Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TOOLS
FOR
LEARNING Compiled by Jane Hart
Centre for Learning & Performance
2008 Technologies
www.C4LPT.co.uk
About the Top 100 Tools List
Spring 2008: 1
2007: 2
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A place to store your
bookmarks online, tag them
and share them with your More info:
colleagues and/or students. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/delicious.html
2 Firefox
Web browser with extensions
. Spring 2008: 2
2007: 1
Spring 2008: 3
2007: 7=
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Spring 2008: 4
2007: 3=
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Use it to have text and voice Platform: Windows and
message conversations with Mac
others who have Skype on
their computers.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/skype.html
5 WordPress
Blogging tool
Spring 2008: 6
2007: 6
Spring 2008: 5
2007: 3=
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A powerful web-based search
engine, so to find any information,
you just “Google” it! Link:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/google.html
7 Google Docs
Office suite
Spring 2008: 11
2007: 14
Cost: Free
To create, store and share Available: Hosted
documents, spreadsheets and
presentations online, and where
you can work on your own or
More info:
collaboratively. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/googledocs.html
8 PowerPoint
Presentation software
Spring 2008: 7
2007: 5
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
This presentation software is part
Platform: Windows & Mac
of the Microsoft Office suite.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/powerpoint.html
9 Moodle
Course management system
Spring 2008: 13
2007: 12=
Spring 2008: 9=
2007: 9
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A simple and quick way to get a blog
up and running, now owned by
Google. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/blogger.html
11 Twitter
Micro-blogging tool
Cost: Free
Keep in touch with colleagues Available: Hosted
and friends no matter where you
are or what you’re doing.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/twitter.html
12 Audacity
Audio/podcasting tool
Spring 2008: 9=
2007: 11
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/audacity.html
13 Wikipedia
Collaborative encyclopaedia
Spring 2008: 12
2007: 26=
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
This huge online encyclopaedia
has been written collaboratively by
More info:
volunteers around the world. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/wikipedia.html
14 gMail/Google Mail
Web mail
Spring 2008: 8
2007: 7=
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A web-based email service with
many megabytes of storage More info:
space for archiving mail threads. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/gmail.html
15 Flickr
Image hosting and sharing tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A place where you can store your
photos, tag them and share them More info:
with others. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/flickr.html
16 Ning
Private social networking tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A tool to create customised private
social networks and communities. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/ning.html
17 iGoogle
Personal start page tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Here you can aggregate all the Google
resources you use on your online More info:
desktop, e.g. gMail, Google Calendar,
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/igoogle.html
Google Reader and more.
18 YouTube
Video hosting and sharing tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A place where you can host,
tag and share videos online . More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/youtube.html
19 Wikispaces
Wiki tool
Spring 2008: 20
2007: 15
Cost: Free/Commercial
Available: Hosted
A service that lets you create a
wiki for collaborative working.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/wikispaces.html
20 Slideshare
Presentation hosting and sharing tool
Spring 2008: 14
2007: 31=
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A place where you can store, tag and
share your presentations with others
as well as synchronise an MP3 More info:
audio with a slideset to create a c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/slideshare.html
slidecast.
21 SnagIt
Screen capture tool
Spring 2008: 21
2007: 26=
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
Capture anything on your
Platform: Windows
screen, edit the image and
print it or share it as you wish. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/snagit.html
22 Word
Word processing software
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
This word processing software
Platform: Windows and
is part of the Microsoft Office Mac
suite
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/word.html
23 VoiceThread
Collaborative slideshow tool
Cost: Free/Commercial
Available: Hosted
A service that lets you create
collaborative presentations by
collecting comments - both text More info:
and voice. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/voicethread.html
24 Facebook
Social networking site
Cost: Free
A social networking site with over Available: Hosted
120 million members, that also
includes many applications that allow More info:
it be used productively in education
and business. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/facebook.html
25 Articulate
Rapid e-learning suite
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
Contains three powerful yet easy-
to-use products - Presenter, Platform: Windows
Engage and Quizmaker - each of
which can be purchased More info:
separately.
