Website Catch Up

It’s time to wake this sleepy blog up! Over the last few weeks I’ve been bookmarking a number of sites to share with you as time allowed. Here are some great sites that I think you’ll find you can really use!

PDF to Word is a great online tool that will convert most pdf files to .doc files. This allows you to open and edit pdf files with Word, Pages, or OpenOffice. Pages and OpenOffice will strip out formatting and some clipart, but the text is still there. The site is so easy to use, simply select the pdf file you want to convert, select the option to convert to a doc file, and enter your email address. The site will then do the rest and email the file to you. The only down side is that it’s not an immediate email, there’s sometimes a wait of up to a few hours.

Teaching Tech to Your Parents is a site from Google intended to assist those people who often find themselves asked to help older relatives with different computer skills. However, with over 50 videos on a variety of topics, it’s a site worth a look to anyone who might need a little computer help, regardless of age.  There are videos there for all of us! Click the category name on the left, then click the name of the video on the right in order to view it. If you click in the little checkbox, the video will not launch. You could also click the option to view all videos, then select the category on the left.

Google Advanced Search now offers the option to sort search results according to readability! The levels are far more limited than what we use, with options only for basic, intermediate and advanced, but it’s still something worth trying when we struggle to find appropriate sites for our elementary students doing research projects.

Yummy Math is a site for older elementary students. Two teachers create various math problems based on current events, and some problems also include science experiments, showing the connections between math and science. Along with viewing the problems chronologically, you can view them by math topic, or general concept. Be sure to click the link within each problem’s description to access the full activity file.

The Online Egg Timer is definitely a site you’ll want to bookmark! It’s a webpage with three easy to use timers on it. You can project this on your SmartBoard, turn the sound up, and not worry about having to watch the clock, an old fashioned telephone sound will alert you when time is up. You can even bookmark individual timers that you frequently use, such as those used during turn and talk time.

Photovisi is a super easy and super fun photo collage tool. Best of all, it’s free! Simply pick a design, select the photos from your computer or webcam (think PhotoBooth – it’s on most of our computers!) that you want to add, and then download the collage final product. The only tricky part is a window that pops up for you to share the collage to FaceBook, Twitter, or Email. Just “x” out of that window, and the collage will be there for you to download. Remember, to download an image, click the control (ctrl) key on your keyboard while you click on the image. From the pop up window select the option for “save image as.” Here’s an example of one design:

If you have an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, this video just might interest you. I know I learned a few things from it!

If the video does not load properly click here to go directly to the YouTube page to view it.

Remember, I’m always looking for new sites and information to share. If you have something you think your colleagues will find useful, please let me know.