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What it is: Gliffy is an online diagraming software that provides users with an easy drag-and-drop feature for creating graphic organizers. Multiple themes and templates are available to help get users started, or users may create diagrams from scratch. Why it's better: There are several graphic organizing software available online. However, Gliffy is integrated with Google Drive which allows users to create diagrams from anywhere. In addition, they provide an optional wiki plug-in to make the graphic organizers editable within an individual's or organization's wiki.

authorSTREAM is an online tool that will convert timed or narrated PowerPoint presentations to video and retain most settings applied to the original slide show. Also, the videos can be downloaded or posted to various locations online and linked to via blogs, wikis, and other Web sites. Learners can benefit from the variety of features offered such as retaining transitions and special effects to capture attention and the use of video and narration adheres to dual coding principles. By combining those features, complex material can be presented in a manner that assists learners generative cognitive load. I found this tool to be better than others given its simplicity and the fact that it retains transitions and animations. The overall quality of the output is quite good also and the use of the tool is fairly straight forward.

Authorstream is the hosting site for uploading and storage of PowerPoint (PPT) presentations. Participants can then download these presentations as video for editing into one seamless presentation of a mixture of PPT and video for uploading to YouTube or other video hosting site. This is initially a free site for users, but you will find it soon necessary to pay the annual Authorstream Pro fee of 30 dollars or $2.50 a month that is, if you want to convert PPT presentations to video formatting. Authorstream offers other significant options in the Pro package that helps you do plenty more with your PPT creations. This is the best suited site for supporting Microsoft PPT for it is user friendly and quite common.

Like Google Presenter, Authorstream allows users to upload and share presentations. This can be used by instructors to assess student integration and generative learning. Authorstream allows users a public space for broad distribution and visibility of their shared presentation. This is important for students as they prepare to leave academia and enter the professional world. In addition, students can easily embed and share their presentations in blogs and other social media. Finally, Authorstream more easily integrates audio and animation when compared to other online presenting formats.

Online graphic organizer creation tool. Great for generative learning processes helping students make connections to prior learning. Explanation of choice: Recommended because it is online, free, and unlike other tools, no signup is required.

Gliffy provides users with an online interface for creating flowcharts, diagrams, and other graphic organizers. This site allows users to either choose from predesigned templates or to build graphic organizers from scratch. The diagrams can be easily saved as .jpeg files or published to the Internet. This online interface makes is possible for users to visually depict essential material and then develop the necessary connections for generative processing. This website is better than other sites that offer access to graphic organizers because users have the choice between preformatted templates and creating their own diagrams. In addition, users are responsible for inputting the relevant information related to their project. In addition, this website allows users to create their diagrams on the computer rather than simply printing off templates and completing them by hand.

Gliffy allows users to create custom graphic organizers. Starting with a basic design, users can edit the graphic organizer to fit their needs, based on the content. Customization includes additional boxes, connections, or color. A teacher could also begin to fill in the graphic organizer with major topics or key terms. With a pro account, users can add collaborators or publish the graphic organizer to the web. Gliffy can contribute to essential and generative processing by allowing learners to manage and organize the information being presented to them. It is better than other similar sites because it allows the user to customize the graphic organizer to the needs created by the content.

Mind42 is a browser based online mind mapping application. With Mind42 mindmapping tools are no longer needed, you can manage ideas alone, or work collaboratively

The mind42 site offers a free online tool for creating graphic organizers / mind maps similar to those created by webspiration. However, mind42 provides excellent file export functionality saving as .jpg, .png, .pdf, and other file formats. Also of interest are collapsible / expandable branches that could facilitate a gradual introduction of topics in a live lesson, as well as the ability to include notes, Web links, and a variety of icons in each node as needed. Of note, however, is the ability to include images directly into the graphic organizer by searching for relevant images online or by providing a direct link to an online image. Some basic formatting options, such as text color and size, are present. However, as all nodes other than the parent or central node are lines, no formatting of shapes is available. The tool does offer a simple approach to creating mind maps and graphic organizers, which may warrant additional investigation and use. In short, the saving functionality, branching without termination nodes (use a line instead), collapsibility, and image inclusion are features that may prove more useful than comparable tools. Considering essential cognitive processing, the tool may assist with selecting and organizing complex material in order to reach a generative processing state. This may be possible by presenting information in a keyed and organized approach, which is a central premise of most mind mapping software.