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/articulate.html
26= Camtasia Studio
Screencasting tool
Spring 2008: 35
2007: 50=
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
Platform: Windows
Record your screen to create
training, demo, and presentation More info:
videos, aka screencasts.
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/camtasia.html
26= Jing
Screen capture and screencasting tool
Spring 2008: 30
2007: Not ranked
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Platform: Windows, Mac
An always-ready program that can
instantly capture and share images
and video. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/jing.html
28 iTunes
Music and podcasting player
Spring 2008: 26
2007: 26=
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Platform: Windows, Mac
Listen to music and podcasts as
well as watch videos. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/iTunes.html
29 Google Calendar
Online calendar
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Use it for your own personal diary
or for scheduling events with with More info:
others
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/googlecalendar.html
30= Bloglines
RSS reader
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A web-based RSS reader and
aggregator to keep you up to date
with news and blog postings More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/bloglines.html
30= LinkedIn
Professional social networking site
Cost: Free
A public social network aimed Available: Hosted
at the professional community.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/linkedin.html
30= Captivate
Screencasting tool
Spring 2008: 27
2007: 17=
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
To create simulations, Platform: Windows
software demonstrations, and
scenario-based training
without programming More info:
knowledge or multimedia c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/captivate.html
skills
33 Google Alerts
Keep track of new information
Cost: Free
Provides you with email updates Available: Hosted
of latest relevant Google results
(web, news, etc.) based on your
choice of query or topic.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/googlealerts.html
34 Google Maps
Maps and directions
Spring 2008: 40
2007: 36=
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Searchable and zoomable
maps of the UK, US, etc, More info:
where you can find businesses
and get directions. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/googlemaps.html
35= Diigo
Social bookmarking tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A social annotation tool where
you can highlight, clip and More info:
sticky-note any page and then
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/diigo.html
share your findings with others
35= PBwiki
Wiki tool
Cost: Free/Commercial
Available: Hosted
A wiki solution suitable for both
business and education. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/pbwiki.html
37 Netvibes
Personal start page
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A start page that provides you with
access to all your digital resources
in one place::blogs, news, videos, More info:
podcast, pictures, e-mail, etc, c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/netvibes.html
38= Flash
Animation authoring tool
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
Platform: Windows and Mac
Lets you create powerful and
engaging animations.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/flash.html
38= Outlook
Email software
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
This email client is part of
Platform: Windows, Mac
the Microsoft Office suite.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/outlook.html
40= Google Earth
Satellite and aerial imagery
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Combines the power of Google Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
Search with satellite imagery,
maps, terrain and 3D buildings.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/Googleearth.html
40= Pageflakes
Personal start page tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A start page tool where you can use it
to aggregate all kinds of resources More info:
and tools on your web-based
desktop. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/pageflakes.html
42= Google Scholar
Scholarly literature search engine
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A simple way to search broadly
for scholarly literature
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/googlescholar.html
42= MindManager
Mind mapping tool
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
A tool that lets you visually capture,
Platform: Windows, Mac
organize and communicate ideas
and information effectively More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/mindmanager.html
44= Dreamweaver
Web authoring tool
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
Platform: Windows, Mac
A powerful web authoring
tool.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/dreamweaver.html
44= eXe
Course authoring tool
Cost: Commercial
Available: Hosted
A blogging service with a number
of pricing plans to host 1, 3 or
more blogs as well as extra More info:
functionality like storage space, c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/typepad.html
scheduling of postings etc.
44= Wetpaint
Wiki tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A service to create free wikis,
simple to start; easy to build
More info:
and fun to share c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/wetpaint.html
44= Zoho Suite
Office & productivity suite
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
An office suite that includes the
word processing, spreadsheet More info:
and presentation tools as well
as tools like Zoho Meeting, c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/zoho.html
Zoho Planner,Zoho Creator and
Zoho Wiki.
