March | 2009 | Free Resources from the Net for EVERY Learner

March 24, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
5 Comments

eyePlorer (Online Resource)

About 10 days ago, I read on Orli Yakuel’s blog about an intriguing online research tool that I think is worth a look. There are learners who will probably find it helpful. [If you do not read German, please don't be dismayed when you discover that the website is in German. It seems that English is the default language of the application!]

eyePlorer searches Wikipedia for specified topics and displays search results graphically. Facts about a topic are represented by “eyespots” on a circular graph. Each eyespot is a heading. If you click on a heading/eyespot, you open a text box containing a summary sentence about it. These sentences can be dragged and dropped onto a notepad and then conveniently copied to the computer’s clipboard for use elsewhere.

Double-clicking on an eyespot connects that heading with other headings to show that they are related in some way. Clicking on a line between two headings, opens a sentence that summarizes the relationship.

Although the screen shot below is not clear enough to read, it shows how fact headings are displayed on the left, so they can be opened and then dragged to the notepad on the right.

I’ve embedded eyePlorer’s two-minute introductory video below. They have also put together a set of videos on YouTube to demonstrate the features and functions of the application.

March 17, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
3 Comments

TidyRead (online resource)

Last week, I wrote about Readability, an application that effectively removes the clutter from web pages that can be so distracting for readers. I’m still enthusiastic about Readability, but thanks to a comment on my post about it, I’ve discovered an alternative that seems even better in some ways.

TidyRead is an application that strips distracting clutter from web pages so that readers can focus on the primary content. At the same time, TidyRead makes it easy to adjust the style, font size, and margins. These adjustments can be made right on the re-formatted web page. There is also a button that switches you back to the original page format.

Just like Readability, TidyRead is accessed via a bookmarklet that is very easily added to the web browser’s bookmark toolbar. Once this bookmarklet is installed, TinyRead is available to re-format any web page you may be visiting.

In Firefox, you simply drag the bookmarklet from the TinyRead site and drop it on the bookmark toolbar. (It can only be dropped on the bookmark toolbar, so it is critical that this toolbar be open!) The TidyRead site provides clear instructions for the variations on this process with the other major browsers.

Here’s what this blog post looks like when reformatted by TidyRead.

March 15, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
0 comments

Kerpoof (Online Resource)

I’ve been aware of this terrific resource for a couple of years, but I’ve never written about it here. I’ve held off because it is not 100% free. There is more than enough that is free, however, to make it well worth sharing. In the language of Universal Design for Learning, this engaging resource facilitates multiple options for learners to express themselves.

Kerpoof offers children between the ages of 4 and 14 endless opportunity for creative expression in a variety of formats. Kerpoof is an online multimedia “studio” that facilitates drawing, story writing, creation of animated movies, and card making.

Tutorials are available for getting started with using Kerpoof to make pictures and movies. An extensive library of scenes and objects is available for use in stories, pictures, and movies. User interfaces in Kerpoof Studio are intuitive and easy to use, as illustrated below in the screen shot of the drawing palette.

With paid Kerpoof memberships there are additional features–more objects for use in Kerpoof projects, chat, group galleries, buddy drawing, etc. Some of the features available with memberships are also available on free teacher accounts. Teacher accounts include administrative tools that support use of Kerpoof with an entire class. Helpful classroom ideas and lesson plans are also provided on the Kerpoof site.

March 10, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
7 Comments

Readability–without distracting web page clutter!

Last week, Karen Janowski shared a terrific resource that has potential to help the many learners who are hindered by distracting clutter on web pages. I want to echo Karen’s find here for anyone who may have missed it on her blog.

Readability does a remarkably effective job of removing the distracting clutter that can make it difficult for many readers to focus on the primary content on a web page. This application could not be any easier to install or use.

Set the type-style, text-size, and margin-width. Then drag and drop a bookmarklet onto the bookmark toolbar of your browser. Click on this book marklet when you want to remove clutter from a web page, and it’s gone. To change the settings, simply right-click on the bookmarklet to delete it. You can then go to the Readability site, select the settings you want, and add a new book marklet.

Contrast the before and after screen shots of the same web page below.

March 8, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
4 Comments

Sqworl (Online Resource)

Here’s a very practical resource that I learned about from Vienna over at Teaching Students with Learning Difficulties. If you have any reason to put a set of visual links to websites or online activities on a single web page, this will be useful for you.

Sqworl enables you to create web pages where you can embed visual links to other web pages. I don’t think the process could be any easier. After you have registered and created your Sqworl account, you simply log in, add a new “group” and paste the URL’s of the web pages that you want on your Sqworl page.

You are given a new URL for each Sqworl page that you have created. Links to Sqworl pages can be shared conveniently from within Sqworl via email or your favorite social networking site such as Twitter or Facebook.

Sqworl enables you to create a home page for yourself, or for any learner that you are supporting. The home page can contain the web pages that the user visits frequently. Or, you may set up purpose-specific pages for any number of reasons. These can be tailor made for specific individuals, or for perhaps for groups of learners.

The screen shot below shows a Sqworl page I’ve created with 6 science books from Tar Heel Reader. Clicking on the screen shot will take you to the actual page where the links are live.