BookPushinTechie

Photography fun (iPad and laptop)

2010-10-08T16:24:00.008-04:00

> Photography fun (iPad and laptop)

We all learn in different ways, therefore we need different types of apps to feel comfortable learning an application. Multiple intelligences come into play when we are trying to find and app that works for us.

Gardner defined eight basic multiple intelligences: Verbal/linguistic, Logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, rhythmic/musical, bodily/kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and naturalist.

iPad apps

1. PC Express – an online version of Photoshop done by Adobe. It has a surprising amount of power.

2. Talking Tom -- send talking emails to friends

3. Flickr (both iPad & laptop http://www.flickr.com/

4. Flickr: The Library of Congress' Photostream (laptop)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/

iLearn technology is an edublog that helps integrate technology into the classroom. http://ilearntechnology.com/?s=library+of+Congress&x=0&y=0

5. Comic strip app- many hours of fun designing comic art.

6. Kartoonize Studio app Apply a variety of styles and r/g/b color intensity shifts to a photograph.

7. Image Stylize app (lots of great effects to manipulate pictures)( Variety of effects: twirl, ripple, water, sphere, pinch, emboss, tine, posterize, solarize, negative, kaleidoscope, et

Laptop/desktop applications

1a. Acorn, the image editor for humans. How to do with simple to use tools for the average user. It also comes at a price of $49.00. (laptop)

http://flyingmeat.com/acorn/

Everyone needs to edit images at some point, but not everyone has the time to learn super pricey wizbang image editing programs. This is why we created Acorn. Add text and shapes to your digital pictures. Combine images together to create your own. Work with layers to touch up your favorites or make something new from scratch. Do all this and more with Acorn.
Straightforward, convenient, and easy.
All of the tools condense into one easy to use palette to keep your screen uncluttered and inviting. Easily move the palette around if it gets in your way, or press the tab key to make it hide.

Layers
Use layers and blending modes to make the most of photo editing by allowing easy placement of text and other objects without destroying the picture underneath. Layers allow you to try things out, and change your mind later on.

Tutorials and Documentation
Acorn comes with online documentation and tutorials, so you don't have to learn by yourself.

2a. Fotobabble http://www.fotobabble.com/ (setup account) (laptop)

“Its the easiest way to add voice to photos. Its free - just upload a photo, record your voice and share!

3a. Flickr (both iPad & laptop http://www.flickr.com/

4a. Flickr Photo Map (iPad/iPhone) people place their photos on world map for you to explore)

5a. Comic Master graphic novel creator (great way to create graphic novels or posters) http://www.comicmaster.org.uk/

Reading in a digital world

2010-10-08T16:07:00.009-04:00

Evernote

https://www.evernote.com/

Access anywhere. Evernote works with nearly every computer, phone and mobile device out there. Evernote makes it easy to remember things big and small from your notable life using your computer, phone, and the web. Get started today with a free account.

1. Capture anything-text, audio, video, screen shot, web page, etc.

2. Organize it, tag it, organize into notebooks, and have it searchable.

3. Search by keywords, titles, tags, and handwritten text.

ISSUU: you publish (Allows you to easily put your files onto the web for retrievals later)

http://issuu.com/#whatIsIssuu

This is a way to put your publications on the cloud digitally to be retrieved from any computer.

And example on a website: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/09/eight-good-resources-for-space-science.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29

Take Control - ePubs for technological assistance and knowledge www.tidbits.com

MacLife magazine now has an app for the iPad (iTunes)

Zinio www.zinio.com Zinio transforms your favorite print magazines into digital format.

Same content . Same design. Delivered over the Internet. Straight to your desktop.

This app also saves paper clutter around the home or office.

Interactive books for the iPad (Alice in Wonderland)

Goodreads www.goodreads.com

This is a good place to keep track of what you have read and share the good reads with friends. You can also take advantage of various interest groups that are formed. Authors are also available for chats periodically.

The future of the book [video] - Holy Kaw!

http://holykaw.alltop.com/the-future-of-the-book-video

The Future of the Book. from IDEO on Vimeo.

Sources for free eBooks

Biblomania http://www.bibliomania.com/0/0/frameset.html

Book Gluton http://www.bookglutton.com/

Children’s ebook libraries http://drscavanaugh.org/ebooks/libraries/childrens_collections.htm

Digital ebooks http://www.digitalbookindex.com/_search/search011t-rev.asp

Ebooks & text archive http://www.archive.org/details/texts

eBooks directory http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/

Fictionwise ebooks http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/freeBooks.htm?cache

Freebooks http://www.free-ebooks.net/

Google books http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/

Just free books http://www.justfreebooks.info/

iTunesU http://www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/whats-on.html#itb-topten

Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Searchebooks http://www.searchebooks.com/

Shakespeare Opensource http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/

TED: Ideas worth spreading http://www.ted.com/

Wikibooks http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page

Univ of Penn online books http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/

US Government books http://www.america.gov/publications/books.html

Schooling for the 21st Century: Unleashing Student Passion

2010-04-17T18:58:00.003-04:00

This is a terrific slide show demonstrating the differences in learning styles over the past few decades while it stresses the important qualities needed in today's world.

Schooling for the 21st Century: Unleashing Student Passion

View more presentations from snbeach.

What is a Web Browser

2010-04-13T09:42:00.001-04:00

This is a simple introduction that explains what a browser is in simple terms.

What is a Web Browser

View more presentations from Priyanka Dalal.

Winter Olympics 2010 Theme Song

2010-02-12T19:19:00.002-05:00

Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 Theme Song - "Winter Games" - song by Stylus Mirek Rosh

This song is available to anyone or any institution wishes to use it to promote the 2010 Winter Games. I have written this song out of love of the games and patriotic goose bumps after announcement awarding 2010 Games to Vancouver. Thanks for viewing.

Email: stylus@popstar.com
#155-1027 Davie St., Vancouver, BC V6E 4L2

Lyrics:
Welcome to Winter Game

Welcome to our land where our hearts beat to the drums of native bands.
Mountains high, endless Sea in this glorious place well share; both you and me.

Greetings to the best on earth! Thanks for making our dreams come true.
Wishing you the best of luck! Were here to cheer for you.
Though youve come from far way were hoping youll feel at home
Wish to see you many times under skies of our dome

Welcome to Winter Games set by Peace and beauty of Olympic flames.
Give it all; your heart and mind. Make this quest a glorious time in our mankind.

Vancouver 2010 - The Olympic Winter Games Spot Universal (Sports)

2010-02-12T19:15:00.001-05:00

Olympic Mascots

2010-02-12T19:06:00.002-05:00

Miga the Sea Bear : Miga is a snowboarding sea bear inspired by the legends of the Pacific Northwest First Nations tales of orca whales that transform into bears when they arrive on land. Part Spi...
Miga the Sea Bear : Miga is a snowboarding sea bear inspired by the legends of the Pacific Northwest First Nations tales of orca whales that transform into bears when they arrive on land. Part Spirit Bear, a rare white bear unique to BC, Miga's outgoing spirit and high energy draw her to action and adventure.

Quatchi the Sasquatch : Quatchi, a shy and gentle giant, is a sasquatch; a popular figure in local native legends of the Pacific West Coast. The sasquatch reminds us of the mystery and wonder that exists in the natural world. Although Quatchi loves all winter sports, he's especially fond of hockey and dreams of becoming a world-famous goalie.

