The Centre for Learning & Resource Technologies recently published a list of Top 100 Tools for Learning. I’m not familiar with this organization though reading up now. The list is dynamic and routinely updated based on Top 10 Tools lists submitted by a variety of folks from the corporate world, higher ed, K-12, other non-profits, consultants and so on.
As I scroll through the list, I find myself thinking in terms of myself (do I use these tools?) and my Student Affairs colleagues (do they, generally as a group, use these tools?).
The top five: Firefox, de.licio.us, Skype, Google Search, and WordPress.
Me: Yes (daily), Yes (daily), Yes (occasionally), Yes (daily), and No (Blogger and others)
My SA Colleagues: Some, Probably Not, Probably Not, Yes, and Probably Not.
This isn’t surprising to me, or really even disappointing. It is so hard to keep up with the technology, especially for those of us who are digital immigrants. Many university administrators are probably unfamiliar with many of these tools, and it is my job to keep our SA folks up to date about these tools. First, how do students use them? Second, how can we use them to deliver courses, student services, and developmental programs? Third, how can we use them for our own individual productivity?
This list might be good material for initial self-assessment for workshops related to these tools.