Pre-Training

ABCYA.com
http://www.abcya.com/word_clouds.htm
This website is good for essential cognitive processing as described by Mayer (2009, p. 80) because it helps the instructor design word clouds to introduce the learner to the important vocabulary and ideas at the beginning of a training. This word cloud program is designed for elementary school students, so part of a pre-training exercise could be the students creating the word cloud themselves either individually or in a group setting. This site is easy to use and understand both by adults and children therefore making it more versatile for the instructor by encouraging student participation in the creation of the pre-training tool itself. This site is free to use.
Survey Monkey
http://www.surveymonkey.com/
This website is good for essential cognitive processing as described by Mayer (2009, p. 80) because it can be used to introduce main ideas and vocabulary or it can be used to assessed current knowledge of main ideas and vocabulary. This tool is easy to use and can be set-up ahead of time and have participants take the survey thus providing the instructor with knowledge of what the learners already know and need to know so their pre-training and introduction for the workshop can be better tailored to the needs of the participants; and it's free!
 
Graphic Organizer

Inspiration
http://www.inspiration.com/
There is a free version of this software to create mind-maps. It is easy to use. It helps the user to create visual mind maps for participants to refer to for a workshop. The software can also be used by the participants to create their own mind maps based on their learning in the workshop which makes this program fit two of Mayer's Cognitive Load theories: essential and generative (2009, pp. 80-82). Essential if the instructor creates the mind map and generative if the students create the mind map.
Mindmeister
http://www.mindmeister.com/
This mind map program is very similar to Inspiration. It is free, easy to use, and can be used by both the instructor and the participant. It meets two of Mayer's Cognitive Load theories: essential and generative (2009, pp. 80-82). Essential if the instructor creates the mind map and generative if the students create the mind map. The difference is in the setup and the options. It would really come down to user preference.

Presentation

ActivInspire for the Promethean Board
http://www.prometheanworld.com/server.php?show=nav.16874
This software is terrific if the instructor has access to a Promethean Board for presentations. It is easy to use. Works a lot like paint programs, KidPix, etc. The setup is that of flip charts that allow the presenter to control the rate of each screen. Links can be added in as well as documents and audio. It contains many features similar to a movie maker type software and can be automated or manually controlled. It is a good program for Mayer's generative cognitive processing (2009, pp. 81-82) in that presentations can be interactive for audience participation either with a special pen or participant hand-held active votes.
Prezi
http://prezi.com/index/
This presentation software has many components in common with ActivInspire. It can be setup like flipcharts that are automated or manual. Documents, links, audio, and video can be inserted. This program can take larger, un-converted movies which removes a few steps for novice users. It also has the capacity for online storage, making presentations more accessible from many places and for many people. It makes collaboration on a project easier as all participants do not have to be geographically or temporally in the same space. It is a good program for Mayer's generative cognitive processing (2009, pp. 81-82) in that presentations can be created that include audience thinking and participation.

Authentic Assessment Activity

University of Wisconsin-Stout: Authentic Assessment
http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/assess.cfm
This website is a wealth of information for assessment. It covers rubrics, different types of assessments, how to create various types of assessments, what assessments are good for different types of activities. The site provides examples and offers advice and assistance in creating your own rubric or other type of assessment. Mayer's generative cognitive processing (2009, pp. 81-82) is fully met as the instructor will be generating their own assessment tool that is designed to assess the participants' actual work or performance, another generative cognitive process.
 
Online Resources for Assessment
http://www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/assessme/online.htm
This is a fantastic website of resources for assessment. It offers guidance about assessments, different types and uses and it recommends sites to go to for specific development and information about assessments. It meets, for the instructor, Mayer's essential cognitive processing (2009, p. 80) as it clearly and neatly organizes essential material and resources for the user. It provides the foundation and vocabulary necessary for an instructor to successfully choose, design, and implement an assessment tool.

Reference

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.

This website provides free technology tutorials as well as free lesson plans for teachers, parents, and anyone else who may be interested. The website provides step by step instructions complete with illustrations and graphics to assist the learner in utilizing specific computer programs or utilizing technology in lesson plans. The website is free to users and therefore does have advertising on it but the advertising is not overly obtrusive.

This website, although is the advertising for the software, has an area for teachers to sign-in. This access has training and tutorials for teachers on how to use the software and how to integrate it into the curriculum. The site provides lesson plans and ideas for teachers as well as a forum and technical support. These programs are concept-mapping or brain-storming programs designed to help students of all ages prepare and organize their thoughts for writing. The program provides both text and visual elements to assist the learner. Purchase of the software is a condition of access to the teacher support and training areas.

This website, although is the advertising for the software, has an area for teachers to sign-in. This access has training and tutorials for teachers on how to use the software and how to integrate it into the curriculum. The site provides lesson plans and ideas for teachers as well as a forum and technical support. These programs are concept-mapping or brain-storming programs designed to help students of all ages prepare and organize their thoughts for writing. The program provides both text and visual elements to assist the learner. Purchase of the software is a condition of access to the teacher support and training areas.

This YouTube site contains multiple short videos about the different tools and aspects of KidPix. It is user-friendly and easy to follow and understand. The videos do not have to be viewed in any particular order thus allowing the user to access just the information they need at that time. The videos are straight-forward and are not cluttered with other "details" as is found in the manual for the program. These videos are a perfect get started quick place to begin.