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Diagramming software for creating flowcharts and more.

Makes all kinds of diagrams neatly and easily

Gliffy.com is a web-based diagram editor. Create and share flowcharts, network diagrams, floor plans, user interface designs and other drawings online. Great for students to make graphic organizers before writing.

CinePaint is a deep paint tool that's used for retouching movies, not a movie editor like Avid or Final Cut Pro.

Save your ideas, things you like, things you hear, and things you see. Evernote works with nearly every computer, phone and mobile device out there. Search by keyword, tag or even printed and handwritten text inside images. Get Evernote. It's free.

I recently just started integrating Evernote with writing my lesson plans and lecture notes. In my classes I have a mixed bag of students. Some of my students have varying degrees of IEPs. For along time students who needed audiobook publisher support, to have the chapter notes read to them were bound by 1. The book we were using in class and if it had that type of support and 2. What the publisher thought was important to include in the audio, which often does not provide alternate examples for the concepts the student are trying to learn. With the record Evernote feature I have a simple and easy way to integrate audio and send my recorded lecture notes, examples and recorded exam questions to the students that need this type of alternative learning experience . I'm aware there are other resources where this was possible. Evernote just happens to be in my opinion the best one stop app to write a lecture ,integrate pictures,graphics and audio to effectively reach my entire class. So if you were on the fence about Evernote or have never heard about it before be sure to check it out from the link I provided

This website contains a map of the US and a list of the natural disasters that can occur. When you click on the disaster, it hi-lights the states that are effected by the natural disaster.

natural disasters

This article actually stretches into the idea of Asynchronous Learning Networks. It is probably a little out of the scope of this assignment but the article focused on the social needs and elements of Asynchronous learning so I thought it was interesting and relevant.

This is quite old, however, as I read through the document I felt that the information was still relevant. You may read through it to see if you agree. While the tools and access have become much more advanced since 1998, the needs of participants in an asynchronous network have not changed. Let me know if you agree. For a fun look at the past, see the graphic on page 11.

The article examines two frameworks for understanding and building communities of practice.

In particular, I liked the graphic, C4P Framework, as it illustrates how the community works.

Summary: This paper/study is about using technology to transform communities of practice into knowledge- building communities. The paper goes in depth on how they believe knowledge is created. The paper then goes into the ways that technology provides a value add for learning. I thought that this paper was an interesting take on communities of practice.

This article was found through Ebscohost in Albertson's Library and will require you to login with your MyBoiseState account to read. While this article is directed at school librarians the information applies to anyone that is interested in expanding their PLN. The article is written in an easy to follow format and has great graphics throughout. It discusses why you should develop your PLN and provides management tips on how to make your PLN effective.

You can now stand out from the crowd and engage your followers with eye-catching Posts. Oh, and did we say it's free?

Voicethread allows users to create videos and share with others.

Transforming media into collaborative spaces with video, voice, and text commenting.

Voicethread is a great way for students to add narration to their presentation slides. Simply upload graphics and images to the slides then record narration over it. Great for presentations you wish to share with others and students can receive feedback from the Voicethread community.

1. Keep it Simple PowerPoint uses slides with a horizontal or "Landscape" orientation. The software was designed as a convenient way to display graphical information that would support the speaker and supplement the presentation. The slides themselves were never meant to be the "star of the show" (the star, of course, is your audience).

This website contains great advice on how to prepare for, design, and then deliver a professional and effective presentation. Gary Reynolds wrote the best selling book about how to use presentation software called Presentation Zen.

This resource gives a list of 10 tips for better and more effective presentations. It is easy to get carried away when making a presentation. Referencing these tips will help educators and students keep their slides clear concise, and to the point.

This wiki page from Knowledge Sharing takes an in-depth look at the use of CoP in International Development and provides an extensive list of examples to provide greater understanding of CoP and its uses.

