Doodle

I used the program"Doodle" this week.  A colleague needed to schedule a meeting and she sent us a link to view a list of dates and then select the dates and times that would work.  It was easy, fast, and convenient. 

Doodle is free.  You simply create the dates and times, invite your participants, and confirm the date and time.  The participants receive an email, click on the web site link, and fill in the times that work with you schedule.  This makes schedule a meeting between multiple people very easy.

Animoto

My students recently used Animoto to turn still pictures into a video clip. They were able to add their own music to their creation.  Animoto is free for the basic service and that is what we used.  These videos can then be shared on Facebook or YouTube.  You have complete control over your effects, backgrounds, and transitions.  The problem we ran into with the free version was the kids could only create 30 second videos.  They were disappointed at that.  As a teacher, that's not a bad thing.  When you have a lot of videos to grade, limiting each to 30 seconds can really be a life saver.

http://animoto.com/

What do kids really need to know?

I've been working in Educational Technology for about 18 years.  I recently was asked to give a list of what kids really need to know in technology.  This caused me to think and to be very particular about my list.  It is hard to narrow down all the things I would like them to know into the list of what they really need to know.  Here's what I came up with ....

1. How to use the internet.  The internet is not going away any time soon.  In fact, the amount of info on the web is growing exponentially.  Therefore, our children need to know good search skills and they need to have the ability to discern what is true factual reliable information.  Under the topic of internet I am also going to include safety and appropriate use.

2. Office Skills - word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software.  While I still am a firm believer in Microsoft Office, there are great free alternatives also available.  The question isn't what do you use but can you use it effectively.

3. Typing - I know a lot of people won't agree with me but I put this on the list because I don't see research papers going away any time soon.  A student who types well will be able to finish those projects much quicker.  And it is cheaper than paying someone to type your paper.

4. Citing Sources - It is important to teach about intellectual property and the need to cite your resources.  Plagiarism is rampant in the school systems today. Most kids don't even understand that they have done something wrong.  Others don't care ...

5. Help.  Students need to learn how to get help when they are stuck.  I teach my students to "google" just about everything.  After all, that's where I find help with problems.  I also teach them to use the "Help" button that is within a piece of software.

6. Back Up - Always have a couple of copies of everything.  My students use DropBox.com as a back up for their school files.  They get a free account and it is accessible over the internet.  Never depend on just one location for you files.  (unless that is on a network server that gets backed up every night.)

7. Communication Skills - You could argue that these aren't technology skills but there is a definite overlap.  Students need to be able to write polite appropriate emails to others.  They need to be able to write full sentences with correct spelling.  They also need to be able to present information orally.  Using PowerPoint is fine but don't read the slides to people.  Written and oral communication skills will take you a long way in finding a good job and in being successful.


There are lots of other things that could make the list but that's what I rank as absolute must haves for students.

Evernote

Evernote - http://www.evernote.com

This tool has been around for a while but I've really started using it more lately.

Evernote is a place where you can take notes online and you can access them anywhere you have internet access.  It is lightweight and easy to use.  It runs fast on the internet.  It periodically saves for you.  You store your notes in notebooks.  You can have a notebook for each project you are working on.  You can tag your notes just like you would a blog post.

The basic version is free but there are other options available for the heavier users.

I am a big OneNote user.  I love OneNote.  I have notebooks for every aspect of my work life.  Evernote allows me to use my iPad on the road over 3G.  Then I use Ever2One and that program sends all my EverNotes to my OneNote.  This has really helped because now I am able to keep everything in one place.
http://www.mobilenoter.com/evernote 

ToonDoo

Create your own cartoons with ToonDoo.

http://www.toondoo.com/


ToonDoo is a fun site for kids.  They can use the online tools to create their own comics.  There are a variety of characters and scenes to choose from.  They are limited to the number of frames they can create.  This helps many students be concise with their presentations.  My high school students also enjoyed working in this program.

You can do a lot of things for free but you have to set up an account.

Sources for Royalty Free Music

An issue that arises frequently in education in the one of copyrighted music.  I try to teach the kids that they can't take a CD and just rip off the track they want or just use a song from their iTunes in a project.  They need to respect copyright law.

