Skype is a free communications and collaboration tool to be downloaded and installed on your computer. You can use it to have text and voice message conversations with others who have Skype for free.
Edublogs is "the largest education community on the Internet" where you can sign up for a free WordPress-powered blog. The site provides lots of useful information, e.g. how to use your blog with your students and how start a conversation using your blog. An ideal site for educators who want to blog with support.
Google Docs is a hosted service where you can create, store and share documents, spreadsheets and presentations and online forms. You can work on your own or collaboratively. You can also import docs from MS Office and Open Office.
Some Interesting Uses:
- Using GoogleForms for synchronous polling in the classroom, quizzes, surveys and grading rubrics
- Using GoogleDocs and GooglePresentations for Group Assignments, i.e. outlining readings and group presentations
- Hosting Your Class Handouts in GoogleDocs and linking to them in your course blog or
website
Keep in touch with colleagues and friends in less than 140 characters. Good for keeping track of current trends, publicizing events and polling (in and out of the classroom).
TwtPoll is just one of a number of products created by TwtApps. Some of the others include Twtcards and Twtvite. This service allows users to create more than 17 different types of polls and syncs with Facebook, Twitter and Friendfeed. Rather than polling within the tool, response participants are redirected to Twtpoll via a short URL.
Poll Daddy allows users to create polls in WordPress and offers a Twitter service. This service allows question publishers to add as many multiple choice answers as they want. From here a user's poll is sent out via a link to their Twitter account.
Strawpoll offers users the opportunity to create 140 character polls in Twitter itself. Rather than redirecting users off the site to give their answers, the tool allows Twitter followers to choose from one of two responses directly in their Twitter dashboard. Users only have to visit Strawpoll if they want to see the final tally.