50= Excel
Spreadsheet software
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
This spreadsheet software is Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
part of the Microsoft Office
suite
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/excel.html
50= Elluminate
Web conferencing software
Cost: Commercial
Available: Hosted
Cost: Commercial
Available: Hardware
Mobile devices to listen to
music and podcasts (in MP3 More info:
format) as well as watch videos. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/ipod.html
50= Thunderbird
Email tool
Cost: Free
Lets you manage your tasks Available: Hosted
quickly and easily, and works
with Google Calendar, twitter,
iPhone and gMail. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/rememberthemilk.html
54= FreeMind
Mind mapping tool
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
A mind mapping tool that can
be used as a high productivity More info:
tool. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/freemind.html
54= Second Life
Virtual World Application
Cost: Free
Create an avatar and explore Available: Hosted
this virtual world - a highly
imaginative, creative world,
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/secondlife.html
54= Survey Monkey
Survey & Questionnaire Tool
Cost: Free/Commercial
Available: Hosted
Intelligent survey software for
anyone to create professional More info: c4lpt.co.
online surveys quickly and uk/Top100Tools/surveymonkey.html
easily.
59= Acrobat Professional
Create and control PDFs
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
Platform: Windows, Mac
Create, combine, and control
Adobe PDF documents for
easy, secure distribution, More info:
collaboration and data c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/adobeacrobatpro.html
collection
59= Photoshop
Photo/image editing tool
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
A photo imaging tool for Platform:
professional and serious
amateur photographers as well
as graphic and web designers. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/photoshop.html
59= Edublogs
Blogging tool for educators
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Blogging for teachers and
students, made easy More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/edublogs.html
59= Garageband
Personal Recording Studio
Cost: FREE
Available: Download
A personal recording studio, Platform: Mac
part of the Apple iLife Suite.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/garageband.html
59= Google Sites
Web / wiki Tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Lets you create simple,
secure group websites. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/jotspot.html
59= Mindmeister
Mind mapping tool
Cost: Free/Commercial
Available: Hosted
A collaborative mind- More info:
mapping tool. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/mindmeister.html
65 Keynote
Presentation software
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
Platform: Mac
Cinema-quality
presentation software
More info:
http://c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/keynote.html
66= Adobe Connect
Web conferencing software
Cost: Commercial
Available: Hosted
Cost: Free/Commercial
Available: Hosted
Tool that lets you manage
and track projects (or simply
ideas) and quickly create More info:
client/project extranets. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/basecamp.html
66= Google Apps
Web conferencing software
Cost: Commercial
Available: Hosted
Software-as-a-service for
business email, information
sharing and security More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/googleapps.html
66= iMovie
Video editing software
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
Makes viewing and working
with video as intuitive as Platform: Mac
enjoying your photos, part of
Apple iLife Suite More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/imovie.html
66= Joomla
Content management system
Spring 2008: 101=
2007: Not ranked
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Platform: Requires fully
operational web server,
Content management
system to build web sites
database and the server side
and powerful online scripting language PHP
applications.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/joomla.html
66= Notepad
HTML and text editor
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Simple text editor - useful for Platform: Windows
writing HTML, code or just
unformatted notes..
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/notepad.html
66= OneNote
Personal information manager
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
Gather your information in Platform: Windows
one place..
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/onenote.html
66= Opera
Web browser
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Award winning browser for Platform: Windows
your computer and/or mobile
phone and other mobile
devices. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/opera.html
66= PollDaddy
Polling and survey tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Create polls and surveys for
the web and for Twitter. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/polldaddy.html
66= Stumbleupon
Polling and survey tool
Cost: Free
Surf the internet to find great Available: Hosted (Downloadable
websites, videos, photos and toolbar)
more based on your interests.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/stumbleupon.html
66= Windows Live Writer
Blogging tool
Cost: Free
Available: Download
A desktop tool that makes it
easy to publish rich content to
Platform: Windows
your blog. .