Sumi the Thunderbird : Sumi is an animal spirit who wears the hat of the orca whale, flies with the wings of the mighty thunderbird and runs on the furry legs of the black bear. With a name that is derived from the Salish word sumesh meaning guardian spirit, Sumi is passionate about the environment and is a fan of all Paralympic sports.

Mukmuk the Marmot : Mukmuk is a small and friendly Vancouver Island marmot who always supports and cheers loudly for his friends during games and races. Mukmuk, the mascot sidekick, is considered an honourary member of the team and enjoys surprising his friends by popping up on occasion to share in the spirit and fun of the Games. Mukmuk gets his name from the word muckamuck, Chinook jargon for food, because he loves to eat when he's not playing with his mascot friends." by fiercefunky March 12, 2009

Google Street View gets Olympic Fever

2010-02-12T18:49:00.003-05:00

Google team specially equipped a snowmobile to provide viewers with dynamic 360-degree horizontal by 290-degree vertical panoramic views of the Olympic venue.

Google introduces Google Buzz (buzz.google.com)

2010-02-10T20:59:00.005-05:00

"Google Buzz is a new way to start conversations about the things you find interesting. It's built right into Gmail, so you don't have to peck out an entirely new set of friends from scratch — it just works. If you think about it, there's always been a big social network underlying Gmail. Buzz brings this network to the surface by automatically setting you up to follow the people you email and chat with the most. We focused on building an easy-to-use sharing experience that richly integrates photos, videos and links, and makes it easy to share publicly or privately (so you don't have to use different tools to share with different audiences). Plus, Buzz integrates tightly with your existing Gmail inbox, so you're sure to see the stuff that matters most as it happens in real time."

Buzz goes mobile
"On your phone, Google Buzz is much more than just a small screen version of the desktop experience. Mobile devices add an important component to sharing: location. Posts tagged with geographical information have an extra dimension of context — the answer to the question "where were you when you shared this?" can communicate so much. And when viewed in aggregate, the posts about a particular location can paint an extremely rich picture of that place. Check out the Mobile Blog for more info about all of the ways to use Buzz on your phone, from a new mobile web app to a Buzz layer in Google Maps for mobile."

100 Best Learning tools for 2009

2010-01-15T12:17:00.004-05:00

Now that technology has become some prevalent, teachers need to stay abreast of what works in other classrooms. This slideshare presentation will bring the most popular tool to the forefront.

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009

View more documents from Jane Hart.

Free Photoshop Alternatives for Editing Images

2009-12-17T20:05:00.001-05:00

Check this out!!!!
Three websites for 25+ Photoshop alternatives

==================================================================

11 Free Adobe Photoshop Alternatives (Softwares) | Tools
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/11-free-alternatives-softwares-to-adobe-photoshop/

Photoshop Alternatives: Another 14 Free Image Manipulation Tools | Tools
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/photoshop-alternatives-another-14-free-image-manipulation-tools/

One more site to check out for Mac based (non free) Image editors
Top 5 Alternatives to Photoshop For Mac Users | Psdtuts+
http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/top-5-alternatives-to-photoshop-for-mac-users/

Photo Tampering Throughout History

2009-09-11T20:45:00.005-04:00

Photo Tampering Throughout History
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/

We all know by this time that any photo can be doctored if someone tries hard enough. Hany Farid has created a thorough documentary of altered photographs throughout history.
You can check out his resume here: http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/bio.html
His career ranges "from working with federal law enforcement agencies on digital forensics, to the digital reconstruction of Ancient Egyptian tombs, Hany works and plays with digital media at the crossroads of computer science, engineering, mathematics, optics, and psychology."
He introduces the research with the following paragraph: "

Photography lost its innocence many years ago. In as early as the 1860s, photographs were already being manipulated, only a few decades after Niepce created the first photograph in 1814. With the advent of high-resolution digital cameras, powerful personal computers and sophisticated photo-editing software, the manipulation of digital images is becoming more common. Here, I have collected some examples of tampering throughout history.

To help contend with the implications of this tampering, we have developed a series of tools for detecting traces of tampering in digital images (contact me at Ma'at Consulting for more information about our services)"

Check out the photographs we always took for granted from Lincoln to Sarah Palin and beyond.

Browsers are changing

2009-09-10T22:21:00.003-04:00

Today’s web is changing fast to keep up with the times. The new browsers are using dynamically relevant search techniques to provide a more intuitive search results. They are also using images besides text to provide these results.

Microsoft has entered the search engine arena.
Bing.com http://www.bing.com/ searches images, videos, shopping, news, maps, travels, health, and much more. The front page provides a tour of the various features. David Pogue’s article inbox NYT 7/9/2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/technology/personaltech/09pogue.html?_r=1

Twoogle http://twoogle.browsys.com/
Search twitter, Google others simultaneously. The search engine provides entry to many different services immediately. Examples would be: news/blogs, images, Bing, eHow, YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, and others.

Search me www.searchme.com (gone offline) There is a very good video on what a search engine should provide to its users.

Image search engines
Spezify http://www.spezify.com/ The website states; “Spezify is a search tool presenting results from a large number of websites in different visual ways.” It is a search mashup web visualization that tries to provide a more intuitive experience showing your online presence.

Imprezzeo www.Imprezzeo.com http://www.imprezzeo.com/demos
His search uses a new concept of using images to find other images. Their website states: “Imprezzeo is an image-based search technology company. Our technology allows users to search for images using other images as examples rather than textual search terms. Those images might be scenes, landmarks, objects, graphics, people, or even personalities. Irrespective of the size of the collection, Imprezzeo Image Search helps you find the right image, fast.”

Specialized browsers

Literature infloox http://www.infloox.com/hiaw This is the website where you will get to see the books of influential people. They state: “But that's not all! You can also search this website, to find the favorite readings of entire countries, regions, job types, cultural movements or groups in general. Do this through our "collective search " feature!”

Real-time Collecta is not like other search engines. http://collecta.com/
Their site states: “Collecta is not like other search engines. The web is alive with real-time information. So why search a stale archive? Collecta monitors the update streams of news sites, popular blogs and social media, so we can show you results as they happen.

Surf Canyon http://www.surfcanyon.com/ Improves your search on Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and Craigslist. It helps you find information buried deep down in a site. It also personalizes your search making it more relevant as it reflects your actions and choices, dynamically updating your results page. .

Semantics Twine www.twine.com Is a smart way to track, find, organize, and share what interests you with other people with the same interests and concerns.

The Deep web browser http://www.deeperweb.com/ powered by Google (Firefox plugin and tutorial can search with specific time parameters)

Other engines based on the deep web.
Business www.Biznar.com – re-searches for businesses
Science www.ScienceResearch.com – a science research engine, with multiple advanced options, and personalized options for customized research
Medicine www.Mednar.com – medical research engine
Science & Technology www.Scitopia.org – a science, technology, and engineering search engine for researchers, focusing on scholarly documents

Online Free Storage, Sharing, and syncing in today’s technology worldhttp://drop.io/

2009-09-10T22:15:00.002-04:00

Today’s activities mean that we are frequently not at our main computer when we need it. Everyone from teachers, students, and business people need to have a way to share or store files for easy access at sometime in the future.
Luckily the web 2.0 computer tools have bequeathed us with several sites that allow us to store or transfer files for free or a nominal.

Web and computer only
Drop.io http://drop.io/ “Simple real-time sharing, collaboration, and presentation.
Use drop.io to privately share your files and collaborate in real time by web, email, phone, mobile, and more. Create each drop in two clicks and share what you want, how you want, with whom you want.” There is a tutorial video on the main page. Users are allowed 100MB free per drop. Upgrading is necessary for larger files.

