Cyclo.ps

Cyclo.ps is a new (beta) search engine for finding royalty free stock photos. While this is nothing new for these type of search engine you do have the ability to control which "browsers" it searches through.

Another nice feature is the ability to register for an account (free) and then collect and tag your images.

Below is a pic from the search results on the term, technology integration...


Give Cyclo.ps a try by clicking here.

Google Music

I just wanted to post a quick little blurb about Google Music. Google now lets users listen to music right inside the search results page. This is really nice and a natural progression since Google had been doing this for video as well.

All and all a nice feature that only shows why Google is the best search engine around!!!

Inside a Cyber Studio: Naomi Harm

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Naomi Harm
Blog: http://blog.innovativeeducator.us/

1. Where do you live? Brownsville/MN/USA
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 15 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Mac & Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century Tool and why? I have so many, but my ultimate favorite this month is Google Forms. I create dynamic surveys and interactive surveys to immediately poll students, teachers and admins, and then the data is instantly collated into a spreadsheet to get results. I can also insert a variety of Google gadgets to enhance the spread for presentation purposes.
   
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That technology needs to be taught as a "separate" content area, and not infused within the curriculum. Also other view technology as an "extra" not an essential productivity and efficiency tool to promote inspired learning.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? To get the Network Administrators to understand the importance of the educational value and total cost of ownership of Web 2.0 technologies, and to open up the network filter to allow for Web 2.0 technologies to be utilized in a k-12 environment.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? To get the Network Administrators to understand the importance of the educational value and total cost of ownership of Web 2.0 technologies, and to open up the network filter to allow for Web 2.0 technologies to be utilized in a k-12 environment.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? The blocking of certain websites that I have requested for a tech integration workshop or keynote presentation, and the network administrator has guaranteed me that it is open and it will work, but ultimately it is locked down tighter than a drum. Lastly, limited support from district administrators of modeling tech integration best practices and leadership, and leaving these decisions to be made by technicians/ or network admin's who have no educational teaching experience to guide and support their decisions they make to lock down the system.
9. Who has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My biggest inspiration in technology is the thousands of teachers I work with throughout the year. The go getters, the risk takers, the lurkers, and the skilled and crafted veteran teachers leading the way with technology, because they do not want to be left behind. Everyone of these teachers has told me personal story to tell about their educational journey with technology, which allows me the opportunity to share with them a new teaching tool, technique or strategy to match up with their unique learning and delivery style. Ultimately empowering them to do more, achieve more, and inspire their inner passion for learning, to be the best teacher they can be to impact and motivate student learning.
10. Where do you see technology integration headed in the future? I see it as a continuum- more collaborative, more communicative, more content creation driven. I see our learning environments transformed into virtual realities with robust connectivity to enable for full synchronous learning.

Next on Cyber Studio: Greg Limperis

Technology Faceoff

Technology Faceoff is a new wiki which I designed for a group I created in the social network, Educator's PLN (which I did a review on a few weeks back). This is an exciting group where educators collaborate on 21st Century Technology and try to "weed" out the good from the bad.

The wiki is in it's infancy stage but I think has a lot of promise to help educators decide on which Web 2.0 tools will work for them.

If you'd like to take a look or even join the wiki click here.



For more info visit the Edtech Group on The Educator's PLN.

Jam Studio

Jam Studio is a new site that is for creating/mixing music. I like to think of it as an online version to Garageband. While it might not have all the bells & whistles that Garageband does, it has a very nice look to it and is a lot of fun for mixing music.

Another nice feature about JS is that you do not need an account to create music. If you want to save/share your music you will need to register but just to have fun using the site nothing is required.

I highly recommend giving Jam Studio a try by clicking here.

Below is my music example (ignore the watermark for Screen Flow, I have not purchased the latest upgrade to 2.0 yet)...

