Macintosh Efficiency

Being able to use your laptop (or any Mac laptop) more efficiently is vital to making better use of your time.  I try often to not use my mouse to click on buttons or actions, instead I try to use keyboard shortcuts, keyboard buttons, and trackpad shortcuts to make the use of my laptop more efficient.  Check out these next documents to provide you with some ideas.

More with Google

Found these cool search tools within Google, which some of you might already have known, called the Wonder Wheel, Timeline, and Social (have to be logged into your google account for this one).

Wonder Wheel allows you or your students to see their search results within a graphical web, along with them be located to click on the right hand side.  What the graphical web provides is ideas related to their first search to better filter their results into exactly what they are looking for, within a graphical organizer.

Timeline allows you or your students to see their search results within a chronological, browsable, graphical timeline.  These data sources include recent and historical news, blog posts, sports scores and more media results.

Social allows you or your students to see their search results from your social connections, friends and acquaintances as sometimes this information is more relevant and meaningful to look at.  You must have a google account AND be logged in to be able to do this.  

Explore and take a look by your self or with your students.

Heartland AEA-World of Media-Web Sites

Here are a few web sites to note from the Heartland AEA-World of Media newsletter I receive once a month.  Please take a look at them.

Atomic Learning - This web site provides "How to Videos" on everything for student or personal use (example: how to use Google Earth, Google Sites, Google Chrome, Google Reader, Google SketchUp, etc.)  For username and password information please email me, unless you remember the school assigned AEA username and password.

EduVision - This web site provides Technology Integration videos from local Iowa teachers, "How to Use Heartland's online database" videos, and videos on how to use a variety of web 2.0 tools.

Science Iowa Core Essential Concepts and Skills-Technology Infusion - A Heartland AEA wiki that showcases the Science Iowa Core Essential Concepts and Skills and their connections to technology infusion, video examples and supports.  Broken down by Primary and Intermediate grade levels along with the different science subjects.

Academy of Achievement - Provides pictures, facts and more related to the greatest visionaries and achievers of our time, such as: Maya Angelou, Bill Gates, Rosa Parks, Jonas Salk, and Peyton Manning to name a few.

Lit2Go - Collection of classic books, stories and poems to be downloaded for free as a Mp3 audiobook, Web page text, or PDF to print.  You can download these and play them through iTunes or synced onto 1 of our 2 iPod Nanos for students to listen to, while they follow along with the printed copy, of a classic book.

National Writing Project-Digital Is - Provides a collection of ideas, reflections and stories about what it means to teach writing in our digital age of learning.

Mathcasts - Provides the opportunity for students to learn and review math skills through the use of screencasts that combines computer screen writing with voice narration to better learn.  Great resources to send home to parents to help their children with math.

Readability Statistics

Trust me, I do not know everything with technology.

1 new thing I read (yes I do other things besides guru about technology) is setting up Readability Statistics within Microsoft Word.  This feature, once set up, works after you or your students do the Spelling and Grammar check.

Here is the summary that comes up after you do the Spelling and Grammar check:

This is how to set it up:
Click on Word and then Preferences

Click on the Spelling and Grammar icon

√ Show readability statistics

Could be very useful for grade level teachers to see and students to check at what Grade Level and Reading Ease each student is writing their stories or narratives at, based on their level/skills of learning.

YouTube Video SpinOffs

quietube To watch web videos without the comments, just drag the button on the web site to your browser's bookmarks bar. On any of the supported video pages, click the bookmark button to watch in peace.

They support YouTube, BBC iPlayer, Viddler, and Vimeo, with more to come... 

TubeChop allows you to easily chop a funny or interesting section from any YouTube video and share it.             

          SchoolTube
          The place for students and teachers to share videos online.


          TeacherTube is an online community for sharing instructional videos. They seek to 
          fill a need for a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and
          home learners. It is a site to provide anytime, anywhere professional development
          with teachers teaching teachers. As well, it is a site where teachers can post videos
          designed for students to view in order to learn a concept or skill.

          vusafe is an easy secure way to find, organize and share educational videos without
          worrying about the videos showing inappropriate material

          WatchKnow is an online educational video web site that organizes educational videos
          for students ages 3 to 18, and by 3,000 categories.  It is mentioned as if YouTube
          was meeting Wikipedia in how it filters out everything but quality educational videos.