Top 10 Tools for Learning and Working

Jane Hart put out a call for e-learning professionals’ top 10 tools that they use for learning and working. Here’s mine:

1. Firefox – Firefox rules, IE drools! Love the tabs, love the extensions, love the speed, love the customization, love it.

2. Google reader + Google notebook + Gmail + iGoogle + Google Docs and Spreadsheets + Google Search – I lumped all these Google apps into one. Google Reader let’s me digest a ton of info quickly. Google notebook gives me an easy way to collect and organize thoughts. Gmail is an e-mail app, chat tool, to-do list, idea collection box, and more in one. iGoogle is my home on the web. Docs and Spreadsheets is an easy way to collaborate. Google search is google search.

3. WordPress – Been a long time blogger user. In 2004 I created my first (and most visited) blog using Blogger. However, I’ve recently been converted to WordPress. Much easier to use. Nice features. Pretty templates. Only downside is that you can’t customize the HTML without paying. OK with me for now.

4. Flickr – Nice way to keep the fam updated on what I’m doing. Also a good learning tool. For example, I’m preparing for a move to Austin, TX and have used flickr alot to learn more about my new city. It even gives good real esate advice! Be sure to visit my flickr page.

5. Captivate – Captivate has lots of in’s, lots of out’s, lots of what have you’s. But once you figure those out, it’s a great tool.

6. Microsoft Office + Sharepoint - If you find yourself working for a company or school that is Microsoft-centric, the Office suite and Sharepoint can be pretty useful. Specifically Sharepoint, which can be used for discussion boards, wikis, blogs, document sharing, and much more. I’ll be posting soon about how I’ve used Sharepoint as a knowledge management system at work (subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out).

7. TextPad – Great free text editor for html, css, etc.

8. iTunes – Podcasts! I love the This American Life podcast!

9. Adobe Connect – We use Adobe Connect for synchronous online training, as well as virtual collaboration. It’s kinda pricey, but the best web conferencing software I’ve used. Very versatile and dependable…. pretty too!

10) Facebook – Great way to keep up with e-learning pros, read about your long lost friends, show off your new wife, learn about a new city, etc. Now that they’ve opened their API, there are tons of useful third party apps. I’ve been able to integrate my “recommended reading” from google reader, my wordpress blog, and flickr photos. Add me as a friend!

Open Facebook

Wired makes a call for open standards in social networking sites. I’ve heard this complaint in several places, and think it’s a valid one. It’s annoying that our social netorking “identities” are walled off. Take me for example… I have accounts with LinkedIn, Facebook, Internet Time, Eduspaces, MySpace, Friendster, and countless other social networking startups whose tires I kicked for a few days. Each time I create one of these accounts, I have to recreate my network. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could see all of my facebook contacts when logged in to linkedin?

Here’s a couple money quotes:

“They’re all good, but they’d be better if they worked together. The iPhone would be better if it could also be used on Verizon’s and Sprint’s networks, and Facebook would be better if you could link to friends’ pages on MySpace and Bebo. Social networking should be based on open standards, just like e-mail. “

“We would like to place an open call to the web-programming community to solve this problem. We need a new framework based on open standards. Think of it as a structure that links individual sites and makes explicit social relationships, a way of defining micro social networks within the larger network of the web. “

There are people who see Facebook as more of a ”gated community” (as some would call it) than a closed network. However, you could still have an exclusive “members-only” network, while still having the ability to share your information with outsiders.

So, we’ll just have to keep waiting until open standards are developed for these sites. Until then, we could all replace Facebook using open social tools. It’s a temporary fix, at least.

Ipod Heritage Trail – My Wifey

 

My wifey is working on a Masters in Historic Preservation, and her thesis project involves creating an iPod heritage trail for Cumberland Island in Georgia. The idea is that visitors to the island will be able to experience interpretive exhibits in a remote setting. Using portable technologies, visitors can obtain a personalized tour in dense forests, untouched beaches, and abandoned buildings.

So far, she’s been doing research, writing scripts, etc. But now she’s finally working on the actual exhibits… and I gotta say, this is gonna be cool. Imagine standing at the Dungeness ruins and getting a multimedia lesson on the history of the site. Or… stand at the chimneys from the old slave cabins and see a rendering of how the site used to look.

Anyway, I think it’s great and I’m proud of her. Hopefully when she’s done with a couple of the exhibits, she’ll allow me to post one on Youtube so you can see it here.