Langwitches Blog » Lists http://langwitches.org/blog The Magic of Learning Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:20:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 My Most Used iPad Apps and Links List http://langwitches.org/blog/2010/09/06/my-most-used-ipad-apps-and-links-list/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2010/09/06/my-most-used-ipad-apps-and-links-list/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:37:32 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=7059

I must say that I enjoy reading other bloggers’ “favorite iPad apps lists”. I usually check some of their apps out and end up with some gems, I would have otherwise not found.

Below you will find a screenshot of one of my screens which houses the icons/apps/links that I most frequently use.

GoDocs

GoDocs syncs with ALL my different Google Accounts, when connected to wifi. It allows me to view my docs also offline. Unfortunately still not able to edit the docs. I am hoping that will come in a future update. The interface is great. Nice view of Google Presentations and Spreadsheets. Very convenient for me as I am walking around school and need to reference and share with teachers or students from my Google Docs.

Google Calendars Client

I really had issues viewing my various Google Calendars via Safari on the iPad, until I found this app. I can add my various Google Accounts and calendars that are shared by others with me. I can toggle them off and on, just like on a computer and add, drag and drop them on- and offline. This app has been VERY handy as I am walking the halls at school and get stopped by teachers or administration in order to make or change a meeting time.

Delicious

This is a simple shortcut bookmark icon to my Delicious account, so I have faster access to my bookmarks

Delicious Save

Since I have not found a specific Delicious App, I bookmarked the “Add a Link” page on my Delicious account, so, when I want to add a link, I can simply copy and paste.

Langwitches Blog

Simply a bookmarked icon to get me fast to the Langwitches Blog.

Around The World With 80 Schools

Simply a bookmarked icon to get me fast to Around The World with 80 Schools site

Curriculum21 Ning

Simply a bookmarked icon to get me fast to the Curriculum21 Ning.

Shelfari

Simply a bookmarked icon to get me fast to my Shelfari account.

Twitter Times Langwitches

Simply a bookmarked icon to get me fast to the TwitterTimes Langwitches page.

Flickr

Simply a bookmarked icon to my Flickr PhotoStream

iBooks

My e-reader for book purchases through iBooks

Kindle

My e-reader for books purchased via Amazon.

Social (Facebook)

After having looked at my Facebook page for months with the small iPhone app that was only available, I am happy with this newer app to view and interact on Facebook.

Twitter

I have two Twitter apps (Twitter and Twittelator) on my iPad, since I have not decided which one I like best. This app seems to pull more than the 20 latest tweets at a time. Not sure yet,  if I like the sliding parts when you click on links or profiles within a Tweet.

WordPress

I use this app frequently to delete Spam comments that have made their way past my Spam protection plugins. I have not used it much to actually write posts. I don’t like that when I start drafts, they do not synch with my drafts folder when I get back to my laptop….or maybe I just have not figured out how to do that.

InstaPaper

This app collects website links to be able to read later on-or offline. Very helpful, since it is integarted with the Reeder App, I use to sync my Google Reader RSS

List n’ Do

Great app to create To Do lists with  due dates. I like that it has subtasks and plenty of space to type in notes for each task.

iThoughtsHD

iThoughtsHD is actually the most favorite app on this list for me. I have started using it to

  • take notes and meetings
  • notes as I am reading through books
  • outline for blog posts
  • outline for conference presentations and workshops

NoteTaker HD

I found this app to work well for me, if I want to take quick handwritten notes. I have gotten used to using my Stylus pen. This app allows me to jot down notes, organize them and email them if I wish too. I have also used this app to take notes at meetings and really enjoy not having to lug around my laptop to be able to have digital notes.

GoodReader

Finally, I have one place to store, manage and access all my pdf files. This app makes it a pleasure to work and view pdf files. I am able to download web based pdf files, by simply paste URLs of them into the app, then file them away into folders. The app makes viewing pdf files very attractive and  as easy as looking through a book. Very nice. I have added all my How-To-Guides and Teaching Units that I have created for Langwitches. I am able to access them in one convenient place as reference when I am talking to teachers in my building or at workshops and conferences.

