Category Archives: Computers

pixlr and sumo paint

PIXLR

Pixlr is an open-source online photo editor, which is able to perform much of the same functions as Photoshop free of charge. Best of all? No downloads – it works on the web!  Here are some great Pixlr resources:

Pixlr Blog - great tutorials, info and more.

Squidoo’s Pixlr Page - great stuff!

How to Make a Banner with PIXLR – YouTube Video

Visit Dawn’s Site

SUMO PAINT

Another great free tool is Sumo Paint.

Sumo Paint Help – Videos and help on every feature!

Most favorited images.

eduTecher’s intro to Sumo Paint.

Here is a great site with tons of Sumo Paint videos.

The Official YouTube Sumo Paint Channel.

How to edit photos in Sumo Paint.

Mark Brumley discusses Sumo Paint and other free editors.

Let Your Students’ Creativity Flourish

Fun with Sumo Paint in the Classroom

Ideas for the Classroom for PIXLR and Sumo Paint:

  • Let students retell their favorite story in digital form.
  • Have students illustrate their own stories or essays to create a digital storybook.
  • Have students take a picture, upload, then add layers to make it amazing.
  • Upload or create a graphic organizer, then help the students create and drag layers to where they belong on the organizer.
  • Use as an alternative to Noteshare for SmartBoard presentations!
  • Wonderful for step-by-step teaching, such as an algebra problem (layering).
  • Spatial relationships (3D effects).

facebook 101

Here are some simple and useful tips, tricks and resources for those new to Facebook, or not quite onboard yet:

More advanced users might enjoy some of these links:

openoffice tips and tricks

OpenOffice is a amazing opensource office package that allows the user to create, edit and share documents in many formats, including MSOffice formats. It has a lot of great features that make it THE option over MSOffice, which can be quite costly. Here are some great sites that I’ve found regarding OpenOffice:

The OpenOffice.org Wiki

OpenOffice Writer Tutorial - printable, but over 500 pages. Use online or print a few pages as needed.

InPics OpenOffice Writer Tutorial - awesome tutorial using pictures for visual learners.

OpenOffice Calc Chart Tutorial - printable!

OpenOffice Calc Guide – this is printable, but it’s over 400 pages – I’d use it online for reference.

how to revert to old facebook chat

Do you hate the new Facebook chat as much as the rest of us? Did you (like me) fall for the “try it now”, only to discover there was no going back? Well, there actually is a way to go back in time – sort of. Depending on your browser, you can install free, safe script that will bring back your old-type chat. I just installed a free plug-in for Chrome, and I am happy to announce that I can now display ONLY my online friends, or a handful of other options. I will continue to check out plug-ins for Safari and IE:

To revert to old facebook chat in Google Chrome: Install FB Chat Sidebar Disabler free from the Google Chrome Store. Click on Friends List and Options at the top of the chat window to make changes to your view.

To revert to old facebook chat in Mozilla Firefox: Install FB Chat Sidebar Disabler free from Firefox Add-Ons.

wordpress how-to’s

Years ago, Dreamweaver and FrontPage were THE products to use for web design. These days, most bloggers and developers like to use web-based products, with WordPress seeming to be the favorite. I’ve been using WordPress for about three years now, and I love it. I had to rely completely on tutorials and other free online resources to build my first sites. To make it easier on any of you that happen along, I have pulled together a number of WordPress tutorials to make your first or next website amazing. I’ll keep adding, so check back often. If you have any awesome resources, please share!

Beginner WordPress Tutorial Video by NuuVidea

Step by Step Video on How to Blog with WordPress (It’s a long one!)

UPDATED Step by Step Video on WordPress.com (A bit longer, but worth it!)

Wikiversity’s Web Design Portal

WordPress Tips – a cool portal with links to other blogs about wordpress.com

Matt’s Tips on WordPress.com

10 WordPress Tips to Make Your Blog Look Like a Website (For Beginners)

protecting your computer against viruses

If your computer is telling you that your antivirus subscription has run out, and you need to “click here to fix”, this post is for you. You MUST have a working antivirus that is constantly updating, but it doesn’t have to cost you a thin dime to get one. I highly recommend AVAST Free, although there are others out there. Check out CNET from time to time for their recommendations on utilities to keep your computer in great shape.

You must remove the old antivirus before installing AVAST Free. Here are the steps:

1. Install and run ccleaner. I recommend running both “Cleaner” and “Registry” once a week.

2. Click on “Tools” then “Startup”.

3. Find any items in that list related to your current antivirus that needs to be removed. Click on each item followed by “disable”.

4. Reboot the computer.

5. Reopen ccleaner, go back to “Tools” and this time, in the “unistall” list, find and uninstall any items related to your current antivirus.

6. Reboot the computer again. You’ll be getting warnings during both reboots that your pc is no longer protected… we’ll fix that in the next step.

7. Download and install AVAST Free.

8. Reboot the computer.

9. Go get a nice cup of tea :)