Free Resources from the Net for EVERY Learner

PDFMYURL.COM — Turn web pages into PDF’s

Paul Hamilton — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:34:11 +0000

Judy O’Connell pointed us to a truly valuable tool on heyjude the other day.

PDFMYURL can be an invaluable tool for anyone doing research online. As its name suggests, this application turns web pages into pdf files. This can be especially helpful in situations where web content is required when a person cannot be online. Or, when someone wants to embed a web page on a wiki or blog.

Web pages can be turned into pdf files with virtual printers such as PDFCreator, but I think it’s slicker and quicker to use PDFMYURL, especially with the available bookmarklet that can be added to the browser’s Bookmarks Toolbar.

With the help of embedit.in, I’ve embedded an eSchool News article that I first turned into a pdf file with PDFMYURL.

Balabolka – Text-to-Speech to go!

Paul Hamilton — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:18:37 +0000

Thanks to a comment left by Jim Spirialis on my last post, I was made aware of yet another text-to-speech option. This is another one that will run either from the desktop or from a USB flash drive. Of all the PC text-to-speech software that I’ve tried, this may well be the best of the lot.

Balabolka is a Russian word that means “chatterer”. Balabolka is also very good free text-to-speech software for the PC, running in all versions of Windows–from Windows 2000 through Windows 7. There are two versions of the program, one that is installed on a host computer, and a portable version that will run from a USB flash drive.

Balabolka’s user interface is similar to other PC text-to-speech programs, but it can be customized with the use of skins. Text can be input directly. Or, it can be copied and then pasted in. Balabolka comes bundled with an impressive set of built-in tools, including magnification (2X to 16X) and spell checking. Keyboard shortcuts have been programmed for accessing Balabolka’s functions. This software will create audio files from text–MP3, WAV, OGG, WMA.

Balabolka is available in the following 15 languages: English; Bulgarian; Chinese, Czech; Dutch; French; German; Hungarian; Italian; Polish; Brazilian Portuguese; Romanian; Russian; Spanish; Ukrainian.

Balabolka’s very clean default user interface is shown below.

DSpeech – Text-to-Speech on Access Apps

Paul Hamilton — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:14:45 +0000

It’s impossible to keep track of all the free text-to-speech options that are available. Some of these are downloadable programs that will work off line, while others are online applications. My favorite app for reading online content is the Firefox addon CliCk,Speak. CliCk,Speak, of course is a cross-platform application becuase it works inside the browser.

For reading online content with Internet Explorer, the best option I’ve found is the free Natural Reader toolbar, which will also read in Microsoft Outlook, OpenOffice, Google Docs, etc. A huge bonus with Natural Reader is that this software is available for both the PC and Mac. I believe the best text-to-speech option for reading content in Microsoft Word, at least on a PC, is the free and versatile WordTalk toolbar.

Free online text-to-speech options include AudioPal, iSpeech, YaKiToMe, vozMe, and probably more. Today I want to write about the downloadable stand alone option that is included as part of the AccessApps suite that can be run on any PC from a pen drive.

DSpeech is free text-to-speech software for the PC, that offers a set of useful features in an intuitive user interface. DSpeech is similar im many respects to ReadPlease (2003) and Speakonia, which I wrote about here more than three and a half years ago. Overall, I think DSpeech would be my top pick of the three. Of course, the only opinion that really counts is that of the user, so please try all three.

With DSpeech, text can either be typed directly into DSpeech, or it can be pasted in from the clipboard. A plugin is available for opening pdf files in DSpeech. DSpeech creator Dimio’s website indicates that DSpeech is available in 13 languages besides English.

With DSpeech, it’s easy to change the voice, volume, pitch and reading rate while reading. I was pleased to note that DSpeech automatically used my default text-to-speech voice. A set of keyboard shortcuts has been pre-programmed. DSpeech will turn text into audio files (MP3, WAV, or OGG).

