January 31st, 2008
17:28
Filed Under: Links
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…I have found it increasingly annoying to hear from on high that we need to integrate more technology in our classroom, yet most new teachers and old teachers are still using old standbys because we don’t have the time to use and troubleshoot…
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…A to-learn list can’t work the same as a to-do list for a number of reasons…
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…gives programmers an easier method to put applications on their site … also means that Facebook will have access to more user data…
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…aimed at that sweet spot between pages, posts, photos and products…
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Copyright-Friendly and Copyleft Images and Sound (Mostly!) for Use in Media Projects and Web Pages, Blogs, Wikis, etc.
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It’s fast, easy, and it saves a cache of every page by default…
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…offline access is obviously still in its early stages, but it’s reassuring to see that Google is actively improving its online office applications…
Popularity: 14% [?]
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January 31st, 2008
14:51
Filed Under: General
… as you’ve probably noticed, posts were kind of sparse. I’ve been sick in bed with the flu.
Back to regularly scheduled posting soon!
Popularity: 18% [?]
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January 31st, 2008
14:49
Filed Under: Projects
audiobooks, blogging, edtech, google, ipod, itunes, learning, mac, pc, photo, tutorial, video, writing
A couple days ago, I wrote a tutorial on how to import audiobook CDs to iTunes as a part of a Blog Writing Project over at the Daily Blog Tips blog.
Part 2 of the contest is for the tutorial writers to pick our top 3, top 5, top-whatever entries, by any criteria we choose, to determine the winner.
So, here are my favorite 10 tutorials relating to education and/or technology, in no particular order. Enjoy!
If you want to see all the tutorials entered in the contest, they’re listed on this page. Happy reading!
Popularity: 67% [?]
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January 30th, 2008
17:45
Filed Under: Links
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The Edublogs Magazine brings you the news, information, interviews, highlights, and techniques from around the Edublogs Network and the world of education…
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Shareaholic makes it easy for you to submit the web page you’re on to your favorite sharing or bookmarking service, including: digg, del.icio.us, facebook, friendfeed, google bookmarks, magnolia, mixx, reddit, stumbleupon, tumblr and twitter…
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…put simply it watches what is going on within twitter and picks up anyone posting links to content. We then track how many other mentions of the same content are made…
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As we see client-server interaction become more sophisticated and interaction capabilities, such as drag-and-drop, become richer, a simple “write-up” can’t do the project justice…
Popularity: 11% [?]
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January 27th, 2008
17:33
Filed Under: Links
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…various common graphic design elements in modern web (”2.0″) design style…
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Snipplr is a public source code repository that gives you a place to store and organize all the little pieces of code that you use each day. Best of all, it lets you share your code snippets with other coders and designers.
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PDF Hammer is a website that allows you to edit your PDF files online for free.
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The easiest way to manage your instant messaging… All conversations and contacts at your fingertips…
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Your commentary publishes in real time like an instant message. Our ‘one-click’ publishing lets you drop polls, videos, pictures, ads and audio clips as soon as they come to mind…
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We’ve picked out the leading browser extensions, desktop applications, Greasemonkey scripts and Facebook apps - more than 150 in all…
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Memory Alpha is a collaborative project to create the most definitive, accurate, and accessible encyclopedia and reference for everything related to Star Trek… (fun use of a wiki - great!)
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Popularity: 13% [?]
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If you’re like me, you probably have a stack of audiobooks on CD. While CDs are okay, I’ve been looking for a convenient way to get these audiobooks onto my iPod using iTunes for the sake of portability.
After some searching and tweaking, I think I’ve finally got this down to a science - so take a look at this tutorial, and enjoy listening to your books on the iPod!
(This seems to be a legal grey area - but as I understand the law in the US, you can make a copy of a CD you’ve purchased for your own personal use, which is what I’m doing. Please don’t use these instructions to break any laws in your country.)
What You’ll Need
Got everything installed? Great. Now for the steps:
In iTunes:
1. Navigate to Preferences > Advanced > Importing
2. Set the following preferences:
- On CD Insert: Show CD (or Ask to Import CD, your choice)
- Import Using: AAC Encoder
- Setting: (Spoken Podcast will save you some time and file size, but I use High Quality, so I don’t have to switch settings for music CDs.)
- Check Boxes: Automatically Retrieve CD Track Names from Internet (this will help, I promise!)
3. Insert the Audiobook CD you want to burn, and import it. If your Audiobook has multiple discs, import them all.
4. Find your Audiobook in your iTunes Library (click ‘Music’ on the left sidebar and scroll through).
5. Select all the tracks of the Audiobook (click the first, hold down the Shift key, and select the last).
6. Launch Join Together (if you installed the AppleScript that came with the app, select it from your AppleScript menu in iTunes. Otherwise, just navigate to the program in your Applications folder and open it).
In Join Together:
1. Make sure all the tracks are in the correct order (you may need to glance at your CD case to be sure - but if you got the CD track names from the internet as I suggested above, this should be easier!).
2. Type the author, title, and album as you want them to appear in your Audiobook list in iTunes. Some of this may auto-populate for you based on the CD track metadata.
3. Tweak your settings:
- Data Rate: 32 kbps should be just fine for spoken word - increase this for better file quality, but a larger file.
