VoiceThread .. instant embedded audio comments

Our class has been getting into online discussions with our Moodle course site, but I want to move it beyond basic text chat.

Enter VoiceThread. This is a very easy to use audio/video comment collector on an image or slideshow you create. Well, it's more than that, but this is how I wish to use it. As you can see from the previous blog, you first upload an image, then as students or anyone to comment on it.

First time in, students will be asked to create a user account, but it is done right on the embedded object and they are not diverted to another website. Very cool. Then they just start recording voice or video, or typing if that's all they could do.

All my grade 11 students understood how to use it, but some of their voices were not recorded. I've asked voicethread about it. We'll see what they say. Still, it's worth checking out! Each way to ask for comments on your blog or where ever.

Supersize McDonald's Clown

OK ... this is cool

Alright I'm still not "sold" on Zoho. However this one thing is too cool. Go there sign in and then click on Zoho Creator. Just watch the starting video. AAAHHHH too cool.

Now, without any purchase of a server or software, you can create online databases that are accessible in other websites or blogs. (OK, if you've never done this the hard way, then you won't get this but trust me, this is very cool.)

Another amazing thing is that you can embed any zoho document anywhere else on the web. I'm just looking in to this, but I love the first results I've had with placing the documents into Moodle. Now, different students could be collaborating on a zoho document, but we can all see their progress on our classes moodle site. This could be big !

Zoho ... another online office with lots of features.

I can't say I'm going to use Zoho (zoho.com), but it is worth checking out. If you have not yet bought in to google with gmail, googledocs, and googlecalendar, I would definitelycheck it out.

What is it? Well, it' s basically all the software you might use on your machine, but online. So you can create spreadsheets, word processing files, presentations, and much more. Why this stands out as perhaps better than google is all of the unique extras you can do. From online invoicing, databases, meetings, detailed planning, to complete project management software this online office offers much more than what I've found before.

If you are considering keeping and sharing your documents online, I'd look at this start up. No doubt it will be bought by one of the giants, but cool anyway.

Why so little is here

Seems like the last two years have been too much reality and not enough dreaming. I see cool things all around, EEEPC, N800 tablets, inexpensive science probes, Moodle, gmail for schools ...

However, most technicians with school districts just think inside the box. What's worse is they force the rest of us too. Why not try to do a whole lab in linux? Why not try a cart of EEEPCs instead of full size monsters? Why not dump exchange for gmail or some other free but amazing product?

I don't know. It just might be time to go looking for another school board. I mean, come on. My school district is still running like we are all on Novel or Win NT. We're not. Labs could be on the way out. Students are going to increasingly bring in their own ways to connect. Content needs to move online, not sit in file shares or home directories. We need to get to portfolios, school online centers, and beyond. We don't need to "catch up", we need to lead.