Tools that store and sync computers, the web (Cloud), and iPhone/Touch
SimplyBox http://simplybox.com is a very visual free service that works with your computer and syncs with the web and iPhone so that you can access it from anywhere. It allows you to capture, organize, and share what you find on the web. With it you can collaborate with others sharing what you find on the web with the establishment of shared, paired, and public boxes. A standalone app is also available for downloading and installation on as many computers as needed.

Mobile Me ww.me.com $99/yr $69/yr@Amazon is a well known Apple app that facilitates mac users keeping their life coordinated. It is very easy to move files and data around with the iDisk sync w/Mobile Me on iPhone

Box net www.box.net (also available for iPhone) Their web page states: “Sharing and collaboration are at the heart of the Box experience. As you exchange content with more and more people, the ability to effectively monitor the activity in collaboration folders takes on greater importance. That’s why we rolled out a new set of advanced email preferences - we wanted to give customers more flexibility in getting the notifications they want, when they want them. Of particular note is a new setting that lets you receive notifications in one “daily digest,” making it even more streamlined.” There are quite a few features that teachers and businesses will appreciate.

Drop Box www.dropbox.com (also available for iPhone) is a free online storage service that keeps your data in the cloud for access whenever and wherever you have internet access. Their website states: “Dropbox works just like any other folder on your computer, but with a few differences it is a cross-platform client (Windows, Mac and Linux) that enables users to drop any file into a Dropbox folder that is then synced to the web and the users' other computers with the Dropbox client. Files in the Dropbox folder may then be shared with other Dropbox users or accessed from the web. Users may also upload files manually through a web browser. A free Dropbox account offers 2 GB of storage. Users may upgrade to 50 GB by paying a monthly or yearly fee. The total amount of storage space of both the free and fee-based accounts may be increased by an extra 3 GB for free accounts and 6 GB for fee-based accounts by referring others to the service.”

Sugar Sync www.sugarsync.com (available for iPhone, Blackberry, WinMo, and Android)
All your files can be accessed on the go, instantly and securely from any Mac, PC or mobile device. After your initial 30 day trial ends, plans start as low as $4.99 a month.

Thanks for trying the Visual Thesaurus : Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus

2009-05-11T13:53:00.001-04:00

Thanks for trying the Visual Thesaurus : Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus

As you've just seen, the Visual Thesaurus is an interactive dictionary and thesaurus that allows you to discover the connections between words in a visually captivating display.
Why should I subscribe to the Visual Thesaurus?
It works like your brain. Unlike a paper-bound book, the VT is fluid and dynamic, like the way you think. Word maps blossom with meaning, helping you find just the right word. You'll write more descriptively and precisely, discover new ideas, and expand your vocabulary.
Join a community of word lovers. A subscription to the Visual Thesaurus is your ticket to an online community of thousands of creative people who are passionate about words and language.
Learn about language and the creative process from our online magazine. Members of the VT community can enjoy our online magazine, updated daily with fresh content. Informative features explore everything from how writers find inspiration to how words and phrases become part of our lexicon. Hear from experts in fields ranging from teaching to copywriting, and learn how to make language work for you.
Keep track of words that inspire you with word lists. Build your own customized word lists on any theme of your choosing. You can explore other people's lists, leave comments, and rate them.
tags: words, visual, mapping, thesaurus

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Modern History in the Movies

2009-04-27T19:45:00.001-04:00

Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Modern History in the Movies

list of movies. The Internet Modern History Sourcebook now contains thousands of sources and the previous index pages were so large that they were crashing many browsers.
The Internet Modern History Sourcebook is one of series of history primary sourcebooks. It is intended to serve the needs of teachers and students in college survey courses in modern European history and American history, as well as in modern Western Civilization and World Cultures. Although this part of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project began as a way to access texts that were already available on the Internet, it now contains hundreds of texts made available locally.
The great diversity of available sources for use in modern history classes requires that selections be made with great care - since virtually unlimited material is available.
tags: history, Movies,

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

National Archives Experience

2009-04-27T19:39:00.001-04:00

National Archives Experience

Collection of more than 10 billion records in the National Archives. You can build your own online collection, keep track of what you have viewed, take a pathways challenge, search by tags, create your own movie or poster, and much more. It is very helpful when you need primary sources.

tags: research, reference, history, archives, archive, documents, cool, Resources

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Free Technology Resource

2009-04-19T17:28:00.002-04:00

Free Technology for Teachers

A review of free technology resources and how teachers can use them. Ideas for technology integration in education.
The author of this blog presents some great tools and resources for the classroom teacher who is interested in utilizing new technology.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

History of the Internet (YouTube)

2009-04-19T16:45:00.003-04:00

"History of the internet" is an animated documentary explaining the inventions from time-sharing to filesharing, from Arpanet to Internet.
The history is told using the PICOL icons on picol.org , which are available for download soon. On blog.picol.org you can get news about this project.

Voice-over by Steve Taylor http://voice-pool.com
You can get more information on this movie on my website
http://www.lonja.de/motion/mo_history...
or on the PICOL-Project site where you can download a pre-release of the icons.
http://blog.picol.org/

If you are interested in more Internet history you can also read/watch:
- ISOC: History of the internet: http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_...
- Geschichte des Internet (german & link to Amazon): http://tinyurl.com/4kzlwq
- Computer Networks: The Heralds Of Resource Sharing http://tinyurl.com/apocod

Credits for subtitles:
(The correctness of the subtiles depends on the people listed down here)
English: Stefan Badragan | youtube.com/StevXtreme
Italian: Stefan Badragan
German: me
Turkish: Zeynep Can
French: Arnaud 'dehy' DE MOUHY
Bulgarian: Andrian Georgiev
Chinese: Terry Lee
Portuguese (Brazilian): Guilherme Euler
Spanish: Mauricio Diaz Orlich
Polish: Agnieszka Marciniak
Greek: Pantelis Bouboulis

Also thanks to: Frederico Goncalves Guimaraes

GoView™ Beta : Home

2009-04-07T09:25:00.001-04:00

GoView™ Beta : Home

"Capture your screen and audio with GoView, then instantly share your recording online. It's quick, easy and free."

tags: screencast, tools, screencapture, screencasting, goview, multimedia, web2.0, screencasts

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

50 Unusually Awesome Icon Sets for Mac « AppStorm

2009-04-07T09:05:00.001-04:00

50 Unusually Awesome Icon Sets for Mac « AppStorm

A collections of 50+ icons for the Mac platform. Thanks to Dave Marra from Apple for alerting us of this site.

tags: icons, mac, icon, download, osx, apple, graphics, web2.0

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

New Media demands new literacy

2009-03-31T10:37:00.002-04:00

http://inanimatealice.com/education/index.html

This graphical interactive novel will definitely connect with today's students.
Check it out.

“'Inanimate Alice' has proven to be popular across a broad range of ages as well as with a broad range of viewers, including both book-lovers and gamers. Because the level of interactivity starts out low in episode one, increasing with each subsequent episode in order to reflect Alice's own growing abilities, we've found that we can take an audience unfamiliar with multimedia fiction with us. Educators like 'Inanimate Alice' because of this; students from primary to post-graduate level find the work engaging.
Today educators face a quandary. On the one hand there are anxieties about the reliability of internet sites and concerns regarding how to educate students to make informed online decisions. On the other hand there are, for example, government initiatives like the National Curriculum in England and Media Literacy outcomes in Canada which emphasise the important role technological skills play in all sorts of learning environments. But how can teachers successfully integrate new media literacies into the classroom?

