David Kapuler

Pecha Kucha (please, don't ask me to pronounce ;-) is a relatively new style of presentation. Shelly Terrell first introduced me to do this, and besides really confusing me about the terminology, I'm very glad that she did (read her much more detailed review here). This presentation consists of only 20 slides, and each slide auto-advances to the next after 20 seconds. So, the entire presentation ends up lasting 6 min 40 sec per presenter. In the traditional style all presenters go one after another. Only when all the presentations are done do people gather to network/collaborate on the event. Below is a Pecha Kucha video on Pecha Kucha.... I really can see this being a benefit in a conference/convention type setting. I almost like to think of it as speed dating for presentations. This way people get a visual on a certain topic, digest the information, then process how they want to proceed after it is all done. A lot of educational topics can be covered in a Pech Kucha event which can only enhance the networking experience.

Open Source Cinema is an excellent site I found out about from the equally impressive, Shelly Terrell. This is site for editing/remixing videos. It reminded me a bit of a cross between Remix America and iMovie HD. For example, once a user uploads their video/audio/photos, they can simply remix it via drag/drop, just like in iMovie HD. However, the one issue I had was how slow it was. This is probably due to the large file sizes of video/audio and probably a bandwidth issue on my end. That being said this was a very user friendly site and I think great way to share/collaborate on videos w/ others. I don't think any filtering is going on, so keep that in mind if using w/ students. Below is my sample video... http://www.opensourcecinema.org/remix/dkapuler/technology-test-1"/> video platform video management video solutions free video player Give Open Source Cinema a try by clicking here.

Text the Mob is a new (beta) site for creating entertaining polls and message boards for a given audience. A great/unique feature is the ability to text your answers in via a cell phone (hence the name). TTM is free but that allows only up to a 100 participants w/ adds. To remove this feature it is $8.oo a month for unlimited questions/clients. Also, another nice feature which is coming is the ability to filter out swear words. This will be ideal for schools, especially those in 1 : 1 environment or for those that have an iPod lab. Give Text the Mob a try by clicking here. Below is a video on this great service...

PhotoSnack is a new (beta) site for creating beautiful looking slide shows. It reminds me a little bit of Photovisi w/ slide show transitions. What makes PS such a great site to use is how easy it is. Just upload your photos, customize your settings and then share w/ others. It can't get much easier then that (you don't even have to register to use it 8-). Below is a slide show example I created... Photo slideshows Give PhotoSnack a try by clicking here.

Inudge is a fun new site where users can create music just by clicking on colors and drawing on the screen. It is very easy to use and once finished the song can then be shared w/ others via a link or embedded into a blog/site. Give Inudge a try by clicking here. For another in depth review check out Larry Ferlazzo's blog.

Myna has to be one of the coolest online applications I've seen in a long time. This is a music/sound editor very very similar to Garageband. In fact, I would use this over Audacity any time. PC users can rejoice that they now can create music similar to Garageband. All you have to do is get started is to create an account, click on the app you want to use (audio editor) and start experimenting w/ all types of music. One of the advantages that Garageband has over Mya is the ability to not only add pre-set tracks but to add individual instruments as well. You literally can create an original piece of music from scratch. Myna has actual preset audio tracks that you can mix/mash. I highly highly recommend giving Mya a try by clicking here you won't be disappointed. Below is my sample audio mix w/ my voice recorded over it 8-) test.egg on Aviary.

Panraven is a site for making digital stories that can be uploaded or printed out similar to Mixbook. What makes this a viable option is the ability to add video as well as audio/photos to your stories. One issue that comes up w/ all Web 2.0 applications is filtering and how that follows CIPA compliance. PR is no different. They have the same standard that most sites have, which is the ability to remove any content/user they deem inappropriate. Again this is a gray area when dealing w/ CIPA compliance since there is no true filtering going on. Below is a great example of how Panraven can be used... Click here for more info.