Ahead

Ahead is a very interesting new site that creates zoom-able web pages for a user's content. Upon first look it reminds me very much of Prezi, but a lot lot harder to use. While the navigating around a "ahead-page" is easy (click once to grab screen and move, use two fingers on track page to scroll up/down), the actual user interface of Ahead is just really hard to understand. It deals w/ layers/tiers and just doesn't flow as smoothly as I would've liked. That or it is just way over my head ;-)



Either way, I applaud the site for it's innovative design, I just wish it was a little easier to use. Perhaps you'll have better luck then me... give Ahead a try by clicking here.

Alexandra Fransisco has a much more detailed review which you can read by clicking here.

Inside a Cyber Studio: Katie Morrow

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Katie Morrow
blog: http://teach42morrow.blogspot.com/

1. Where do you live? O'Neill/NE/US
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 14 yrs
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century toll and why? iChat- Communication and Collaboration- Connects me to my PLN and the rest of the world- saves me from isolation and endangerment of not learning and growing.
   
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? It is merely a distraction. A toy. A video game.
   
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Stagnant curriculum and assessment requirements,etc.
   
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Reaching and connecting with kids of all levels, all backgrounds, and allowing them to discover talents and share them with the world.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Teachers' fear and unwillingness to change.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? Marco Torres and the ADE community.
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? Anytime, Anywhere learning.... less physical classroom and time restraints... more independent, asynchronous, individualized learning.
    

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? The Book Thief or Holes
2. What is your favorite movie? The Sound of Music

Next on Cyber Studio: Naomi Harm

Planting my Ideas

Planting my Ideas is a site for..errrr.....ummmm....making flowers 8-/ Yes, that is correct, for making digital flowers/plants. After reading Larry Ferlazzo's post where he says, "It’s interesting, fun, and a bit weird," I knew I had to check it out.

This was created the Black Eyed Peas and can use music, images, and words to create your flower. It is bit weird but also a lot of fun and I recommend checking it out by clicking here.

Museum Box

Museum Box is an excellent site that I just found out about from Zarco English, a great blog. This is such a unique site that the only thing I really can compare it to is Digital Vaults.

MB is a site where users can upload their digital content (audio, video, pics, etc) into a "box". Those boxes are then used to defend different perspectives throughout historical times. What does this mean? This means that this is a very good site for history teachers who like to challenge their students to defend different view points throughout history.

Also, w/ MB being a site w/ an educational portal nothing inappropriate can get posted since it has to be reviewed by a teacher/administrator.



I highly recommend giving Museum Box a look by clicking here!!

Picture Book Maker

Picture Book Maker is a site for making easy/fun picture books that you can then enter into a contest (for the London Zoo) or print out for your enjoyment.

I really see the benefit of using this w/ younger kids especially El Ed due to the theme of animals and how easy it is to use. No registration is required and the user can adjust the backgrounds, animals, settings, and actions.



Give Picture Book Maker a try for a fun activity to do w/ the kids!!

For another detailed review check out Larry Ferlazzo's excellent blog.

Every Stock Photo

Every Stock Photo is a site I learned about from the always great blog, Free Technology 4 Teachers. What makes this such an attractive option for users is that all the photos are free, can be tagged, rated and commented on. The only downside I see to this site, is that it is not very safe for education. There is no filter and like most photo search engines inappropriate images do show up.

Give Every Stock Photo a look by clicking here.

Inside a Cyber Studio: Amber Rowland

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Amber Rowland
site: http://techrich.ning.com/profile/AmberRowland

1. Where do you live? Lawrence/KS/USA
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 8 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for work? Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Professional Use: Plurk so that I can ask questions and get answers from other like-minded people
   
   With Kids: video conferencing so that students can get beyond their classroom walls and find answers from experts and peers
   