'Inanimate Alice' is easily assimilated into learning environments; its use of multimodality (images, sounds, text, interaction) enables students to see storytelling in a new, multi-sensory light. 'Inanimate Alice' is a new media fiction that allows students to develop multiple literacies (literary, cinematic, artistic, etc.) in combination with the highly collaborative and participatory nature of the online environment.”

There is a downloadable Education Pack (.pdf) is available free of charge to teachers and educators wherever you are. http://inanimatealice.com/education/iteachregistration.html

Check out this technology device used to develop storytelling:
iStori.es - http://www.istori.es/ "the authoring tool for teachers, primary and secondary school students, university undergrads and, in fact, just about everyone.
If your students relate to Alice they are going to love working with iStori.es.
iStori.es is a supremely easy-to-use story-telling device that requires no manual. All of the instructions necessary to create dynamic output are available from the on-screen wizard. Load up some pictures, add text, music and sound effects and BOOM! you have your own interactive story in minutes."

PicLits.com - Create a PicLit

2009-02-08T17:08:00.001-05:00

PicLits.com - Create a PicLit

Great tool for posters and creative writing

tags: poetry, writing, literacy, piclit, tools, education, piclits.com, literature

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Glogster - Interactive poster

2009-02-08T10:37:00.003-05:00

If you haven’t seen www.glogster.com/edu , you must take time to enhance your classroom toolbox. Glogster is an interactive on-line poster maker that will bring creativity and enthusiasm to the forefront in the classroom and for homework projects. Students can combine pictures, graphics, text,and audio/video to create an on-line interactive poster. When completed the glog can be hosted on the Glogster site or embeded into a blog, wiki, personal website, or facebook page.
There is almost endless possibilities for curricula adaptations. Once the students start realizing the audio/video connectivity, they can start to create full scale multimedia projects that could include podcasts and other presentations.
Check out this YouTube video about Glogster.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40zmLiFqjG8&feature=channel_page
Facebook application
http://www.glogster.com/news/16-12-08-facebook-application

Acronyms can be fun and frustrating when you don't know them...

2009-01-14T19:15:00.000-05:00

Acronym Interaction, Expansion and Extrapolation Engine
by Lore Sjöberg

Tired of practicing your blank stares for when someone says they need a TCP/IP-based LAN set up and a USB-to-SCSI adapter ASAP? Do you wish you could throw around acronyms with that same casual attitude that pisses you off so much? Here's your chance. With this tool, you can enter any combination of letters you like (from 2 to 6) and we'll expand them into a handy, technical-sounding, completely made-up phrase that borders on the plausible.

So invent your own. Go to: http://www.brunching.com/acronymer.html

Print 3D Buildings from Google Earth

2009-01-14T19:07:00.001-05:00

SketchUp and 3D Printing the Disney Concert Hall - Sweet Onion Creations

Another company has come out with a solution for making 3D prints from Google Earth. This time the solution is actually based on SketchUp 3D models. The company is called Sweet Onion Creations, and they describe how to click on a 3D model seen in Google Earth (or any found in the Google 3D Warehouse) and using their "3D printing" service get back an actual physical model. Here's a video they've made showing how it works:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLiReajlXrg

Slideshare now has keynote plug-in

2009-01-14T18:58:00.002-05:00

Slide share is a great way for online educators to share powerpoint and keynote programs with both student and parents.
This is a video that explains the basics:

Upload Keynote to SlideShare

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: keynote slideshare)

Sumo Paint can stand up to higher end programs and it's FREE

2008-11-07T21:19:00.003-05:00

Sumo Paint http://www.sumo.fi/platform/

Professional and easy to use tools for creating and editing images within a browser.
Over 27 tools similar to Photo Elements and Photoshop.

Use geography to send a greeting

2008-11-07T21:02:00.004-05:00

http://www.geogreeting.com/main.html
The surface of the earth holds a message for you. You just need to look a little closer... Investigating the Earth from the sky will find some surprising tools for classroom teachers. This is a great way to develop geographical skills.

Add some excitement to your life--Blabberize

2008-11-07T20:48:00.004-05:00

http://blabberize.com/view?id=50944
Sometimes it is attention catching to add something a little unusual. This web app will allow you to easily create a talking picture that you can use personally or professionally. It is quite creative and fun to use.
Here are some examples:
Mountain Lion Cub http://blabberize.com/view?id=52036
Shawn Johnson http://blabberize.com/view?id=52437
Share Web 2.0 Tools http://blabberize.com/view?id=52345
Happy Halloween http://blabberize.com/view?id=52152
Thanksgiving http://blabberize.com/view?id=17574
Santa http://blabberize.com/view?id=20054

What will the future bring to us??????

2008-08-03T21:45:00.007-04:00

Google Earth Interface
Perceptive Pixel, Inc. was founded by Jeff Han in 2006
as a spinoff of the NYU Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
to develop and market the most advanced multi-touch system in the world.

Click here to see video

Social networking in the 21st Century

2008-07-11T22:59:00.004-04:00

Social Networking and communication.
Times are changing rapidly with today’s technologies. It used to be if you wanted to talk to a friend or colleague that you picked up a phone. Then the later part of the 20th Century brought bulletinboard, listserves, instant messaging, and chatrooms into focus. Today the tools for the 21st Century have provided a wealth of tools to connect, collaborate, and share information and experiences with others.

Some of those 21st Century tools are:
Bookmarks (Del.ici.o.us )
SMS Messaging
Chats (audio & video) – iChat Av, Skype, Voice thread, various web-based apps
Video Streaming
Blogging
Podcasting
Nings
Digg -- Stumbleupon -- Technorati
Tagging, Folksonomies

What are some of these tools?
Digg http://digg.com/about
Digg is a place for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the web. From the biggest online destinations to the most obscure blog, Digg surfaces the best stuff as voted on by our users. You won’t find editors at Digg— they are set up to provide a place where people can collectively determine the value of content, and we’re changing the way people consume information online.

Stumbleupon http://www.stumbleupon.com/ Channel surf the internet with the StumbleUpon toolbar to find great websites, videos, photos, and more. StumbleUpon learns what you like and brings you more.

Technorati http://technorati.com/
Technorati is an Internet search engine for searching blogs, competing with Google and Yahoo. As of June 2008, Technorati indexes 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media. [1] The name Technorati is a portmanteau, pointing to the technological version of literati or intellectuals.

Tag (metadata), a keyword or term associated with or assigned to a piece of information. (Wikipedia)
Tagging- The idea of “tagging” content is suddenly everywhere. With Flickr and del.icio.us and Technorati embracing the concept of tags, suddenly it’s getting some broad acceptance.

