Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Ge.tt

Ge.tt might be my new (beta) site for file sharing. This site is excellent for the fact that is file sharing in real time and a user can keep adding more files after a URL is shared. Another great feature is the ability to share the URL even while files are uploading.

I highly recommend checking out Ge.tt by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites on file sharing click here.

Search Cube

Search Cube is a innovative search engine that I found out about from a member of PLN on Twitter. This engine displays results in a 3D cube that contains images and videos. A cube can display 96 sites at once.

I highly recommend checking out Search Cube by clicking here!!

Below is a sample of a search on the term, web 2.0...

Appzerk

Appzerk is an awesome site for Mac users. This site is a collection of all free Mac apps that you can download. Another great feature is that you can browse apps by category and even search through educational apps.

I highly recommend checking out Appzerk by clicking here!!!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Watch2gether

Watch2gether is a great site for watching YouTube videos w/ others. This site allows users to discuss YouTube videos via a text chat that opens up on the right side of the window. All a user has to do is create a session, enter a URL of a YouTube video and then share the URL of chat that is created.

I highly recommend checking out Watch2gether by clicking here!!

For a more detailed review check out Free Technology 4 Teachers.

Grab Tube

Grab Tube is a great site for downloading and converting video. This is especially to do w/ YouTube videos just by copying/pasting a URL. GT is also good for converting MP3 files.

I recommend giving Grab Tube a try by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites on converting files click here.

Brightstorm

Brightstorm is a great site for finding free math and science videos. These videos cover all sorts of content and are great for preparing teens for ACT/SAT.

I recommend checking out Brightstorm by clicking here!!

Metascan

Metascan is a free simple site to use for scanning your files for virus or mal-ware. This site uses over 19 engines and is very thorough at catching those pesky viruses.

I recommend checking out Metscan by clicking here!!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Any Making

Any Making is a great site for photo editing. On this site users can either add fun effects to their photos (a la Big Huge Labs) or they can edit their photo w/ tools such as: cropping, borders, filters etc.

I highly recommend checking out Any Making by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for photo editing click here.

Course Smart

Course Smart is a great site for students looking to find a textbook in eBook format. This site is geared toward higher ed students and they can browse by category and top content.

I recommend checking out Course Smart by clicking here!

Top Web

Top Web is a search engine close to my heart ;-). The reason for this is it is designed to give results of the 10 best sites on the term that you search.

For a fun and interesting in searching, I recommend checking out Top Web by clicking here!!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Story Blocks

Story Blocks is a great site for Pre-K and KDG students which help prepare students to learn how to read. This is a very engaging site and has lots of videos that students can sing/read a long to.

I highly recommend checking out Story Blocks by clicking here!!

Class Dojo

Class Dojo is a site I just fount out about from a member of my PLN on Twitter. This is a site that acts as a content management system for classroom management. This is a wonderful site for tracking, acknowledging behavior, and engaging students. This brings old school verbal feedback to students into the age of "web 2.0"

I highly recommend checking out Class Dojo by clicking here!!!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Dragon Dictation

Dragon Dictation is a free iPad/iPhone app that reminds me of the app that was used in the beginning of the movie, Body of Lies (when Russel Crowe is wearing a head piece and talking and is dictating an email and his computer is typing what he says). Basically, this app is an excellent time saver for taking notes or for use in special ed/ESL. I can see this being used as a facilitator to help students in the area of speech or reading/writing.

I highly recommend checking out Dragon Dictation by clicking here!!!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Collaborize Classroom

Collaborize Classroom is a site I just found out about from one of my readers (thanks Lisa) that garnered quite a bit of press at ISTE this year. After looking at CC it looks to be an excellent tool for educators for creating a safe environment for students to hold discussions, blend learning, and even share resources. In a way it resembles Moodle as a content management system for education.

I highly recommend checking out Collaborize Classroom by clicking here!!

For my top 20 social networks for education click here.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Top 10 Sites for Photo Editing

The skill of being able to edit a photo is a must for anyone fluent in technology. It can help speed up the process of uploading photos for a project, correcting mistakes, and even help "spice" up the mundane. While newer computers might come w/ a photo editing app (iPhoto, Preview, etc.) not all of them do. For that reason, I decided to create a list of my top favorite photo editing sites that not only allows the photo to be resized/edited but add effects as well.