Twitterlator

This is my second Twitter Client. I really like the interface of  Twitterlator. One of the downsides is that it downloads the last 20 Tweets and it is not easy to get to older tweets in my timeline. I used this app, when I was tweeting from a conference and really liked to how easy it was to insert the conference hashtag. It made “fast and furious” tweeting easy :)

Reeder

Absolutely love this app to sync my Google Reader subscriptions. Since I started using the app, I can actually can stay on top of my subscriptions. It allows me easily to skim over new items, star interesting ones and the most useful part of this app for me is, that I can

  • copy the link location
  • directly save to my Delicious account
  • save to my Instapaper account
  • send the link to Twitter
  • e-mail the post or link

All without having to leave the app. This integration allows me to organize, save and disseminate resources to my network.

What are some of your favorite/must have apps on you iPad? Please share.

]]> http://langwitches.org/blog/2010/09/06/my-most-used-ipad-apps-and-links-list/feed/ 1 Web-based Activities & Resources for Elementary School Students http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/05/19/web-based-activities-resources-for-elementary-school-students/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/05/19/web-based-activities-resources-for-elementary-school-students/#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 14:41:20 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=3986

Here is a growing list of interesting sites to explore for elementary school students. Please add any favorites of yours in the comment section.

Elementary Learning Sites

  • Learning your Alphabet
    Help a monkey shake coconuts out of the tree
  • Count Us in Games
    Games designed to help children understand basic number concepts
  • Between the Lions
    Get Wild about Reading
  • English & Math & Science
    from BBC
  • Early Reading Skills
    Educational Games
  • Spelling City
    Enter your own spelling words, then select: Test me, Teach me or Play a Game
  • Reading Website for emerging Readers
  • 50 One Stop Online Learning Activities by Scholastic
  • Sight Words with Samson
    Kindergarten & 1st Grade
  • ABCya
    Activities include earn the alphabet , uppercase to lowercase letter matching, categorizing, mouse manipulation, drawing, addition, subtraction, counting money, keyboarding practice, identifying computer parts, and much more! Customized for different grade levels
  • WordGirl
    What is your favorite Word? PowerWords ,and Dunk Huggy are just a few games you can play on this site
  • Academic Skill Builder
    Play online games, while practicing multiplication, division, addition, words, vowels, etc.
  • 4Kids.org
    Coconut Vowels, Demolition Division, Word Frog, Word Invasion, Alien Addition, Word Viper, Meteor Multiplication, Minus Mission, Word wizard, State Finder, Coloring Book, Musical Instruments, Beekeeper Game
  • Spin and Spell
    Practice your spelling skills. Similar to Wheel of Fortune
  • Word Central Play games from Merriam-Webster- Robo-Bee, BIGbot, Jumble Kids
  • Puzzle Blocks
    Puzzle play and problem solving. Playing with games and puzzles helps hone our ability to recognize and understand categories, patterns, and associations. Being able to recognize patterns and find new ones helps us bring together what we know to find a single solution to a problem.
  • World Play
  • Word World
    by PBS
  • TVOKids
    Art & Music Games, Adventures and Sports, Puzzle and Words, Math and Science Games
  • Sesame Street Games
    An amazing amount of games from the beloved Sesame Street. Learn about Rhymes, Sorting, Letters, Numbers, Shapes, Math and much more…

Simulation

Creativity- Drawing

Digital Storytelling

Programming

  • Scratch
    Scratch is a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art — and share your creations on the web. Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design

Typing Programs

Games

  • MyDinos
    Go Questing, play games, make buddies
  • Elephant Odyssey
    On a journey through time, you’ll learn the ways of the mammoths and their modern day descendants, the elephants. Go back 200,000 years and test your skills.
  • Drawminos
    Design your own Domino game. Position each domino piece or ball perfectly
  • Fantastic Contraptions
    A fun Online Physics Puzzle Game
  • Zoopz
    Games that make you think
  • Cubescape
    Stack some cubes
  • LineRider
    Learn about cause and effect
  • Connect All Four
    Game of Strategy
  • I do Dog Tricks
    Type in a command and watch the dog do tricks
  • FancyPants
    Practice your hand-eye coordination. The pants may not look like much to you, but to a stick figure, they’re stylin’ threads! Jump on spiders and find your way to the next level!
  • Animal Planet Games
    have fun playing animal games
  • Lego.com Games
    Indiana Jones Adventure, Deep Jungle, Speed Session. Cryst Alien Conflict, Castle Battle, Lego City
  • Fun School
    Pre-School through 6th grade Activities and Games
  • Crickweb
    Series of fun games
  • Blobs
    Fun game that makes you think!
  • CBeebies
    Fun and Games from BBC: Rhyme Maker, Character Maker, Sharing Stories, Make your own picture stories, Talking stories and more
  • Prongo Games
    Lots of different games for ages 3-12