Folksonomy (2004)- Folksonomy (also known as collaborative tagging, social classification, social indexing, and social tagging) is the practice and method of collaboratively creating and managing tags to annotate and categorize content. In contrast, to traditional subject indexing, metadata is generated not only by experts but also by creators and consumers of the content. Usually, freely chosen keywords are used instead of a controlled vocabulary. [1] Folksonomy is a portmanteau of the words folk and taxonomy, hence, a folksonomy is a user generated taxonomy. Two widely cited examples of websites using folksonomic tagging are Flickr and del.icio.us.
The term folksonomy is generally attributed to Thomas Vander Wal. [5] It is a portmanteau of the words folk (or folks) and taxonomy that specifically refers to subject indexing systems created within Internet communities. (Wikipedia)

Bookmarks – Delicious – makes use of tagging and networking
Using Del.icio.us http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1pOsYjCvE8&feature=related
Networking with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyw_wJr3zwQ
Quick tour: http://del.icio.us/help/firefox/bookmarks/quicktour

Ning
“is an online platform for users to create their own social websites and social networks [1], launched in October 2005? Ning was co-founded by Marc Andreessen and Gina Bianchini. Ning is Andreessen's third startup (after Netscape and Opsware), and gets much of its notability from Andreessen's successes with those companies.” Wikipedia
What is a ning? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVHzeF_zoTc
Ning by an employee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPPtsC1bhSo&feature=related
Ning as a private network http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVhCUp2Tef0&feature=related
Gina Bianchini, the CEO of Ning

How to set up a ning
Part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeArbJ8JxrI&feature=related
Part2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paG7ycKQuk0&feature=related
Part3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLDlHrWq3bU&feature=related

How to set up your BASIC NING in 9 easy steps

1. First start by going to Ning.com and sign up for an account with NING.
Then click on the button that asks you to start your own network.
2. Choose a name your network and choose an address
(most choices can be changed but not the web address).
3. Create and enter a description of your ning’s activities and
upload a logo (if you want).
4. Then choose the features you want to start with for your layout. Don't panic- you can change this at anytime. Just think about how you want your participants to interact: writing stories and commenting in BLOGS, having debates or conversations in FORUMS and etc.
5. Choose your color scheme for your layout pattern.
6. Choose to make it public or private. You will be able to change this choice later.
7. Choose what questions your participants will answer in their profiles.
8. Click Launch! You are now ready to go live!
9. You are now up and running. Everything can be altered and changed by using the MANAGE toolbar at the top. Now why don't you invite your friends to join you?

In summary this is what you need to think about beforehand.
Name:
Address: _______. ning.com click create your network. Go to next step
Next add details:
Tagline
Description:
Keywords: collaboration, macintosh, Apple, MacUser, Web2.0, graphics, multimedia
Decide which features are included and where laid out. Drag and drop into one of three columns.
Click on next when you have decided on format
Next step is to decide on color theme and change the various colors and fonts to taste

Last decide about information about members……public or private
Send out information (can even import address book
Decide what none members see when they come on the page and your automated message
Next stage… decide on questions to ask members (ex. Do you have PS or elements?)
Get a summary of what you decided as a summary

Now launch your site and start connecting with your colleagues and students. A word of caution when working with students. Using first names and/or initials will protect their privacy.

Fun Forever

2008-06-26T13:34:00.003-04:00

http://www.funforever.net/

Just when you think you have no time to spare, it’s time to give yourself a break. This fun website will enthrall you for hours and hours. However, there are lots of great examples for teachers to use in their classrooms to support their curricula.

I find myself checking back on this site when I just want something refreshingly unique.

Here are some favorites:

http://www.funforever.net/archives/custom-mailboxes/

http://www.funforever.net/archives/soap-art/

http://www.funforever.net/archives/money-faces/

Birth of the computer by George Dyson

2008-06-26T13:25:00.004-04:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/278

A historian and philosopher of science, George Dyson takes a clear-eyed and deeply researched view of our recent scientific past -- while showing where it may lead us.

George Dyson tells stories from the birth of the modern computer -- from its 16th-century origins to the hilarious notebooks of some early computer engineers.

Tag Galaxy

2008-06-26T13:14:00.004-04:00

http://taggalaxy.de/

It is Summer and time for some fun. This website will provide tons of visual fun. Enter a tag word that you might find on flickr, say.. Winter. Then sit back and watch as it displays (on a global ball) that tag category and related tags (categories) as satellites to that main tag. Click and drag uour mouse to rotate this globe or later screens.

Be prepared the fun starts now.

However, classroom teachers and librarians can use this tagging concept to help students develop effective search strategies.

Wordle.... a word cloud generator with cool results

2008-06-25T13:23:00.005-04:00

Wordle ( http://wordle.net/ )is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.
Here is one that I created with my del.icio.us bookmarks.

Here is another one created by someone and saved to the gallery on Wordle's homepage.
Title: The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe

This tool will come in useful with many classroom tasks.

Search Creative Commons

2008-05-01T00:04:00.002-04:00

http://search.creativecommons.org/
This site will help you find photos, music, text, books, educational material, and more that is free to share or build upon utilizing Creative Commons enabled search services at Google, Yahoo!, blip.tv, Owl music search, and Flickr. You can also access this tool via the Firefox web browser.
" Why is this important?

Copyright applies fully and automatically to any work -- a photograph, a song, a web page, an article, pretty much any form of expression -- the moment it is created. This means that if you want to copy and re-use a creative work you find online, you usually have to ask the author's permission.

This "all rights reserved" protection is a good thing for many authors and artists. But what about those who want you to use their work freely without permission -- but on certain conditions?

This search service helps you quickly find those authors and the work they have marked as free to use with only "some rights reserved." If you respect the rights they have reserved (which will be clearly marked, as you'll see) then you can use the work without having to contact them and ask. In some cases, you may even find work in the public domain -- that is, free for any use with "no rights reserved." "

Need some relaxation at times...try TV

2008-04-30T23:52:00.003-04:00

Every educator needs some time off to stay fresh.
Many of us are also to busy to watch the tv programs when they are scheduled.
Try Hulu http://www.hulu.com/

This website allows you to watch all kinds of TV shows.

Sit back and relax.

Have fun with comics

2008-04-30T23:43:00.006-04:00

There is always time for comics.
Sometimes they add the humor a teacher needs to get a point across to the class.
Students also like to use them for projects.

This site is easy to use and provides the results quickly

http://www.befunky.com/

Watch the flash introduction and continue to have fun.

Upload a picture and play around with their tools.
You might be surprised with the result.

Then move on to this:
http://www.bitstrips.com/
This produces a quick and easy comic strip.
ANother site to create comic strips.
Toondoo http://www.toondoo.com/

Family Watch Dog - Offenders near you?

2008-04-30T23:38:00.003-04:00

There is a site you should be aware exists:
Family Watch Dog - offenders near YOU!
http://www.familywatchdog.us/

Just enter your zip code and you will find the names and address of convicted sex offenders near you.

Is there a student project that needs handling?

2008-04-30T23:24:00.003-04:00

It seems like there is always a student project that has to be pulled together and produced in some manner. It could even be a yearbook or class field trip. Many teachers want to publish poems and stories written by their students. The variety of needs is outstanding.
Last year when I was at MacWorld I saw a company entitled, Blurb.
www.blurb.com
The company produces books for individuals or groups in softcover or hardcover on beautifully printed clay based paper. I thought it was too good to be true so I set myself down and put together a book and had it published. The process was really pain free and speedy. The result was also very satisfying. If you want to see it, check out my art blog at http://brushcolor.blogspot.com . There is a link to it on the blog.

One of the best factors for classroom teachers is the fact that Blurb will market it for you. For instance, a classroom teacher puts together a book on the poetry of a group of students and has it published. The teacher doesn't have to collect money and hand out books. The parents and grandparents can get a copy or as many copies as they want from Blurb. More importantly Blurb handle all the shipping, etc.

