(If you add to this page, please make the changes using Explorer- otherwise, the widgets sometimes disappear!)

NOTE: When adding apps to this page, please give a special preference to FREE- or very low cost- online apps.
If users will have to make a special request for price breaks or premium features, please include a contact link.

iMeem...



(I added the songs on the player above to show the range of music available.)

What it is:
This is iMeem- a music player where you can create playlists of music and videos. There is a wealth of music and video files available on the iMeem website- you can use any of them at no charge. It's easy to find media files because you can search by artist or song title. (Note: It is perfectly legal to use the music found through this site.)

Ideas for Higher Ed:
Students enjoy the multimedia nature of this application. They also like getting a sense of who you are by the kind of music you listen to. iMeem is also a social networking site because users can create "home" pages on iMeem- with access to file sharing, messaging, and other interactive features. You could also use this application to create a "playlist" of class lectures. To do that, you would record your class lectures individually, put them up on iMeem and then add them into a playlist. This is something you could add to your profile, if you create a class wiki, blog, or Ning network.

Cost:
Free!

Animoto...



(Note: I created this video in Animoto and then uploaded it to YouTube.)

What it is:
This is Animoto- a web 2.0 app that helps you easily create a professional looking video. You can use your own images and either choose the songs they have available (musical genres range from "hip hop" to "classical") or upload your own music files. The advantage of using this tool is that your video will be created with excellent special effects, timing, and modern aesthetics without having to know about video production.

Ideas for Higher Ed:
The main educational use of Animoto is to create videos about your subject matter that are VERY appealing and that are virtually guaranteed to hold your students' interest. You could also use this to create a short video "introduction" about yourself on a class wiki, blog, or Ning network. You could also ask your students to do the same, especially in a Ning network! It's also possible to "re-mix" your PowerPoint slides into an Animoto video.

Cost:
Free for educators- if you set up an educator account, your students will also be able to get free "Full Access" accounts!

WetPaint...



What it is:
As the video above describes, WetPaint is a wiki creation tool that makes it easy to create a wiki. The wiki is hosted for free by WetPaint- but ads will appear on the wiki pages. However, WetPaint will remove the ads for wikis that are used for educational purposes.

Ideas for Higher Ed:
WetPaint is a great choice for any kind of educational wiki. One of the most basic implementations of a wiki is to begin a course with a simplistic wiki and then have students add to it throughout the course. That way, they can see how much they have learned by seeing how the wiki develops and expands. A wiki could also be used with a language class by posting material that needs translation and having students do the translations... or, similarly, they could edit a document that has spelling or grammar errors. A wiki could be used to help students annotate poetry or other complex subject matter by creating pages that link to phrases or concepts in an original document. Learning teams could each have a wiki page that they add to throughout the semester or during projects, which would also facilitate sharing the projects with the whole class when they are completed. Students could have a wiki page where they leave "advice" for students taking the course in the following semester. Wikis can be used to gather information or survey a group- imagine a wiki based on "how is the class going so far?", "how would you improve this course?", "what areas could use more explanation?", etc. A wiki could be used to keep track of research for projects and papers. Some instructors are starting to use wikis in place of PowerPoint presentations because they are easy to create and have more features- plus, then the information is already online for students to refer to after the class. There is a wiki called "Wikis in Education" that also provides many ideas and links. Some instructors use wikis instead of websites to present courses because of their interactive nature... you're using one right now!

Cost:
Free + ads are removed for educators (upon request)

Ning...


(An interview with the Ning CEO, Gina Biancini.)

What it is:
Ning is a site where you can easily create your own social network (e.g. Facebook, MySpace). I created a Ning network for my CPD 150 students... to check out the network, you can visit: http://cpd150-stahl.ning.com/.

Ideas for Higher Ed:
Basically, Ning can be used to replace a course "website" because you can post all of the same information on a Ning social network. The main advantage is that you gain the ability for students to connect with each other in a way that is familiar to them through other social networks they are likely to have used before. They are also able to communicate with each other easily and the framework of a social network inherently invites students to interact and exchange ideas while getting to know each other better along the way. Ning is very appealing to Millenials!

Cost:
Free- ads can be removed for k-12 classes (upon request)

Jing...



What it is:
Jing is a web 2.0 application that lets you record what you see on your computer screen and turns it into a short, online video.