Social Studies

Geography

Research & Reference

Science

  • Earth & Sky for Kids
    Science News and Podcasts for kids.
  • Solar System Jigsaw Puzzle
  • Pest World for Kids
    Come explore the world of pests. Then you can use your knowledge to outwit the pests in your world.
    Remember, that you DO NOT give out your name or e-mail address, unless you are WITH your parent.
  • The Science Museum
    Building Bonanza, Energy Flows, ID-fit, and more…
  • EekoWorld by PBS Kids
    Learn about the Environment, Air & Water, Garbage & Recycling, Games, etc.
  • Tinker Ball
     Build a track for our ball by tinkering with everyday objects.
    Exploratory play is about asking questions: “What happens when I do this?” “What if I did it this way?” Experimenting with materials and pushing their limits encourages us to consider a wide range of possibilities when problem-solving. Playing around with objects and ideas helps us see that there may be more than one solution.

Generators

]]> http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/05/19/web-based-activities-resources-for-elementary-school-students/feed/ 8 Top Ten Elementary “Learn by Playing” Sites http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/02/22/top-ten-elementary-learn-by-playing-sites/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/02/22/top-ten-elementary-learn-by-playing-sites/#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:41:07 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://www.langwitches.org/blog/?p=755

Here is my Top Ten “Learn by Playing Sites list for Elementary School age kids. No particularly order. They include links from categories, such as drawing, simulations, digital storytelling, programming and puzzle solving.

http://langwitches.glogster.com/LearnByPlaying/

  1. Kerpoof
  2. Linerider
  3. Scratch
  4. Fantastic Contraptions
  5. Virtual Knee Surgery
  6. Art Pad
  7. Wildlife Film Maker
  8. Tinker Ball
  9. Glogster Edu
  10. YOUR favorite “Learn by Playing” Site

As you may have noticed, Number 10 in this list is YOUR favorite “Learn by Playing” for Elementary School students. Please add the site and link in the comment section.

]]> http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/02/22/top-ten-elementary-learn-by-playing-sites/feed/ 5 100 Things to Do List http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/12/24/100-things-to-do-list/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/12/24/100-things-to-do-list/#comments Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:09:32 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=2795

I got this list from Chrissy’s blog To Argentina and Beyond.
You’re supposed to bold the things you’ve done… I wonder who came up with this list? How culturally bias do you think a list like this is?

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Guide Biscuits
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a cheque
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

]]> http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/12/24/100-things-to-do-list/feed/ 1 Necessity for Keyboarding Skills in Elementary School? http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/08/21/keyboarding-skills-in-elementary-school/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/08/21/keyboarding-skills-in-elementary-school/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:16:44 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1844

Directly skipping over the debate, if it is really necessary to dedicate specific (precious) time to teach AND practice keyboarding skills during school hours… our tech team was asked to “teach” keyboarding at our Elementary School.  Parents “demand” it, since it is something “visual” for them to understand that they child is “getting” technology instruction. Some teachers also feel that it is a “vital” skill to have for our students to succeed.

Yes, let’s skip over the debate, if students will really be handicapped in the 21st century,  if they do not use their pinky to type an “A” or the index finger for a “G”.

Let me forget that my three teenage daughters never took an official typing class and can type faster with their 10 fingers than I can on their Facebooks and MySpaces and on their cellphones with their thumbs.

Is the method (homekeys with proper finger placement) most of the older generation holds on to just because “That is the way we learned it” or is it because, if you did not take a typing class in the “old” days, you would automatically be doomed to the “Peack and Hunt” method for the rest of your life.

Let’s forget that we are dealing with digital natives here. Natives that are confronted with typing for almost EVERYTHING they do these days: cellphones, their social network places, e-mailing, school work, etc. That was not the case for the “Peck and Hunt” generation.

