Barry Dahl dot com

My Personal Learning Environment (PLE) is made up of my Personal Learning Network (PLN) and the tools I use on the computer (mostly web-based). In other words, it is the people I learn from/with and the tools that I use to do so.

In a response to a Twitter question asking me to respond (max. 140 characters) with what my PLN means to me. I said, “The network is where my lifelong learning takes shape. People I respect help point me in directions I might not otherwise find, in real time”

Here are (some of) the people in my Twitter network that I follow and learn from on a daily basis about uses of technology in education. (Created with the Twitter mosaic maker.)

Here’s a good Twitter list of Edutweeters

Get your twitter mosaic here.

Those are some of the people in my network. Below you’ll see some of the tools that I use.

Tools in my PLE Toolkit

I have an account to use each of the following web-based services. Some I use more than others, and some I use all the time. NOTE: at the bottom of the list I have added the non-web-based tools in a separate category. These are the tools that require a download and install, such as Audacity, Jing, Skype, and many others.

Web office collaboration tools:

• Zoho Writer
• Zoho Sheet
• Zoho Show
• Zoho Docs
• Google Docs and spreadsheets
• Writer (Bighugelabs)

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Other Zoho Goodness

• Zoho Notebook
• Zoho Creator
• Zoho Chat
• Zoho Share

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Other Google Goodness: (unless they become more evil)

• Google Analytics
• Google Calendar
• Google Voice
• Google Scholar
• Google Groups
• Google Buzz
• Google Wave  (pretty much dead)
• Google Notebook (soon to be dead)

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Blogging Tools:

• WordPress
• Blogger
• Cover it Live
• Google Reader
• Bloglines (dead pool, spring 2011)
• MyBlogLog (dead pool, April 2011)
• Blogflux
• Technorati

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Communications tools:

• Twitter
• Twubs
• Twitterfall
• Tweetree
• Plurk
• Yammer
• Broadtexter (added July 2010)
• Meebo instant messenger
• MeeboMe widget
• Jott (no longer free)
• YackPack (no longer free) (apparently dead, as of Aug 2011)
• Disqus (added Jan. 2011)
• Gmail
• Yahoo mail
• Windows Live mail

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Wikis:

• PBworks
• Wet Paint
• Zoho Wiki
• Wikispaces
• Google Sites

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Web conferencing tools:

• Vyew
• DimDim (dead, spring 2011)
• WiZiQ
• Mikogo
• Zoho Meeting
• SlideShare Zipcast
• Mingleverse (added Feb. 2011) (Apparently dead – May 2012)

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Bookmarking tools:

• Delicious
• Diigo
• Evernote
• Second Brain (added Jan. 2011)
• Furl (dead pool, April 2009)

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Music tools:

• iMeem (now part of MySpace, rats!)
• AudioTool (added Feb. 2011 – create your own music in the browser)
• Pandora
• Seeqpod (alas, it appears to be in dead pool)
• Songza
• Finetune
• Last.fm

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Digital photo tools:

• Flickr
• Picmonkey
• Picnik (Dead pool – Aoril 2012 – thanks Google!!)
• BigHugeLabs
• Photobucket
• Fotoflexer
• Mixbook
• Dumpr
• flauntR  (on life support?)
• Wylio (added March 2011)
• Aviary (added March 2011 – also a design and audio toolset)
• BeFunky

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Video or similar tools:

• YouTube
• Vimeo
• Google Video (no more uploads)
• Blip.tv
• Animoto
• UStream.tv (live broadcast)
• Livestream (formerly Mogulus)
• Screencastle (added March ’09)
• Screenr
• Screencast-o-matic
• ScreenToaster  (dead pool 2011)
• Screenjelly (added July 2009) (dead pool 2011)
• Screencast dot com (use with TechSmith/Jing)
• Eyejot
• EyeSpot (now in dead pool)
• TeacherTube
• StartYourTube (dead pool)
• Joost (on life support?)
• VodPod
• Vuvox
• TokBox

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Slide Shows and Presentations Tools:

• SlideShare
• Prezi (added Jan. ’09)
• Spicynodes (added June 2011)
• Slide Rocket
• 280Slides  (Dead pool – Dec. 2011)
• SplashCast
• Zentation
• Flowgram (Dead pool as of June 30, 2009)
• Slide (Dead pool – March 2012)

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Social Networking:

• Facebook
• Ning
• Bebo
• LinkedIn

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Audio and podcasting:

• Odeo (pretty much dead)
• Internet Archive (store your audio there)
• Screencast (Part of TechSmith)
• PodcastPeople
• Voice Thread
• Pod-o-matic
• Gcast  (Dead pool)
• ClickCaster (Dead pool)
• Evoca
• DivShare

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Polling:

• Zoho Polls
• Poll Everywhere
• Poll Daddy
• Vizu
• Neomyz

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Start Pages and Organizers:

• Springpad (added March 2011)
• LiveBinders (added April 2011)
• Glide OS
• iGoogle
• Netvibes
• Pageflakes  (Dead pool – Jan. 2012)
• Protopage
• Symbaloo (added August 2010)
• Schmedley (added September 2010)
• WidgetBox (added October 2010)
• WebWag (added October 2010)
• Wallwisher (added October 2020)
• Pindax(added October 2010)
• Spaaze (added Aug. 2011)
• Corkboard.me (added Aug. 2011)
• MyClusta (dead pool)

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Mapping:

• Wayfaring
• Community Walk
• Google Maps

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Scheduling and Organizing:

• Meeting Wizard
• Doodle (added Nov. 2009)
• Tripit (added June 2009)
• Remember the Milk

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Documents and Storage:

• Scribd
• Crocodoc (added April ’11)
• DocStoc

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Comics and Animations:

• Toondoo
• Pixton Comics (added March ’09)
• GoAnimate (added May 2011)
• Xtranormal  (added May 2011)
• Voki (added May 2011)

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Mindmaps:

• Mind Meister
• Mindomo (Barry’s Map of Tools)

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No time now to categorize the following:

• Xplana.com (added Aug 13, 2010)
• Creative Commons Search
• Second Brain (Dead pool Sep. 2011)
• UniFlip
• Gliffy
• Jooce (Dead pool June 2009)
• Scriblink (collaborative whiteboard)
• Taskbarn (project management) added April ’09
• Zamzar
• Voxopop (formerly Chinswing)
• Virtual Eternity (added Feb. 2011)
• Spoken Text
• Rondee
• Bubble Comment
• Odiogo
• Vaestro (Dead pool?)
• eSnips
• Stumble Upon
• Glogster

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Non-web-based (client-based) Tools: (requires download and install)

• Skype
• Dropbox
• CamStudio
• Audacity
• iTunes
• GIMP
• Jing
• SecondLife
• Freepath
• Flypaper
• Wireshark
• Gong Project
• Yugma
• Google Earth
• Google Chrome
• FireFox
• Flock
• Pogo browser (Dead pool)
• Maxthon
• Mozilla SeaMonkey
• Microsoft Live Mesh
• Twhirl
• TweetDeck
• Nambu (mac only)
• AlertThingy (Dead pool?)
• FileZilla
• Pando