Panraven is a site for making digital stories that can be uploaded or printed out similar to Mixbook. What makes this a viable option is the ability to add video as well as audio/photos to your stories. One issue that comes up w/ all Web 2.0 applications is filtering and how that follows CIPA compliance. PR is no different. They have the same standard that most sites have, which is the ability to remove any content/user they deem inappropriate. Again this is a gray area when dealing w/ CIPA compliance since there is no true filtering going on. Below is a great example of how Panraven can be used... Click here for more info.

Tagul is a new site (beta) I just learned about from another excellent blogger & technology pioneer, Alexandra Fransisco. Tagul is very similar to Wordle except that you pre-determine what shapes you want to use then just enter a URL of a site you want to "cloud". You do not type in your own keywords that you do in Wordle. The only drawback I see on this site is that there is no built in filter, but w/ appropriate district AUP guidelines it should be ok to use. Give Tagul a try by clicking here. Below is my example of tagging this very blog...

Blixy is a site I learned about from Zacro English, the excellent blog from Alexandra Fransisco. This is a site for creating embeddable widgets. What makes Blixy so nice is that no account is necessary, just click on the effect you like and either email it to a friend or embed into your site/blog. Also, there are a ton of effects to choose from such as: motion clocks, scrolling text, etc. Blixy is very easy to use and creates some fun looking graphics for users to display on their page. Give Blixy a try by clicking here. Below is my text example... Make your own widget at Blixy.com!

One True Media is a site I just learned about from Buffy Hamilton, who is one of the true pioneers in educational technology. (She has a wonderful blog which you can visit by clicking here.) This is one of the better video mash-up sites in the sense that it is very easy to use and offers some very nice tools/effects for the user. I would have to compare OTM as a cross between iMovie and Pulp Motion. It is similar in iMovie on how you have to edit a video clip, add your music and then select your transitions and effects. Although, the finished product looks like something Pulp Motion would create which gives it that very smooth/polished look. Some other nice features are the ability to upload a variety of media such as: mpg, avi, quicktime, wmv, and jpg. Also, a user can purchase a premium account which unlocks a lot of effects/transitions, etc. The free account lets users store up 100 MB worth of data each month. However, I'm not sure how viable a resource this would be for students. The reason for this is that there is no filtering going on. This becomes an issue when dealing w/ CIPA/COPPA compliance. Although, a user is responsible for what they post and One True Media will banish/remove any inappropriate content. Grey Areas like this need to be handled delicately and w/ the student's best interest/safety at heart. I recommend giving One True Media a look by clicking here. Below is my mash-up example... Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Storybird is a new site (beta) for creating digital storybooks. This reminds me of My Story Maker/Myths and Legends w/out the animation. For example, you can create a book w/ digital art (your own or other users) then add text at the bottom of each page just as Story Maker. However, in SB you just create a "still frame/scene" and have the story progress page by page. One aspect which concerns me is that Storybird is not filtered. This could potentially allow students to post/view inappropriate content. While SB does have the right to view anything on their site there is no official filtering policy going on, just a typical terms of service agreement. This is still very early beta so a lot of features are not available such as printing or embedding a finished product. Although, I highly recommend giving Storybird a look as it is very easy to use and makes some nice finished products. Click here for more info. How to Video on how to use Storybird... Storybird Quick Tour from Storybird on Vimeo.

KickLight is an incredible site for mashing together videos and text/photos (or kicks). A kick is a term used in movies for "back light". A Kicklight is a video that has another image/text running underneath the video in sequence that highlights what is happening on the video. KL is definitely "web 2.0" as it lets users register and rate other users videos. However, there is no filtering going on which would not be ideal for CIPA Compliance. That being said, if a user does abuse their privileges their account will be suspended and further action may follow. Below is an excellent example of a Kick Light on cooking (from their site)... Give Kick Light a try by clicking here. Thanks to Alexandra Franciso for the great great resource!!!

