I am thrilled to have the opportunity to present two sessions about Google Docs today to K-5 staff from both RSU57 and Sanford. My colleague, Amanda Doyle, is presenting the same session to 6-12 staff back at Sanford High School. Therefore, we created a companion resource that will assist folks with Google Docs tutorials, tips and resources long after the sessions have ended! Please enjoy these resources, and suggest links that we might add as well.
Your computer is starting to drag, and it’s only six months old. Sound familiar? It happens to us all – but there are simple FREE solutions! Here is useful list of important tasks that will keep your computer running smoothly:
UPDATE: Please also remember your other devices, such as smartphones and tablets, iPhones and iPads. Check out your app store for FREE apps to clean and protect your device. I use AVAST Free on our Android devices, as well as an app called Clean Master. I discovered a CCleaner Portable edition on CNET, which has great ratings. I will be checking that out asap.
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 six 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
Mashable’s 5 Essential WordPress Tips for the Beginner
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
10 WordPress Tips to Make Your Blog Look Like a Website (For Beginners)
As you can imagine, this post will be updated frequently! I would certainly appreciate your input, so comment below to add your own awesome apps and resources, as well as let me know what you think about those I’ve shared:
SPOTLIGHT ON:
Cool Links – this is my own collections of cool resources.
ClassDojo – FREE Behavior Management App for the Classroom
Typing Club – Full FREE Typing Course for Kids
Portland Press Herald App – Students have access to the newspaper every day!
Virtual Manipulatives – FREE Math Manipulatives App – Awesome reviews!
These TechEdge videos are great – the one I’ve shared is one of MANY. Check them out!
iPad Apps:
The 55 Best Free Educational Apps for iPad – by TeachThought
iPad Apps Tracker – Top 200 Free Apps for Education – by PadGadget
20 Amazing iPad Apps for Educators – by TeachHub.com
Best Free iPad Apps – by Gizmo’s Freeware
48 FREE Educational Apps Sorted by Grade Level – by Edudemic
Android Apps:
50 Free Android Apps Being Used in Education Right Now – by Edudemic
Top Android Apps for Kids to Download (Free) – by GetAndroidStuff
The 50 Best Education Apps for Android – by TeachThought (not all free – but worth a glance)
Thinglink is a cool free resource that’s making learning (and teaching!) even more fun and interactive.
According to the ThingLInk Toolkit, “ThingLink is a free and user friendly digital tool that provides users with the ability to turn any image into an interactive graphic. Create multiple “hot spots” on specific parts of an image and turn that image into a multimedia launcher. Include video, record audio or provide a link to any website with the click of a button. Easily embed an interactive ThingLink graphic into any blog or website. ThingLink is a truly amazing tool that allows users to pack a lot of content into a small space. ThingLink is a flexible tool that is well-suited for use in the classroom.”
Check it out if you have a few minutes to spare – you’ll thank me:
ThingLink Toolkit – chock full of great stuff!
A ThingLink about ThingLink!
I created a page today entitled Job Seekers, which links to some wonderful tips, tricks and resources on landing that perfect job. I also wanted to add some specialized info for my friends in Maine, with even more specialized info for those finding themselves unemployed in Education:
MAINE EMPLOYMENT LINKS
EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT LINKS
A productive afternoon at my desk turned to 30 minutes of pure horror today. I received a call from the good folks at LifeLine, which provides my just-turned-eighty mother with a necklace she can press in the event of a medical emergency. I have yet to discover if pressing this device emits a sound, but I plan to find out.
But I digress. It would appear that both my phone and my sister’s phone rang at about the same time, alerting us that our Mother had pressed her LifeLine button, but a call to her home phone was fruitless. Did I mention that the Fire Department entered the apartment, to discover it EMPTY?
Unaware that this contraption only works within 100 feet of her living room, I called the police so they could put out a BOLO on her Neon – bright red crocheted flag on the antenna and all . We Googled numbers and began making calls, our voices shaking and the tears welling up.
A call to my Aunt yielded paydirt: on Mondays, she goes to the Senior Center to play Scrabble. And yes, she had the number.
The gentleman at the Senior Center listened to my story and made an announcement to the room, calling her by name. I could hear her voice faintly in the background, “I’m over here!” I envisioned her placing a “Q” above an “I” to form “qi” for a triple-word score.
As far as we can figure, she must have hit the dang button getting into her car, which is parked right outside her apartment. It sent a crystal clear signal to the transponder, setting off a series of unfortunate events.
Normally at night, I play Words with Friends to relax. Not tonight.
