Useful resources for Distance Learners Nancy Macharia

Created By: Nancy Macharia

Url: https://wordpress.com __________________________________________________________________ APA citation: Automattic, Inc. (2012). Word Press-A better way to blog. Retrieved from http://wordpress.com/ __________________________________________________________________ Desription: Word Press is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL. Features include a plugin architecture and a template system. _________________________________________________________________ Benefits of using Word press 1. Simplicity It has user friendly features that enable one to get online and to

publishing, quickly.

2. Flexibility One can create any type of website you want: for example a personal blog or website, a photo blog, or a professional portfolio. Word press contains various themes that one can choose from to suit the purpose and extend it with plug ins.

3. Publishing Tools Word Press is set in such a way that it is easy to manage your content, create drafts, schedule publication, and look at your post revisions. One can make the content public or private, and secure posts and pages with a password

Copyright and fair use WordPress.com is a publishing, rather than a file sharing platform, so copyrighted materials are often used in commentary, journalism, or the transformation of the material into something original of their own. It is therefore published under a creative commons license. The use of Word press to create a blog and share its content with others ( Automattic,Inc., 2012). Is the responsibility of the user/author of the blog to follow copyright and fair use laws. __________________________________________________________________ References: https://en.support.wordpress.com/fair-use/ https://wordpress.com/ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wordpress.svg https://www.wp101.com/tutorials/what-is-wordpress/ https://www.youtube.com __________________________________________________________________

Url: https://www.google.com/drive/ APA citation: Description: Google Drive makes it so easy for one to edit a document that other team members may also be working on. This enhances communication as many people can share a documents and therefore view its content which streamlines the workflow. Benefits of using Google drive: 1. You can share documents, spreadsheets and other items with colleagues

and other learners which makes collaboration easy. 2. When you share documents, you can share them with anyone who has

the link, likewise, you can allow access to the people that you want to view the information.

3. Multiple people can edit documents simultaneously. You can easily see who is editing a document as their names will appear at the top of the document. You can also have live chats with others who are working on the documents the same time as you.

4. Google Drive comes with ample storage (currently 15 GB) for free which means that one has spacious room to store information.

Copyright and fair use: https://en.wikipedia.org

References: http://iblogmagazine.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org https://www.google.com _____________________________________________________________  

Useful resources for Distance Learners Nancy Macharia

Url:  https://bubbl.us APA citation: https://bubbl.us/ Description: Bubbl.us is a Web 2.0 tool that enables users to create mind mapping and brainstorming diagrams online. The main topic/concept is entered in to the parent bubble. Then ideas and thoughts are recorded in colorful text bubbles linked to the parent bubble. Benefits of using bubbl.us One of the biggest advantages of using bubbl.us mind-mapping software is that you do not have to have an account to create and print a mind-map or concept map. This means that students can get online, map the concept they have been assigned and save it for future use. Students can share their maps with peers and teachers. Bubbl.us is user friendly and it has a an intuitive interface and students can jump in without a tutorial or instruction on how to use the program. Bubbl.us is a great Web 2.0 teaching tool for enhancing creativity. Reference: http://www.web2teachingtools.com/ https://classroom2point0.wordpress.com _____________________________________________________________

Url: https://www.dropbox.com APA citation: DropBox™ (2012). DropBox. Simplify your life. Retrieved from https://www.dropbox.com/ Description: The downloadable Dropbox desktop application runs on Windows, Mac, or Linux operating systems and gives you access to your Drop box directly through a folder on your hard drive. Benefits: You can transfer and download files from the Dropbox website using any modern browser 62 things that you can do with dropbox References: https://www.dropbox.com http://www.macworld.com/ _____________________________________________________________

URL: https://vimeo.com Description: Vimeo is a video-sharing website in which users can upload, share and view videos. Vimeo was founded in November 2004 by Jake Lodwick and Zach Klein. Benefits of using Vimeo: 1. Vimeo allows one to password-protect your videos, so you can share

them with friends before setting them as public. Should you want to share a video, you just forward the video to your recipient and make sure they know which password to type in.

2. Vimeo has no distracting banners or commercials before your video starts. This is a huge perk for the viewer.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org http://mashable.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vim

10/4/15 7:20 PM

10/4/15 7:20 PM