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/windowslivewriter.html
66= Ustream
Live video broadcasting tool
Cost: Free
In just minutes you can
broadcast and interact with a
Available: Hosted
global audience - all it takes
is a camera and an internet More info:
connection.
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/ustream.html
66= Yugma
Web Meeting Tool
Cost: Free/Commercial
Instant real-time desktop Available: Download
sharing, virtual meetings and
web conferencing, whiteboard,
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
annotate and ability to share
files. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/yugma.html
66= Zotero
Firefox Browser Extension
Cost: Free
Firefox extension to help Available: Download
you collect, manage, and
cite your research sources
Platform: Windows, Mac
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/zotero.html
80= Adobe Reader
PDF Reader
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Platform: Windows, Mac,
Well known and well Unix/Linux, Mobile
regarded PDF Reader.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/adobereader.html
80= Nvu
Web authoring tool
Cost: Free
Available: Download
A complete web authoring Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
system that makes
managing a web site a
snap More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/nvu.html
80= TeacherTube
Video Sharing Site
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A place where you can host,
tag and share instructional
videos
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/teachertube.html
83= Adobe Presenter
PowerPoint-based e-learning tool
Cost: Commercial
Available: Download
A tool to rapidly create Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
Adobe Flash presentations
and eLearning courses from
PowerPoint More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/adobepresenter.html
83= Bubbl.us
Mind Mapping Tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
A simple web application
that lets you brainstorm
online
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/bubblus.html
83= Course Lab
Course authoring tool
Cost: Free
Available: Download
A powerful, yet easy-to-use, Platform: Windows
e-learning authoring tool for
creating interactive e-learning
content. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/courselab.html
83= Furl
Social Bookmarking Tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Makes it easy to save, share,
and explore favourite web
pages.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/furl.html
83= Internet Explorer
Web browser
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Web browser that comes as Platform: Windows
part of the Windows/Vista
operating system .
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/ie.html
83= GIMP
Image/photo editing tool
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Software for tasks such as Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
photo retouching, image
composition and image
authoring.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/gimp.html
83= Jott
Image/photo editing tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Converts your voice into emails,
text messages, reminders, lists More info:
and appointments.
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/jott.html
83= LibraryThing
Book cataloguing tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
An easy, library-quality
catalogue that also connects More info:
you with people who read the
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/librarything.html
same things.
83= MediaWiki
Wiki tool
Cost: Free
Available: Download
The wiki engine that powers Platform: Windows, Unix/Linux
Wikipedia, so any wiki site
based on MediaWiki has the
Wikipedia look and feel.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/mediawiki.html
83= MovieMaker
Video editor
Cost: Free
Available: Download
Create, edit, and share your Platform: Windows
home movies right on your
computer
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/moviemaker.html
83= Paint.NET
Image/photo editing software
Cost: Free
Features an intuitive and Available: Download
innovative user interface with Platform: Windows
support for layers, unlimited
undo, special effects, and a
wide variety of useful and More info:
powerful tools. c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/paint.html
83= Safari
Web browser
Cost: Free
With its simple elegant Available: Download
interface, Safari gets out of Platform: Mac, Windows
your way and lets you enjoy
the web.
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/safari.html
83= Scribd
Document hosting site
Cost: Free
A place to store documents - Available: Hosted
doc, ppt, pdf, xls, etc and
share them with others. More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/scribd.html
83= SMART
Interactive whiteboard tools
Cost: Free
Available: Download
A desktop client for social Platform: Requires Adobe Air
software such as Twitter,
Friendfeed, identi.ca, or
seesmic
More info:
http://c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/twhirl.html
83= Wink
Software Demonstration Tool
Cost: Free
Available: Download
A tool primarily aimed at Platform: Windows, Linux
creating tutorials on how to
use software (like a tutor for
MS-Word/Excel etc).
More info:
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/wink.html
83= Zamzar
File conversion tool
Cost: Free
Available: Hosted
Convert files online without
the need to download More info:
software.
c4lpt.co.uk/Top100Tools/zamzar.html