New technologies are often perceived as magic. Let's explore a bunch of FREE tools for recording and SAFELY sharing student voices online, collaborating with partner classrooms, and more!

Contact and Digitally Follow Wesley

• Wesley's blog: "Moving at the Speed of Creativity"
• Wesley on Twitter: wfryer
• Wesley on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wfryer
• Wesley on delicious: wfryer
• Contact Wesley
• Wesley's other web2 sites: claimid.com/wfryer

Survey and Crowdsource an Audience

• Google Moderator
• Example: Google Moderator series on Copyright and Fair Use
• UserVoice
• Example: Vote for ISTE 2010 Keynote topics
• Crowdsourcing (WikiPedia)

Create free SMS and web polls

• www.polleverywhere (free version permits 30 responses per poll)
• TextTheMob
• Google Forms (from Google Docs Blog: "Stop Sharing Spreadsheets, Start Collecting Information" - also see the 2 minute video "Using Forms in Google Docs")
• PollDaddy (free version permits 100 responses per poll)
• strawpollnow.com - Uses Twitter

Create and publish annotated screen captures to the web

• Skitch (free, Mac-only)
• Jing Project (free, crossplatform)

Setup free SMS alert messaging for groups

• TextMarks

Use a cell phone as a mobile audio recorder

• Drop.io (free)
• Gabcast (commercial)
• Gcast (commercial)
• Phonecasting

Use visual voicemail with any cell phone

• YouMail (downside: you do have to share your real cell phone number with others)
• K7.net (upside: provides you with a new phone number you can use)
• GrandCentral (from Google, new feature set and open enrollment coming soon)
• Hat tip to Ryan Collins and Liz Kolb for these links

Create a moderated, walled-garden learning community (social network)

• Use Ning.com and reference Ning in Education (students must be 13, can be configured to be private with moderated content)
• Use Moodle (a free learning managment system) or Drupal - particularly Drupal in Education (a free content management system) - can be locally hosted
• Use imbee for Teachers and Schools (free)

Videoconference readily with friends and classroom partners

• Use Google Video Chat (requires small additional free program to install, works within GMail) - free, cross-platform
• Skype - free, cross-platform
• iChat - free, Mac-only
• H.323 Videoconferencing with Tandberg or Polycom
• Find virtual guest speakers for your classroom:
  • Use the Skype in Schools wiki (list yourself or your classroom too!)
  • Use the MERLOT Virtual Speaker's Bureau (geared toward higher education)

Find global classrooms for collaborative projects

• Register for free for the Classroom 2.0 Network (search for an answer to your question first in the forums, then post your own)
• Register for a free account with ePals and search or advertise for collaborative project partners (use the advanced search option to restrict search results to JUST classrooms with audio/video conferencing software and hardware access)
• Use the Skype in Schools wiki
• Use List of Classrooms keen to use Skype to connect with other classrooms (Sue Waters)
• Search for "skype" in the CILC's Collaboration Center under active projects
• Use GlobalSchoolNet's Internet Projects Registry
• Connect with another classroom teacher via an educational social network like the Global Education Collaborative , Classroom 2.0, orthe ISTE Community.

Create Flashcards which are web and iPod Touch accessible

• gFlash+ and gFlashPro (for iPhone and iPod Touch)
• See my post \"Creating Custom iPhone and iPod Touch Flashcards with gFlash and Google Documents\" for detaiils on using Google Documents to create text and multimedia flashcards
• StudyStack (similar to Quia but StudyStack is FREE, also integrates with gFlash+ and gFlashPro - No media, however, flashcards are text-only)

Download YouTube videos to a USB Thumb Drive

• KickYouTube
• PwnYouTube
• UnPlug (free, plug-in for FireFox)
• YouTubeLoader
• ZamZar (free and online, can take awhile to receive download links, however)
• Download VLC Player
• TubeTV (free, Mac-only, converts to QuickTime)
• More tips and tools are available

Create Interactive, Hyperlinked Timelines

• XTimeline

Webcast an event LIVE online

• Ustream.tv - Example: Crystal Darkness Oklahoma webcasts 13 Jan 2009
• Mogulus - Example: EduCon 2.1 in Philadelphia 23-25 Jan 2009
• See my March 2008 post \"Lessons Learned from two more Ustream.tv remote webcasts\" for more background and info, as well as my 13 November 2008 Oklahoma Distance Learning Association (ODLA) presentation \"Webcasting on a Shoestring\"

Setup free content filtering at home

• OpenDNS for home networks (free)

Find Free, High-quality Professional Development Online

• K-12 Online Conference
• 2008 K-12 Online Conference Presentations (41)
• 2007 K-12 Online Conference Presentations (41)
• 2006 K-12 Online Conference Presentations (41)

Schedule an Event for People on Different Calendaring Systems

• Doodle.com (sent a simple text poll to people to indicate available dates/times)
• Eventsbot (handle event registration and even payment)

Create and use a Custom Digital Newspaper

• Aggregator (WikiPedia definition)
• Google Reader
• Education blogs I follow (shared via Google Reader)
• Feedly (Free plugin for FireFox which uses Google Reader in a digital magazine layout, allows customizations)

Never Lose a Good Website

• social bookmarking (WikiPedia)
• delicious social bookmarks
• diigo social bookmarks

Screencast a How-To Tutorial

• Jing Project (free, crossplatform)
• ScreenFlow ($70, Mac-only)
• Camtasia Studio ($180 educational,

Still To Be Added:

• Setup a separate Facebook environment and personal profile for your students
• Obtain free PhotoShop Replacement Software
• Clearly and Accurately Explain Copyright Guidelines in 5 Minutes
• Create and Publish a Digital Story
• Convince Your School Board to Embrace 21st Century Skills

Longer session description: Often the most valuable learning outcome of a professional conference is a single website, collaboration idea, or software application which can transformatively help students and teachers more effectively demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills included in the curriculum. This presentation focuses on a diverse array of web 2.0 tools teachers and librarians can use to enhance classroom websites, collaborative projects, and multimedia reports created by students individually or in distributed teams.

The ability to embed content permits educators to create multimedia- rich webpages on their school website integrating images, voice recordings, videos, and animations. Web tools which provide these functionalities will be demonstrated and explored in this session, as well as other web tools which can enhance research-based methods of providing recognition and feedback for students. These include methods for moderating social networking interactions among students as well as other educational constituents (including parents) and expanding the menu of collaborative knowledge product possibilities for students including interactive digital timelines, collaboratively authored digital stories, and synchronous presentation environments for sharing and teaching by students.