Hack Jam Pittsburgh - Programming for Teens

This looks like an awesome opportunity for teenagers to learn about how to create on the web by using programming code and other web tools.  The quote on the website says it all...

“The goal: help millions of people

move from using the web to making the web.”

You can register for the Pittsburgh "Hack Jam"(9/23/12 from 1-3pm) by clicking on this link.

Symbaloo

Since so many tools we use anymore are on the web, we also need a great place to organize and share websites.  There are many social bookmarking tools on the web, and one I have enjoyed using is Symbaloo.  Symbaloo has a great interface where each site is a button in a folder.  You can create different folders of sites, and you can share these folders with other friends connected to Symbaloo.  Symbaloo also offers a great EDU interface, so it is safe to use with your students as well.

Fun Tuesday Post! --- Be Careful What You Find on the Internet!

Here is a fun picture to start your Tuesday!  Also, this is a great picture to lead a discussion on making sure you use appropriate sources for information on the Internet.

ZamZar File Conversion

ZamZar is a website that offers free file conversion for multiple file types.  If you are looking to extract text from a PDF, or open a Microsoft Publisher file on your Mac you can use ZamZar.  ZamZar work likes this, you upload the file to the website, and you choose what type of file you would like in return.  You will be emailed a link (usually within minutes) in which you can download the file to your computer.  It works pretty easily.  Some larger file conversions may take a bit longer, and the results for some files are not always perfect, but all in all it is a great utility!  Another great new feature is the addition to download video and audio files from the YouTube or other sites.  I like using ZamZar to do this, because you can choose what type of file you would like in return.  You simply copy the video link into ZamZar, and choose the video format you would like to use.  You can also choose an audio only (MP3) format if you would just like the audio from the audio track from the video.  Always remember copyright rules when doing any of that as well!  

Quote of the Day

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Free Apps at Starbucks...

There is nothing like a good cup of coffee to start the day, but now you can add a free iPhone app to your Vanilla Latte!  For years at Starbucks, you could always pick up a little card that offered a "Pick of the Week" song code that you could download directly from iTunes for free.  The other day while I was waiting for my coffee, I looked at the "Pick of the Week" card that is by the register, and I was surprised to see it was not a song...it was for an iPhone/iPad app!  The app for that week was a Dora the Explorer ABC game app that is perfect for my four year old son.  They have also offered a Scrabble game, a Golf Tutor, and the Shazaam music app in past weeks.  The Pick of the Week still does offer songs, but the addition to IOS apps is a fun addition to the morning coffee experience!

Jing and Screencast

Here is a quick post about two great technology tools created by TechSmith.  I recently had to record a presentation for faculty that was originally scheduled for a face to face meeting.  There are lots of ways to do this, but I chose Jing and ScreenCast.

Jing is a free utility that you need to install on your computer.  It gives you the ability to create a screenshot or record video directly from your monitor.  It is very simple to share and record your screen, and free to use for up to a 5 minute video.  After you create your video, you can save a Flash file to your computer, or you can upload it directly to ScreenCast.  Using ScreenCast, you can email individuals a direct link to the file, or you can embed the video to your blog or website.  Both tools are free to use!  They both have a Pro version to give you a little more functionality.

TechSmith also has some software applications that do a little more robust recording, but if you need something simple, try Jing and ScreenCast!