I didn’t test this feature, but apparently you can combine voices when text includes dialogue between characters. A basic voice recognition system has also been built into DSpeech, and this enables the user to construct a dialogue in which he or she participates.

Click on the thumbnail below for a full size view of the DSpeech user interface.

AudioOwl — for Free High Quality Audio Books

Paul Hamilton — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:34:17 +0000

Richard Byrne has just written about an excellent source of free audio books. I could just direct readers to Richard’s post, but I want this resource to be filed here on my blog. I have noticed that new visitors sometimes spend an extended period of time combing through the blog looking for resources that may be of value to them.

This week, Richard directed his readers to my blog. This is an opportunity for me to do the same for Richard’s Free Technology for Teachers. Richard is a prolific blogger, normally putting up several posts a day. He typically introduces a resource and then discusses potential educational applications for it. Free Technology for Teachers has more than earned its three Edublog Awards, and I highly recommend subscribing to it!

AudioOwl offers an extensive collection of high quality public domain audio books. I believe that books in audio format are of tremendous value to all learners, not just learners with vision challenges!

The books on AudioOwl are helpfully organized by genre, including children and teen/young adult. You can browse by genre, or search the entire site by author, title, or key words. A selected book can be “previewed” before deciding to download it. In other words, you can listen to the reader.

AudioOwl offers two download options. A book can be added to iTunes as a podcast. Or, the book can be downloaded in a zipped folder that contains an MP3 file for each chapter, for use with any MP3 player. It is worth noting that some of these files are quite large and require considerable download time.

I mentioned the high quality of the audio books from AudioOwl, and it really is excellent. I previewed samples from a variety of genres, and in every instance the quality of both the reading and the recording was top notch. This should come as no surprise because AudioOwl is making use of recordings from LibriVox, where each book is read by a volunteer. You can read more about LibriVox HERE, in a post I wrote in September of 2007.

Clicking on the thumbnails below will show you the user interfaces of AudioOwl and you can see some of the many available features, including audio books in multiple languages, links to other resources about the work, and a brief summary of each book. Readers/listeners are encouraged to review and rate the audio books on AudioOwl.

WebAnywhere – because the web is for everyone!

Paul Hamilton — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 03:19:10 +0000

“The goal of the WebInsight Project is to learn what impedes access to the web and develop technology to improve access.” It is some of this technology that I’m writing about today.

WebAnywhere from WebInsight is a web based screen reader that offers blind people access to the internet from any computer with a sound card. This is a screen reader that provides access only to the internet, but it means that a blind user does not have to be at his or her own computer in order to go online. WebAnywhere is open source software, and it is free to use.

As a light-dependent blogger, I’m not really competent to evaluate a screen reader for blind internet users. So, I’ll embed a video that does a terrific job of presenting WebAnywhere.

Toolkit4Blogwalker – Great Resource

Paul Hamilton — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:03:24 +0000

Thanks to a link shared by Julie Lindsay this weekend, I discovered a fabulous wiki that I want to share here. This is a rich Web 2.0 resource wiki that is so well organized and extensive it deserves to be widely known by anyone who supports learning anywhere.

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.

Hott Notes for Onscreen Sticky Notes

Paul Hamilton — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 23:53:54 +0000

Until now, I haven’t used sticky notes on my computer screen. After exploring another application from the Access Apps suite, I may start. Sticky notes certainly offer great potential as a tool to help a person stay focused and keep organized. Alternative sticky note products, both free and otherwise, are available; but I quite like what I see with this one.

hott notes is a nifty little program that is included as part of the Access Apps suite of applications that can be downloaded and run from a flash drive on any PC. Of course, the program may also be downloaded from the hott notes website and used on its own.

hott notes consists of 3 distinct types of note — message note, checklist note, and scribble note. Current notes may be placed anywhere on the desktop, and will remain where they are put until they are either deleted or archived. hott notes offers multiple customization options. I especially appreciate the customizable hot keys.