Top 10 Sites for Photo Editing
  1. Sumo Paint - One of the most popular and oldest online photo editors around. Sumo Paint has lots of nice tools for editing a photo such as brush, shapes, crop and looks a lot like PhotoShop.
  2. Aviary - Aviary is one of the best online suites on the web for doing lots of multi-media things, one being editing photos. Not only does it have an educational portal, but it has browser extensions, and a very nice user interface.
  3. Splashup - A great site that is similar to Sumo Paint that allows users to edit photos and adjust pixels and layers as well.
  4. Cloud Canvas - Another great site for editing photos that allows users to draw, crop, and paint.
  5. Phixr - An easy site to use to upload a photo from a computer or social networking site and then edit by adding images or text.
  6. iPiccy - A great site for uploading a photo and then editing it w/ a bunch of tools such as, text, drawing, or paint.
  7. Imageoid - A site that is similar to iPiccy for adding effects to an image.
  8. Citrify - An excellent free online photo editor w/ lots of options to choose from such as touch-ups, effects, etc.
  9. Fix Picture - A nice site for converting, resizing, or rotating an image.
  10. Picjuice - A site similar to Fix Picture where a user can crop, resize, rotate or adjust a photo.

Visual Thesaurus

Visual Thesaurus is an excellent site that for a visual thesaurus but w/ a paid account includes: Spelling Bee, VocabGrabber, and Online Magazine. Think Map's Visual Thesaurus is simple to use and creates a mind map of any term that is searched as well as define it. This map is ideal for showing the relationship between words.

I highly recommend checking out Think Map's Visual Thesaurus by clicking here!!

Zoomr

Zoomr is a nice site for photo sharing w/ a flare of web 2.0. This means that users can add comments and share photos in real time. Also, these photos can be turned into slideshows w/ audio/commented on.

I recommend checking out Zoomr by clicking here!!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Gickr

Gickr is a nice site for making a animated GIF similar to Gifup. All a user has to do is upload photos either from their computer or favorite photo sharing site and then customize their settings such as size and time.

I highly recommend checking out Gickr by clicking here!!

Blinkx

Blinkx is a search engine for videos that reminds me a lot of Clip Blast. This is a nice site that is arranged by subject and even has a safe search filter similar to how Google works.

I recommend checking out Blinkx by clicking here!!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Explain Everything

Explain Everything is a great paid ($2.99) app for the iPad that is wonderful for creating screen casts. This application adds a lot more features then ShowMe or Screen Chomp and allows the user more options in exporting their finished product. A movie can be uploaded to a number of different sites, such as Dropbox, Evernote, or YouTube and even emailed. Other great features are the different ways one can import a photo, type text instead of just draw, and create multiple slides (a la PowerPoint).

I highly highly recommend checking out Explain Everything by clicking here!!!

Screen Chomp

Screen Chomp is a nice free app for the iPad that is ideal for creating a screen cast. A user has the ability to upload a photo into a background and then draw all over the image/screen. Once the recording of the movie is done it will be uploaded to Screen Chomp's site. A url can the be shared w/ others for viewing. While still not ideal, as it would be nice to "own" your own movie for embedded/sharing, it is better then ShowMe which only allows a user to upload to their site.

I highly recommend checking out Screen Chomp by clicking here!!!

ShowMe

ShowMe is an app for the iPad I just learned about from the award nominated blog, Langwitches. This is a great site for creating a screen cast because of its simplicity. It is very user friendly, and a user has the ability to draw or upload an image. However, one critical feature I think is missing is the ability to export a movie into something that can be downloaded. The only feature available is to upload the movie onto ShowMe's website.

I highly recommend checking out this free app by clicking here!!!

Concept Board

Concept Board is a site I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. This is an excellent site for creating an online whiteboard where users can collaborate w/ others and brainstorm ideas on any number of things. Users can upload images, documents, etc and then draw/interact w/ it as they would on any other whiteboard. Some other nice features is the ability to take a screen shot, attach files, comment, and even work right from an iPad.

I highly recommend checking out Concept Board by clicking here!!

PhotoShow

PhotoShow is a nice free site for creating slideshows. All a user has to do is upload their photos from their computer or favorite photo sharing site (a la Flickr, Picasa, etc) and the personalize it and share it w/ others. Also, w/ upgrading to a paid account a user can add video and music.

