Google
Scholar - in my mind, Google Scholar has made most
library tools obselete. It has really taken reference
checking to the next level.
SPIP - this open source content management
system has allowed me to do more than just post content
online for my students. Because it is so easy to edit
complex content (sometimes including heavy mathematical
notations), sophisticated course material can be updated
daily and it makes possible a real communication with
your class. Using the right templates, it can give
Moodle a run for its money.
Google Reader
- It is a nice RSS feed aggregator. I tried many
alternatives, but it has very nice and simple features
that are missed in other tools like a short summary of
what is new in your feeds right on the front page.
Google Mail - far more efficient for managing my
all-important emails than what my school can offer
Skype - Who needs expensive videoconferencing
hardware anymore? I have taught great classes remotely
while in my own kitchen. Compared to the more expensive
alternatives, it is often far more reliable.
Wikipedia - Who needs to write a glossary anymore in
an online course? By default, I always send my students
to wikipedia now.
WordPress - While it lacks good multiuser support,
wordpress is an extensible and free blogging platform.
If you know some PHP you can personalize this tool
easily.
Smultron - It is, by far, the best text editor
for MacOS X, and it is entirely free and open source.
YouTube/Google
video - Being able to integrate a talk by a
top-notch researcher in my online course within minutes is
really a great feature.
Subversion
- Most people who are not using a file version
management system should! Subversion is one of the best
around!
What are your
Top 10 Tools for learning? Let us know and help us to build
the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2008
Daniel's Top 10 Tools as
at 27 July 2007
SPIP -
this
open source content management system has allowed me to
do more than just post content online for my students.
Because it is so easy to edit complex content (sometimes
including heavy mathematical notations), sophisticated
course material can be updated daily and it makes
possible a real communication with your class. Using the
right templates, it can give Moodle a run
for its money.
Google Reader
-
It is a
nice RSS feed aggregator. I tried many alternatives,
but it has very nice and simple features that are
missed in other tools like a short summary of what
is new in your feeds right on the front page.
Gmail -
It is the best email client I have
ever used, period. However, I use it for more than just
an email client. It has become my most important
archive.
Getting Things Done with php - it is by far the
best and most sophisticated to-do list manager I have
ever tried and it is free software. Unlike the
alternatives, it scales to dozens of projects and
hundreds of todos.
Subversion
-
Coupled with tools like TortoiseSVN, subversion is one of the best file
version management system. This is ideal for
collaborative work on complex text files.
WordPress
-
While it lacks good multiuser support, wordpress is an extensible and
free blogging platform. If you know some PHP you can
personalize this tool easily.
Smultron -
It is, by far, the best text editor
for MacOS X, and it is entirely
free and open source.
Skype -
Who needs expensive videoconferencing
hardware anymore?
Open Document Format - While
not an application, per se, the Open Document Format
specification allows free office applications such
as Google Documents, Open Office, NeoOffice, and
KOffice to be entirely interoperable, at no cost.
Wikka Wiki - It is not the sexiest wiki application around and it does not have
the most features, but it is easy to learn to use
it. It also integrates nicely with other tools such
as
WordPress.
