Min.us improved!

I've just found out that an already great site is now even better! If you don't know about min.us check out my prior post about it here. Basically the site provides a crazy simple setup for sharing. You can drag a pic onto the site and easily share from there. Brilliant right? Well now min.us has come out with new features such as being able to share music & documents, as well as images. You can also select multiple files on your computer (hold Ctrl on your computer as you click to select more than one) and drop them all in to receive one link to share. You just have to drag any file onto the window of the page and drop it in.

Min.us has released desktop versions for Mac, Windows, and Linux. I've just downloaded the Windows version and it seems to work great. It just puts a small icon in your system tray where you can drag your files to and receive a link to share from there. For more info and options you can view their FAQ page here.

Doodle 4 Google still open

If you're not familiar with the Doodle 4 Google program you can view more info here. The gist of it is that one lucky student will have their "doodle" featured as the Google logo for one day, and earn a $15,000 scholarship, plus more. Doodles this year must follow the theme, "What I'd like to do someday..." and registration will close at 11:59 Pacific Time on March 2nd. They've made some changes this year including parents can now register their children, and there is no cap for the number of doodles that a school can submit. That's just the basics though, if you're interested in more I highly suggest that you read through their contest rules.

Social Networking & more for this classroom

Edmodo.com is a great way to communicate with your students online in a secure way, and best of all...IT'S FREE!!!!. The platform was created by educators and made for the classroom. Some of the features of Edmodo include being able to post notes to students (they can respond back to you or the whole class), attaching files to your post, or posting links.

The way it works is pretty simple. As the teacher you register for an account. Once your account is created you can create your classes. This could be just one class (ex. Mrs. Burnett's) or multiple (ex. Math p.1, Math p.2...). With each class that you create you get a code. Students then sign up for their own accounts then enter the code for your class. It's good to note that students can have multiple classes associated with their account (Parents can also sign up for accounts so that they can view their child's account).

Once everything is created you can get started posting to your class. As the teacher it is important that you have conversations with your students before they start using Edmodo about appropriate academic behavior online. I would also make sure and mention to your students that what they post can either be a direct message to you the teacher, or to the whole class. There's no in between. You will have documentation for everything that students post as they will have to be logged in to access your class, and students can attach assignments to their posts to turn into you as well.

I think that this is a fantastic tool that could be a great use of social media with your classroom!

Prezi.com for Math!

I'm in Austin this week at TCEA and have been learning about so many cool tech tools and tips that I have to share some. Just today I heard from a 3rd grade teacher that is using Prezi with her students to map out "blueprints" of math problems. (If you don't know about Prezi go check it out at www.prezi.com and visit their "Learn" tab as it is a great & fun alternative to PowerPoint.) The idea is that students first map out their work of a math problem. Then after viewing a sample Prezi, the students create a mind map (she used paper & pencil) of how they would like to set-up their math blueprint in Prezi so that they can teach it to the class. The students then use Prezi and create their presentation that they can later share with the class.

To create an educator Prezi account you can click here. The free version is great! If you have any questions please let me know and I'll be happy to help!

Twurdy.com, Search by readability

Twurdy.com has the purpose of providing Google search results that are color coded by readability. Their philosophy is...

Everyone has different reading abilities. Some people searching the web are university professors and others are 5 year old children. Twurdy has been created to provide people with access to search results that suit their own readability level. 

Since it runs off of Google search you can type in the same things that you would type into the search of Google. You'll notice that it takes a little bit longer to see the search results. This is because Twurdy is looking at the level of vocabulary used on the site in order to code it. There are even three different ways that you can search with Twurdy: Just Twurdy, Simple Twurdy, or Twurdy with Pop.

If you're in more of a hurry a Simple Twurdy search may be the best choice, but if you want the results to be the most accurate then Twurdy with Pop may be the way to go. The FAQ page of the Twurdy site contains more information about these different types of searches, as well as more information.

Manage Sign-Ups Easily

www.signupgenius.com seems to offer a pretty convenient service for those of you that need to create or manage group sign-up lists. You do have to create a free account, and then click to "Create a Sign Up". You choose the type that you want from Party or Potluck, Volunteer or People, or a Food or Munchies sign up. You can pick a theme to apply to the sign-up page, enter the dates, and the items that you would like people to sign-up to bring or do. The last step is just to invite participants via email. Easy numbered tabs walk you through all of the steps. Those that you invite will receive an email that links to the site where they can enter there sign-up selections, and you get an easy record of all of it!Visit the How It Works page of the site if you want to learn more. 

Braineos...Online Flashcards & Games

Braineos.com is a place for online flashcards and games that use the flashcards. One of the best things about the site is that many sets of these flashcards have already been created by others and you can easily search the library of existing flashcards on the homepage of the site. If you don't find what you're looking for, just create your own.

To create your own set of flashcards, just click "Go" from the homepage, or if you've conducted your search and don't see what you're looking for click "Login and create your own flashcards!". From here you can login using your account from a variety of sites including Google and Facebook.

Once you're logged in, enter a deck name and then a description and tags if you want. Click "Create" and you're well on your way! You can enter your questions or vocabulary one at a time, or from a list. It's super easy!

Once your list is created or if you're using flashcards that have been created by another user, you can choose which game you want to use with them then click "Play".http://www.braineos.com