Toolkit4Blogwalker, as the name of the wiki suggests, is a toolkit of Web 2.0 resources that has been put together by and for “Blogwalker”.  Although her name doesn’t seem to appear anywhere on the wiki, it wasn’t difficult to discover that Blogwalker is really Gail Desler, whose blog is also known as BlogWalker.

Gail’s wiki consists of the following 8 sections:

Blogs * Copyright & Fair Use * Filmmaking

Glogster * Google Docs * Podcasts

Voice Thread * Wikis

Under each of these main headings, there is a helpful Table of Contents that lists sub headings.  In my view, this organization on top of the quantity and quality of the linked  and embedded resources suggests that Toolkit4Blogwalker is well worth bookmarking!

In terms of my own current needs, I especially appreciate Gail’s resources on filmmaking.

Welcome to this Treasure Chest of Free Stuff.

FREE online resources and downloadable programs for learners and their teachers.

The Read/Write Web offers educators powerful tools that I believe should not be just optional extras in our schools. Too many of our students simply do not have adequate aptitude for traditional academic skills, and there are other learners who will never be engaged if we just keep doing what we’ve always done. I don’t think I’m overstating the case when I say that Web 2.0 tools provide practical keys to success for some of our learners. So, here’s a free opportunity to learn how we as educators can expand our boundaries so that we better meet the needs of all our students.

K12 Online Conference–Again (online resource) I believe this conference is such a terrific opportunity that I decided to do a reminder post about it. The pre-conference Keynote Address by David Warlick is scheduled for 5:00 am (on the Pacific Coast) tomorrow (Monday). That means it will be available to us any time after that. It’s entitled “Inventing New Boundaries”, and it’s bound to whet our appetites for the 40 sessions which are scheduled between Oct. 15th and 26th.

I’ve just gone back and sat through the keynote David delivered for the inaugural K12 Online Conference in 2006. That’s what has left me feeling inspired about this year’s conference.

I doubt if I could describe it any better than Will Richardson did in a post this morning, so I’ll just quote him here. (If you don’t already read Will’s blog on “learning with the read/write web”, it is definitely worth checking out.)

“Breaking free of traditional conferences, the upcoming K-12 Online Conference: Playing with Boundaries (October 15-19th & October 22-26th) provides educators with an engaging, ongoing learning experience without time constraints. The K12 Online Conference is a unique professional development opportunity for teachers to engage with ideas and technologies that are having a real impact on 21st century classrooms.

The entire conference will be delivered as downloadable digital media via the Internet with over 40 sessions presented in four strands: Classroom 2.0, New Tools, Professional Learning Networks, and Obstacles to Opportunities. The conference launches with a keynote address on October 8th from respected blogger and author David Warlick and concludes with a global 24 hour live event, As Night Falls.

For more information, please visit http://www.k12onlineconference.org.”

Welcome to this Treasure Chest of Free Stuff.

FREE online resources and downloadable programs for learners and their teachers.

Web 2.0 applications are proliferating so rapidly that it is impossible to keep up. Many of these applications offer learners and their teachers an amazing new range of readily available resources. These applications enrich learning for all, and they make education more accessible to an ever widening range of learners. The applications of the Read/Write Web also serve to level the playing field because most of them are free to anyone with a computer that is connected to the internet. Today’s featured resource is a great example.

SoundSnap (online resource) Here’s an online community that offers an invaluable free resource to anyone who wants to use sound effects or audio loops in digital projects. SoundSnap is worth checking out, whether you are creating a podcast, a presentation, a website, a science project, or a custom activity for a program like Clicker 5 or Classroom Suite. SoundSnap has literally thousands of well organized and searchable audio files available for download.

Click on the thumbnail below to view the 16 main headings under which the sound files are organized. You’ll also see the total number of files currently available under each heading. (Click on the thumbnail to enlarge it, and use your browser’s back arrow to return to this page.)

The next thumbnail is for a screenshot that shows the download interface. You’ll notice that you have the option of listening to a clip before deciding whether or not to download. You are told the duration of the clip. You can see how many times the file has already been downloaded and how it has been rated by other users. At the top of this screenshot, you see the sub-headings under the major category of Animals.

