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Tools and Sites I Use–One Year Later

Posted by: Claire Thompson | January 5, 2009 | 6 Comments |

Tools

tools by tashland

Last January I decided to write a post on the tools and sites that I was using on a regular basis.  I thought it would be interesting to do another list this year and see what changes, if any, there are.  The tools that I use daily have a star next to them, all the other tools I use at least on a weekly basis.  In no particular order they are:

  • Twitter* (microblogging tool)
  • TwitterFox* (Twitter client)
  • iGoogle* (customizable homepage with different feeds–I have Google Reader, calendar, Gmail, news, weather etc)
  • Google Docs*
  • Google Reader*
  • Google Calendar*
  • Edublogs
  • GMail*
  • Firefox* (web browser)
  • Flock (Firefox based web browser)
  • Delicious* (social bookmarking site)
  • Google Chat
  • Skype
  • MS Outlook (only because it is the mail program at work)
  • MS Word (for work documents)
  • iPhoto
  • Flickr
  • coComment*
  • co.mments
  • Blogger
  • Facebook (once I started using Flock I found I used Facebook more because of its built in Facebook client)
  • WetPaint
  • Wikispaces
  • YouTube
  • Google Search*
  • Elluminate Live
  • Wikipedia
  • WebCT/Blackboard
  • MS FrontPage (for work)

No doubt I’ve missed a few tools.  Compared to last year’s list I’ve noticed the following:

  • Twitter is now on my list.
  • This year’s list is way longer; 29 entries as opposed to 13, with 19 brand new entries.
  • 3 entries from last year didn’t make this year’s list: Google Notebook, Moodle, and Google Video.  Since I started using Delicious I found that I dropped Google Notebook.  I still use Notebook occasionally, but definitely not on a weekly basis.  Moodle was on my list last year because I was part of a pilot project with Open School BC using Moodle for some of our courses.  The pilot project ended in June ‘08 and so too my moodling.  My colleague and I are going to lobby the powers that be to allow us to use the Moodle server that they already have up and running, but just for in house use (ie not for students to access via the web).  Google Video, just kinda faded out for me.  Not sure why.
  • Wikipedia was the only wiki on my list last year.

So, I’ve done a lot more exploring and added a bunch more tools and sites to my toolbelt.  But hey, they’re still just tools.  I could have five great hammers, but if I never used them, or had no skill with them, then so what.  It’s not the tools per say, it’s what you do with them.

Are you gobsmacked that one of your fave tools is not on my list?  Curious about a tool that I’ve mentioned?  Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading!

under: Tools
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Responses - Create a free edublog to get your own comment avatar (and more!)

Great idea, Claire. I’m definitely going to look back in a year from now – hopefully the overload will be making more sense :)

“Gobsmacked” – ha! A little, I guess, that Jing isn’t on your list. Awesome screen/video/image capture tool, and they even just released a Pro version.

I’m going to look into some on your list that I haven’t checked out yet – thanks!

   By: Kate Klingensmith on January 7, 2009
at 9:35 am

[...] read a recent post by Claire Thompson called “Tools and Sites I Use – One Year Later“.  I really like what she did – last January, she blogged about the tools that she used [...]

   By: Daily Toolbox - for Educators or anyone « Once a Teacher…. on January 7, 2009
at 12:05 pm

@Kate, yes, it’s been interesting going back to my list one year later. As for Jing; I did check into it about 6 months ago, but I haven’t felt the need to screencast (yet!). Also, I’ve found that when I’ve watched other people’s Jing screencasts they take a really long time to load. What’s your experience been?

   By: Claire Thompson on January 7, 2009
at 9:15 pm

Tēnā koe Claire

This is an impressive list.

I have made a promise to use more techology this year. I tend to stick to what I know and people like Tony Karrer and Sue Waters keep nudging my elbow, telling me to get on with it and use more of what’s available. :-)

I just nod and do my best. ;-)

Catchya later
from Middle-earth

   By: Ken Allan on January 22, 2009
at 3:31 am

@Ken, the past year was a big year for me, web 2.0 wise. I have a feeling I’ll still be trying out new things this year, but not at quite the same frantic pace. I won’t be surprised if next year’s list is shorter as I fine tune what I really can’t live without ;-)

   By: Claire Thompson on January 25, 2009
at 2:02 pm

I do use more tools than I have actually talked about in my post:
http://sarah-stewart.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-ple-2009.html

But the ones I have identified are the main ones. I try out all the tools when they first come out, and as you do, discard them if they are not better than the ones I use already

   By: Sarah Stewart on April 11, 2009
at 8:16 pm

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