I recommend checking out PhotoShow by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites for creating a slideshow click here.

Queeky

Queeky is a fun site for creating digital. Not only can a user draw on here, there are a whole bunch of tools to enjoy. This site is also a social community where others can comment/share art, create animations, chat, or even use the paint studio.

I highly recommend checking out Queeky by clicking here!!!

Click here for my top 10 sites for digital art.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Startaid

Startaid is a site for social bookmarking that allows users to track and share their favorite sites. A nice feature is the home page that shows the top lists of sites bookmarked.

Check out Startaid by clicking here.

For my top 10 sites for social bookmarking click here.

Instacalc

Instacalc is a nice shareable calculator that can be embedded into a site. Also, a user can create colored charts and look up formulas which is an excellent feature of most spreadsheets.

I highly recommend checking out Instacalc by clicking here!!!

Splicd

Splicd is an excellent site for editing YouTube videos that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. All a user has to do is enter a URL and then select their start/stop times to grab the clip of the video that they want.

I highly recommend checking out Splicd by clicking here!!

Click here for my top 10 YouTube goodies.



Sunday, August 21, 2011

Atlas

Atlas is a nice site for creating acustomized embeddable Google Map. This map is made up of markers that can contain: links, images, and video.


I recommend checking out Atlas by clicking here!!

ChaCha


ChaCha is an interesting site that reminds me a bit of Answer Garden. This is a site where people ask questions and then get responses from other users. Another nice feature is the mobility as everything can be done from a mobile device.

Click here to give ChaCha a try.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Vidipedia

Vidipedia is a video encyclopedia that is similar to Wikipedia in that users can edit the content. It's a very nice looking site and lets users rate their videos as well.

I highly recommend checking out Vidipedia by clicking here!!

Woofiles

Woofiles is nice site for online file storage/sharing. What I like about WF is that it allows users to store and share up to 1 gig of data which is more then most file sharing sites.

I highly recommend checking out Woofiles by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites on file sharing click here.

Phixr

Phixr is a nice site for editing photos online similar to Cloud Canvas. A user can either upload a photo from their computer or website, or decide to create one from scratch. Once the photo is uploaded they can add some effects such as objects/text or crop/edit them.

Below is my example....



I highly recommend checking out Phixr by clicking here!!!


Listio

Listio is a great directory of web 2.0 sites/applications. Not only can person browse through the many choices but submit their own and have others vote on them.

I highly recommend checking out Listio by clicking here!!!

Twiigs

Twiigs is a new (beta) site for creating online polls. This is done w/ a nice user interface and can be shared online or embedded into a site/blog.

I recommend giving Twiigs a try by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites on creating surveys/polls click here.

Buddy School

Buddy School is a site that is a similar to Tutorhub that allows teachers to tutor students online. This is done by posting your area of expertise so students can request a lesson. A schedule is then set and tutoring is done via an online video chat (ie, Google, Skype). After the lesson is complete the teacher sends an invoice for the bill.

I highly recommend checking out Buddy School by clicking here!!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is a great site for creating screencasts for all platforms. All a user has to do is click start recording and then adjust the size of their recording window. The finished product can be downloaded, uploaded to YouTube or shared on SOM.

I highly recommend checking out Screecast-O-Matic by clicking here!!!

Below is a demo video...



For my top 10 sites/apps for screencasts click here.
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FixPicture

FixPicture is a nice new (beta) free online photo editor. It works similar to Pic Lab in that a user can upload a photo and then crop, convert, or adjust photo levels.

I recommend checking out FixPicture by clicking here!!

Bounce Base

Bounce Base is a search engine that lets users share and save their results. Also, a user can specify which engines they do/don't want to search.

Give Bounce Base a try by clicking here.

Wiki MindMap

Wiki MindMap is a cool site for searching through wikipedia in a mind map style. All a user has to do is enter a term and results are returned in a mind map format.

I highly recommend giving Mind Map a try by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites on creating a Mind Map click here.

Behold

Behold is a nice new search engine that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers. This engine searches for free creative common images on Flickr.

I highly recommend checking out Behold by clicking here!!!

For my top 10 sites for finding images click here.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Top 10 iPad Tips & Tricks

Having recently received an iPad and joining the iOS game, I decided to do some research on how to learn the "ins" and "outs" of this device. While, I have ample experience working on a Mac and their different operating systems, I knew there had to be a way to do some of the same things on an iPad. With that being said I decided to compile a list of my top 10 tips for using an iPad.