Does it really matter with which finger you typed a letter? Isn’t the content more important? Yes, of course it will take you longer if you have to look for each letter you are typing. I am arguing though that digital natives will pick up the skill anyway along the way. They have the opportunities to practice and most importantly they have the motivation to practice in so many different environments.  How else do we explain that teenagers learned to type on their tiny little cellphones at lightning speed without ever having attended a “Keyboarding for Cellphones” class.

Oops, I forgot that we were skipping the debate part…

I have to get back to my keyboarding lesson plan that I am working on for my elementary school students…

Check back for that post later…

]]> http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/08/21/keyboarding-skills-in-elementary-school/feed/ 2 Screen Capturing Tools http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/screen-capturing-tools/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/screen-capturing-tools/#comments Sat, 03 May 2008 13:16:36 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=1317

I have briefly highlighted a few screen capturing tools and keyboard shortcuts on Langwitches before. Here is a quick run down, links to original posts or links to the software website:

  1. Windows Keyboard Shortcut
    1. Capturing the entire desktop: Use the Print Screen button on your keyboard to place the image on your clipboard, then past (CTRL+V) the image
    2. Capturing the active window: ALT + Print Screen button
  2. Mac Keyboard Shortcuts
    1. Command+Shift+3 shortcut for taking a screen capture of your entire screen. Places a copy of the image on your desktop.
    2. Command+Shift+4: gives you a crosshair cursor. Drag the cursor out over the area you want to capture. Places a copy of that image on your desktop.
    3. Control+Command+Shift+3 (or +4): instead of creating a file on your desktop, copies the captured area into your Clipboard. Paste (CTRL+V) the image where you want to.
  3. Kwout- Screen Capturing and Quoting tool (web based)
  4. Skitch (for MACs only)
  5. Jing Project (MAC and PC)
    I have been using Jing for a while and love that it is simply there. After installation jing will be the "sunshine" on top of your screen window.

    The crosshair cursor will create a cross on your screen that you can drag over the area you want to capture. You can save the captured image as a .png file on your hard drive or upload to screencast.com , flickr or upload via FTP directly to a location. You can also receive an embed code for that image. I use the image tool almost every day for trouble shooting visuals, creating step-by-step instructions for faculty and even to re-size images quickly while I have them on the screen, instead of opening up Photoshop to do it. I admit, that I have not used their video capturing tool on a consistent basis.
    Usually I add text and/or arrows to the screenshot to point out a button or an option.
  6. Snag it (Same company who developed Jing)
  7. I was able to get a free licensed copy (version 7) of this program as well as Camtasia a couple of months back. I had not played with it, until Sue Waters used some pretty nice screen shots in her post "Can you smell the benefits of CoComment? " I asked what tool she was using and that brought me back to checking out Snag It.
    I like there more professional options to jazz up your arrows, add stickers and above all the ability to edit the screen shots right there, without having to save and then import into Photoshop to resize. That is a real issue for me, since my WordPress layout theme, does not like me to insert images greater than 500 px.

    Snag It allows you to save your shots in MANY different formats, while Jing will export as a .png file. It also allows you to choose between different options of capturing. While Jing will capture a rectangular area, in Snag It you can choose between the Screen, a window, an active window, a freehand region, a fixed region, an object and multiple areas. The best feature though is the scrolling area. With the other screen capture tools I have, I cannot include any part of the screen that is hidden below. Very cool tool.

One feature that I am still looking for is the one that allows me to capture dropdown menus. Usually they disappear when I move my mouse away from it to define the area of the shot. Anyone now of a way to do this with any of the tools mentioned here? A tip would be greatly appreciated.

You can find another review list for screen capturing tools on Digital Inspiration . They include a few tools, that I have not used.

Technorati Tags:

]]> http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/05/03/screen-capturing-tools/feed/ 2 Image Generators http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/03/02/image-generators/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/03/02/image-generators/#comments Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:04:08 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://www.langwitches.org/blog/2008/03/02/image-generators/

I must confess, that I love Image Generators. There are many cool sites out there that let you and your students easily upload one of your images and/or type in some text that will generate a new image for you to download and use. Students have absolutely loved playing with several ones of them and personalizing them to include in their blogs.

You can keep up with my ever expanding 50+ image generator links through my del.icio.us bookmarks.

Here are some of my favorite ones.