AudioPal is a new site that I learned about from Larry Ferlazzo's incredible blog. This is an online service which allows you to record audio then post it on your site/blog, very similar to Recordr. What I like so much about AP is that no registration is required; all you have to do is record your audio and then put in an email address so you can get a link to your embed code. Also, you have the ability to upload your audio files and turn them into an embeddable "widget". Below is my quick example of recording my audio... Give AudioPal a try by clicking here.

Recordr is a super easy to use nice site for recording audio/video and then uploading it to the web. Once you record your media, you can then either directly link it to Twitter/Tumblr, or get an embed code to put on your site/blog. No registration is necessary which makes this a very easy application to use w/ students. Below is my example... Tech Test recorded by guest Give Recordr a try by clicking here. For another in depth review, check out Larry Ferlazzo's blog.

Vuvox is a new (beta) site I just heard about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. There are lots of sites that let you create a slide show/presentation, but Vuvox may be one of the nicest. First off, Vuvox has a really nice/sleek look to it. You can build some really nice presentations that includes video, photos, and audio. Also, you have the ability to create a collage or an "express" video which is fast and easy. Finally, Vuvox has some really nice video tutorials on their site which help the user learn how to use their program. I did look at their acceptable use policy, and it is pretty standard. Any obscene/inappropriate material the user will be removed and can face subsequent punishment. However, I don't believe they have any filtering/moderating policies so it might not be ideal for student use. Give Vuvox a look by clicking here.

Slideroll is a wonderful new site for making exciting looking slide shows. I like to think of it as a cross between Animoto and iPhoto. Also, like most "Web 2.0" apps you have the ability to create an account and tweak settings to either allow comments or not. This is a very nice feature when having to abide by those strict CIPA/COPPA compliance rules. What makes SR so great is not only the ability to upload photos and have it create a "generic" slideshow, you can also enter the slideshow creator to even further customize settings such as: music, transitions, zooming, text, etc. This is something which you can not do currently in Animoto. Another nice feature of SR which I did not get a chance to check out is the video creator. I believe it is similar to VLC and lets you turn your slide shows into downloaded videos which is nice. However, keep in mind that you have to download a free application to do that. Give Slide Roll a try by clicking here, I highly recommend it!!! For another detailed review check out Richard Byrne's great blog. Below is an example of a slide show I created, notice the fun use of Photo Booth ;-) View Photo Slideshow Make a Free Flash Slideshow

Pho.to is a new and exciting site for posting pictures/albums online. All you have to do is create an account, upload some photos, and edit your settings and you are all set. Also, you can create some amazing looking animations, slide shows, and avatars w/ Pho.to. There is so much you can do w/ this user friendly site. Plus, you can generate links or html code to embed in your site/blog. I highly recommend giving Pho.to a try by clicking here. Below is my album widget example...

Roohit is an excellent site for highlight/annotating things on the web. What makes it so great? The ability to turn any site into your own highlighter/cliff notes simply by typing http://roohit.com/site before any URL that you want to take notes on. Also, once you have highlighted your text you have the ability, to save the notes for you, create an embed code for your site, and even make active links w/ a button. These options alone make it a must have for users who like to "highlight" the web!!! For another great review, check out Larry Ferlazzo's blog. Give Roohit a try by clicking here.

Domo Animate is a fun site for creating animations using Domo and other cartoony characters. As w/ most Web 2.0 apps you can post your finished animations online, share via a URL, or embed. The one area I'm concerned about is the question about filtering. While they have a very strict policy that a user must abide by, I don't think there is any built in content filter which is ideal for a school settings. Also, having others post comments to your animations could lead to some type of harassment. That being said this is a very fun and easy to use application to create some fun animations!!! DomoNation.com: The Office E3 by reddplague Like it? Create your own at DomoNation.com. It's free and fun! Give Domo Animate a try by clicking here.