Here are some places that you and/or your students can go to get royalty free music.

1. SoundCloud - http://soundcloud.com/
The top of the page is the main navigation.  Your Dashboard can be found there.  This shows all your activity.  Tracks is an easy way to explore music that is offered - including Creative Commons options.  There is a lot of music available for you to use in personal projects. 
 
You have to create a log in or link it to one of your social networks.  It is also available on mobile devices.

2. Vimeo Music Store has a Free Music Archive. - http://freemusicarchive.org/

There is some good music here and it seems to be updated frequently. 


3. Incomptech -    http://www.incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ 

Lots of good music choices. He has a donation button for you to support his efforts, if you choose. 

4.  Audionautix -     http://www.audionautix.com/
You are free to use the music as long as you give credit to the source.

5. Music Revolution - www.musicrevolution.com
You are free to use their tracks in your broadcast, web, on hold, physical media or corporate video productions. They are provided to you as a download in MP3 format.  In return for this free stock music license, we kindly request that you credit us somewhere on your website.

Of course another option is creating your own music.  Perhaps I will blog on that tomorrow....

20 Twitter Hashtags Every Teacher Should Know About

Re-posting from this link - http://edudemic.com/2012/01/20-hashtags/

General

These Twitter chats cover anything and everything in education, and represent a great jumping off point for those just getting started in Twitter education chats.

1. #edchat – Talk to a variety of educators around the world through #edchat, Tuesdays at noon and 7 p.m. EST.
2. #lrnchat – Every Thursday night from 8:30-10 p.m. EST, you can connect with other educators and discuss learning.
3. #edbkchat – On Wednesdays at 4 p.m. EST, you can discuss educational books and topics in learning and pedagogy.
4. #spnchat – Find out about successful practices in education and education reform through #spnchat Tuesdays at 9 p.m..
5. #ptchat – Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST, parents and educators around the world can open the lines of communication on #ptchat.
6. #urbaned – This Twitter chat for educators discusses topics relevant to urban education and beyond, every first and third Sunday of the month at 9 p.m. EST.
7. #teachchat – Connect with other teachers and find out what they’re doing in their classrooms on #teachchat Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST.
8. #teaching2030 – Discuss big picture education issues, strategies, and reform through the #teaching2030 chat, every third Thursday at 8:30 p.m..
9. #smedu – Wednesdays at noon and 9 p.m. EST social media professionals, students, educators, and more can discuss using social media in education in this chat.
10. #ntchat – New teachers can learn more about their profession with ideas, collaboration, and more for getting starting through #ntchat on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST.
11. #educoach – Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST, you can find instructional coaching for improving education.
12. #gtchat – Fridays at noon and 7 p.m. EST, gifted and talented educators, administrators, parents, and students can discuss new developments in developing gifted and talented programs around the world.
13. #spedchat – Follow this weekly discussion on issues for students and teachers in special education Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. EST.

Administration and Behavior

Check out these Twitter chats to get connected and discuss topics concerning school administrators.

14. #AcAdv – Tuesdays from 8-9 p.m. EST, you can talk to academic advisors and other colleagues about advising.
15. #SAChat – Discuss student affairs with other professionals in the industry Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. CST and 6-7 p.m. CST.
16. #isedchat – Talk about independent schools Thursdays at 9 p.m. on #isedchat.
17. #CUAD – At 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, you can discuss college unions and activities with higher education student affairs professionals and educators.
18. #cpchat – Connect with other principals in this always-open chat.

Subject Chats

English teachers, librarians, and other educators in special subjects can check out these chats for great information and resources.

19. #engchat – At 7 p.m. each Monday, you can come together with other English teachers to discuss improving English instruction.
20. #DUedchat – Chat with educators Down Under in this chat each Thursday 9 p.m. New Zealand time.

Free Studio Manager

Free Studio manager contains 45 different Freeware titles.  They are organized into 8 sections. This set of freeware allows you to do things like download YouTube videos to your computer for use offline.  You can convert YouTubes to a format to play on iPhones, iPods, and a variety of other devices.  It has a program to use to easily upload videos.  You can convert videos to Flash.  There is a program to change the format of audio files.