GlassGiant
Generators for scoreboards, chocolate bars, snow globes, chalkboard, keyboard, cereals, many more…

langwitches-scoreboard.jpg

RedKid.net
Generates Alphabet Soup, Fortune Cookies, iPod playlist and bulletin boards, I heart T-shirt, Trophy engraving, and more…

generator-iphone.jpg

MapMSG.com
Design your own smoke signals, crop circles, SkyScraper, Statue of Liberty and moregenerator-pyramids.png

Book Cover
Design your own Dummy book cover

generator-bookcover.png

Scrolling Typewriter

generator-screedbot.gif

MagMyPic
Upload your image and choose from different magazine covers.

generator-magazine.png

]]> http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/03/02/image-generators/feed/ 4 Image Editing Tools http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/03/01/image-editing-tools/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/03/01/image-editing-tools/#comments Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:21:51 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://www.langwitches.org/blog/2008/03/01/image-editing-tools/

My father gave me my first version of Adobe PhotoShop in 1993 and I was hooked with image editing.

The online web-based image editing sites and tools have been exploding in the last few months. It seems that every few days, I can add another cool tool to my growing number of options when I want to spruce up my images online, on any computer platform and with the freedom of working on and switching between my desktop, laptop, work, and friends computer with the only problem being how to remember my login information.

Here is my list (no particular order) of favorite Image Editing Tools online (of course they are all free)

  1. Flickr (Picasa)
    Greatest value is its integration with Flickr. One click on the edit button and you are able to use basic editing functions like rotate, crop, resize, sharpen, etc.image-editing-flickr.png
  2. Cellsea
    image-editing-cellsea.png
  3. Pixenate
    image-editing-pixenate.png
  4. Phixr
    Give your images and instant photo look, add speech bubbles, mix photos with other photos, add borders, etc.
    image-editing-phixr.png
  5. Graphita
    image-editing-graphita.png
  6. Picnik
    Integrated with Flickr. Tons of Effects, Fonts, Shapes, Frames, Touch-up Tools
    image-editing-picnik.png
  7. Dumpr
    Love the “Your photos in Art Museum” feature
    image-editing-dumpr2.jpgimage-editing-dumpr.png
  8. FotoFlexr
    integration with Flickr. Cool effects
    image-editing-fotoflexr.png
  9. LunaPic
    I wrote a review of LunaPic a while ago. Really love the choice of effectsimage-editing-lunapic.png.
  10. BeFunky
    Read my review of befunky.com. Very cute cartoonizer feature.
    image-editing-befunky.png
  11. Image Chef
    Animated images, photo frames… TONS of other image generators
    image-editing-imagechef.png
  12. Flauntr
    Integrates with Flickr. Overlays, Magazine Covers, Frames, Distortions, Light Effects, Texture, Canvases, Grunge, Compositions, invitations
    image-editing-flauntr.png
  13. Aviary
    Aviary is NOT an image generator, but a true image editor comparable to Photoshop. If you are into layers, gradients, clone stamps, hex colors, blending modes, etc this seems a cool and free alternative to PS.
    I just received a beta invitation and am still playing with it. A more detailed review still to come.
    image-editing-aviary.png

Keep up with my Image Editor Del.icio.us bookmarks

]]> http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/03/01/image-editing-tools/feed/ 5 Inspired by Larry Ferlazzo- THE LISTMASTER http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/02/17/inspired-by-larry-ferlazzo-the-listmaster/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/02/17/inspired-by-larry-ferlazzo-the-listmaster/#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:34:18 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://www.langwitches.org/blog/2008/02/17/inspired-by-larry-ferlazzo-the-listmaster/

I was simply blown away by Larry Ferlazzo and his amazing resource list of

The Best Ways For Students (And Anyone Else!) To Create Online Content Easily, Quickly & Painlessly

He found his niche and is THE LISTMASTER ! Hats off to him and keep those lists coming Larry.

The following list is the collection of resources I am growing for my elementary school students and are listed on our school’s TechConnect Resource Page. These tools and sites are intended for the students to explore and play with in more detail at home.

Simulation

Creativity- Drawing

  • Kerpoof.com
    Make a picture, story or movie
  • We are Multicolored
    Design and create your own flag. Learn about the symbols and significance of world flags. Remember not to give out your full name when you publish your flag. Use your online identity, avatar’s name or first name only.

