My name is Glen Gatin and I'm from Manitoba, Canada. I teach a MEd. Course called ICT for Teachers. The main emphasis of the class is exploring web based tools used for teaching and learning. I've also been team teaching an undergrad course in AV Method.

I am also working to complete an EdD program with a media focus. I hope to complete my dissertation in the summer of 2008. I plan to use a wiki to compose and share my dissertation process and results. I hoped to be able to submit my dissertation as a wiki. My dissertation committee is in agreement but the university still wants me to go broke getting 4 copies printed up on cotton-bond paper and bound so that it can moulder in their library.

I started using web based tools when IT administrators wouldn't allow me to do the things I needed in a networked environment. Much of my career has been trying to figure out how to "work around" people who really don't think that computers should be used for teaching and learning and if they are used, only within the walled gardens of a LMS.  I'm not a programmer and I only know enough about HTML to cut and paste code in the appropriate spot.

Glen's  Top 10 Tools as at 13 October 2009

Here are my fav tools this year. I would have included Google Wave but I've really only been working with it for 2 weeks now. I think it is going to have a great deal of potential.

1. Skype (In and Out, love the screensharing function)
2. Firefox and extensions ( especially Zotero)
3. Google Apps (Sites, mail, Chrome, Reader, Docs, etc)
4. Mindmeister (on desktop and iTouch)
5. Camtasia Suite (with Snagit)
6. Webinar tools, Adobe Connect, WEBEX, Elluminate (but also freebies like DimDim, WIZIQ and Yugma)
7. Hipcast/Audacity/Blogger for podcasting
8. Second Life
9. Wikispaces (use Media wiki with various groups but prefer to teach with Wikispaces)
10. Twitter (and associated apps, TwitPics, Grooveshark, Twhirl etc)

Glen's  Top 10 Tools as at 7 September 2008

Many of the tools are the same although I have been using Twitter (through Twhirl) and SecondLife a lot more.

I quit using Bloglines because of the picture wall and now use Google reader exclusively for RSS. I find that I have dropped a lot of RSS feeds as more updates become available in Twitter.

I've moved away from Wordpress and I'm using Blogger mostly to introduce people to blogging.

Mindmeister and Zotero have been incredibly useful in my dissertation work.

1. Firefox
2. All things Google, Blogger, Gmail, Calendar, Google Docs, Reader, Scholar etc.
3. Twhirl
4. Second Life
5. Zotero
6. Mindmiester
7. Skype
8. Jing
9. Delicious
10. Wikispaces

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Glen's  Top 10 Tools as at 9 February 2008

1. Firefox

2. Gmail

3. Bloglines

4. Del.icio.us

5. Skype

6. Wordpress

7. Blogger

8. Wikispaces

9. Google Docs

10. Hipcast

I also use Google calendar, Google maps, Google earth, Google Aps, iGoogle, Jotwiki, (anything Google)  Pikiwiki, Yugma, Jing, Facebook, Ning, Twitter,  Zotero, Gcast, YouTube, iTunes, Newsgator, Survey Monkey, Audacity, Pamela for Skype, Second Life, CmapTools.

I use a few Firefox extensions like Greasemonkey, Gspace, Google Docs Bar, BetterGmail.
 
I use a few proprietary products, Camtasia, Snagit, Blazemedia, EndNote, Atlas.ti