Mind42 is an online mind map that allows users to add images to their brainstorming and collaborate with others. Users have access to a gallery of mind maps and can post comments. This site can be used for essesntial learning based on its multimedia capabilities. Mind42 is a better website than other mind maps that I have reviewd because of the extra support provided through the gallery of mind maps.

Exploratree provides a free online library of thinking guides to help users graphically organize their collected information. It is a product of Microsoft from their futurelab development team. You can print these forms out or use them collaboratively online. Customization is also an option with text, images, and shapes. Consider submitting a template to the site for others. This website offers group essential knowledge sharing toward generative learning.

Xtranormal is an online site where you can make movies by combing graphical actors with text to type in a script to be used, or record directly. The scenes then can be acted out and recorded, used online or downloaded. The video maker allows for the addition of background music and or sounds, different camera angles, and movement and gestures of the actors. This is a great program that can be used by teachers and students alike for digital storytelling. Teachers that subscribe to the pay site can set up a classroom where each of their students will also have access to the site.

Youtube is a site that gives the user the opportunities to post videos about almost anything online. It is a video sharing website where users can upload and share videos. I chose this as a resource because it has a large resource of information that can be used for teaching purposes. Youtube makes posting and searching for videos simply because it is very easy to use.

What it is: YouTube provides millions of free videos on every topic imaginable. However, in addition to finding videos, YouTubes new video editor allows users to create their own videos as well. Why it's better: YouTube provides a user-friendly interface that most are familiar with. Videos, images, sounds, text, and photos can all be combined to create instant videos that provide prior knowledge to students. All videos under 15 minutes are free. Since YouTube is a part of Google, all items are synced with your Google account. While there are many other free video creation tools available, YouTube truly does provide an easier experience.

YouTube offers users the opportunity to compile their work in the form of a video. One feature of YouTube is the capability of adding closed caption. Videos can be used for essential and generative learning because it provides a platform for learners to authentically demonstrate their understanding of the content.

Webspiration allows the user to create various forms of mindmaps with unlimited design features. The website allows users to work individually or collaboratively online. It also gives you the opportunity to visualize your ideas creatively. All work can also be downloaded and printed if needed. I chose this site because it is very user friendly and can keep the learners interested with its hands-on capabilities.

This site allows you to create custom graphic organizers. There are many templates and lots of clip art to choose from. I like this site because you can upload your graphic organizer as a word document or save it to a web page that others can access.

* Webspiration allows a teacher to create a free Webspiration classroom. The site allows users to create collaborative mind maps that lend themselves to generative learning.

Rubistar is an online tool that allows you to create rubrics for any purpose. There are a number of good themes and template examples created by others that you can search for. The site gives you assess to these templates and allows you to save your rubrics online and even print them. I can use this site to create a rubric for assessments and a guide for students. Rubistar is user-friendly and gives you a tutorial on how to use the site. This would be very effective for first time users.

Storybird is a website that consists of a collection of collaborative stories written by people all over the world. The website features pre-made user-friendly templates and layouts as well as graphics to use when creating your story.

This site allows you to create rich digital stories full of compelling and imaginative graphics that help students to learn

Storybird is an online tool that allows its users to make, read, and share visual stories in just a matter of seconds. The idea is for authors to create a story using the artwork that has already been provided by artist around the world. This online program is learner-centered according to Mayer as "a learner-centered approach is designed to influence the learning process; you must adapt the technology to the way the human mind works" (Mayer, 2007).

This online bookmarking site is an excellent method to organize and access online resources with ease. As an assignment, participants will be cataloging resources and references to be on hand in the classroom as needed following the workshop. For many years I have utilized this tool, where I can access my bookmarks from any computer. In this day and age of searching online and linking from site to site, often we forget where we started, and what the initial subject of our search was. As individuals are actively searching online, they can simply tag their resources to locate later.