   I consider collaboration to be a critical skill for both educators and students in the 21st Century.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That it is more time consuming--I would argue it does the reverse.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? changing mind sets and helping educators and administrators understand that technology can enhance instruction and enable a more constructivist approach to learning that can "cover the standards" while addressing digital-age skills and needs.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Watching a teacher who has regained a swagger for teaching after having lost it due to the flood of standardized testing and curriculum requirements. It's fun to watch students and teachers co-constructing knowledge.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Firewalls and policies that limit Internet access--I would prefer to spend time and resources teaching students to use the technology right (offense) instead of trying to keep them out (defense).
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? The kids! We must prepare them for the world in which they are entering. They will be at a tremendous disadvantage if we don't continue to learn, grow and change our methods and strategies. For each adult that I work with, 20-120 students could potentially gain knowledge in a way that makes sense to them-empowering educators and students is my mission.
10. Where do you see technology integration headed in the future? I think we will see a wireless (including power), ubiquitous society where very few people store anything on their local computers but instead keep it online (cloud technologies) so that there is easy access by the owner and anyone who they want to share it with.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? I love my kindle-no favorite book at present
2. What is your favorite movie? I wish I had one! Time is limited right now!

Next on Cyber Studio? Katie Morrow

Open Culture

Open Culture is a blog I just heard about from David Andrade, The Educational Technology Guy. This is site that offers free cultural and educational media from the Web. Since I've been using/creating my own PLN, I've seen how much that we can learn from people all over the world. This site does a nice job of bridging that gap.



Give OC a look by clicking here.

Super Hero Squad Show (Comic)

The Super Hero Squad Show is a new cartoon from Marvel gaining in popularity. They have now released a comic creator similar to Comic Life which lets users pick their own characters and create their own scene. While there is not a ton of features (I'd love to be able to flip characters around) it is very easy to use and should be a lot of fun!!!

Below is my brief example...



Give SHSS Comic Creator a try by clicking here.

Slick Plan

Slick Plan is a brand new mind mapping site that I learned about from the excellent blog, Langwitches. What makes SP so great is its simplicity. It is designed to make beautiful looking site maps and flow charts, and that is exactly what it does. This is a very user friendly program that once a user gets registered can have a fully functional mind map w/in minutes.

Check out my example below...



Give Slick Plan a try by clicking here.

WideWord

WideWord is a wonderful new site that lets users create secure/encrypted documents and then share this w/ others. Think Google Apps w/ encryption. This means that even though your document might be shared it won't be accessible w/out the key.

Not only can you send secure documents but you can collaborate securely. For those that are familiar w/ Google Doc's they'll be able to manage their accounts just fine. Everything, is very similar such as creating a doc, sharing, revising, etc.



Give WideWord a try by clicking it here, a must see!!!

Measy

Measy is a handy little site (beta) that helps users find technological items/gadgets. It is very easy to use and does a good job of what it's supposed to do. My only complaint is there are a lot of categories that a user can edit before querying their search. While fun/easy to do it can make the process longer.




Give Measy a try by clicking here.

For another detailed review check out Larry Ferlazzo's blog.

Inside a Cyber Studio: Marama Stewart

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Marama Stewart
blog: http://maramastewart.com/

1. Where do you live? Palmerston North, New Zealand
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 4.5 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for work? Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Edublogs - I love the support and community that surrounds Edublogs users. I also enjoy that it is dedicated to educators and their students.
   Everything Google - fantastic Web2.0 environment to work with. It is easy to use and free!
   Flickr - Just makes managing my photos and blogs a lot easier. I also love the iPhoto extention.
   Delicious - helps me keep organised.
   Voicethread - Easy to use for my students and Me! I love anything that allows my student voices to be heard.
   Plus the fun stuff - RockYou.com, Supalogo.com, Clustr Maps, Voki.com and everything else I am yet to discover
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? That technology is expensive and that if it is free it is not safe for our students.
   With the emergence of Cloud Computing and Open-source there really no excuse for school not to be involved in 21st Century Learning. I get really angry when I see so called experts peddling their wares and expecting school to pay big bucks for their "products", "student learning environments" and "expertise", that create "safe environments". I do pay for certain Web2.0 apps, but only those that prove to be beneficial and worthy of my students (Voicethread, Edublogs and Flickr). Unfortunately, many schools have no idea that there are better alternatives that do not cost the earth and are in fact easier to use. As long as you take certain simple precautions and educate your students to be aware of the dangers, technology is perfectly safe for your student to use.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? At the moment my biggest headache is the speed of lack thereof of our internet. The NZ government has pledged significant funds to fix this problems, so hopefully this will be fixed before I retire?
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? My class blog - My students and their parents love it. It really allows parents to see inside our classroom and it keeps them informed on what their little people are learning and how they can help at home. I am also very pleased with the global connections we have been able to make through our blog. It is important for kids to understand that they are actually part of a community that extends beyond their front door.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? I guess when you share fantastic technology with other teachers, that will enhance learning for their students and make things easier for them, and the teacher ignores it or doesn't even bother to check it out.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My current school - Russell Street School, and a former colleague Nick Rate (Nick is an Apple Distinguished Educator).
10. Where do you see technology integration headed in the future? I see it being very mobile and in the clouds!

