I always look forward to Jane Hart’s Top Tools for Learning annual survey (Here is where you can vote for your top ten).
Fourteen years ago, I developed a first-year seminar at Carroll about Internet Learning Tools based on Jane’s work. As I begin my fourth year since retiring from teaching, I use a very different set of learning tools.
- Duolingo: I have always wanted to refresh my Spanish-speaking skills. Duolingo is well designed and engaging and has even provided me opportunities to reconnect with former students!
- WordPress: Though I dislike the new block editor, I continue to enjoy the ease of writing using this blog platform, and I am discovering a number of tools for converting WordPress documents to other publishable formats.
- DayOne: As I’ve written about elsewhere, this is the best journaling software for my purposes. I can include videos, photos, dictation, and summaries of my most important thoughts and achievements.
- LinkedIn: Without a doubt, this tool has grown in value to me. The LinkedIn Learning courses I have taken have been excellent.
- Google Translate: I find this tool invaluable when communicating with colleagues across the globe.
- Facebook provides me a platform for learning from and about former students and colleagues.
- Picturethis: I find this app incredibly useful on my walks for identifying plants
- Grammarly: I find this tool helpful, especially when writing under pressure and with haste.
- HealthyMinds Program App: I have found this meditation app based on good science helpful in learning about myself.
- Youtube is a frequent resource when I need to be hand-held (e.g., when I wanted guidance flying a drone!). I also use it as a channel for sharing some of my playfulness.
