aclJohn's eCPD Finds

The Th!nk Tutorial website is a new online resource that is gathering together computer tutorials and lessons.

Early days but the current content deals with everything from sending out emails and uploading images to the Internet, to operations that are notably more complex such as enabling iTunes or handling Facebook privacy settings.

The contents of the site can be browsed by way of the many tags that are displayed near the bottom on the main page however, there isn't an option for arranging tutorials by difficulty or by software groups etc.

The content of Th!nk Tutorial, is actually quite well-written and detailed. If some steps are taken towards making it more accessible then there is no reason why Th!nk Tutorial shouldn't establish itself as a useful resource for practitioners and learners.

Visit http://thinktutorial.com/ to find out more.

JISC Digital Media has launched two new online tutorials, that follow on from the Internet for Image Searching tutorial <http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/tutorial/imagesearching/>....

• Internet for Audio Resources <http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/tutorial/audio> and

• Internet for Video and Moving Images <http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/tutorial/video>.

The free-to-use tutorials have been designed to assist both practitioners and learners to locate audio and video for use in teaching and learning.

Created as part of the Virtual Training Suite the tutorials were funded by JISC Advance.

Photography is a beautiful form of art with no hard rules.

It's all about creativity and individual style. And that's what makes it so interesting. There are lots of tips and tricks to be learnt, and certainly lots of experiences to be gain before one becomes an expert.

If you are new to photography, Hongkiat has provided five ways to create cool photos to impress colleagues/peers.

Common Craft recently released a new video that is ideal for functional skills and everyone who banks, shops, or just uses email.

Secure Passwords in Plain English walks viewers through the pitfalls of weak passwords and how to create strong passwords. The video explains why the same password shouldn't be used for all online accounts.

If your organisation is thinking about or has just migrated to Google Apps for Education, the Google Apps Training Centre will be a great resource for learning about the things that can be done with Google Apps in the learning environment.

This new training program available from Google, "The Google Apps Training Centre", is an online learning environment in which practitioners and learners can train to effectively use Google Apps in an education setting. The training centre offers six modules. The modules are...

• Google Apps Education Edition,
  
• Apps Mail,
  
• Calendar,
  
• Docs,
  
• Sites, and
  
• "Other Tools."
  

In conjunction with the Google Apps Training Centre, Google has launched the Google Certified Trainer program. The Google Certified Trainer program gives people who provide professional development to schools and have passed the tests for all six modules the Google "seal of approval" as Certified Trainers. If you plan to pursue becoming a Google Certified Trainer, bear in mind that you must complete all six modules and pass the tests within 60 days of starting the program

Visit http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/certification_index.html to find out more about the Google Certified Trainer program; and
http://edutraining.googleapps.com/Training-Home to find out more about the Google Apps Training Centre.

Like me, Phil Bagge believes in free and he hopes that practitioners and learners will something useful to use on his ICT Video Help pages.

ICT Video Help has a collection of videos which show visitors how to use a wide range of ICT tools and will keep many educated and entertained for hours.

Although in it's early development, Learning with technology is a website which has been created to support those engaged with Informal Adult Learning (IAL) - when they use technology with any group.

This website provides a series of resources which have...

• either been designed specifically;
  
• or will point users in the direction of existing online resources.

The Learning with technology resources have been designed to help users build their confidence and ability to use technology as part of their activities.

The website can be used by anyone leading a group in a learning environment including...

• volunteers;
• facilitators;
• support staff; and
  
• group leaders.

Note: In order to access the resources and course materials users do need to have Internet skills.  If they are new to using the Internet then it is recommend that they take an Online Basics course prior to using the materials. If users are not confident in their ICT skills then they will find the resource, Building ICT Skills in Group 1 useful.  The content of the website can be downloaded and adapted to suit the needs of your group.

Visit http://www.ialsupport.org.uk/ for more information. 

Tech Training Wheels is a new video sharing site designed and built by five Google Certified Teachers.

The purpose of the site? - To share how-to videos for practitioners.

It is very early days and currently there are only five videos on the site and they are all how-to videos related to using Google products. The site is open to user contributions.

Visit http://techtrainingwheels.com/ to take a closer look.

Upgrade computer skills, by signing up for free, at GCF Learn Free.

The Getting Started Lessons cover...

• Computer Basics
• Windows
• Internet Basics
• eMail Basics
• Internet Safety
• Mozilla Firefox and
• Facebook 101

The Using Software lessons cover...

•  Word Excel
• PowerPoint
• Access
• Office
• Open Office
• Outlook 2003 and
• Publisher 2003

I also feel that visitors to this website will find the Work & Career Section worth a closer look.

Some 'lessons' include video clips and all seam a little wordy.

JISC Digital Media's new advice document Creating an Audio Ident provides information on...

• what an ident is;
• desiging an ident; and
• how-to create an ident using Audacity software.