Documentation:Digital Toolbox

Digital Toolbox

This wiki is intended to be a instructor/student resource for innovative learning activities and assessments. The following are brief descriptions of digital tools that can be used to facilitate communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity for students. There are also links for instructors to aid in assessment and content dissemination.

• Note that some of the categories overlap (e.g. project management tools are used for collaboration and communication).
• Most of the links are free, however some require signing up to use the tool.
• Also note that some of the technology may be a barrier for students, so it is suggested that many of the tools can be used as options for assignments.

Please feel free to add to this list, or email Kelly Warnock for any comments/questions: kwarnock@tru.ca

COMMUNICATION

Instructor and student and student and student communication tools.

• Big Blue Button: open source web conferencing tool integrated with Moodle and Blackboard Learn.

• BlueJeans: video conferencing via any application. ($)

• VoiceThread: Discussion board about images, where you can upload, share and discuss documents, presentations, images, audio files and videos. It is a cloud application, so there is no software to install. Here's an example

• Skype: Video conferencing system.

• ooVoo: Online video chat for up to 12 people.

• Edmodo: Create an online classroom where students can connect, collaborate, share content, and access homework, grades and notices.

• Group Tweet: Allow any number of contributors to Tweet from a group account safely and securely. ($)

• Doodle : A simple, elegant, fast and free online event scheduler.

• Answer Garden: A feedback tool that puts answers in a word cloud. Use it for real time audience participation, online brainstorming and classroom feedback.

COLLABORATION

Tools to facilitate co-construction of knowledge.

Project Management

• Big Blue Button: open source web conferencing tool integrated with Moodle and Blackboard Learn.

• SharePoint: A project and team management tool.

• Elluminate Live: A platform that includes video conferencing, chat, file transfer, notes, polling, screen capture, and whiteboard.

• Blackboard Collaborate: A collaboration platform for virtual classrooms, offices, and meeting spaces. ($)
  • As of January 2016, Blackboard Collaborate is no longer supported at TRU. Please use Big Blue Button instead.

• Padlet (aka Wallwisher). An online group message board where you can post messages, videos, images, etc.

• Twiddla: Team whiteboarding where users can browse websites in a shared, real-time whiteboard, while marking them up, sharing files, and chatting along. ($)

• Wiffiti: Interactive message board (via twitter, texting, or wiffiti.com). ($)

• Stormboard: Add ideas, photos, and videos to a shared online whiteboard.

• Diigo: bookmark websites:

Social Networking:

• Ning: A customized platform for social networking. ($)

• LinkedIn: A professional networking tool.

• Facebook: A social utility that connects people with friends and others who work , study and live around them.

• Elgg: A social networking engine for businesses, schools, universities and associations to create their own fully-featured social networks and applications.

• Anchor: Radio by the People. Use anchor to record and share audio feedback with your students.

Wikis

• Wikispaces

• Mediawiki

• Wikia: Here's an example

• Wiki Spot

Blogs / Websites:

• Wordpress

• Tumblr

• Blogger

• Weebly: Here's an example

• Square Space ($)

Note-taking & Collaborative Work

• Big Blue Button: open source web conferencing tool integrated with Moodle and Blackboard Learn.

• Open Study: A social learning network where students ask questions, give help, and connect with other students studying the same things.

• Diigo: Collecting and organizing web notes. ($)

• Google Keep: Note-taking system.

• Evernote: Jot down text, photos, web pages, etc.

• Corkboard It: Online collaborative message board.

• Lino: Online sticky note / corkboard.

• NoteApp: Online message board.

• Bibme: an online bibliography maker. Includes search engine and personal reference list.

Study Tools

• Quizlet: Includes flashcards, speller, tests, matching, and other review games. Find topics or create your own material.

Flashcards: All of these sites allow users to create unlimited flashcards

• Flashcard Exchange

• The Flashcard Machine

• Course Hero

• Study Blue

• Study Stack

• Vocabulary.com: Paste up to 100 pages of text into the box and the website will create a learning activity you can assign to your students.

• Kahoot: Create and play learning games in the classroom.

Ebooks:

• Read Print: Read and discuss books.

• My Ebook: Read or create your own ebooks.

CRITICAL THINKING & PROBLEM-SOLVING

Forums / Discussions

• Hot Seat: Allows learners a place to quickly and easily participate in a productive backchannel discussion during class.

• Question Cookie: Real-Time Question Moderation

• Backchannel Chat: Facilitates online discussions.

• Tricider: Online discussions.

• Today’s Meet: Users create a room and present topics of discussion.
• Canadian Content: A discussion forum to talk about Canadian politics.

• Fresh Brain: Ask any question and get feedback.

• Backchannel Tools: This resource provided more of an explanation on using these times of discussion tools.

Polls / Surveys

• Poll Everywhere: text a free poll and get instant feedback.

• Survey Monkey: tools to create surveys, collect data, and analyze the results.

• [flisti.com Flisti]: Create a poll. No sign-up required.