There is another company that also does a similar service. Lulu http://www.lulu.com/

Flock: a search engine for the multi-tasker

2008-04-30T23:14:00.006-04:00

What is Flock and why should you use it?

Flock is basically Firefox with a handful of extensions built in to let you connect with social and media services. You will find it easy to connect to Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, television stations, video streams and others. I think Flock 1.0, which is now in public beta, offers users a memorable browsing experience that brings the best of Firefox to the user with a visually appealing format. For newcomers, Flock offers smooth sailing as users try to manage and monitor blogs and profiles, media uploads, and communications with all your social networks. But most importantly, it also provides basic browsing experiences with a great deal of flexability.
I have been using this browser in about 50% of my browsing in the last few months. I find it very stable and easy to use.

Top Web 2.0 winning applications for 2008

2008-04-30T23:07:00.002-04:00

The 100 top Web apps for 2008

These are the 100 best Web 2.0 applications, chosen by Webware readers and Internet users across the globe. Over 1.9 million votes were cast to select these Webware 100 winners:
http://www.webware.com/html/ww/100/2008/winners.html

It provides guides for: Facebook | Twitter | Flickr | Google RSS | Flock

The winners are divided into:
* Audio & Video
* Browsers & extensions
* Chat & Email
* Commerce
* Content & Publishing
* Developer Tools
* Digital Photography
* Education & Reference
* Games & Entertainment
* Mapping
* Media
* Mobile
* Networking
* Productivity & Business
* Search
* Security & Spyware
* Social Network & groups
* Storage
* Uncategorized
* Utilities & Drivers
* Web Design Tools
* Widgets and desktop enhancements

A seach engine with pizazz....

2008-04-30T22:50:00.002-04:00

Seachme http://beta.searchme.com/Initial.html is a search engine with a lot of visual appeal for the users.The background color is black which in turn frames the search results projecting them into focus.
Almost everyone today is used to the cover flow in iTunes music application.
This search engine displays the search results in a cover flow format for the readers. It allows the searchers to actually see what the page looks like. Visually it allows them to make a judgement on whether to continue further. But more importantly you can search within general categories to narrow the search parameters. There is even a category for libraries.
Check it out and I guarantee you'll spend time browsing. It makes research fun.

Movino: Broadcast LIVE video from your mobile phone

2008-04-30T22:42:00.004-04:00

I personally haven't tried this but it sounds interesting to be able to use open source applications for streaming and broadcasting live video from smartphones (over 3G or WiFi) onto your website.

Or use your phone as a bluetooth webcam in Mac OS X.

Free and Open Source.

Movino consists of:

* A broadcasting application for Symbian S60 phones
* A broadcasting application for camera phones with J2ME support
* A GUI application and a QuickTime component for Mac OS X
* A video server for Linux
* A web interface based on the Drupal CMS

Philosophy
These applications are available as open source (part GPL, part LGPL licensed). They were originally developed as a course project at Åbo Akademi University. Please do not expect them to automagically grow much beyond their current state, as our primary goals are met at this point and we have limited resources to spend. Continue reading »
Flexibility

The components are built with as little inter-dependencies as possible, since one of the project goals was to avoid targeting a single use case, but instead create fairly flexible tools suitable for a wider range of tasks:

* The phone clients can be used directly with a video server without any OS X computer inbetween.
* The video server can be used without web interface, if you just want to archive the video material.
* The phone client can be used with the OS X components without a dedicated linux based video server.

Do you want to broadcast live video from your phone to your website or blog using Movino, but find the idea of setting up a dedicated server troublesome?

Bambuser AB offers this as a service, free of charge. Visit bambuser.com for details.

Making sense of Twitter

2008-04-30T22:26:00.004-04:00

When I first logged on to Twitter I failed to see the point. I was too busy to care who went where and who ate what. I had enough trouble keeping track of myself. Then I realized that the most important thing is not keeping tracking of who is doing what and when but what is going on in your field of endeavor. I then started to follow several people who I felt were knowledgeable in areas that I tried to keep current. In no time at all I found webinars of interest, very cool websites, ustream lectures to name just a few intriguing connections. Immediately my unbelievably crowded desktop expanded to classrooms in Asia, webinars in Kansas, video tutorials, splashups, mashups, and intercontinental free phone calls. You could say there was everything from analog mp3s to wikispaces by the zillions.
Here is an example of one of my finds. This google gadget allows you to send an SMS from your webpage.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open&source=gghp&num=24&url=http://www.telemessage.com/qsms/qsms.xml

Animoto is now for educators!!!!!

2008-04-30T22:19:00.003-04:00

What fun it will now be to teach web2.0 learning video mashups.
Earlier in this blog you can fins an explanation of Animoto.
It ius addictive and very useful when you are feeling creative.

Here is where you can find out about it:
http://biz.animoto.com/education/faq.html

“THE OVERVIEW -

Since launching our site in August, we've heard countless stories about how useful Animoto has been as a tool for educators to use with students. While we never originally thought Animoto would be something that could be used in the classroom, we've been both surprised and inspired by hearing how effective Animoto has been. We feel like this is one area we can do our duty to "give back" a little.

If you are interested, we'd like to give you a "Classroom Code" that'll give each of your students a free All-Access pass (unlimited full-length videos for a whole year) upon signing up with this code. And you can use Animoto with your students however you wish. Keep in mind that videos can be viewed full-screen for classroom presentations.

Students' Animoto videos can now also be downloaded to your desktop--we've heard this is often more conducive for class presentations because you can view videos without being dependent on an internet connection and without the "Distractions" of the website.

The only thing we ask is that you keep us posted with the creative ways you find to use Animoto in the classroom. Our goal is to put together a collection that becomes a hub of sorts for teachers who use web 2.0 technology in a clever, innovative & fun way.”
Check what’s said: http://biz.animoto.com/education/buzz.html

The DigiBarn an example of Creative Commons in Education

2008-04-30T22:12:00.005-04:00

DigiBarn http://www.digibarn.com/
Eric Steuer, June 6th, 2006
The DigiBarn is a computer museum located in a 90-year-old barn in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains. It is also an online repository of Creative Commons-licensed photos, video, audio, and technical documentation that tell the history of personal computing. The DigiBarn’s collections include small and big computers, game systems, software, and schwag.
1976: Apple in the Garage
http://www.digibarn.com/history/06-11-4-VCF9-Apple30/index.html

CC: In what ways does the DigiBarn use Creative Commons licensing?

BD: A key goal of the project was to collect and deliver our shared computing heritage to the public for noncommercial use, hence our choice of the Creative Commons framework. In fact, we were very early adopters, supporting the beta testing phase of CC back in 2002, and the DigiBarn site was featured content at the CC launch.

We provide noncommercial share-alike (with attribution) use of hundreds of thousands of photos, written stories, tech specs, scanned documents, audio interviews and video shorts about the history of computing from the late 1940s to today. From artists using our vintage computer photos to produce cool video mixes to academics writing papers and books, thousands of CC-licensed DigiBarn digital objects have found their way into the culture.

Tips on copyright confusion

2008-04-30T21:57:00.005-04:00

Copyright can be confusing in today’s world where students need to create multimedia projects transforming works of others. Hopefully some of the following sites will help clear up some of the shadow areas.

About Creative Commons
http://creativecommons.org/about/

Creative Commons defines the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright — all rights reserved — and the public domain — no rights reserved. Our licenses help you keep your copyright while inviting certain uses of your work — a “some rights reserved” copyright.