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts. By Louis de Bernieres
2. What is your favorite movie? Serenity

Next on Cyber Studio: Amber Rowland

Vorbeo

Vorbeo is a site I learned about from the excellent blog, Free Technology 4 Teachers. It is a neat little site that lets you create a live embeddable poll on your site. This is very easy to use since it doesn't have a lot of robust/complicated features.

Give Vorbeo a try by clicking here.

Below is an example...

Is my blog a useful resource to you?

Yes
No

Text the Mob

Text the Mob is a new (beta) site for creating entertaining polls and message boards for a given audience. A great/unique feature is the ability to text your answers in via a cell phone (hence the name).

TTM is free but that allows only up to a 100 participants w/ adds. To remove this feature it is $8.oo a month for unlimited questions/clients. Also, another nice feature which is coming is the ability to filter out swear words. This will be ideal for schools, especially those in 1 : 1 environment or for those that have an iPod lab.

Give Text the Mob a try by clicking here.

Below is a video on this great service...

Stinky Teddy

Well, this is going to be an interesting post, if not for just the name.... Stinky Teddy is a search engine that learned about from Larry Ferlazzo's great blog (I think he may have named it too ;-). It is a search powered by gossip. What this actually means is it is powered by social media to get up to the date data.

Give ST a try by clicking here.

Below are the results for a search on the term, "What is the best web 2.0 application?"

The Educator's PLN

The Educator's PLN is a new social network (Ning) that I'm just finding out about. As w/ any Ning network there is a familiar look/feel to them, but PLN does have some nice features that sets it apart.



Upon first glance I noticed that this network had a very sleek look to it. There is a nice chat window on the home page, and very user friendly page layout similar to CR 2.0. Also, this is vastly growing network which is gaining more members day by day. This is ideal when looking at which social network to join. The members and people who contribute are what make the network successful and this one already has some "heavy hitters" who have already signed up.

I highly recommend checking out The Educator's PLN for those looking to enhance their personal learning network.

Click here for more info.

Conflict History

Conflict History is a great mash-up of Google Maps. It is ideal for History teachers who are dealing w/ world conflicts from any time period. The mash-up consists of Google Maps and a time line which is very user friendly.

I highly recommend giving this intriguing site a try by clicking here.



For another excellent review, check out Richard Byrne's amazing blog.

Aardvark

Aardvark is a kind of search engine that I looked at awhile back but was reminded about by a
friend, Alexandra Fransisco. This reminds a lot of Ask.com w/ a social networking twist. Basically, you ask a question, and then Aardvark polls your social networks of choice to "ask others" the answer. Then it posts the answers all in one spot.

I like Aardvark because it is really easy to use (if you use Facebook) and it automatically takes care of the rest. Also, you can edit your profile so you can help others who submit questions via Aardvark as well.



Give Aardvark a try by clicking here!!!

