the best ESL teacher you can be (although that is the wish). Growing your pedagogical practices and learning how to meet the literacy needs of ELLs takes time, resources and collaboration. This blog is a response to someone reaching out to their fellow educators and online ESL teachers community and asking for help.  I have spent 3 years collecting resources and asking for help, because I have been there too: feeling unprepared, confused about the discrepancy between my training and the reality of my classroom and ELLs and discouraged. Don't worry, your feelings are valid and common. It will get better and that starts with reaching out and asking for help. Beginning ELLs (with little language acquisition) participate mainly in listening and viewing activities as they build comfort to explore oral and writ...
Read more

Twitter Challenge Accepted!

-
This week I participated in the Twitter Days of the Week Challenge. Each day had a themed tweet suggestion and of course to accompany it, a hashtag.  This week's challenge has been a special one for me because it helped me reach a person best, this was the most I have ever tweeted in a week before!  Here is my #SumitupSunday #MondayMeme:  Has this ever happened to you while working or learning online? #eme6414 #MondayMeme pic.twitter.com/czU6zvTswc — Melissa (@LissaMay21) May 31, 2021 #Toolbox Tuesday I don’t know what I would do without Pinterest. It keep my life organized! I like to think of it as a visual bookmarking tool or a digital vision board #eme6414 #ToolboxTuesday pic.twitter.com/b4gDBNahbf — Melissa (@LissaMay21) June 1, 2021 #WonderingWednesday  I wonder if we should be teaching students about social media and internet use at earlier ages so they are staying safe and learning how to be good digital citizens? Teaching them positive collabora...
Read more

What about Web Presence?

-
Image
Did you know employers aren't googling you to find a reason not to hire you, they are googling you to find a reason to hire you? Gone are the days of googling yourself, making sure that nothing "undesirable" pops up and avoiding anything that might cause context collapse (when people from different communities collide). And ahead of us, are the days of actively building your web presence to take control of your image.  So, what are employers looking for? They are looking to see which candidate has the best web presence (or reputation or brand online). Employers are asking:  "Do candidates have a professional website? Are they engaging with other professionals on social media? Grow Your Digital Footprint  Part of web presence is having a digital footprint (online activities, including social media use), which is created every time we use networked technology.  If you leave your digital footprint unattended however, it may not reflect what you want it t...
Read more