My top ten tools (2020)

Not sure on the last time I voted in the annual https://www.toptools4learning.com/ vote but I suspect my list this year has probably changed a bit from previous ones:

• Google Search – Starting point for virtually any kind of learning. Increasingly the only search and retrieval tool used.
• Podcast Addict – My personal podcast app of choice. Simple UI, good management of episodes, easy to download, delete, etc. Podcasts are one my main media sources now for entertainment, work related topics and more.
• YouTube – Along with podcasts, a major media source, both for entertainment and formal/informal learning.
• WordPress – Longer form personal reflection and record keeping.
• Twitter – Shorter form reflections and serendipitous discovery.
• Microsoft Teams – Used a lot in the past couple of years (although less currently), has quickly become essential for remote working and learning.
• Moodle – Used in a couple of different contexts this year as a hub for learning where an LMS model still makes sense.
• Articulate Rise – Have been using this again after a bit of a break. Can be frustrating but then you compare it to some old “eLearning” and you realise things have moved on (a bit).
• LinkedIn – Connections, communication and serendipitous discovery.
• Zoom – Probably the tool of 2020 in terms of increased use, replacing the omnipresence of Webex (plus Adobe Connect and some others) and making synchronous sessions easy for many.