Inside a Cyber Studio: Teryl Magee

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Teryl Magee
blog: http://terylmagee.blogspot.com/

1. Where do you live? Knoxville, TN
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 10 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Both Windows & Mac
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Wow, there are so many it is hard to name just one. For collaboration for the kiddos I will have to say VoiceThread for so many reasons. Animoto runs a very close 2nd though.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? Teachers are "scared" of it, probably because they are afraid that their students know more than they do. That is okay. I think the biggest misconception however is that it will add something else to their already overflowing plates. Teachers need to realize that it is adding something else but a tool to use in education just like anything else.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Blocked sites!
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Last year I was able to work in our school lab for 3 days and got to work with all of the students from K-5. The students and teachers got a taste of what good technology integration strategies looked like and everyone got excited. K-2 worked with Kerpoof! Studios while 3-5 worked with Photostory.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? One year I was working on a project with my students using Voki when we went to go and continue our work the site had become blocked. No matter what my tech. dept. refused to unblock it saying that is was social networking. It was a personal setback I had to get over.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My biggest inspiration? My PLN inspires me everyday to become the BEST educator I possibly can be. There is not one person to be named. I will say though, without the DEN, I wouldn't be where I am today!
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? Wow, I'm not sure. Technology is evolving so quickly it is hard to keep up.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Lord of the Rings series
2. What is your favorite movie? Silence of the Lambs

Next on Cyber Studio: Marama Stewart

Bee Docs Timeline

Bee Docs Timeline is an application that has been around for awhile. It is designed to create stunning looking 2D/3D timelines for Mac OS 10.5. This happens to be one of my favorite Leopard apps out there.

What makes BD so great is how easy it is to use...just download that app (free trial) and you are all set to go ($40.00). You can then either create a timeline from scratch or import it from any number of Apple apps such as iCal, Skitch, iPhoto, etc. Any application that handles photos can be imported into Bee Docs.

Also, BD is great at sharing timelines via, email, Quicktime, Keynote, or any mobile device. This really is cutting edge software.

Download Bee Docs Timeline by clicking here.

Below is my sample timeline using the import feature on my blog...

Sphere

Sphere is a new site that creates a widget that relates content to different: media, blogs, and data in a specific site/location. It might sound confusing but think of it as a gadget on your site/blog that helps improve the readers experience. This is done by something known as "contextual matching".

After reading up on Sphere and giving it a look, I've decided to trial it on this very blog hoping to enhance your experience. (click at the bottom of any post on Sphere related content) It kind of reminds me of the Crux Lux widget w/out it being automated.

I think there is some definite benefits here and hope to hear back regarding any users experience.



Give Sphere a look by clicking here.

Inside a Cyber Studio: Brian McKee

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Brian McKee
blog: http://ppsblogs.net/brianmckee/

1. Where do you live? Portsmouth, VA
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 10 years
3. What OS/platform do you use for your work? Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? Big Huge Labs: many teachers have concerns about integrating technology in an intense high accountability atmosphere. Bighugelabs.com permits simple and easy technology integration in a tight schedule.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? Drill-and-kill sites are technology integration; productivity seems to be shunned because "I don't have time to do it."
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? Classroom teachers can be territorial. Another adult in the room: why are you here? The new teachers, however, understand collaboration much better.
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? Demonstrating to teachers how giving troubled students leadership roles in technology projects can give them a sense of accomplishment and purpose in coming to school.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Working with older generation teachers who fear that it's taking over their comfort level.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? Our supervisor/director: she supports all our strategies and ideas!
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? It will become a standard and not a choice. Example: handwriting is now being thrown to the wayside since keyboarding/technology has become the "norm".

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? Anything by David McCullough
2. What is your favorite movie? It's a Wonderful Life

Next on Cyber Studio: Teryl Magee

Cameroid

Cameroid is a fun site that lets users take "profile" shots of their face and use it w/ different effects User's of Apple's Photo Booth will feel right at home using this site as it is a lot of fun. You can change backgrounds, effects, and even add borders to your picture.

Click here to give Cameroid a try.



For another detailed review check out Shelly Terrell's blog.