This was a great find Natalie! I especially like the idea that the resource presents when it states that it is tempting to mandate these communities but that they can better be nurtured by continuing existence. I connect this to my own classroom and the work I do throughout the beginning of the school year where I'm constantly arranging their groups to help them develop their communication and group skills but then allow them to form their own groups as the year progresses and I find that, for the most part, they gravitate to individuals that they work best with. I really liked the infographic on where to start as well. I think this is a great go to visual for utilizing CoPs.

This online toolkit offers a brief and well-organized overview of communities of practice (CoP). It begins with a short description and follows with the history CoPs. It then offers a bulleted list of when to utilize CoPs and even provides further advice on how-to use. This site was particularly helpful in that it also offers tips and lessons learned from others as well as examples, stories, and other resources. Overall, it is organized and affords users a plethora f information on Communities of Practice.

This is an overview of connectivism but what is most useful is the GREAT infographic on connected learning.

Yes, the graphic stood out to me as well. Good article introducing connectivism.

This blog post provides an excellent overview of the eight core principles of connectivism, and how it relates to global collaboration throughout education. Check out the infographic in the middle of the post. It shows a clear illustration of how connectivism is associated with individuals interacting and collaborating to obtain new information through technological systems. I like how it displays that all learning is now connected.

This article talks about how communities of practice are all around us and that more than likely, everyone is in multiple groups or communities. It also discusses how knowledge is what holds the communities together rather than tasks doing so like on a team. As it explains what a community of practice is, it also goes into how to develop the community as well as how to maintain it. To help a community of practice to succeed, it says no member needs to be on the outside of the community, but for all members to be fully inside the community and fully committed.

It is nice to see how communities of practice are used in areas outside of education. I feel this really highlights the importance of them beyond the theoretical value and into real-world application.

This article provides characteristics of communities of practice and examples of where they can be seen but what stood out to me as being useful information is how to keep CoP's productive and "nurtured." The focus of implementing CoP's is not in education but rather business; however, the information is still relevant and applicable.

10 Reasons Every Teacher Need A PLN This article has a great graphic that provides outlines 10 reasons teachers need personal learning networks. The reasons range from finding great resources, to sharing ideas, to getting support when needed. As one contributor to the site so succinctly stated, "professional development often leaves a lot to be desired. The key is to help teachers teach themselves through sharing and engagement (Todd Kominiak)." http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/10-reasons-every-teacher-needs-professional-learning-network/

Teachthought.com is an excellent resource. This particular resource is titled "10 Reasons why Every Teacher Needs a P.L.N." This page is filled with multiple resources at a glance to help better learn and understand the theories behind PLN.

This webpage breaks down what a PLN is among teachers and also has some great videos. It provides some helpful resources that encourages teachers to join a PLN or create one. The simple break down of a PLN is helpful when someone is just starting out, or conducting research on a PLN.

This blog entry provides a basic definition for a Personal Learning Network(PLN) and links to supporting videos to conceptualize a PLN. This blog is appealing since it addresses PLNs from a teacher perspective. It further addresses how PLNs help educators stay connected.There is a nice visual of ways to create and grow a PLN.

This blog explains way more than simply the definition of a PLN, which makes it a great resource. This is a site that I plan to reference in the future in our 543 class as we proceed with our PLNs. I'm really glad I found this one.

Connection between Personal Learning Network and the Constructivism theory. It explains how the members of the network are the ones that make the connection with another person with a specific intent that some type of learning will occur.

This article features an easy to digest definition of personal learning networks which includes a connection to connectivism in explanation of how PLNs work. The resource is made even more accessible in helping a reader understand the subject matter with a video and infographic examples of the authors own personal PLNs.

This article gives a brief overview of PLNs and the theories behind them. It explains connectivism and its role in the benefits of PLNs. It also gives two examples of the authors' PLNs in the form of graphics.

An article and two videos that outline the theoretical underpinnings of PLNs. It breaks down the term "PLN" into components and explains each. It also explains the link with connectivism.

A great resource on PLN from a PhD student studying "the concept of PLNs and networked and connected learning"

Very thorough source for understanding PLN's. The videos are a good option if you didn't want to read through the whole article and provide a different perspective. I was drawn to the PLN map and other graphic organizers. Great visual representations to further understanding!