While I’m not prone to do product reviews, I can’t help but mention intriguing software, especially when it’s free, easy (web-based), and potentially helpful to educators. There are two that caught my eye while attending a DyKnow user group workshop.

The idea of recording short presentations, “how-to” software instructions, or “problem solutions with ink and audio” is not new. What is new (at least to me!) is the ability to quickly and easily do this for free at www.screencast-o-matic.com. For whatever you may think of the name, the service is fascinating:

“Screencast-o-matic is a free online tool which lets you create recordings of your desktop with audio and then upload them to share or export them to Quicktime all from your browser for free!”

I haven’t tried it yet – but the teacher who showed it to us uses it all the time. If you get a chance to try, please post a comment and let us all know what you think!

The other gem is a beta service called Google Co-op (www.google.com/coop). With a Google login, you can create a custom search URL that focuses the search on areas you (and your colleagues who have expertise in your discipline) find to be most relevant. The URL is then available to anyone you choose (even without a Google login), and can be referenced in your own webpages.

I think this could be a lot of fun and VERY useful. Imagine a “community of practice” (all of us?) developing focused search criteria that we can use to build a very focused (and much more useful) Google search. I’ve given it a try, if you want to check it out:

http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=012628080825146186684%3Awglzpy8b1do is a custom websearch that focuses on the webpages that have been created by HP Technology for Teaching grant recipients. If you’d like to help me “build out” the list of URLs it includes in the search, go ahead and sign up to collaborate with me!