Free Tools for Teaching and Learning
Recording Tools
| Audacity |
Open source software for recording and editing sounds. Audacity
is a multilingual audio editor. |
| Screencast-o-Matic |
Create screenshots or narrated screencasts of desktop actions, such
as how to perform tasks on a computer. Beware to avoid lookalike download links in right column, which are ads. No download or install required.
Videos can be up to 15 minutes in length. |
| Jing |
Create screenshots or narrated screencasts of desktop actions, such
as how to perform tasks on a computer. Requires download and install.
Videos can be up to five minutes in length. Free account produces
.swf (Flash) format not viewable on most mobile devices. 2GB of online
storage is available at no cost with a free Screencast account. |
| Screenr |
Entirely web-based screen recorder to quickly capture up to five
minutes of screen activity. Click once, frame an area of your screen;
choose microphone, record. Post to the Screenr webpage, or get embed
code and link to paste into course. Plays anywhere. |
| VoiceThread |
Photos, documents, or videos can be uploaded and turned into an
interactive slideshow. Doodle on the screens to annotate or draw attention
to certain points. Viewer comments appear around the edges of the
screen. Comments can be left as text, audio using a PC microphone
or telephone, or webcam video. Entirely web-based - nothing to download.
Free accounts can contain three VoiceThread presentations at a time. |
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Video Storage and Sharing
| Screencast |
2 GB of free storage for videos created with TechSmith Jing, Snagit
or Camtasia. One-click transfer, four privacy options, and available
embed code or URL to place in your course. |
| Vimeo |
5 GB of free storage (500 MB/week). All videos are public with free
accounts, but can be placed in a private group so that only those
with the link can find them. Can create one group, one channel, three
albums. No ads are placed before, on, or after videos - just on the
Vimeo site. Follow Vimeo's compression
guidelines (best upload is mp4). |
| YouTube |
Requires a Gmail account to upload. 15-minute default, but can
increase. Videos can be unlisted to keep them from appearing in
search (only accessible with the URL). Please consider student confidentiality
issues and adjust privacy settings if you are sharing content of
a confidential nature (set to Private by entering the email addresses
of up to 50 invited viewers). Follow simple YouTube uploading
instructions and encoding
guidelines. |
| YouTube for Schools |
Check with your program director about creating a separate Gmail
account that starts with CityU and includes your program name, then
share that username and a generic password so other faculty can upload
to the same account. Please consider student confidentiality issues
and adjust privacy settings if you are sharing content of a confidential
nature. One advantage to using YouTube for Schools is that there are
no ads. Related videos are from other schools. |
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File Sharing
| Google Docs |
Create and share a variety of document types online through asynchronous
or synchronous collaboration. Use chat features to collaborate on
documents in real-time, or combine the use of Google Docs with another
tool such as Google Voice or SKYPE for conference calls. |
| Dropbox |
2 GB free, safe storage for photos, documents, and videos to share
anywhere with anyone you designate. Shares the actual file - no streaming.
|
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Meeting Tools
| Blackboard Collaborate |
Web conferencing or webinar platform that can connect remote users
desktop-to-desktop for synchronous instruction, presentation, or collaboration.
Allows participants to share their desktops, webcam video, web tours,
deliver files, play multimedia. Sessions can be recorded for playback. |
| Skype |
Collect contacts of other Skype users and see who is online. Instant
message, exchange files, voice chat with one or conference-call with
up to 25 Skype users. Video call with one other on free account, up
to ten with Skype Premium. |
| JoinMe |
Chat with participants, transfer files, join the audio part of any
meeting by Internet (VoIP). Download and install free app for desktop
or mobile. The free account allows one presenter to hold an unlimited
number of meetings with up to 250 participants per meeting. Pro accounts allow presenter swapping and control of another machine. |
| ITV |
Video equipment is available at CityU's Seattle, Everett, Renton,
Tacoma, and Vancouver, WA sites. The equipment supports synchronous
streaming between CityU sites and/or sites on Washington
State's K-20 network. |
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Survey Tools
| Poll Everywhere |
Create a poll to gather instant feedback from students via texting,
the Web, or Twitter. This is a free and easy way to teach with
a student reponse system. Multiple fee-based pricing models are also
available. |
| Survey Monkey |
Create online surveys, polls, and questionnaires. |
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