New Year, New Ideas, New Sites to Consider

     As we begin a new school year, I thought I'd begin a year of blogging about academic technology by focusing attention on a few web sites that hold promise for a wide variety of teachers.  The hard part, of course, is selecting just a few.  It is fair to say about the internet that never before in human history has so much content been available to so many users in a relatively accessible, easy to use format.  As educators, we recognize the potential of virtually unlimited content for teaching and learning.  But we also know that seeking the best of the web is not unlike a dog chasing his tail; it's an endless quest that is often characterized by frustration and exhaustion.  And in the end, you're not really sure what you've accomplished.

     I'm not here to save the day by providing the perfect web sites you've been seeking.  No one can do that.  What I am suggesting, however, is that these sites are worth exploring because of their abilities to provide useful materials to a wide variety of teachers across divisions and disciplines.  If you've got a spare moment - no small thing - try and explore one or several sites.  I think you'll find much to use.
     There are four altogether.  The first, Thinkfinity, contains classroom teaching materials.  The second, Online-Convert, will help you to manage multiple file formats.  The third, Tech and Learning's newsletter, will keep you apprised of technology learning news.  The fourth, Google, is included as a reminder that it's more than a search engine.   

     Right now, my favorite all-purpose classroom instruction web site is Verizon Foundation's Thinkfinity. The Verizon Foundation has teamed with a limited group of highly regarded content providers to offer videos, activities, readings, etc. on an incredible range of topics.  Who are the partners?

     There are a few features that make this site useful to virtually any teacher.  Content is K-12.  Every video, every activity, every unit comes with lesson plans. Because all the content has been developed by the educational divisions of the above partners, you can rest assured that all materials are appropriate for school use.  The site is fully searchable. Finally, social networking among like-minded teachers is facilitated by discussion groups and blog posts.

     Another highly useful site is Online-Convert It's totally different from Thinkfinity in that it's a site providing a set of increasingly useful productivity tools.  You're familiar with the problem; every computer user is.  You receive a file in a particular format (e.g.: pdf, MPEG-2, WMA, ePub, HTML, etc.) and you cannot open it.  You need to open the file, but you're unsure how to proceed.  This web site is a file converter.  It can "translate" a file into a format your computer will accept.  I would recommend you bookmark it and use it as needed. As you can see, navigation is very easy to use and it works. 

And there are many other file converters to explore if you're interested.  Go to www.technicallydigital.com/vert-documents-and-media-files to see a comprehensive listing of sites.

     Tech and Learning's newsletter is just part of the Tech and Learning web site. This is a comprehensive site for readers interested in technology in schools.  The magazine is available through subscription so that you'll receive the articles in your email inbox.  I generally find at least a few articles of interest.  The web site is a combination of information, forums, blogs, etc. 

     The image above gives you a sense of Tech and Learning's range.  Products - software and hardware - are reviewed.  The Best Practices section offers plenty of tips from fellow faculty.  By clicking on Magazine, you'll be brought to the current online issue, and be offered an opportunity to subscribe to the feed for free.  In short, there's a lot of information targeted at educators interested in how technology and learning connect.

     Why mention Google as a fourth, and final key web site?  Most of use it very regularly.  But look beyond the search engine and the home page, and a world of Google opens up.

 

     The familiar home page is picture above.  The red arrow directs you to the "more..." drop-down, and the green arrow is a reminder that having a Google account is necessary to take advantage of many of Google's features.  It's free.  

     By clicking the "more" prompt, you'll be offered shortcuts to about ten key Google functions like Documents, Reader, Sites and Scholar.  Click on "even more," and an incredible wealth of specialized services become available.  The services are organized by category: Web, Mobile, Media, Geo, Home & Office, Social, Specialized Search and Innovation.  Google Reader, for instance, allows you to consolidate your blogs and RSS feeds in one location. Google translate is a very handy translation tool, converting over 50 languages into English. Google Blog Search allows you to search blogs on topics of interest, and Blogger can get you started on your own blog. (This blog is created through Blogger.)

     Keeping up with web sites for educational use - or any other purpose, for that matter - is truly impossible.  There are just too many websites existent, and too many being added daily.  The numbers are staggering.  Web sites number in the hundreds of millions, and upwards of 7 - 10 million pages are being added daily.  But our job is not to be familiar with all that the internet contais.  Rather, it should be to look for and utilize those sites of particular interest to us.  Hopefully, the four above contribute to that quest.