During the summer, I started to try the many new technologies and tools seriously as an educator and computer enthusiast.  Many of my preferences or behaviors are remarkably different than in September.  I find that I’m becoming more particular about switching to something new, when what I’m currently using is working so well.  The following is a list in no particular order of the technologies I believe make a difference in my life today:

Google Reader — Any RSS reader would do, but Google Reader is convenient and easy to use.  I would not be surprised to see more customization of the reader interface this year (please!), but having the news and websites come to me makes the first to know things on subjects I care about.  I don’t have to search around to find out what is going on in a niche field.  I still feel strongly about seeing the RSS name dropped and something more user friendly come instead.

Gmail – I started the year using Thunderbird, but customizing a client for several email addresses is a pain and inconvenient.  I can customize Gmail to sort all my mail by email addresses, store and keep all my contacts, and in the last six months, they have made so many nice improvements, that after using everything from Yahoo Mail to Thunderbird to Outlook, Gmail is the expert of keeping email simple and convenient.

DropBox/Live Mesh — Syncing files is a godsend.  I can work on any computer (home, work, laptop), and I know that when I put a file or document into a particular folder, that it will update and replicate across all 3 computers.  I never have to worry about searching through several computers for the most current version of any software.

ITunes — I never install ITunes on a PC computer, but I use it primarily for syncing and managing music on my IPods and it’s genious.  It syncs the most current episodes of podcasts, playlists, music files with ease.  I use it on one computer (Mac Mini) and I cannot see a better solution.  If the DRM restrictions on music purchased though the ITunes Store are dropped, Apple will rule the world.

Firefox with add-ons – I used IE exclusively before this summer, and never got the idea behind add-ons.  But as you use more online services and tools, you begin to see how add-ons make completing tasks simpler.  I would say having my bookmarks synced through Delicious makes it even easier (more next).

Delicious -- Tagging bookmarks makes all my favorite websites always and easily on hand on any computer I use.  Delicious can be problematic when you tag with too much detail or forget your tag names.  I will have to do some sorting of all my master tags and bookmarks and get back on all those future ref tags.

Moodle — I’ve been building online courses using Moodle this semester, and I’m convinced that it is the most powerful, convenient tool for creating online classes.  It has great potential in the hands of a capable teacher, learning can be made lots of fun and more interactive.  I’m sold on its benefits and plan to use it to death in the coming year.

WordPress — I tried many tools to blog (Live Writer and ScribeFire), but in the end, the web interface of WordPress is the best for blogging.  All the features are there, and I can set it up on my own server for personal customization and unlimited space.  I always wanted to blog, but always felt the old tools so inferior and inconvenient.

Hulu/Netflix/Pandora/Lala — Customizable radio stations, sampling albums before purchasing them, watching TV shows without all the commercials when you want, having movies available at all times to watch when you want.  Who can’t love this?

Abandoned: IE, Scribefire, Thunderbird, basic TV and radio, visiting websites myself

In 2009, I plan to continue to use the above with more consideration for the possiblities of: Twitter, IPod Touch with Apps, Drupal (webdesign), designing with Flex, Drop.io.