Internet Tools

Learn Out Loud

            LearnOutLoud.com started in 2005 to showcase audio and video learning content on the Web. Since the growth and improvement of technology such as audio book downloads, podcasts, and Youtube, Learn Out Loud’s goal is to be the primary source of learning through audios and videos on the web. Its aim is to change an individual’s ‘dead time’ such as driving, exercising, and doing chores to ‘learning time’. Mundane activities can be changed into informative ones.

For example, the website has about 7,000 podcasts to choose from. A podcast is a digital audio file made available on the internet for downloading to a computer of mobile devices.  There are many educational podcasts that LearnOutLoud.com has to offer. Its topics consists of art history, classical mythology, poetry, personal growth, philosophy, and many more. In addition, LearnOutLoud has a collection of over 1,200 free online audio and video courses. The collections consist of free courses from top universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, UCLA, UC-Berkeley, and MIT. There is also a section for kids called “Kids Audio Books” that feature 2,000 audio books, podcasts, and videos. It includes sports and hobbies, self-development, literature, and traveling.

Overall, LearnOutLoud.com has an abundant of audio and video resources for all ages. It is a great way to learn different topics in the comfort of your own home, car, or anywhere you see fit. All you need is two ears to listen and an open mind to learn. I believe that this is a great tool for individuals who are always on the go, but are still eager to learn.

Prezi

            Unlike PowerPoint, Prezi is an online website that organizes and views presentation. It has different designs and options that can improve presentations visually. It creates a new way and perspective on presenting. Professors, students, and business owners can use Prezi to give meaningful and impressive presentations. Instead of presenting a topic slide by slide, like a PowerPoint, Prezi uses a single space that can be explored in many ways. It becomes visually appealing to the audience and story-telling can be conveyed nicely.

The product has many unique features that individuals can use to create a master piece. For example, it has an overview, smart structures, zoom reveal, and free movement. Overview helps a presenter see an overall idea or picture of the presentation. Smart structures make it easy to organize and arrange texts, lay-outs, and pictures without confusing the creator. Zoom reveal can focus in and unveils crucial details in the presentation, Lastly, it is easier to navigate through the presentation without having to go slide by slide, like a PowerPoint.

However, the only negative aspect of Prezi will be its monthly fee. An individual can start a 14-day free trial of Prezi but must pay after it ends. It is divided into three categories: standard for $5, premium for $15, and plus for $59 a month. A standard fee enables a person to create presentations, control privacy settings, and share links. A premium user has an additional offline access, voice-over, ability to export to PDF and upload videos. While the plus access enables its user to do programs such as advance online training, Prezi analytics, and phone support.  

Prezi is a great choice for avid presenters and individuals who love creating majestic presentations. Because of its monthly fee, it may be difficult for students to use Prezi without having to ask their parents. However, it is a wonderful program that will help transform a boring and mundane presentation into a entertaining one.

Google Earth

            Google Earth is a web browser that accesses satellite and aerial imagery, oceans, and other geographic data over the internet to represent the Earth as a three-dimensional globe. Voyager is a new feature of Google Earth that helps individuals tour the world with a touch of a button. It is a collection of map-based stories written by Google Earth partners that is weekly updated. There are many topics to choose from in Voyager such as traveling, nature, culture, history, and education.

In addition, individuals can see different places simply by typing its name on the search bar. It is a great navigational system for travelers and tourists. Locating someone has also been easier with Google Earth. People can send interesting places around the world with others and share it via Google Chrome on a computer. Altitudes and coordinates of different places are also easier to see rather than using an actual map. It can quickly give the latitude and longitude of different places around the world.

As a part of Google Earth, Geo Education was created as additional information on using Google Earth, Maps, Sky, in a classroom. Google Earth is not only used by travelers, but it can also be used in the classroom. Students who have no visual images of places such as Statue of Liberty, Great Wall of China, Pyramid of Giza, Machu Picchu, and the Eiffel Tower can use Google Earth to see it. It is an amazing tool to present historical places to students. Having a visual model can help students become more interested in content subjects such as Social Studies and Science. Enabling them to see these places or pictures will help them connect what they are learning to what they are seeing.