David Sugden brought this open source software to my attention at the eGuides training event in Manchester.

The Media Player Classic, plays all the media, that I have tried, that Windows Media player couldn't; it supports all common video, audio and image file formats available as well as video playback.

Find out more and/or download it at http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/. 

I'd almost forgotten about Tuxpi when I was reminded to revisit the tools by one of the many RSS feeds I read.

Tuxpi is one of many useful web-based tools that lets users upload any picture they own and apply a set of effects to it; either because they want to experiment or because they intend to put it to some educational/professional use.

Just...

• upload the photograph,

• choose what it is you want to do to it from the provided list; they currently include...

• 18 Photo Effect...

Oxelon Media Converter is a must have "audio/video file converter software".

It meets all I've been looking for...

• neat,
• clean interface,
• integrated with the Windows Explorer context menu allowing me to convert media files directly in Explorer by right clicking on them.

It's not often I fall in love with an application at first sight but this is an exception.

Things I like...

1. Oxelon Media Converter supports a wide range of audio and video formats allowing conversion from one to the ...

Myna is an audio recording and editing tool and is the latest addition to the Aviary family of web applications; Aviary is best known as a suite of online image creation and editing web applications which allows users to manipulate images to very high standard within their browser.

As you are all aware, browser based applications offer practitioners and learners alike the opportunity to freely access creation and manipulation tools which are generally otherwise unavailable to them, because...

Have you ever wanted to take pictures of a sprouting seedling, or watch an artist painting in slow motion, or document what went on in a teaching environment all day? Well this can be achieved with a webcam and free software.

If you are using a PC...

• download Microsoft's Webcam Timershot. (Doesn't work with Vista)
  Timershot will save all the photos into a folder of your choosing.
  To incorporate the the images into a video drop the pictures into movie maker or PhotoStory 3 and see phot...

Motion Portrait is a Japanese application that can turn any portrait-style photograph into a 3D animated face.

Just...

• upload any photo by clicking on “Change” and then “Upload”, and
• wait till it animates the face; you will see the face becoming alive, blinking eyes and reacting to your mouse clicks and movements.

That’s not all, visitors can add...

• different hairstyles,
• moustaches and
• other 'stuff' over the face - just for fun.

Try it out yourself at http://labs.mppark.jp/h...

A big thank you to Joe Dale for bringing to my attention, through his Integrating ICT into the MFL classroom blog, the Innovative Teachers NETWORK.

In their words, once you register (It's FREE)...

"On the Innovative Teachers Network you will find a wealth of content, debate, resources, help and contacts from leading ICT practitioners around the world.

Don't be afraid to take advantage of everything the Network has to offer!"

Well an offer that may be of interest to...