My list for Jane Hart’s Mega-list for 2009 – you could submit your top 10…it’s not too late! (Nov. 15 deadline)
These are roughly in order…
- Firefox – with adblocker for sure. The thing that runs everything else. So many great add-ons and plug-ins available to make it YOUR browser.
- iGoogle – the closest thing I have to a PLE – it brings together so much in one place (gmail, google docs, twitter, news, rss feeds, google alerts, the weather…). It’s always open in the far-left tab, the first thing I check every day.
- Twitter – so simple. So powerful. Huge source of professional development and news from my field (and beyond…but not too far beyond – its greatness for me is in keeping it focused on professional things).
- WordPress – how I make websites these days. also, how I blog. I like how it’s simple enough that I can use it without having advanced (or, any, really..) web developer skills, but complex and robust enough that if I want to learn/try something more advanced, it does it, and there is a huge community of people out there to turn to for help.
- Snagit – easy screenshots that you can annotate. it’s how I explain myself in emails about 10 times a day. i happily pay for this little gem.
- WetPaint Wiki – my free wiki choice of the moment. It’s how I collaborate with peers on projects and make plans. (note, if you’ve got Firefox with adblocker, the ads aren’t there!)
- Doodle – meeting scheduling and online polling. If you need to schedule things with people from different institutions, this is a lifesaver.
- Elluminate – I work remotely, so this tool is a great way to meet/connect/share. Even if I didn’t, so many people are hosting free Elluminate sessions these days, it’s a fantastic way to sit in on sessions with colleagues from all over the world.
- Tweetdeck – a powerful tool for keeping your eye on several topics at once. When I’m more active in Twitter (at conferences, for example), I’ve got Tweetdeck running all the time
- PowerPoint – I always feel sheepish coming to ppt’s defence – it’s so thoroughly despised by so many. But, I use it a LOT (in conjunction with Elluminate, especially). It’s just so easy and I like all the visual options for presenting information.