- Channels: Mono (again, this is fine for spoken word and will save space)
- Sample Rate: I left this alone. Tweak as needed.
- Save As: You MUST save it as a .m4b if you want to add chapters (see Bonus Section, below).
4. Hit ‘Proceed’, and your conversion will start.
In QuickTime:
1. Now QuickTime is going to start lining up boxes across your screen as it pulls each individual track from the CD together into one audio file. When it’s found all the files and started the conversion, you’ll get a progress bar, like this:
2. Depending on the size of your audiobook, QuickTime and Join Together should be doing their work for 20 minutes to an hour. Get a cup of coffee, read a book, keep yourself otherwise entertained for a bit.
Back in iTunes…
1. When the conversion finishes, open iTunes back up, and click on Audiobooks on the left sidebar. See your book?
2. If you want the audiobook on your iPod, plug it in and sync like you usually would, making sure to check ‘Audiobooks’ (or ‘All Songs and Playlists’) from the ‘Music’ tab.
Whew!
That’s it! Once you’ve done this once or twice, you’ll get the hang of it (I know, it seems like a lot of steps at first!), and you’ll be listening to your books on your iPod in no time.
Bonus Section: Creating Chapters/Bookmarks
Personally, I’ve never tried this, since I’ve never needed to use it, but audiobooks in iTunes can be paused and resumed from the same place, and can be broken into chapters. In case the bug strikes you, here’s a list of tutorials and resources to get you started.
For More Information…
This tutorial will be updated regularly as new versions of software are released. Any questions? Ask in the comments!
*Sorry, PC folks! I’m a Mac-savvy girl. I think this bit of software may help you out, though: MP3 to iPod Audio Book Converter.
This post was written as a part of the Daily Blog Tips Tutorial Writing Project.
Popularity: 100% [?]
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January 26th, 2008
17:31
Filed Under: Links
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typography, color, graphic design, brand identity, inspiration, web design and programming, Web 2.0,usability, data visualization and simplicity
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docstoc is a user generated community where you can find and share professional documents. Find free legal documents and free business documents. Upload your documents for all the world to share.
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First, there are an increasing number of social networks that display profile pictures. Second, most people have lousy profile pictures. Their pitch: upload your photo and their “digital stylists” will work it over to help you better present yourself.
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Google released a basic application for Windows that lets you upload files to Google Docs by using drag and drop.
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How a Tucson high school customized its curriculum around its laptop program.
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In the online game Second Life, a shutdown of the make-believe banking system is causing real-life havoc for thousands of people.
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…the Wall Street Journal will not, as has been widely speculated, tear down its paywall entirely…
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ROI remains high because usability is still cheap relative to gains…
Popularity: 10% [?]
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January 25th, 2008
17:41
Filed Under: Links
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Students who do try to wipe out traces of their web activities before they enter the world of work should be aware that it’s harder than it looks…
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excellent books about usability and interaction design, some provide the theory of user interface design, others have a number of precise examples of how the theory can be used in practice…
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Netflix confirmed that they were hoping to have a Mac web-streaming video solution available in 2008…
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The European Union’s data privacy regulator group said this week that an IP address “has to be regarded as personal data” when it’s used to identify a person…
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…as more web-based chat tools delve into integrated features with video and games, malware is a major concern that will be factored into future development for such tools.
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new web based tools: so many that even we have trouble keeping track…
Popularity: 16% [?]
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January 24th, 2008
17:41
Filed Under: Links
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This may seem like a dumb question, but don’t worry - you would be surprised how often this comes up…
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Evaluating the use of technology in a classroom environment is not something most administrators are trained to do. It is easy to walk into a classroom and see that every student is using a computer, but how do you really assess…
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If you work with HTML a lot, it’s worth keeping an eye on the many free, targeted utilities you can use to work more efficiently…
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We should treat personal electronic data with the same care and respect as weapons-grade plutonium - it is dangerous, long-lasting and once it has leaked there’s no getting it back…
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You may have noticed that standard Google searches put the search terms right in the URL…
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Microsoft has both been the ultimate example of lock-in and also an important force behind other open standards efforts on the web, including OpenID….
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Popularity: 12% [?]
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January 23rd, 2008
17:42
Filed Under: Links
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mong all the links and downloads out there, it can be hard for teachers to know which ones work best. Google has made it easier by creating Google for Educators, which compiles some of the search engine’s most useful features in one place.
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All of the Lifehacker Code projects listed below are free to download, and they’re licensed under the GNU Public License with source available, so we invite you to use, modify, and enhance to your heart’s content.
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…here’s 100+ ways to get even more out of the popular photo site…
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…because last week AT&T announced that it is seriously considering plans to examine all the traffic it carries for potential violations…
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…find the cheapest Voice over IP service and compare, review and rank VoIP services from almost all known VoIP service providers…
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Second Life is prohibiting the offering of interest or any direct return on an investment… without proof of an applicable government registration statement or financial institution charter…
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digitalculturebooks is a collaborative imprint of the University of Michigan Press and the University of Michigan Library dedicated to publishing innovative work about the social, cultural, and political impact of new media.
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Nobody has time to memorize a complete list of web browser keyboard shortcuts, and really, why should they?
Popularity: 12% [?]
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Tips for Design and Life