If you have audio files that you would like to contribute, SoundSnap would welcome them.

Mega Sound Recorder (downloadable program) If you need to record digital sound–with a microphone, streamed from the internet, or from a media player–this free program will do it for you. The sound files you record with MSR, in the format of your choice, can then be incorporated very easily into any multi-media project. The educational applications are limited only by your own creativity. This program is not a sound editor like Audacity, but if all you need to do is make a recording, MSR is easier to learn and use. The user interface is straightforward. After the program is opened with the shortcut, it will not apear until accessed from the system tray. MSR comes with a useful set of Help files, complete with screencaptures, to get you going or to answer questions as they arise.

This program runs in Windows only.

Welcome to this Treasure Chest of Free Stuff.

Here’s a very practical resource for anyone putting together multi-media projects. This one is listed on the Productivity page.

Partners in Rhyme (online resource) describes itself as, “Your Audio Resource for Multimedia Projects”. This is a commercial venture, but it also offers a substantial collection of very useful free audio resources–sound effects, drum loops, midi files, even some audio software. There are also some helpful tutorials for using audio effectively in multimedia projects.

The free resources offered by Partners in Rhyme are clearly identified, but they are not to be confused with the “royalty free” products that PIP creates and markets. In my experience, this site is a significant cut above virtually every other website that claims to offer “free” sound effects. Apart from a few unobtrusive Google ads, the only advertising on this site is for PIP products, and tastefully done at that.

Welcome to this Treasure Chest of Free Stuff.

Today’s listing on the productivity page is for a versatile program from Apple. I’ve listed it because of its utility as a “podcatcher”, something you need if you want to subscribe to podcasts and then hear or view them on your computer.

iTunes (downloadable program) iTunes software from Apple is designed to enable you to download songs and movies that you buy from Apple. (Go to this link to download the latest version of iTunes.) This program is also a free and effective “podcatcher” that allows you to subscribe to podcasts and to hear and/or view them on your computer. As a podcatcher, iTunes is well designed for ease of use. It should be noted here that the Windows version of iPod software works just fine on a Windows platform. Apple has put together some helpful video tutorials on using the iTunes software. Check them out at http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/itunes/index.html.

This program runs in Windows and Mac.

Welcome to this Treasure Chest of Free Stuff.

Today’s new listing on the Content & Curriculum page has the potential to distract you for rather a long time. If you haven’t yet ventured into the world of podcasts, be warned that this is a rich new world indeed, and there is a great deal in it to explore. Podcasts are a wonderful source of free resources for educators. At the same time, podcast technology gives you a great opportunity to share ideas and present material. Podcasts are also a marvellous vehicle for sharing creative expression.

Podcasts for Educators (online resource) Podcasts are a rapidly growing source of educational enrichment available at no cost on the internet. Many podcasts are updated regularly, and you can subscribe to those of particular interest to you. Podcasts for Educators is a directory offering links to many excellent podcasts that are of value to educators and their students. Many are actually produced by students for other students. Although the directory is based in the UK, the podcasts listed are from everywhere. Podcasts are categorized here according to subject area, and there is also a comprehensive alphabetical listing. There are podcasts of interest to students of all ages, and the subjects addressed range from basic literacy and numeracy to advanced science, math, history, literature, music, art, etc. For two great examples of what is available, check out Astronomy a Go-Go or Storynory. For a convenient “podcatcher” check out the entry for iTunes on my productivity page.

Welcome to this Treasure Chest of Free Stuff.

This entry is worth checking out if you have any reason to record or edit digital sound. Perhaps you’re thinking of venturing into podcasting. Audacity is an excellent program that can help you put together high quality sound. This is a marvellous tool for enhancing productivity.

Audacity Sound Recorder and Editor (downloadable program) This is a free open source program that allows you to record live audio, convert tapes or records into digital recordings or CD’s, edit MP3 and WAV files, cut/copy/splice/mix sounds, change the speed or pitch of a recording, and much more. You can record with a microphone, use line input, or import files. People who should know say that Aucacity does all of this better than you can do it with some of the programs you have to pay for! This is software that you can put to use in creating high quality podcasts. Find out more and download from Audacity.

This program is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.