Friday, October 14, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Thing 13 of 23 Things: Web-based Applications
I really like Zoho writer! It's comparable to Microsoft Word, but better than Google Docs for creating a .doc file. I like the fact that you can create, edit, and save the document online on Zoho.com or export your file and save it to your computer. You can also import your .doc file from Google Docs straight into Zoho. Pretty neat, huh? It is frustrating, however, that all of the formatting does not transfer when you upload a .doc file to Zoho to work on it. I created this tutorial using Microsoft Word and I really wanted to share with you all, but every time I tried uploading it, my images were thrown all over the place. This happens in Google Docs as well. Because I really wanted to share this without making you click on a link to view it, I went through great lengths to get it here! I'll explain further down, but first, please take a few moments to see what I created:
Ok, so now for the explanation. (It may have been the long way to go about it, but this is what worked for me. Please feel free to comment if you know another way!) I saved my .doc file as a .pdf in Microsoft Word and uploaded it to Google Docs. (I did this because I did not want Google Docs to mess up my formatting. I uploaded it to Google Docs, because it supports .pdf files. Zoho does not.) This is where Google Docs receives my saving graces: If you view a .pdf in Google Docs, you can right click on it and save it as a .jpg file. Zoho supports .jpg files! I'm still trying to figure out how to update my blog with Zoho Writer. So far, it keeps giving me an error message with no explanation:
So for now, I'll be updating the old way.
Ok, so now for the explanation. (It may have been the long way to go about it, but this is what worked for me. Please feel free to comment if you know another way!) I saved my .doc file as a .pdf in Microsoft Word and uploaded it to Google Docs. (I did this because I did not want Google Docs to mess up my formatting. I uploaded it to Google Docs, because it supports .pdf files. Zoho does not.) This is where Google Docs receives my saving graces: If you view a .pdf in Google Docs, you can right click on it and save it as a .jpg file. Zoho supports .jpg files! I'm still trying to figure out how to update my blog with Zoho Writer. So far, it keeps giving me an error message with no explanation:
So for now, I'll be updating the old way.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Thing 12 of 23 Things: Google is Not Just for Searching Anymore
The name Google has become one of those household terms, usually employed as a verb, meaning to search online for information. This reminds me of a joke my sisters told me last year:
What do turkeys do on the internet?
(They google, google, google!)<----highlight what's in between the parentheses if you sincerely give up! heheheeee....
So the Google tools I've explored are Google Calendar and Documents.
I really like that you can use a shortcut in Google Calendar so you can post a reoccurring event only once, but it automatically posts it for every day that it occurs. I posted my class schedule and am so grateful that that option is available. It would have been a pain to post the same schedule every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the semester! This tool would be useful for a teacher, because 1) it's free, 2) you can access it online from any computer, 3) you can have reminders emailed to you about the events. Assignment due dates, parent teacher conferences, staff development meetings, etc., can be scheduled. Different calendars can be made and organized with viewing options to separate personal from professional schedules. Several websites have a "add date to Google Calendar" option for events you may be interested in. APSU provides that option with the calendar of events.
I also like Google Documents, because, like Dropbox.com, you can upload files and access them online from any computer. What's different about Google Docs is that is provides a tool to create documents, such as presentations (comparable to Powerpoint), spreadsheets, text documents, etc., as well. You can share them with other people by sending a link or keep them private. A drawback, though, is that if you upload a Powerpoint presentation and try to view it through Google Docs, the formatting changes a bit, and some of the photos and graphics may not appear. Students can take advantage of this file sharing of documents and presentations, because it doesn't actually send a file, just an access link. That means no files to lose, no thumbdrive to be corrupted!
What do turkeys do on the internet?
(They google, google, google!)<----highlight what's in between the parentheses if you sincerely give up! heheheeee....
So the Google tools I've explored are Google Calendar and Documents.
I really like that you can use a shortcut in Google Calendar so you can post a reoccurring event only once, but it automatically posts it for every day that it occurs. I posted my class schedule and am so grateful that that option is available. It would have been a pain to post the same schedule every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the semester! This tool would be useful for a teacher, because 1) it's free, 2) you can access it online from any computer, 3) you can have reminders emailed to you about the events. Assignment due dates, parent teacher conferences, staff development meetings, etc., can be scheduled. Different calendars can be made and organized with viewing options to separate personal from professional schedules. Several websites have a "add date to Google Calendar" option for events you may be interested in. APSU provides that option with the calendar of events.
I also like Google Documents, because, like Dropbox.com, you can upload files and access them online from any computer. What's different about Google Docs is that is provides a tool to create documents, such as presentations (comparable to Powerpoint), spreadsheets, text documents, etc., as well. You can share them with other people by sending a link or keep them private. A drawback, though, is that if you upload a Powerpoint presentation and try to view it through Google Docs, the formatting changes a bit, and some of the photos and graphics may not appear. Students can take advantage of this file sharing of documents and presentations, because it doesn't actually send a file, just an access link. That means no files to lose, no thumbdrive to be corrupted!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Thing 11 of 23 Things: Finding Good Feeds
It's kinda neat that Topix pins your location and then pulls up local news and information. It would be interesting to follow some of the newsfeeds to stay current on local news. Uh...but as I click on one of the links, I'm redirected to a page that says, "Congrats! You've been selected to take a survey!" And then it wouldn't let me escape the page without clicking cancel or "No, Thanks" ten million times. I cannot stand those type of things! I will not be trying Topix again.
I think the easiest tool to use is Google Blogs just because I'm used to using the Google search engine. (I like using Google Scholar to help references for papers).
The most useful feeds I've found so far are The Art teacher's Guide to the Internet, The Teaching Palette: Perfecting the Art of Education, and The Art of Education.
I think the easiest tool to use is Google Blogs just because I'm used to using the Google search engine. (I like using Google Scholar to help references for papers).
The most useful feeds I've found so far are The Art teacher's Guide to the Internet, The Teaching Palette: Perfecting the Art of Education, and The Art of Education.
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