10 Standard Tools
Why standard tools?
My research for this project deliberately emphasised the unusual, the less well known and the more distinctive knowledge networking applications within the Web 2.0 ecology, based on the fact that many educators (and a lot of the research literature) already appeared to know about some standard ways of utilising the Internet for learning. However, for knowledge networking to be properly understood, these tools – such as blogging, wikis and so on – cannot be ignored. I present here 10 of the key applications which should be the first place to start when thinking about online applications for learning, selecting them based on wide reading and a sense of the ‘norms’ that are emerging. While presented here as specific applications, of course these examples show something of the general direction in elearning since the early 2000s.
What is included?
As you can see from the foldout menu for these 10 tools in the navigation bar at the top of this page, these tools are what you might expect to see (in most cases). Here is a brief overview:
- WordPress
- Screenr
- Gmail
- Skype
- Google reader
- Slideshare
- Delicious
- Flickr
- Wikispaces
In each case, I provide a basic overview of the service and pose a pedagogic challenge. Where possible, I also list some alternatives and similar applications, as well as readings which might assist in understanding how to use these tools.
Overall…
Knowledge network learning depends on the integration of tools that promote online knowledge production and dissemination, along with commentary and discussion, across several modes or genres of production, and with a strong emphasis on the way metadata supports our understanding of knowledge, as well as the need to spread the word about specific examples. All of these applications can work together to create powerful fundamentals for purely online learning: but they also have creative, alternative uses even within a classroom setting.
