Using Excel to create ‘tidy’ learning resources

TidyUpExcel
Originally uploaded by Dave Foord
I often use Excel to create simple learning objects, especially ones that have an element of drag and drop. Having created my resource, I then tidy it up, so that when viewed over the internet (e.g. if accessed from a VLE) the user wouldn’t realise that it was Excel at all.
To [...]

Podcast on Skype conferencing

Similar to my previous blog posting where 5 of us met up virtually via Skype to record a podcast, the discussions that took place before we ‘officially’ started recording were actually recorded and turned into a podcast.
Full details and the podcast itself are available on http://elearningstuff.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/e-learning-stuff-podcast-005-its-because-hes-from-sheffield/
This is certainly less polished than even the previous podcast, [...]

Podcast on digital immigrants, natives, visitors and residents

A few weeks ago, I took part in a 5 way Skype conference along with James Clay, Lisa Valentine, Nick Jeans and David Sugden. The idea was to discuss the possibility of people like us holding regular recorded podcasts on different educational topics. We didn’t set out with the intention of recording this first session, [...]

Recording sound directly into a Word file

Something that I often show people at training events, that is very easy but effective, is the ability to record sound directly into a Word file. Which if you are marking work that has been submitted electronically, this is brilliant as it is much easier to give feedback verbally than to try typing feedback into [...]

PBwiki is getting even easier to set up accounts for learners

Of the different free wiki providers out there, pbwiki at the moment is still my favourite, as it is powerful yet easy to use and by choosing education when signing up, there are no ‘dodgy’ adverts appearing.
One problem that it used to have, was the way of giving people permission to edit – if you [...]

Accessible Apps – the best thing this year!

Accessible Apps
Originally uploaded by Dave Foord

A few weeks ago something called Accessible Apps was launched. This is a collection of free tools, that you have on a pen drive, so when you plug the pen drive into the computer, all of the tools are there to be used, without any problems with profiles, downloading software, [...]

The ‘legitimate’ use of YouTube

The video below showing IT support through the ages has done the rounds a bit after first appearing on YouTube over a year ago, but as James Clay references in his blog this originally broke copyright, but the owners wisely published this legally on their own YouTube channel.

This was a sensible [...]