Free+Media+Tools

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Please link to some useful free - or almost free - media tools or repositories that you use in your work. Don't forget to add your name to your contributions.

To add to this page just click on the **Edit** button in the top right corner of the page. Remember to click on the **Save** button to save your entries.

[|iSpring] - offers a FREE PowerPoint plug-in that will allow you to easily create and publish your own Flash movies. You can upload them directly into your course space. -- Tahais Real

[|Hot Potatoes] - free software you can use to create interactive student exercises such as multiple-choice questions, scrambled sentences, and crossword puzzles -- Pennie Walters

[|Quandry] - free software you can use to create what Quandry's website calls "action mazes." The website describes these mazes as an interactive case-study that present a student with a scenario and then walk him through it based on the choices he makes. -- Pennie Walters

Jing - a free screen capture application from TechSmith (the creators of Camtasia). You can even capture short videos. I think I use this almost every day to send a screen shot or short video demo explanation to a faculty member - Linda Beith

Audacity - a free, open-source solution. Audacity can be used to create podcasts or voice-narration to be imported into presentations if desired. It's extremely simple to learn and has been a valuable resource for our faculty due to that reason. - Kelly Hyduk

Google Docs - a free suite of web-based office tools that includes presentation, spreadsheet, document, and form templates. Although not a full-blown suite such as Microsoft Office, Google Docs allows a user to create, open, and save into many of the same formats as Microsoft Office. One of the largest benefits of Google Docs is the ability to share items for team collaboration and editing. - Kelly Hyduk

Elluminate vRoom - a free web conferencing solution for up to three participants per session. vRoom allows for video and audio collaboration, desktop/application sharing, whiteboarding, plus much more. I've used this when I haven't had access to a Wimba classroom in order to meet for small group projects. - Kelly Hyduk

Splashup - an image editor that provides an interface to manipulate and edit images. I have not had an opportunity to work on it much except while exploring layers and I found it simple to use for a novice like me. From others I gather that it is a good tool and has a similar setup as Photoshop. I may expore possibilities of using the tool this time if I do not have access to Photoshop for this project. (Note: I have not had a chance to work much on multimedia except for Audacity and Elluminate. Thus my contribution may not be much for this wiki at this point of time. I'll probably have something to add to the list as I learn more while I work on the project.) - Saras

[|www.yousendit.com] is a free site that allows the user to send large files types, that may otherwise be blocked via size restrictions. I great tools if you are collaborating on a project with others not in the immediate vicinity. Kelly Wilk

[] is a free brainstorming site, especially for the people who work well with visuals. Kelly Wilk

www.photobucket.com is also a free site to store photos, people I know use it when they need images stored outside of their firewalls. Kelly Wilk

[|Adobe Exchange] - a marketplace for plug-ins, templates and media for all Adobe products. The Captivate exchange features Flash widgets, quizzes, and ready-to-use templates that you can download for free and easily incorporate into your project. -Matt Ryan

[|Screencast-o-Matic] Screencast-O-Matic is an easy way to make a video recording of your screen and have it hosted for free. - Matt Ryan

[|Photoshop.com] - edit using basic Photoshop tools (exposure, red-eye, black and white) and save photos in your online account. - Matt Ryan

[|iTunes] - Free podcasts are a great way to add multimedia to your project. Matt Ryan

[|Podbean] Free podcast hosting and easy instructions to syndicate your podcast on the web. - Matt Ryan

Aviary - Free photo/image editing tool. - Judy Unrein

Wordle - Free "toy" for generating "word clouds" from your text. Great for providing an image when one is hard to come by otherwise. - Judy Unrein

Skitch - Free software for generating, editing, and sharing screen shots. - Judy Unrein

Windows Live Movie Maker - System Requirements- Freeware can be used to create movies and slide shows from your photos and videos. - Kelly Hyduk

[|Viddler] **-** online video capture and storage program. Viddler is free for a basic account. You can upgrade to a paid account if you would like additional space or tools. You can record a video in Viddler with just a webcam and microphone - so it is extremely cost efficient. The feature I like most about Viddler is the ability to add comments within the timeline of the video itself. - Patty Wager

Skype **-** synchronous text, audio, and video conferencing tool. It is free to set up a Skype account. You can talk with other Skype members for free regardless of their location. An additional feature available in Skype is the ability to screen share. I've found Skype extremely useful when trying to communicate with someone with lower bandwidth/connection. - Patty Wager

TeacherTube **-** video, image, and text-based resource for multiple academic disciplines and age groups. You can link to the resources found at this site for free. To reproduce the material, you must obtain copyright approval. I've found this a useful site for 'additional resources' while designing online college courses (especially to refresh/reinforce basic skills/knowledge). - Patty Wager