Once hott notes is launched, it can be accessed from within any program. There is an icon in the system tray. Or, a customizable hot key will bring up the dialogue box shown below.

There are many learners who would benefit from using hott notes. I think the checklist notes might be especially valuable, where tasks can be listed and then checked off when completed. I tried taking a screenshot of some notes that I made with hott notes, but it proved to be impossible. My screen capture program caused the notes to disappear temporarily before I could do the capture. So, here are some samples taken directly from the hott notes website.

Learning Tools Directory 2010 from Jane Hart

Paul Hamilton — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:27:10 +0000

If you are serious about finding and comparing free digital learning tools, you need to meet Jane Hart!

If you don’t already subscribe to Jane’s e-Learning Pick of the Day, I highly recommend doing so. Jane Hart’s picks are well worth checking out by any 21st century learner and by anyone who supports other learners at any level.

Since 2006, Jane Hart has maintained an extensive list of learning tools. There are now almost 2,000 tools listed, and 1,400 of those are FREE! The Learning Tools Directory 2010 has been revamped and helpfully organized into 12 categories.

Instructional * Live * Document and Presentation

Blogging, Web and Wiki * Image, Audio and Video

Communication * Micro-blogging * More Collaboration

Social Networking and Collaboration Spaces

Personal Productivity * Broswers, Players & Readers * Mobile

Each year, Jane takes a survey that she uses to rate the top 100 learning tools. This provides a helpful glimpse into what other educators have found most useful. For the past couple of years, I’ve participated in this survey. In Jane’s comprehensive list, she indicates which of the tools have made her ‘top 100′.

The Learning Tools Directory for 2010 is an invaluable resource!

Children’s Storybooks Online

Paul Hamilton — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:07:30 +0000

I love the tag line of the site I’m highlighting today: “Illustrated children’s stories for kids of all ages.”

Children’s Storybooks Online is a site that contains 35 beautifully illustrated stories. A few of the stories contain built-in audio that is read expressively by a real live person. All of the stories can be read aloud with CliCk,Speak when opened in Firefox. (Some of the stories may be purchased and downloaded as “talking e-books” , with individually clickable words, for $3.00 or $3.50 each.)

The stories are organized into 3 categories: Books for Young Children; Books for Older Children; Books for Young Adults.

I believe there are indeed many kids of all ages who would enjoy the books available at Children’s Storybooks Online.

Picture2Life

Paul Hamilton — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:10:13 +0000

Larry Ferlazzo recently posted a helpful list of ‘The Best Online Sites for Photo Editing and Photo Effects‘ As Larry indicated, there is now a virtual plethora of these online tools that can be used in the classroom for all manner of creative work. I read Larry’s post just after discovering a tool that wasn’t on his list. I’ve spent a little time experimenting with this new-to-me online photo editor, and I quite like it.

Picture2Life is an online photo editor that offers three sets of functions with an impressive ability to customize within each.

image editing with an extensive range of both basic edits and photo effects
creation of collages from sets of images
creation of animations from sets of images

Photos may be uploaded from your computer or imported from online sites such as Flickr. Because there are so many available editing choices, it takes a little time to become familiar with the user interface. Since it’s all intuitive, it isn’t difficult to figure out.

Uploaded and imported images, as well as edited work is stored in your own “Gallery” on Picture2Life. You can also organize your work into collections. Numerous sharing options are available. The site is set up as a typical social network. Work created on Picture2Life can be downloaded to your computer, or conveniently embedded almost anywhere else on the net. Images created in Picture2Life can even be auto-saved directly to Flickr, Facebook, or just anywhere else you might want.

I’ve embedded the results of my exploration below. I made a simple animation with a set of photos I took of my 6 year old grandson Isaac as he followed instructions to build Lego on Christmas eve. There’s a little basic editing I did on a portrait of myself. The third example is a collage that I put together from some pictures I took at Niagara Falls during the last week of December.

Animation

Basic Editing with Photo Effect

Collage