For a quick intro to Creative Commons, check out this short video, entitled "Wanna Work Together?"
http://support.creativecommons.org/videos#wwt
The Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License means
You are free:
* to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work
* to Remix — to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
* Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
* For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page.
* Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.
* Nothing in this license impairs or restricts the author's moral rights.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

A link to a video that effectively uses comics to explain copyright:
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Howitworks_Comic1

The Center for Internet Safety @ Stanford Law School uses
Disney characters explain copyright.
http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/documentary-film-program/film/a-fair-y-use-tale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

Copyright for Document filmmakers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJn_jC4FNDo

A Positive Solution to School Copyright Issues presented at PETE&C Concurrent Session by Dr. Scott Garrigan can be found on J. Dorman site.
http://cliotech.blogspot.com/2008/02/positive-solution-to-school-copyright.html

Using CC search with Firefox
For a quick explanation of how to use this search with Firefox, including how to change your search engine, watch this video.
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Firefox_and_CC_Search

The Connected Classroom (Blog) by Kristin Hokanson posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008
“A Lesson on Reflection: MORE Copyright Confusion...”
http://khokanson.blogspot.com/

Temple University: Media Educational Lab presents:
The Cost of Copyright confusion. http://www.mediaeducationlab.com/pdf/The%20Cost%20of%20Copyright%20Confusion%20%282%29.pdf

Video http://www.mediaeducationlab.com/index.php?page=258

Creative doodling with Jackson Pollock

2008-04-06T20:43:00.003-04:00

This is the those of us who constantly need a pencil or pen to keep our fingers busy.
On the other hand I can think of many ways to use this with some artistic merit.
It is all very nice to play with it on someone's blog. However, you can have alot more fun if you follow the link to the website. There you will be able to refine your masterpeice as well as frame it. But most importantly, you will be able to hang it in a gallery. Have fun, enjoy, and don't waste to much time.
Jackson Pollock by Miltos Manetas, 2003, original flash animation by Michal Migurski

http://www.widgetbox.com/search?q=Pollock
Then when you graduate beyond the basics on this site.......
Try this!

http://ipollock.com

The power of social bookmarking......

2008-03-29T00:28:00.003-04:00

This video was created by commoncraft.com to show the power of social bookmarking and how it makes web pages easy to remember, organize and share.

What is the big deal about blogs?

2008-03-29T00:24:00.002-04:00

Need an explanation? View this video.
http://www.commoncraft.com/show
A video for people who wonder why blogs are such a big deal.

Want to know what Twitter is all about?

2008-03-29T00:16:00.002-04:00

When people ask you to explain Twitter, send them to this video.
http://www.commoncraft.com
A quick and plain English intro the micro-blogging service Twitter.

World Clock: great for statistics & trivia

2008-03-15T16:55:00.005-04:00

The World Clock has an almost unlimited number of uses in any discipline and for anyone. You have to check out the website, and if you are mathematically minded who said you could not integrate technology into your life, here’s the easiest and best place to start, and the tool is user-friendly. You’ll want to bookmark the website, because googling world clock will likely not get you to this one easily.
http://www.poodwaddle.com/worldclock.swf

Conversion tools for educators

2008-03-15T16:49:00.005-04:00

Zamzar http://www.zamzar.com/ is one of my favorites. A great converter, it is fast, free, educationally friendly. It converts almost anything to anything else you want it to be. The list is endless, so for one stop conversions, this is my pick. The other item, like Zamzar, is a converter. ConvertTube will allow you to convert online video like YouTube to more popular formats like wmv, mov, mp4,mp3, 3gp. http://converttube.com/ Having this tool in your teacher toolbox will make it easier to get around those firewalls.

Flashpix Generator

2007-12-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

Want to add a flash picture to your site or myspace page?

Choose a picture, a border and an effect and make your own Flashpix.http://www.profilepitstop.com/myspace_flashpix/

Then the directions are:
What do I do with all this then? - to add this flashy text to your MySpace Page, follow these simple instructions..

Log into your MySpace account. From your home page (click "Home" in the menu) select "Edit Profile"
In the text area where you'd like the flashy text to appear, place the code that you see above you at the moment

Yeah, but how do I do that? - highlight the code with your mouse (it should automatically highlight when you click on it) and then copy (press CTRL+C) the code. Then go to the area in your MySpace profile where you want the text to appear, place your cursor in the text and press paste (CTRL+V).
If you are using Internet Explorer you can click on "Copy Code" to do this automatically (you may get asked to allow the page access to the Windows clipboard)
Save your profile and you're done! Sit back and wait for the compliments on your cool new flashy profile to come pouring in...

What side is your dominant side? right/left

2007-12-02T13:28:00.000-05:00

As I was cruising the web, I found this unique example of something that had me wondering for years.
I have always wondered what side of the brain was dominate for my skill set. Then I found this post on Ryan Bretag’s blog, The Four Eyed Technologist, http://www.bretagdesigns.com/technologist/ .
It is a test to see whether you are right brain or left brain.
1. First, you start by staring at the figure. What way do you immediately see her turning?
2. If your first reaction was clockwise, you are a right-brain thinker. If your first reaction was counter clockwise, you are a left-brain thinker.

dancer

Now that I have looked at it for quite a while, I’m totally confused. For me, the figure turns clockwise for a while and then it changes to a counter clockwise rotation. I guess I’m just lazy. I do what is the easiest.
Let me know what you think………

In checking out this right brain concept further, I found some good information on Funderstanding, http://www.funderstanding.com/right_left_brain.cfm .
This is what they posted about right brain vs. left brain.
Right Brain vs. Left Brain

Definition
This theory of the structure and functions of the mind suggests that the two different sides of the brain control two different "modes" of thinking. It also suggests that each of us prefers one mode over the other.

Discussion
Experimentation has shown that the two different sides, or hemispheres, of the brain are responsible for different manners of thinking. The following table illustrates the differences between left-brain and right-brain thinking:

Left Brain
Logical
Sequential
Rational
Analytical
Objective
Looks at parts

Right Brain
Random
Intuitive
Holistic
Synthesizing
Subjective
Looks at wholes

Most individuals have a distinct preference for one of these styles of thinking. Some, however, are more whole-brained and equally adept at both modes. In general, schools tend to favor left-brain modes of thinking, while downplaying the right-brain ones. Left-brain scholastic subjects focus on logical thinking, analysis, and accuracy. Right-brained subjects, on the other hand, focus on aesthetics, feeling, and creativity.

How Right-Brain vs. Left-Brain Thinking Impacts Learning
Curriculum--In order to be more "whole-brained" in their orientation, schools need to give equal weight to the arts, creativity, and the skills of imagination and synthesis.

Instruction--To foster a more whole-brained scholastic experience, teachers should use instruction techniques that connect with both sides of the brain. They can increase their classroom's right-brain learning activities by incorporating more patterning, metaphors, analogies, role playing, visuals, and movement into their reading, calculation, and analytical activities.

Assessment--For a more accurate whole-brained evaluation of student learning, educators must develop new forms of assessment that honor right-brained talents and skills.

Reading
Bernice McCarthy, The 4-MAT System: Teaching to Learning Styles with Right/Left Mode Techniques.

Animoto.com _ Amazing videos on the fly.

2007-12-01T20:04:00.000-05:00

If you don’t think you are a creative person. Or if you just can’t figure out those pesky details when it comes to technology. Then you are in luck, because this application, Animoto, will create some amazing artistic videos for you with little or no technical knowledge.

