IT 5130 - Cool Tools

ooVoo
http://www.oovoo.com/

“ooVoo is the next evolution in online communication — a remarkably easy way to have a face-to-face video chat with friends, family or colleagues, no matter where they are in the world.”

Yeah, if you have the right computer equipment…the bandwidth to handle the application…the security situation that allows you to have the tool…and a desire to be seen in your pajamas. I know it has applications for eLearning, but I see this more as a new toy for the ‘cool kids’, the people that get the latest iPod when their old one is only a year old.

TalkShoe
http://www.talkshoe.com/

“TalkShoe is a service that enables anyone to easily create, join, or listen to Live Interactive Discussions, Conversations, Podcasts and Audioblogs. These hosted Community Calls can be discussions, conversations, talk shows and podcasts. Recorded Community Calls can be listened to, downloaded, or subscribed to. And if your Community Call becomes popular, you can make money too.”

TalkShoe seem sort of like the eClass application we’re using at work. You may participate live and interact with other students and the teacher during the actual session. After the session, a recording is made available for those who were unable to attend live or may need to view the class again as a refresher. I can see this having a valuable contribution for online classes, but only from the participating student’s point of view. They could post a project on TalkShoe and have classmates check it out. I’m afraid that most universities would not want their course content available to one and all on the net.

Jott.com
http://jott.com/

“Jott makes creating and maintaining to-do lists simple - all it takes is one phone call. No need to wait till you get home to write down what you need to do, just call Jott, say the name of the list you want, and leave a message. Your voice message will be converted to text and added to that list for you.

In this age of text messaging and all the other PDA-type functions, who pays for this functionality? In monetary and in bandwidth terms? Whatever happened to keeping a notebook or a “To Do” list?

*sigh*

I don’t know…maybe I’m resistant to new technology, or perhaps I’ve fallen into the mindset of the government agency where I work. There are so many restrictions about connectivity, bandwidth and the tools that can be used on the baseline software load.

My audience is primarily lower ranking military personnel and government employees who are deploying into war zones overseas. I teach them to use tools that help keep them safe on the front lines and the rest of us safe at home.

We struggle with getting the bandwidth for the essential tools they need, not to mention all of the new ‘cool’ tools that are continually coming out in the commercial world.

I know I need to see the ‘big picture’ and not focus on my small slice of life. But, that’s where I am and that’s where I’m needed right now. I need to find tools and techniques that apply to *their* situation. We’re just now moving into eLearning, where folks who are forward deployed to war zones and overseas locations can participate in much-needed training, without taking the time and expense to travel back to the United States. That’s saving taxpayer’s money and that’s not a bad thing, from my point of view.