Lessonkit

Schoolrack is free website provider (with paid option) that lets you make yourself a website and is specifically aimed at educators. The benifit of this is the wizard-type website maker is customised to have options like add assignment, add students as member (using a key system like moodle or manually) and other tasks. A little on the limited side for the advanced user, it is very step-by-step and a good starting block for your beginne to intermediate user. Visit them HERE

IloveIM is a newer addition to the web based IM websites, but again its quick and easy. It sometimes makes me wonder, why are the web based IMs from the IM providers so slow to log in and use?  The interface on this one resembles a copy of a desktop much as most of the others, and is pretty simple, resembling the standard IM interface. Nothing special, as far as I can see, but at least another alternative to keep the options open.

Visit them here

Meebo was my favorite.. but they seem to have some ‘redirection’ as to where the site is going (probably a ‘how can we make more cash out of this’ situation)  so I’m open to other options. After various installed messengers. I hate having to install them (Yahoo IM being my pet hate in asia, how much does an IM have to try to take over your OS?) so all online versions are good (are there any Adobe AIR options around???) Ebuddy was a favorite with my students in Thailand  - very instant, very accessible - but it seems that they have added more options since my last visit. Quite interested in the ‘sex-age’ question when talking to friends… some responsability from the provider perhaps… good to see. Anyway, if you want web based IM real quick real real fast, EBuddy is a good bet. Happy New Year everyone!!!

Visit EBuddy HERE

visit this link and get to choose  up to 5 software packages for FREE from Ashampoo. Use the ‘merryxmas’ code in the box on the right and you can choose one or all of the software packages to download and register for free!!

Total value $109.95!!!

Here is all the software they offer:

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For how often I use this one I cant believe I have not mentioned it before. It is similar to a lot of stock software sites like SnapFiles and TuCows, except for two main difference. 1) it doesn’t host any files itself and 2) the way it is organised. Similar to the way you have catagories and tags, Alternative.To lets you enter the name of some software you use and lists all of the software you could use as an alternative.For Example, if you use a program like Filezilla for transferring files, you type that into the search box…

and if it finds an exact match it will highlight it underneath. Choose the software and it will take you to its information page.

Underneath, followed by a list of other software similar to Filezilla. What is particulary useful if you are trying to make yourself  ‘cloud based’ (that is, using apps on the internet instead of installed on the pc, not becoming an angel) is that it shouws the platform used be it Mac, PC or internet (cloud) based. So instead of FileZilla I could use FireFTP which is a plugin for firefox, or try going cloud based using net2ftp.com instead.

Alternative.to also lets you add your own fav software if it is not there (moderated by an admin to stop spamming ) as an alternative to others

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malevole – Text Generator.

Although this has been around for a while now, i forgot the address. The malevole dummy text generator generates text from a bank of text which for some of us will memories of sitting ion front of a TV screen for your daily cartoon fix before John Craven shows his face on Newsround (which being away from the uk, I cant believe is still going), no matter how crappy the storyline or poor the cartoon’s animation was.

To be frank, this generates content that is more likely to make me read to the end of the paragraph than 80% for websites on the internet. For example try to get this out of your head for the rest of the day.

One for all and all for one, Muskehounds are always ready.
One for all and all for one, helping everybody.
One for all and all for one, it’s a pretty story.
Sharing everything with fun, that’s the way to be.
One for all and all for one, Muskehounds are always ready.
One for all and all for one, helping everybody.
One for all and all for one, can sound pretty corny.
If you’ve got a problem chum, think how it could be.

Classic lyrics.

And I never realised before I saw it written down that the last sentence make NO SENSE WHATSOEVER.

And I have to put this one in, just because I had been talking about it the other day with my friends, ad were saying it’s so catchy, it almost made you want to be a hobo.

Until you found out what one was, that is.

There’s a voice that keeps on calling me. Down the road, that’s where I’ll always be. Every stop I make, I make a new friend. Can’t stay for long, just turn around and I’m gone again. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll want to settle down, Until tomorrow, I’ll just keep moving on.

Oh dear. It’s the waste of long term memory I’ve used on this rubbish that worries me the most…

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Sqworl is similar to Del.icio.us in that it is a bookmarking site, but has a few nice touches. The best of these is the ‘Groups’ function, allowing you to put your bookmarks into small related groups, as shown below

this site is similar to ones like, bit.ly, tr.im and less known alternatives like 1dl.us that shorten URL’s, except these shorten AND protect you email address from being ‘trawled’ by robots picking up addresses to send spam

How the internet giant choose what you see… Where’s Noam Chomsky when you need him (again..). Google looks at 57 signals to ‘taylor’ you results, and thats even when you are away from the computer!!

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How to use Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to enhance various multiple intelligences of students in the classroom ict-design.org.

A good example of using Scribd for resource sharing from ict-design.org showing how to use ‘scaffolding’ with multiple intelligence. I hope that today’s teachers and Mr V’s use of scaffolding is more reliable than my dad’s (otherwise known as ‘Safety Jim’) or we may be in trouble.