This is the easiest utility program like this that I have ever used.  I now download all videos I want to use in the classroom.  Now I am not dependent on my internet connection during class.  It's all free and works great!   http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/free-dvd-video-software.htm 

21 Things That Will Be Obsolete by 2020

This will make you think ...

http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/03/21-things-that-will-be-obsolete-by-2020/   

Do you agree ... Education Reform Should Be More Like This

This should give all educators lots to think about.

Wunderlist

Wunderlist is a free simple to use task manager.  This application works for event planning, shopping lists, and more.  It is available on Windows, Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Androids.  The user adds tasks to the Wunderlist and then uses the drag and drop interface to move tasks around.  You can put a star next to important tasks.  You can set up reminder notifications. You can add notes to each task.  You can access from any device with an internet connection.


WunderList is an excellent tool for anyone who wants to get organized. The application is very easy to learn and lets the user customize the look of their account. Make a list on your computer and view it on your smart phone.  Lots of ways to use this organizational tool.

Check it out here http://www.wunderlist.com 

Pinterest

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard.  Users can organize their thoughts and photos on pinboards and then share them with others.  "The mission statement of Pinterest is to connect everyone in the world through shared tastes and the “things” they find interesting."

Users can create a board. A board is a set of pins created on any given topic. Suggested boards include: products I love, favorite places & spaces, books worth reading, my style, for the home, food.  Some examples of applications are brides-to-be have a place to store pictures of gowns and things they would like for the wedding.  Some people create a board for each room in their house and then pin decorating ideas for that room to that specific board.  You can keep an online recipe box.  Boards can have multiple people contribute and so collaborating with co-workers or family members is easy as everyone's ideas can be stored in one place.

You must request an invite in order to join Pinterest. Log in can be done using a social media account, either Twitter or Facebook, or you can login with the e-mail address associated with your Pinterest account.

Tweet Deck

TweetDeck is a dashboard that allows you to organize your tweets.  You can group your followers and that makes it easier to keep track of conversations.  TweetDeck allows you to create separate panes on your screen.  You can customize these pains and you can group your followers into categories.  You can perform Twitter searches directly in your TweetDeck. 

You can link your TweetDeck to other social networks and update all at one time.  I update Facebook, Linked In and Twitter all at one time with mine.

I am enjoying checking out this free app.  It makes keeping up with my tweets a lot easier.

Rockmelt

I’ve been playing around with an new web browser called RockMelt.  RockMelt integrates social media directly into the browser making it much easier to communicate with your Facebook and Twitter networks, and to also share web content more quickly and efficiently.

I am enjoying the ease at which I can keep up with social networks while browsing the web. The browser is built on the Chrome platform, so it is easy to use and fast.

While it's not perfect and I'm not ready to make it my primary browser yet, it has a lot of things that I like.  Here are my observations so far:

Good:

1. RockMelt inherits all the benefits of the Chrome browser, specifically the browser speed. 
2. The user interface is easy to learn and navigate.  The left and right sides integrate social media pretty well. 
3. Facebook integration is well done.  I am now using the browser to update Facebook statuses and catch up on the news feed.
4. Sharing web content is amazingly easy.  The share button is integrated into the browser and allows you to share the page you are on on Facebook and Twitter.
5. The quiet button is a nice feature.  If I find myself being distracted when I have to finish a  report, I can quiet the screen and hide all the feeds and updates.

The "Not so Good" - but not really bad

1. Twitter - I find myself still preferring "Tweet Deck".  Will review tomorrow.  Still missing some key features that I like.  For example, would like the option of shortening my URL  
2. I am not crazy about the searching features.  The search results pop up in a column rather then in the browser window.  I prefer the single bar approach that Chrome uses where the top bar acts as both the URL and search box. 

RockMelt is not for everyone.  I would never recommend it for middle or high school students.  It woulld be far too distracting.  If you are a heavy social media user, the you will probably find this browser very convenient.