Digital Images

Video

Programming

  • Scratch
    Scratch is a new programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art — and share your creations on the web. Scratch is designed to help young people (ages 8 and up) develop 21st century learning skills. As they create Scratch projects, young people learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of design

Typing Programs

Games

  • LineRider
    Learn about cause and effect
  • Etch-A-Sketch
    Be Creative with this Classic
  • Connect All Four
    Game of Strategy
  • I do Dog Tricks
    Type in a command and watch the dog do tricks
  • FancyPants
    Practice your hand-eye coordination. The pants may not look like much to you, but to a stick figure, they’re stylin’ threads! Jump on spiders and find your way to the next level!

Geography

Research & Reference

Science

Generators

]]> http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/02/17/inspired-by-larry-ferlazzo-the-listmaster/feed/ 2 Flickr Use for Teachers http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/01/12/flickr-use-for-teachers/ http://langwitches.org/blog/2008/01/12/flickr-use-for-teachers/#comments Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:57:57 +0000 Silvia Tolisano http://www.langwitches.org/blog/2008/01/12/flickr-use-for-teachers/

flickr.jpg

Inspired by Teaching Sagittarius, I decided to start working on a post about Flickr. Since I am planning on introducing Flickr itself and its many mash-up programs to my faculty at school soon, this is a good time to compile resources I have been collecting on my del.icio.us account, tagged flickr.

The first question I will need to answer to from the teachers will be:

Why do I need to use a site like Flickr? Won’t it be enough, if I organize my images on my hard drive in folders?

So let’s start from scratch.

Flickr is not just an online storing site for your photos. Flickr also is an amazing resource for creative commons images from OTHERS that are at your fingertips and always ready to use in your classroom with, for and by your students. While I don’t pretend that I use Flickr to its full potential (social aspect of joining groups, leaving comments, etc), I have created a little universe for my photos that allow me to quickly upload, access, sort, organize, AND (the most important part for me) use these images in MANY different venues and applications.

I use one of the free Flickr upload tools, called Uploadr, which you can download for free on the tools page. Uploading becomes a simple drag and drop affair.

flickr-uploadr.jpg

Once the images are on Flickr, you can organize them into sets, tag them with keywords, add a title and description. Depending on your organizational and planing skills the feature of creating sets and tags is extremely helpful when you want to show a particular set of images to your students in a flash via a slideshow for example. Simply click on the particular tag (or multiple ones to get results from combined tags) and voila you have your unique slideshow.

flickr_-your-tags.jpg

flikr-slideshow.jpg

Now let’s pretend you have all your photos uploaded, organized and tagged in Flickr. Now is when the real fun and use for me begins: Mash Up Applications.

According to Wikipedia Mash Ups are:

In technology, a mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool

Which means for me, that I can create new things with different tools without having to upload over and over again the same images for the different sites/tools, finding my images with the same tags, sets and descriptions that I organized them in Flickr. Most of these programs require you to authorize them accessing your images in Flickr. In order to use them you will need to grant access.

flickr_-authorize-mosaickr.jpg

Here are my Flickr mash ups for teachers list. They are all free to use and I never had to upload any of my photos to create the new ones:

Captioner
Add captions to your photos. Downside can’t just save image with caption easily. Have to use additional screen capture tool
flickr-captioner.jpg

Bookr
Create a photo book easy as 1-2-3, by adding a flickr username and a tag set. Embed into your blog.

Dumpr
Creative and fun things to do with your photo. Sketches, place you image in a museum frame, jigsaw puzzles etc.

Splashr
Create unique slideshows from your Flickr images to emebed into your blog.

Bubblr
Create your own comic strips with photos from Flickr.

More resources to Flickr Mash-up tools:

Endnote:

I have had a HORRIBLE time creating this post. The layout of the site has been terribly messed up. The slideshows, imgaes, books, comics were all created in a flash. The main problem was to embed them into my blog. I don’t know if it is my particular WP theme that is not friendly to the code, that I tried to upload so many different codes all in one blog or another problem…

It has taken me almost two hours trying to trouble shoot the layout issues after all the codes was embedded. I even tried to cut all the codes out and one by one pasting them back in to find out which the culprit was. To no avail…. At this point, I have thrown in the towel and need to leave the computer before I throw it out of the window. :) I apologize for not being able to show you an example directly embedded into the post.

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