Spying Eyes

When you use Safari, do you feel like someone is watching you!?  Those eyeglasses glaring at you, watching your every move.  You wonder if the the tech department is monitoring you computer and everything you are doing.  Luckily, that is not what this innocent icon is doing.

In Safari, you have a Reading List (the eyeglass icon).  The Reading List "helps you collect webpages and links for you to read later."  As you're browsing the web, you might find an article or blog that you like to read, but just don't have time for at the moment.  When you find a website like this, you can go up to bookmarks and select 'Add to Reading List.'  It will be added to your reading list, so you can indulge in that article when you have a little more time.  To look at the sites you've added to your Reading List, click on the eyeglass icon and a sidebar will open on the left side of your screen.  You can see all the webpages you've added to your list or only the ones that are unread.  You can also add a page through this view by going to the page you want to add and clicking on 'Add Page.'

So the next time you see those "spying eyes," just remember they are your friendly bookmark tool helping you find all those great pages you wanted to read and didn't have time for before now.

Tech in the Building

 Many times teachers want to use technology in their classroom, but they are either limited by their own skills or glitches with the technology.  (Yes, glitches happen to every one, even the techs.)  However, it can be difficult to arrange a time to go meet with a tech for planning, training or other technology needs.

 In an effort to assist teachers and staff with technology integration and issues, Tech in the Building was created.  Tech in Building is a day that I will spend in your building to help you with technology questions and tech lesson ideas.  This month I have been in every building except the high school.  I have assisted teachers and staff with internet connection issues, learning how to use the Hue webcam, one-to-one training on specific computer features and programs, assisting a class with a tech project and more.  The present goal for this program is to visit each school once a month and increase the number of contacts at each building.  My hope is to be working with teachers, staff & students during my time at each building with little time for anything else.

Picnik with no ants!

Ever wanted to spruce up your pictures with text or a little bling?  Ever had the need for blurring out a student's face so you can post a group photo on the web?  Then Picnik is for you?

Picnik is a free online photo editing tool.  You can do basic editing like cropping, rotating, adjusting exposure, etc. similar to iPhoto, but Picnik let's you go a step further.  You can add frames, stickers, text and more.  There are some features marked as premium - those you have to pay extra to utilize.

Here are a few samples:

Tech Integration Group

Once a month I attend a tech integration group at Essdack. This time provides an opportunity for me to network and learn from other professionals in the field of technology integration.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some of the exciting tools and resources I learned about in the September and October meetings.

I found one of my new favorite bookmarking sites in the September. The site is called Linkable (www.linkable.com). 

Features:

• Free
• Use categories to organize your bookmarks
• Import bookmarks from your browser
• Access your bookmarks on any computer
• Create new pages for better organization
• Make pages public or private
• Share categories with others through email or embedding code
• Save to Linkable button for your browser (click this instead of bookmark page & you can send the link to your inbox or assign it to a category right away)

Another great resource was the book Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction:  Build Implements of Spitball Warfare by John Austin.  This could be a good tool for science.

Available on Amazon for $10.98

 

 

Finally, if you've ever wanted to learn a little about coding or JavaScript check out Codecademy (http://www.codecademy.com/).  This free site provides on few courses on both topics.  You can track your progress, keep tabs on a friend's progress and have fun learning.