Projeqt is an innovative presentation tool that can be used for digital story telling. Its ability to combine and structure dynamic content sources such as live RSS or Twitter feeds with photos, videos, audio and text from some of the most popular web services (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Soundcloud, Flickr, etc.) allows students to abandon the conventional linear way of telling stories.
Dec
05
Projeqt
Nov
28
Scoop.it!
Scoop.it is an online tool that allows you to create a public collection of articles from the web. All you do is define a topic (e.g. electronic textbooks) and whenever you see something related to that topic, you click on a little bookmarklet in your browser and the item is added to your Scoop.it page with a picture and a blurb. Click on the blurb and you are taken right to the original source. You can also create your own posts.
Your scoops can be embedded into your blog and tied into your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Others can leave comments on your scoops and follow you via an rss feed. A great way to create a conversation about a topic of interest to a group.
Check it out here: http://www.scoop.it/
Nov
18
EGARC’s YouTube Channel
One of the great things about EGARC is its collection of approximately 12,000 audio and video items in over 60 languages; many of these items are full-length feature films on DVD. All KU faculty, staff and students are welcome to check out DVDs in our collection for free. Simply browse our online catalog, and come to 4070 Wescoe to physically check out items. Recently, in an effort to increase access to our frequently used videos, EGARC has created its own YouTube channel. On the right-hand side of the page, we have categorized videos found on YouTube by our 4-letter language/department designations. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of what is available at EGARC.
Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/user/egarcku
Nov
17
PDF to Word Converter
Have you ever had a PDF that you wished you could edit in Microsoft Word? Nitro PDF Software has a free online application that allows you to convert PDF files to Word documents with all of its formatting in tact. Simply select the PDF you want to convert, enter your e-mail address, and let them do the rest! You will receive an automated e-mail with the converted Word document file attached. The online version allows you to convert PDFs up to 10MB in size. If you need to convert larger PDFs you can download a free, 14-day trial of their desktop program, Nitro PDF Professional. The company also has a similar online application that lets you convert PDF to Excel.
Check it out here: http://www.pdftoword.com/
Sep
23
Reel
Reel is an online presentation tool that is simple and straightforward to use. The site allows you to upload images, PPT PowerPoint files or PDF files which you can then arrange in any order you see fit. Enter in a title and description for each slide if you wish and then click on the “Share with friends” link to copy the URL for your Reel presentation. Reel runs on Javascript which makes it tablet- and mobile-device-friendly.
Another great feature about Reel is that each slide can be rated with a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down.” This is a great way to get audience or student feedback. You view the results by adding “/report” to the end of the original URL. Here is my example Reel and its feedback report.
Check it out here: http://www.reelapp.com/
Aug
26
Knovio
Knovio is a site that essentially turns your PowerPoint presentation into a video presentation on the web. Simply upload your PowerPoint, start recording your webcam (or use your microphone if you only want audio), advance through the slides while you’re narrating, and press stop when you’re finished. You can then review your recording before saving and sharing your presentation. The finished product includes both your recorded video and your PowerPoint slides. You can toggle the size of the video and the slides by clicking and dragging the zoom bar. Here is an example: http://knov.io/pDURz5.
Knovio is still in Private Beta mode so you’ll have to sign up and then wait for an activation code that they will send you via e-mail.
Check it out here: http://www.knovio.com/
Jul
08
Wetoku
Wetoku is a free teleconferencing platform that allows you to record at the touch of a button. Video files are saved on the Wetoku server and can be password-protected and embedded on a website quite easily. Click the blue “Showtime” button at the top of the screen, fill in a title and the names of the two participants, select whether you want the video to be public or private, and then send the provided link to your partner. Great for conducting interviews at a distance as there are no required downloads or installations.
Check it out at http://wetoku.com/.
Jun
27
Open Culture
Open Culture is a great resource for educational media. The site manages a list of links to free audio books, online courses, movies and language lessons … all in one convenient place. Their movie selection has links to more than 300 movies that are available online; Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Rembrandt’s J’accuse and The 400 Blows are among them.
Check it out here: http://www.openculture.com/freemoviesonline
Jun
14
Pixlr
Pixlr is another online, photo editing suite. There is no registration required. Simply click on the “Open Photo Editor” link to use its main photo editor called Pixlr Editor. Pixlr also has Pixlr Express (use for basic photo editing such as cropping, rotating, auto-levelling) and Pixlr-o-matic (use for applying photo effects such as vintage or retro). You can also installed Pixlr Grabber which is an add-on for Firefox or Chrome.
Check it out here: http://pixlr.com/
May
16
Prezi
Prezi is a website that lets you create “zooming” presentations. Instead of presenting linear PowerPoint slides, you can zoom in, zoom out and rotate the canvas in a Prezi presentation. You can also embed a Prezi on your own website.
Prezi’s basic educational account gives you a few more goodies than a typical account (e.g. 5x the storage, the option to make Prezis private, etc.) so be sure to sign up with a .edu e-mail address.
Check it out here: http://prezi.com/