So what to do about the backlog of literally hundreds of worthwhile resources that I would love to share here?  The list is constantly growing!  I’ve concluded that it might be helpful for you to know where I look first as I trawl for free resources that support a UDL approach to learning.

It should come as no surprise that I find almost everything on other blogs.  If you aren’t subscribing to blogs with a “reader”, I encourage you to begin doing so.  At the end of this post, I’ll embed the Common Craft video ‘Google Reader in Plain English’.  I use Google Reader to keep up with the blogs that I subscribe to, and I recommend it highly.

Here are the blogs where I find most of the resources that I share.

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day

• Larry is an ESL teacher in Sacramento, California.  He is also a prolific blogger, who normally posts to his blog several times a day.  Larry also does an excellent job of listing the websites that he writes about, by category, with literally thousands of cataloged online resources.  Virtually all of these resources are free.

Free Technology for Teachers

• The author of this blog is Richard Byrne, a high school teacher from the state of Maine.  He is another prolific blogger who writes several posts each day about free resources.  In addition to reviewing resources that might be of value to learners at all levels, Richard has recently posted helpful screencasts that illustrate how to use some of these resources.

Free Resources for Education

• This is Patricia Donaghy’s blog.  Patricia is a post-secondary educator in Dublin, Ireland.  Patricia posts regularly; and I’ve discovered some resources on her site that have proven to be invaluable.  Patricia also hosts the International Edubloggers Directory, which connects people who are involved in education from all over the world.

Welcome to NCS-Tech!

• Kevin Jarrett, a K-4 Computer Teacher and Technology Facilitator in New Jersey.  Although Kevin does not always write about resources, most of Kevin’s frequent posts offer detailed reviews of K-8 resources that he is excited about.  Almost all of the resources reviewed by Kevin are free.

Teachers Love SMART Boards

• James Hollis is the blogger here, and he’s based in Illinois.  Clearly, James’ focus is on resources that can be used effectively on the SMART board.  Much of what James writes about, however, also works well on standalone computers or in networked computer labs.  If my memory serves, the resources that James highlights are always free.  I appreciate James’ signature statement at the end of each blog post — Sharing is Caring!

Talking SMART Boards and Much More

• The author of this blog is Anne Marie.  She’s been a special education teacher for over 25 years.  She posts regularly, shares a wide range of helpful free online resources on her blog.

Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs

• Kate Ahearn is the prolific host of this blog.  Not all of the resources that Kate shares are free, but many are.  Quite often, Kate shares low cost alternatives to costly resources.  Kate posts regularly and frequently to her blog, and her posts are always worth reading.  She not only shares resources, but she offers practical suggestions in terms of effective use.  I believe that anyone working with learners who have complex special needs ought to subscribe to Kate’s blog.

Jane’s E-Learning Pick of the Day

• Jane Hart is a Social Media and Learning Consultant in the UK.  Not all of the resources that Jane highlights are free, but many of them are.  Sometimes I first learn of something when Jane puts it forward as her ‘Pick of the Day’.  I also appreciate Jane’s ‘Top 100 Tools for Learning’ lists.  These lists are compiled with input from users.

Demo Girl

• Demo Girl Molly McDonald and her sister Maureen are not ‘educators’ as we commonly, and narrowly, define that term.  (I have commented on her blog,  however, that I thought Molly ought to consider taking up teaching.)  This is a blog where I sometimes first discover a powerful and valuable Web 2.0 application.  All of the posts on this blog contain screencasts  that demonstrate how an application works.  This means that the Demo Girl archives are worth checking out if you are ever in need of a screencast to explain an application.

GOTOWEB20

• This blog is authored by Orli Yakuel in Israel.  She highlights numerous brand new Web 2.0 applications, so this is another place where I have first become aware of some genuine gems.  Orli catalogs the applications she blogs about in a special directlory that is worth checking out.

These are not my only sources for resources, the majority of my “finds” come from these.  I encourage you to check them out and to consider subscribing to some of them in a “reader”.  Here’s the promised Common Craft video that explains Google Reader in plain lanuage.

Many educators are beginning to teach “digital storytelling”, and I believe this is an extremely valuable skill that ought to be taught. I think it is important to encourage the use of multimedia tools for more than digital storytelling.  Multimedia presentation tools may offer the only effective means for some learners to show what they know.  These tools offer the added motivational benefit of being easily shared with a global audience.  This can be especially important for the learner who for one reason or another can’t write effectively.

Slidestory is a multimedia presentation tool for Windows that is especially easy to use.  You must first download the “Publisher Client” and install it on your computer.  Once installed, the application has a straightforward user interface.  You drag and drop photos and arrange them in the desired order.  Then, if you wish, you can use a microphone to record a narrative for each slide.  Your project can be saved to your computer for further editing.

When you “publish” your slidestory, it is uploaded to the Slidestory website and housed in its gallery.  Once uploaded, you can edit your presentation online if you decide to make changes. You are given an embed code that enables you to put your slidestory wherever you wish. You also have the option of sharing a link to your slidestory via email.

I’ve embedded a short sample slidestory below.  I chose to use Picasa 3 to add text to each slide.  Then I used my mic for voice narration.  I used a set of family photos that I’ve used previously, so you may recognize my little presentation.

Many thanks to Patricia Donaghy for sharing this resource!

AutoMotivator is an online application that has been designed so that anyone can use an image to quickly and easily create a simple poster.  You can upload an image from your computer, import one from elsewhere on the internet, or use an image that AutoMotivator makes available.  You then have the opportunity to give the poster a title and to add a block of text.  You also have the option of adjusting the colours.

Although formatting options are limited, the user interface couldn’t be easier, and registration is not required.  Once you’ve created a poster, you can save it to your computer, or to your Flickr or ImageShack account.  I had a bit of fun trying AutoMotivator out with a couple of the photos that they make available.   The two resulting “posters” are shown below, and they are now in my  Flickr collection.

]]> http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/11/05/automotivator-online-resource/feed/ 2 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/03/06/abundance-of-free-resources/ http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/03/06/abundance-of-free-resources/#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:50:10 +0000 Paul Hamilton http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/03/06/abundance-of-free-resources/ Continue reading →]]> I’ve been having difficulty finding time to write blog posts lately. That’s especially frustrating because the list of great free resources available on the net seems to be growing exponentially. Just my own list of resources that I’m planning to write about is almost overwhelming. This is a wonderful sort of problem, but I’m still frustrated. Today, I’m just going to mention a couple of other sites that share the goodness of free resources that can be found online. I think it is well worth subscribing to these.

Patricia Donaghy of Ireland has recently begun writing a blog entitled Free Resources for Education. Patricia highlights a new resource here every day. Posts are brief, with links to the relevant websites.

Free Technology for Teachers, by Richard Byrne of Maine in the US, has been online since late 2006. Unfortunately, I’ve only recently discovered Richard’s helpful blog. This illustrates just how much there is on the web that waiting to be discovered!