Wunderlist is available for free on Mac and PC as well as a wide range of mobile platforms. It synchronises seamlessly across all of your devices, so lists can be created on your computer and then checked off on your phone. You can also keep track of tasks by setting importance or due dates.

One great feature of Wunderlist is the ability to create a number of different lists, so you can view tasks based on one project or see all of your upcoming tasks in your inbox. As soon as you check off a task it will be greyed out, then later it will disappear from view to keep your lists tidy.

If you love pen and paper you can print off your lists and you can share a list via email for others to contribute to your projects. The developers have also released a more comprehensive shared project management tool called Wunderkit which we’ll explore in a future post.

While some people will still feel that the best list management tool is a pen and paper, we find that being able to set alarms on tasks within Wunderlist helps us stay organised. And you’ll get almost the same feeling of satisfaction clicking that little check box as you do crossing off an item on your handwritten lists.

For a guide to getting started and managing lists, watch our screencast below (Best viewed in full screen 2.42 minutes).

We had a look at this new feature this morning, and recorded a quick screencast of our first impressions. Have a look at the video below to see how it all works. The drag and drop features certainly looks to be a time saver and the automatic referencing is also a handy tool.

At this stage only results from Google search are displayed, but we probably couldn’t expect other search engines to be included, could we? We hold out hope that other search options may be included in future versions. Once again, this may again lead to a discussion with students about the importance of cross checking information and using a range of reliable resources.

Despite this minor quibble, Google research tool certainly looks like a handy way to get started with research and to keep track of any resources accessed.

Have a look at our first impressions below.

Open Library is a project of the non-profit Internet Archive - the folks responsible for the Wayback machine. Open Library is a massive catalogue with an ambition to catalogue every published book. The project is relying on libraries and individuals from around the world to contribute to its catalogue by adding books, fixing mistakes or writing descriptions of a book. Over one thousand libraries have contributed to the project to date.

Where possible, links to free ebooks have been listed, but Open Library account holders can also borrow from a smaller collection of books made available by Internet Archive and its partner libraries. Registering for an account is easy – just fill out the form with your name and email and you’re set to go.

Up to five books can be borrowed for two weeks at a time.

Open Library is a wonderful resource, and I’m excited that it’s got an extensive collection such as the ancient Chinese text ‘The secret of the golden flower‘ translated by Richard Wilhelm.

Thanks to Yen for sharing this useful resource with us. You can look forward to more posts from Yen in the future, as she explores library resources, research skills and information literacy.

Many of our readers tell us that Evernote is the application that has changed the way they work. We’ve posted about it before, but it’s worthwhile touching base again as the developers are constantly adding new functions. The power of Evernote is that it provides a searchable catalogue of your notes which are synchronised across a variety of devices. You can also add voice recordings, handwritten notes and pictures, or clip entire web pages for later.

If you are looking to get started with Evernote feel free to visit the Victorian PLN blog and have a look at the Evernote page, which has some screencasts and tips to get you going.

For those of you who know the basics, a recent article by ReadWriteWeb outlines some of the ways you can make Evernote even more powerful. These tips include how to share notebooks, save web pages or email notes directly to your account. One particularly interesting tip for educators is the ability to disable web syncing on some notebooks so notes are not stored in the cloud. This may be useful if you have sensitive information (such as student data or parent contact details) that you would prefer to only store on your computer. This option is only available when you create a new notebook (see below).

For tips about student use you can read Buffy Hamilton’s great post about using Evernote in the classroom. Remember to share any tips you have in the comments below or on the Bright Ideas Facebook page.

The State Library of Victoria has recently launched the Electronic Book Library (EBL) pilot to the public. The pilot will give the Library an opportunity to assess which books our users want to read.

This means that you will be able to download an ebook to read on your computer or ebook readers. Any downloads will be for paid by the library, thereby adding them to the Library’s collection.

The EBL collection is available to all Victorian registered SLV card holders. Registration with the State Library of Victoria is free and can be completed online. 

Once a book of interest is found, users can browse the book for 5 minutes for free. After that time, the option to download is provided.

Acessing ebooks:

1. From SLV’s homepage go to ‘Research tools‘ (top right corner)

2. Scroll down to eResources and either click from the Library or from home.

3. Select Encyclopaedias & dictionaries & ebooks

4. You will be asked to login with the barcode on your library card.

5. Search away!

You can also read a full guide to getting started with the EBL at the SLV website. 

Linking in with the exhibition Love and Devotion: From Persia and Beyond, we will be offering free online Professional Development sessions through the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s Virtual Conference Centre.

The sessions will look at the stories from the exhibtion and the associated education resource, with a focus on creating digital comics. A discussion of digital storytelling and comics will be linked to the education resource, other State Library of Victoria resources and application beyond the exhibition and its content.

As the session will be delivered online, all you will require is a computer with internet connection and a headset (with a microphone if possible).

The sessions will be held between 4:00pm – 5:00pm on two alternative dates – Wednesday May 9, 2012 or Tuesday May 22, 2012

If you would like to attend or find out more information, please contact openaccess@slv.vic.gov.au or call 8664 7557.

Please note this session is also listed on the VIT Pdi website 

For more details and direct links to the online sessions, visit the Educator’s Guide to Innovation using the links below:

Digital storytelling, comics and ‘Love and Devotion’- May 9th, 2012

Digital storytelling, comics and ‘Love and Devotion’- May 22nd, 2012

Our guest post today comes from Sovereign Hill Education Officer Stephanie Rosestone. The Sovereign Hill team have some great free professional development opportunities and resources for teaching history.

• finds age-appropriate educational content on any topic presented with interactive multimedia interfaces
• generates quiz questions based on student’s research activity and skill level
• supports creation of research journals and concept maps for learning assessment

You can find the original post here. Make sure you also have a look at Bev’s Book Blog, which features news and reflections on literature and books. Thank you Bev for sharing your work with us.