• Dotvoting: Create a poll. No sign-up required.

• Socrative: Create a poll. Students can respond via any device with Internet.

• Fluid Surveys

• Survey Anyplace

Graphic Organizers / Concept Maps

• Cmap: concepts maps to construct, navigate, share and criticize knowledge models

• Mind Meister: Collaborate on mind maps in real time.

• Draw Io: create diagrams by dragging and dropping pre-existing icons and shapes from a menu

• Cacoo: Create diagrams online real time collaboration.

• [https://vue.tufts.edu/index.cfm The Visual Understanding Environment (VUE) helps manage and integrate digital resources.

Timelines

• H5P Timeline: Plug in for Moodle or Wordpress.

• Hstry.com Interactive timeline.

• 'When in Time: Create, view, share interactive digital timelines.

• Capzles: Timeline creation site with a great user interface as well as the ability to embed into a site.

• Time Rime: An excellent site with educational instance (great for teachers) that allows users to create multimedia timelines.

• TimeGlider: Create multimedia timelines and legends.

• Dipity: Create beautiful timelines with the ability to add video/pictures.

• Time Toast: A bullet point centered timeline w/ text and pictures.

• Preceden: A fun easy site to use to create interactive timelines.

• Office Timeline: To integrate into PowerPoint.

• Tiki-Toki': Create beautiful timelines.($)

• Time Glider

Data Visualization

• Gap Minder: Interactive data

• Google Motion Charts: Create your own interactive charts .

Infographics

• Easel.ly: http://www.easel.ly/

• Visualize Me: http://vizualize.me/

• Create Visually: http://create.visual.ly/

• Many Eyes: http://www-958.ibm.com/software/analytics/labs/manyeyes/#home

• Infogram: http://infogr.am/

• Canva: https://www.canva.com/create/infographics/

CREATIVITY

Student-generated content

Screen/Video Recording, Presentation and Sharing

• Big Blue Button: open source web conferencing tool integrated with Moodle and Blackboard Learn.

• Myspace: a social entertainment platform that allows users to share music, videos, etc.

• Creaza: create online mindmaps that include video and audio features. ($)

• Animoto: Share photos and videos online. ($)

• Camtasia: record, edit and share high-quality screen video on the Web.($)

• Pachyderm: A web-based rich-media interactive presentation authoring and publishing system that focuses on nonlinear digital storytelling.

• Powtoon: Create animated videos and presentations

Slideshows

• Prezi: a non-linear presentation tool. http://prezi.com/

• Articluate: Interactive PowerPoints: http://www.articulate.com/ ($)

• Photopeach: A slideshow application that can be shared or embedded. http://photopeach.com/

Photos / Graphics

• Gyazo: Grabs your screen shot for embedding and sharing. http://gyazo.com/

• Photoscape: http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php

• Photosynth: (Microsoft) http://photosynth.net/

• Skitch: Can take notes or draw shapes on pictures. http://evernote.com/skitch/

• Pintrest: allows users to ‘pin’ or ‘like’ images that interest them http://m.pinterest.com/

• Letter Pop: Design & Publishing: http://www.letterpop.com/ ($)

• Gimp 2.8: A graphic and image editing application. http://www.gimp.org/

• Sumopaint: A graphics editing and production application. http://www.sumopaint.com/app/

• Paint.NET: A free image and photo editing application. http://www.getpaint.net/

• PhotoVisi: Make a collage. http://www.photovisi.com/collage/create?template=template7

• HTML Color Codes: Find color codes for design. http://html-color.codes/

Audio Tools

• Audacity: a free, open source, cross-platform software for recording and editing sounds. http://audacity.sourceforge.net

• Soungle: A search engine for sound files http://www.soungle.com/

• Freesound: A database for Creative Commons Licensed sounds. http://www.freesound.org/

AV:

• Windows Movie Maker 2.6. The older version of Windows Movie Maker http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=34

• iMovie 11. This application usually comes with your Mac OS 10 software. If your Mac does not have it you can purchase it at the link below ($14.99). http://www.apple.com/ca/ilife/imovie/

• YouTube Video Editor. YouTube provides an online video editor.http://www.youtube.com/editor

• HandBrake 0.9.8. This free software will transfer almost any video file type to the popular MP4 or M4V formats. http://handbrake.fr/

Review:

• Jeopardy: create a customized jeopardy template without PowerPoint. https://jeopardylabs.com/ • Blubbr: Create and play quiz games from YouTube videos. http://www.blubbr.tv/

Digital Storytelling:

• StoryBird: create, read, and share visual stories. http://storybird.com/

• Go! Animate: Make animated videos (school & business $$). http://goanimate.com/ ($)

• Comic Creators: o http://www.comicmaster.org.uk/ o http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/ o https://www.bitstrips.com/create/comic/

Mindmaps/Word Clusters:

• Word It Out: Generates word clouds. http://worditout.com/

• Wordle: Generates word clouds. http://www.wordle.net/

• Tagul: make a world cloud that highlights words http://tagul.com/