Ideas for Higher Ed:
Jing can be used to record tutorials for students. It would be especially helpful for subjects related to technology. For example, if students are going to use a wiki or online tool, you could record a tutorial showing them the main features and how to use them. The video is available online so that students can refer back to it anytime. Jing would also be appropriate for showing students how to use online databases or library reference tools. It could also be used to show students how to use conduct research online or how to browse a complex website or research analysis tool. Jing would also be great to use with classes related to programming, using Office suite programs, Photoshop, educational technology, and anything else where a narrated, visual explanation (available online) would be helpful to students. I used this tool for all of the tutorials related to Google Apps on this wiki site.

Cost:
Free

Remember the Milk...



What it is:
Remember the Milk is a reminder service that has very creative potential. Students can easily organize their tasks, receive reminders by email or instant message, they can set priorities, and manage the reminders by mobile phone. It can even interact with Google Apps and Google Maps.

Ideas for Higher Ed:
The primary educational use of Remember the Milk is to help you organize tasks for projects and important deadlines. It's easy to forget something when you get busy with other things. The automated reminders can be invaluable. One way to use this is to add reminders whenever you get started on a project. Also, it can be helpful if you want to remember to "check in" with a student about something or to follow-up on work (extra credit/make-up/honors). This is also one that you could recommend to your students if they are having trouble remembering due dates or keep "forgetting" assignments.

Cost:
Free

Del.icio.us...



What it is:
Del.icio.us is a social bookmarking site that enables students to create bookmarks and share them with anyone. Users "tag" websites with keywords and those are searchable within Del.icio.us, which means that it can also be used as somewhat of a search engine.

Ideas for Higher Ed:
The primary use for students is to share bookmarks of websites that relate to what they are studying or working on. They can also find related websites by exploring websites tagged with related keywords by the huge community of Del.icio.us users, which is a good way to find highly relevant online resources.

Cost:
Free

Meebo...



What it is:
Meebo is a website the enables users to instant message ("IM" aka "chat") in one place using a variety of chat clients like AIM, Yahoo, etc. The advantage is that you have one buddy list no matter what program your contacts might be using- you can communicate with all of them through one interface. Also, meebo has a video chat and image sharing feature that takes communication to a more interpersonal level than just text-based communication.

Ideas for Higher Ed:
The primary educational value of meebo lies in connecting people- whether it's students connecting with each other, students connecting with their instructor, or instructors connecting with each other. Using meebo, an instructor can communicate with students by placing a meebo IM window on their blog, wiki, or course website. Think about "virtual" office hours and not having to worry about which IM program each student uses. Meebo also has "groups" that could be used for groups to chat with each other about group projects, including the videocam (to provide the face-to-face experience) and file sharing capability.

Cost:
Free

Picnik...



What it is:
Picnik is an online tool for editing images and photos. While it is not a Photoshop replacement, it certainly has just about every option that could reasonably be expected. You can crop, resize, edit, remove red-eye, use special effects, change file types, etc. Then, you can save and share the image easily.

Ideas for Higher Ed:
The primary use for this in education would be to help instructors (or students) who are preparing visual materials for blogs, wiki pages, social networks, etc. Instead of purchasing an expensive photo editing package, this online tool enables most of the same edits and changes to a huge variety of image types. I used Picnik for most of the images on this wiki site.

Cost:
Free- there is an option for a "premium account" but you actually don't need to sign up at all to start using the tool online. Just make sure to click on the "photos" tab and then choose "upload photo" to get started without creating an account or ever signing in at all!

Urban Dictionary...



What it is:
The Urban Dictionary is a website where you can look up slang terms and phrases. It's extremely up-to-date. If you're a trend-setter, you can also post new slang terms or phrases and you can also vote on the definitions and examples provided. Warning: much of the content on the website is of an "adult nature".

Ideas for Higher Ed:
If you frequently hear strange phrases from your students, it might be worthwhile to look up what they are actually saying. I consider myself to be pretty modern and aware of new slang. But, every so often, a freshman student will say something and I have no idea what they are talking about. For example, one of my first year student groups named themselves "G'd Up"... so I looked up the phrase. Knowing what they are saying is usually a good thing!

Cost:
Free

Wordle...

What it is:
Wordle is a website you can take large amounts of text and create word clouds.

Ideas for Higher Ed:
You could use it as a discussion piece to take a digested form of text. It might be really interesting to use with the text from qualitative interviews. The possibilities are really endless

Cost:
Free