I attended the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) conference the past 3 days. One new cool tool I learned about was Wiffiti. Wiffiti is a site that allows you to use the hash tags from Twitter to “aggregate” them in one place. It takes the hash tags (up to 5) and creates an interactive screen. As the tweets are tweeted, the most recent pops up and then it rotates all tweets around. It also provides you the option to list them in a timeline format. Here is one I created from the VSTE conference.
Have you caught the Google Wave yet? Well, if you haven’t, you owe it to yourself to check it out. I love using Google Docs and the new Google Wave has been designed to help groups of people collaborate on documents on the web. To me, Google Wave is your email on steriods with all the cool Google collaboration tools built in. I truly loathe sending emails back and forth, back and forth, till their size gets so large and the true reason for the email is lost in all the many emails in my inbox! Then, when trying to figure out exactly what everyone is trying to say, that gets lost in the shuffle too. Google Wave takes care of all that as long as you understand it is like using your email but without all the tons of emails you have to sort through to get your job done. I have to work smarter and not harder and this cool tool will help me do just that. Try it and share how it works for you! Here is a great guide to help you in catching the Google Wave! Checkout this video that helps to explain Google Wave better. Enjoy!
Google Docs has now added an Equation Editor as part of their Back-to-School features for students. The equation editor allows you to easily complete problem sets online or write papers that include equations. You can even take notes in your math class or answer questions using Google Docs. Also added is superscripts and subscripts that can be used for expressing chemical compounds or algebraic expressions. Check it out on the Google Docs Blog which also has a list of links to other sites of interest at the bottom of the page.
The International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) is one of the greatest conferences I have ever had the pleasure to attend. This year makes my 4th NECC and I look forward to next summer when it becomes ISTE2010 in Denver! Below is a short video about the conference and some cool tech tools. Fast forward to 5.22 and you will see yours truly being asked about what cool tools I learned about. Of course, it was Twitter Fountain that day. Just don’t understand the eye thingy though, do you?
Microsoft’s Photosynth transforms regular digital photos into a three-dimensional, 360-degree experiences. It analyzes each photo for similarities to the others, and then uses that data to figure out where a photo was taken. Next, it re-creates the environment and uses those photos as a background where it can display the photos. You can use Photosynth to share any experience. For example, it was used with President Obama’s inauguration pics sent from people who were there. There were 613 photos used to create the synth. Check it out at the Photosynth website.
Ever want a place for all your “Tweets” that is in one place and sooooo easy to manage? Well TweetDeck is it! TweetDeck is your personal browser that shows you everything that’s happening now across Twitter and also Facebook. With TweetDeck you can easily stay in touch with friends, family, and those Tweeters you follow. Plus, you can share links, record video and much more. I didn’t think I had the time to try out any more new tech tools or even download another app but a friend (thanks Marlo!) encouraged me to try TweetDeck and within minutes I was hooked! What a great aggregator for tweets and just one more tool to help me work smarter and not harder. Try it and you’ll see for yourself how you just can’t twitter without it!
Well, here is another cool tool for all you Twitter fans out there. Twitter Fountain is a widget that you can add to your blog, wiki, or website that will allow you to have your tweets scroll or “spring up like a fountain” that have a hash tag to your site. See my example below.
DoInk is a place for teachers and students to enjoy art and animation, and make their own. Draw and animate online easily, collaborate with friends and other artists by reusing props. With DoInk you can be entertained, learn something new, or create something fun. You can share your talent with the world! DoInk creators believe that animation is a great medium and want anyone and everyone to have access to it. Check out the example below created by a student for his homework assignment.
At the Microsoft DigiGirlz Day held March 25 at the MS Technology Center in Reston, Virginia, I took 3 of our high school girls to learn about MS, their new tech tools and careers. One tool all of us were enthralled with was Surface. MS Surface is a digital interactive touch technology tool. For right now, it is being targeted towards the retail market for usage in hotels and restaurants. However, who know if it will come to education in the future. Check out this video I took of myself using Surface. I want one! However, I do not want its price tag of $12K or more. I can wait…..
I had the pleasure to attend for the 2nd year the Microsoft’s DigiGirlz Day at the Microsoft Technology Center in Reston, Virginia. I took 3 high school girls this year and we had a blast! I want to share a couple of free downloads that Microsoft offers for robotics and programming that our girls actually particpated in hands-on sessions. The first one is MS’s Robotics Developer Studio 2008 Express Edition. This is a free download for those interested in creating robotics applications that is visual and offers a drag and drop of components with great tutorials. The second one is Microsoft’s Small Basic. This tech tool makes programming accessible and easy for beginners. It is very simple to use and great for elementary and middle school students. However, our high school girls loved it as well. It also has great quick-start guides to help you out. The girls who attended this day all used these programs very effectively and did not want to stop using them! Enjoy and please give me some feedback.