Top 10 iPad Tips & Tricks
  1. Reset - Probably the first thing a new user to an iPad is going want to do is learn how to reset their iPad w/out having to turn it all the way on/off again. To do this just hold down the power button and home button for a few seconds and the iPad will reset.
  2. Force Quit - This is really simple to do, if a program gets frozen or you want to exit right away just click on the home button to return to the main screen.
  3. Screen Shot - Something I used on a daily basis as an educator is taking a screen shot on my mac for tutorials and professional development. This can also be done on an iPad by holding down the power button and home button for a second and then releasing. A camera sound will go off as the screen turns white and the screen shot will be stored in photos.
  4. File Transfers - Probably the easiest way to transfer a file off of the iPad is simply to click the share button in the upper right and then email them as an attachment.
  5. Copy and Paste - Just tap and hold down on the text and select copy, go to a new app and then tap and hold down and click paste. To copy a whole paragraph, tape and hold down on a paragraph 4 times to select it all.
  6. Web Scrolling - A real time saver when browsing a web page is the ability to return back to the top rather then having to slide your finger over the entire page over and over, is just to click back at the title bar to return to the top of the screen.
  7. Dock - I find it is nice to be able to manage the dock in the iPad similar to how one would do it on a Mac. All a user has to do is click down on a app until it wiggles and then drag and drop it on the dock.
  8. Wireless Keyboard - I find that typing on an iPad is clunky to say the least. While it does work for simple browsing or tweeting, it is not ideal for doing blog posts or more detailed work. For that reason, I find it valuable to get a wireless keyboard (any bluetooth will do) to help facilitate typing.
  9. Deleting - If your iPad tends to fill up w/ useless applications that you have downloaded it is simple to delete them by holding down on top of an app until it starts wiggling and then pressing the x button to delete.
  10. Smart Cover - Probably my favorite cover the iPad is the smart cover which not only connects via a magnet, it also puts the iPad to sleep when pulled over the front.

My Drawings

My Drawings is a fun site that creates an online gallery of children's art. This is a nice site to use for schools as it is a safe environment where teachers can upload students art to their site (via a scanner). Once the art is uploaded a URL is generated that can be shared w/ others.

I recommend checking out My Drawings by clicking here!!

For my top 10 sites on digital art click here.
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Clip Blast


Clip Blast is a site I've known about for a long time but never got around to reviewing. This is a great site for finding video clips on any topic from around the world. Once the videos are found you can create your own video library, share them w/ others and even download/embed them into a site/blog.

I highly recommend checking out Clip Blast by clicking here!!

For my top 10 alternatives to YouTube click here.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Pix.ie

Pix.ie is a fun site for photo sharing that resembles Flickr in a way. Once photos are uploaded then can then be set to public or private to control who can view them.

Give Pix.ie a try by clicking here.

WebSlides

WebSlides is an interesting site powered by Diigo which turns bookmarks into a slideshow. This is done in a very easy way by taking visual bookmarks and turning them into slides that can be narrated or accompanied by music. When done these slideshows can then be embedded into a site/blog.

I highly recommend checking out WebSlides by clicking here!!!

View the demo below...



For my top 10 sites on creating slideshows click here.
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Map Skip

Map Skip is a very interesting site that is a mash-up of Google Maps and other types of media. This site is made up of stories that relate to place on Google Maps, these stories are told through, videos, photos, and text.

I highly recommend checking out Map Skip by clicking here!!!

For another cool site using Google Maps check out Google Lit Trips.

Cozimo

Cozimo is an excellent site that offers a lot of services for real time collaboration. A user can collaborate on various things such as: drawings, videos, PDF's etc. This is done in a nice online environment where a user can invite other people and then edit/review the different type of media content. Also, there are paid accounts which offer more and more features as well.

I recommend checking out Cozimo by clicking here!!

oSkope

oSkope is an innovative visual search engine that really has some cool features. It is an engine that searches through, Ebay, Amazon, Flckr, etc and then displays results in stacks of thumbnails. These thumbnails can be customized to re-arrange in a different order or saved into a folder via drag-n-drop interface. Another neat feature is the ability to change your background color while searching.

I highly recommend checking out oSkope by clicking here!!!
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