12/13/2011

Tech Tips Tuesday ... NORAD Tracks Santa!

Did you know that Norad tracks Santa each year?
Check out this exclusive video of Santa's trip in 2010.

Norad Tracks Santa is a fun holiday site you won't want to miss. You can find:

Hope you have a great last week before the break and a very Merry Christmas!



12/06/2011

Tech Tip Tuesday ... Pinterest!

Today's post is so exciting that it should probably come with strongly worded warning about possible probable addiction issues!

You may have already heard about Pinterest. If not ...
where you have you been? 

Anyway ... I think of Pinterest as a virtual bulletin board where you can "pin" things (images) that "interest" you. Pinboards help you gather and organize all kinds of fantastical ideas. The BEST thing about Pinterest is that these pins link back to the original source. That means you don't have to keep track of those website URLs anymore - just click on your pin and it will take you to all of the information!

I will admit that the first several months that I've been "pinning", I have focused on craft projects, recipes, decorating ideas, funny sayings, and more. Unfortunately, I have run across a few inappropriate pins too, so I wouldn't necessarily use this with students. Recently though, there has been a growing number of educational pins on Pinterest which makes it the perfect place to get classroom ideas, teaching resources, and more.

I've created a new professional Pinterest account that is set up with boards including General Classroom Ideas, Classroom Management, Techtastic Project Ideas, and Blogtastic! (which currently has pins for 30+ educational blogs). You can find and follow my professional Pinterest page at pinterest.com/tuckertech.

Because I knew I would be sharing this on the blog, I created a professional account. If you already have a Pinterest account, I don't think it's necessary for you to create a new account. You can just create new pinboards for your classroom ideas. In fact, you probably already have!

You do not need an account to look around and gather ideas. You will only need an account if you want to create your own pinboards and start pinning ideas. If you are interested in creating an account, you can "Request an Invite" on Pinterest or just ask an existing Pinterest user to invite you. I'll be happy to invite you - just send me your email address. You will need a Facebook or Twitter account when you sign up.

Here are a few of my favorite Educational Pinners/Pinboards:
http://pinterest.com/teachwithprek/
http://pinterest.com/sciencestuff/ - really good MS & HS science ideas and links!
http://pinterest.com/lauracandler/
http://pinterest.com/jenrunde/

Please leave your pinterest link (or others) in a comment below if you've got Educational resources to share. I'm looking forward to following some of you!



Santa Fun

Do you want PROOF that Santa visited your home or classroom? Check out these fun sites where you can create photos or videos. Neither of these options are free, but they seem fairly reasonable to me!

Capture the Magic
In just three easy steps (and $9.95), you can have 3 high-quality photos of Santa in your own home or classroom! Just upload photos of your home or classroom, select a Santa (they've got LOTS of poses - surely you can find one just right!), and the site will merge the image and you can download your photos. Check out these samples:






Merry Christmas Santa Video

This one is similar in that it uses images you supply, but it actually uses green-screen technology to impose video images of Santa in your own home or classroom for $14.95. Once you're finished, you will receive a streaming video link online or you can download a high quality copy to burn to a DVD, edit, or even add to YouTube! Be sure to check out the short and informative video explaining how easy it is to create a Santa video in your own home or classroom!

I have not personally used either of these two sites, but they look fun to me and have lots of positive reviews. If you use them, I would love to hear how you liked them. More importantly, what did your kids think???


 

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