Conference Cacophony Prioritized

NC Ties 2013 was a tool-heavy, idea-sparking, gamification event. Via my iPad noting, Evernoting, Edmodo linking, Smackdowning, etc. I think I jotted down well over 100 tools, gadgets, etc. PHEW! Via Prensky, Warlick, LaGarde and others the conference also dealt with the why of all this - I agreed with some, disagreed with others but was reminded to make it about kids driving the learning. Now I just have to figure out what vehicles I want them to drive. Which of course means needing lots of time to play; so it's time to prioritize the cacophony.

I decided to start with Google Chrome/Extensions/Apps to make my own techie life more efficient. Numerous featured presenters mentioned the extensions that are making their lives easier. Since I've begun playing around and exploring, I have yet to open Explorer - guess that speaks to the effectiveness of some of these tools.... The ones I've liked the best/prioritized:

• Pocket - saving documents for offline reading - great webtool and extension. Easy to use and I've found it particularly helpful in Twitter. Although I started with this as a Chrome add-on, I've quickly adapted and started using it on the iPad as well.
• EasyBib Extension - citation/bibliography creator AND website evaluation tool. I still like NoodleTools for citations but I'm working my way towards EasyBib and I really like the website evaluation piece of the extension that lets a user know whether EasyBib evaluates the website as credible/not credible/may be credible and provides users with a helpful guide if evaluation is still needed. Want to use this with students in a future information literacy session.
• Diigo - a good reminder to use the social bookmarking/annotation tool and the extension makes it easier and more efficient. I think the extension may also get some schools around the problems with downloading that I had previously with Diigo.

So this post has a prioritization focus and I'm trying to do the same, so I'm stopping here for now with extensions. I want to use these three and use them well with a plan to revisit new tools again in a couple of weeks. Chrome is also my friend in adding apps and links to the "homepage" - love the customizability of the browser and honestly the "experience" - as cheesy as that sounds. 

NC Ties and other conferences are always good reminders to try new things, revisit tools that I haven't tried in a while and keep looking for the tool that will best fit tech needs, kids' needs, etc. I have always loved the scribing videos where the audience watches the creator draw and write out ideas to go along with music or narration. The tool VideoScribe makes this possible and has been my tool of choice this week. I've also been working on a Digital Storytelling activity for pre-service teachers and had great fun creating with VideoScribe - here's how I'm starting our conversation -- http://youtu.be/Xxq1qEh3_7c

So, there's an overwhelming amount of things to explore and play with and I'm excited to keep finding the tools that best fit my need for efficiency and student needs for learning!