The amazing thing about this application is the unique approach it takes to every creation. I used different songs with the same slides to see what would result. I was totally amazed at the uniqueness of each movie. The application analysis each photograph and song so that it can appropriately massages them into a visually appealing movie that can be emailed, downloaded, and embedded into web pages. I can just imagine some of the finished products when you introduce creative people to such an application. I personally wasted (not really) several hours when I should have been doing something else. But, then I think of the enjoyment I got from putting my pictures and music together with some professional help.

Animoto Productions is a bunch of techies and film/tv producers who decided to lock themselves in a room together and nerd out. Their first release is Animoto, a web application that automatically generates professionally produced videos using their own patent-pending Cinematic Artificial Intelligence technology and high-end motion design. Each video is a fully customized orchestration of user-selected images and music. Produced in wide-screen format, Animoto videos have the visual energy of a music video and the emotional impact of a movie trailer. They are a welcome end to slideshows.

The heart of Animoto is its newly developed Cinematic A.I. technology that thinks like an actual director and editor. It analyzes and combines user-selected images and music with the same sophisticated post-production skills & techniques that are used in television and film. The technology takes into account every nuance of a song - the genre, song structure, energy, rhythm, instrumentation, and vocals. Whether it's punk, pop, hip-hop or a classical Mozart piece, every Animoto video is totally customized. Even videos generated with an identical set of images and music will each have a completely distinct set of motion design. No two videos are the same. They can be emailed, downloaded, and embedded in pages on websites including social network sites like Facebook and MySpace.

Animoto is also dedicated to supporting new artists and music. So while users can upload their own music, the guys at Animoto also proudly feature a regularly updated selection of fresh music that they truly dig. No stock music, no cover bands, no elevator music, and no wannabe bands.

Animoto is inspired by the digital camera revolution where taking dozens, even hundreds of pictures at a time gives people the ability to think more like a video producer capturing an entire experience, not just individual moments. As users are discovering the limits of traditional photo services, the guys at Animoto are innovating new ways for people to share their stories and express themselves through media.

While based in New York City, they also have an office in San Francisco, the founders are veterans of the entertainment industry and have produced shows for MTV, Comedy Central, & ABC, studied music in London, and played in indie rock bands. They share a passion for helping people better share their stories and express themselves through online media by innovating technologies in the field of video production.

Don’t linger………. Rush to: http://animoto.com/
Try out one of my creations: http://animoto.com/play/bbd3c52e591fc0e9bf1411c6af1d9cf3

Amaztype

2007-11-25T19:56:00.001-05:00

Amaztype. http://amaztype.tha.jp/

This program is tied into Amazon/books/titles.
When you type in a name or word, the program goes out to find book titles with that name or word in it. You will have many hours of play ahead of you when you start this site.

Feedburner.com

2007-11-16T18:31:00.000-05:00

Feedburner.com www.feedburner.com

Do you need a way to publicize your blog or just make it easy for friends to get updates? Then you must set up a rss feed for ease.

What an easy way to get your information out to others interested in the same things.

Feedburner provides an unstyled view of your feed, complete with any visible modifications introduced by FeedBurner services. (It doesn't include any Browser-Friendly styling because that only works with certain browsers; click your feed address above to try it out.)

Snapshots

2007-11-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

Snapshots http://www.snap.com/snapshots.php

Snapshots elables your viewers to see what the links contains. In a popup window you will see a mini preview of the url.
Add a Snap Shots Badge
By adding a Snap Shots Badge to your site, you let anyone visiting know that there is nothing ordinary about your site.

Blogs - How to basics

2007-11-16T18:21:00.000-05:00

Blogs/Wikis and other unknowns
1. Sign up for Gmail (Blogger/Voki/feedburner based on gmail)
and Yahoo (Flickr) accounts
www.Flickr.com
Choose a name for your blog
You can have several blogs with one gmail account
2. Create blog on www.blogger.com (based upon a gmail account)
http:www.Blogger.com

Business:
http://brushcolor.blogspot.com/
http://tristatereviews.blogspot.com/
Groups or user groups:
http://macspacs.blogspot.com/
http://macbusphilly.blogspot.com/

Personal:
http://bookpushintechie.blogspot.com/

3. Go into customize and choose a template.
4. Add graphic in Blog header (include information about blog)
Size: 144 pixels x 720 pixels
5. Add new page elements to your blog (such as links to other websites)
see example on virtual montage blog
This is the place where you can link to other sites you are interested in or what others to know about.
6. Access gmail account in a different tab and go to get a VOKI
www.voki.com
Copy/past code into the box supplied.
(first choose edit for the author box in upper right)
Check out your new addition to the blog.
7. Next create a new post (You must be signed into your gmail account)
Go to new post (top right corner of screen) or
Go to settings under customize
It is also possible to edit posts once they are published.
8. Add Snapshots to make links have a preview (http://www.snap.com/about/shots.php )
9. Establish an RSS feed for your site. www.feedburner.com (free) link to your site(s)

BookPushinTechie

Photography fun (iPad and laptop)

Reading in a digital world

Schooling for the 21st Century: Unleashing Student Passion

What is a Web Browser

Winter Olympics 2010 Theme Song

Vancouver 2010 - The Olympic Winter Games Spot Universal (Sports)

Olympic Mascots

Google Street View gets Olympic Fever

Google introduces Google Buzz (buzz.google.com)

100 Best Learning tools for 2009

Free Photoshop Alternatives for Editing Images

Photo Tampering Throughout History

Browsers are changing

Online Free Storage, Sharing, and syncing in today’s technology worldhttp://drop.io/

Thanks for trying the Visual Thesaurus : Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus

Why should I subscribe to the Visual Thesaurus?

Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Modern History in the Movies

National Archives Experience

Free Technology Resource

History of the Internet (YouTube)

GoView™ Beta : Home

50 Unusually Awesome Icon Sets for Mac « AppStorm

New Media demands new literacy

PicLits.com - Create a PicLit

Glogster - Interactive poster

Acronyms can be fun and frustrating when you don't know them...

Print 3D Buildings from Google Earth

SketchUp and 3D Printing the Disney Concert Hall - Sweet Onion Creations

Slideshare now has keynote plug-in

Sumo Paint can stand up to higher end programs and it's FREE

Use geography to send a greeting

Add some excitement to your life--Blabberize

What will the future bring to us??????

Social networking in the 21st Century

Fun Forever

Birth of the computer by George Dyson

Tag Galaxy

Wordle.... a word cloud generator with cool results

Search Creative Commons

Need some relaxation at times...try TV

Have fun with comics

Family Watch Dog - Offenders near you?

Is there a student project that needs handling?

Flock: a search engine for the multi-tasker

Top Web 2.0 winning applications for 2008

A seach engine with pizazz....

Movino: Broadcast LIVE video from your mobile phone

Making sense of Twitter

Animoto is now for educators!!!!!

The DigiBarn an example of Creative Commons in Education

Tips on copyright confusion

Creative doodling with Jackson Pollock

The power of social bookmarking......

What is the big deal about blogs?

Want to know what Twitter is all about?

World Clock: great for statistics & trivia

Conversion tools for educators

Flashpix Generator

Want to add a flash picture to your site or myspace page?

Choose a picture, a border and an effect and make your own Flashpix.http://www.profilepitstop.com/myspace_flashpix/

What side is your dominant side? right/left

Animoto.com _ Amazing videos on the fly.

Amaztype

Feedburner.com

Snapshots

Blogs - How to basics