Timer has features perfect for teachers
April 28th, 2009
I’ve talked about timers in the past but e.ggtimer.com is my new favorite. Here are a few tricks that make e.ggtimer.com a handy classroom tool.
As a high school science teacher, I have often been asked how I find time to integrate technology into my life. Good question, when you consider the amount of time it takes to be an effective teacher. Well, for one thing, I don't look for technology— it finds me. I work to improve learning in the classroom and increase collaboration between teachers. Our world is always changing. Adapting to new environments often requires mastery of new technologies. One can easily become a dinosaur if you neglect to change. Avoiding extinction is my motivation.
April 28th, 2009
I’ve talked about timers in the past but e.ggtimer.com is my new favorite. Here are a few tricks that make e.ggtimer.com a handy classroom tool.
March 24th, 2009
YouTube is riddled with distractions that can take your students’ eyes off the main video you wish them to see.

You can minimize these distractions by embedding your video into a blank webpage. Below is a screencast that demonstrates how to embed online videos.
February 16th, 2009
I have outlined some of the resources and tools available in a screencast for you to watch.
Links to the sites mentioned in the screencast are available below.
Going Further: you can also post your audio at archive.org. Here you can post all sorts of files and it’s all free! Many people host their audio podcasts at archive.org. You can too!
January 10th, 2009
It appears that more and more people are buying laptops over desktop PCs. With feature-rich laptops selling for less than $500, I can see why. But there is one thing my laptop is missing- the numeric keypad. I didn’t even miss it until I started enter grades one afternoon.
Trying to enter grades on a laptop is a nightmare and it really slows you down. But never fear, there’s always a gadget to the rescue.
Pick up one of these keypads to give your fingers the extra space they need.

Go Cheap (Numeric Keypad with Retractable Cable - $18.99)

Go Wireless (Logitech Cordless Number Pad - $32.30)

Go Crazy (USB Wireless Keypad with Track Ball - $37.00)
December 22nd, 2008
Frequently, I hear teachers yearn for access to YouTube in their classroom. Yet, I question if this really is a good idea. Below are eight things we need to worry about if YouTube is allowed in the classroom:
So given all the good that YouTube can offer, how do we deal with the obstacles listed above?
December 19th, 2008
Some times I think what is hip and cool is not always right for school. The latest trendsetting gadgets are Flip Video’s digital camcorders. It seems like everyone is in love with the Flip. These little camcorders fit in your pocket and have a handy flip out USB connector so you can transfer your movies with ease.
I think the Flip camcorders are a little overhyped. It might be a great little camcorder to carry in your pocket for a night out on the town but we’re not sending our students to shoot video in the clubs. If you’re looking to just record short video clips, many affordable digital cameras can do the job and you’ll be able to use that camera to take great still images too. Here are a few reasons why I don’t flip for the Flip:
If you must have a camcorder with the flip-out USB feature, check out the Kodak Zi6. This camcorder is slightly bigger but it has an expandable memory slot and macro mode. It’s powered by standard rechargeable AA batteries and it comes with a free charger. The Zi6 is a little cheaper too.
Check out these video reviews to see how the Zi6 compares to the Flip models.
December 17th, 2008
Not a week goes by without one of my colleagues asking me how to show a YouTube video in class. Because of it’s history of inappropriate content, ranging from pointless to tasteless, YouTube has been blocked in schools across the nation. However, the same content filters that are supposed to be blocking the bad sites are preventing “…teachers from accessing cutting-edge widgets and digital materials that have enormous potential for expanding learning.” [1]
I think it’s time for schools to take another look at YouTube’s use in the classroom. Here are a few reasons why we should let YouTube into our schools:
November 17th, 2008
I just discovered that our copy machine works as a scanner too. Below is a video demonstration that shows how the copier at my school can scan documents and send them as emails.
I’ve been on a quest to digitize all my materials for class in an effort to save paper and backup everything I have. Now that scanning multiple pages is so easy, here are a few things I’ve been scanning:
Those are just a few examples of how I’ve begun to digitize my classroom. If you have any other ideas, share them in the comments.
November 4th, 2008
I was watching The Simpsons a few weeks ago when I saw this perfect example of inertia:
A Milhouse in motion will stay in motion
unless acted upon by an outside force.
(UPDATE: Bummer. Hulu took the episode down. I guess using Hulu is only good for recent shows. I’m sure this is a licensing thing. My guess is that things will get better as more and more video goes online.)
As a huge fan of The Simpsons, I’ve been slowly buying the DVD sets for each season. I have always thought about going through each DVD and pulling out clips that I could use in class. Perhaps I could create a log book to record the timestamp for each clip. I’ve even considered using some DVD ripping software to make a master DVD to hold all my physics-related Simpsons clips. Of course, both of these methods would take a lot of time.
However, I think I’ve found a better solution. More and more content is being put online for viewers to watch on demand. I think the service that does this best is Hulu.com.
At Hulu, you can find clips and full episodes of many of your favorite shows. They have movies too. It is only a matter of time before this method of delivering content becomes the norm.
One of the best things about Hulu, is that they allow you to pick the start and end time for the clip you want use. This is how I isolated the clip of Milhouse’s unfortunate flight above.

This works for movies too. Here are a few of my favorite scenes from the movie Ghostbusters:
With clips that are relevant and entertaining, we can now demonstrate concepts from our curricula with precision and ease. Get started by creating your own clips at Hulu.
October 15th, 2008
In a recent episode of Stuff Happens, a new show on Planet Green, host Bill Nye explained how simply reducing the margins on the documents that we print can decrease the amount of paper we use by five percent.
If everyone in the U.S. shrunk their margins from ½ to ¼ inch we would save six million trees. This would prevent ½ million tons of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere. That’s like taking 133,000 cars off road. (Check out the project these kids did; they got similar numbers.)
But it’s not just about trees; paper isn’t cheap. Many schools are looking for ways to cut costs. Here is a five percent savings that can be done with just a few clicks.
You can almost always find the margin settings under File → Page Setup.
Change it in Word:

Change it in Internet Explorer:
