Omnivorous Surfer

I've gotten so many good tips from MakeUseOf that it's one of my favorite sites; they find and review a lot of things I simply don't have time to look for.

They also have currently 38 free downloadable guides in PDF format on such varied topics as iTunes, iPhone, Linux, Photoshop, digital photography, online shopping, building a gaming PC, Twitter, creating professional documents in Microsoft Word, Twitter, and the Internet Guide for the Movie Addict. There's really something for almost everyone.

You might be interested in these other posts about resources I've learned of from MakeUseOf: Creative Commons, Semantic Search Engines, Functional Screensavers (PC and Mac), SAT Test Prep,

Thanks to Free Technology for Teachers for alerting me to SnipSnip.it! (If you're not reading Free Technology for Teachers or following them on Facebook or Twitter, you're missing out.) SnipSnip.it lets you easily clip a section of a YouTube video for sharing with others. This will be great for teachers, students, or presenters who want to use only a portion of a YouTube video in their projects. Use of the site is FREE and there is no registration required.

All you have to do is to paste the URL of the YouTube video into the provided box on the SnipSnip.it website and press Enter. Play the video to determine and enter the beginning and ending times of the clip you want. You will be give a code to embed the clip on a webpage and a link to view the clip on the SnipSnip site. I extracted a clip from the How to use a Flip YouTube Video Camera YouTube video to include only some basic tips for those taking videos. I have embedded the clip below, and you can view it on the SnipSnip site by clicking here.

cropped with SnipSnip

The resulting video is in the Flash format, which may limit its availability for viewing in some instances.

Can you read the image at right? If you could scan it, it would bring you here, as it contains the URL for the Omnivorous Surfer blog.

This is a QR (for Quick Response) code, a two-dimensional barcode that can store a larger quantity of data than a traditional barcode and can be decoded at high speed. This image was created using the QR-code generator at KAWYA, which also has a QR reader you can download.

While the initial application of QR codes was tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, the technology now may be seen in such places as magazines, signs, and business cards with contents including addresses, URLs--any information that can be conveyed textually.

I had read about QR codes previously, but was led to look again this morning after reading about snapmyinfo, a site that lets you "share your contact information in a snap." To use it, you simply use your iPhone to take a photo of the QR code containing your information, email it to the address they give you, and you will receive a return email with an attachment containing the contact information in a Vcard format, ready to be added to your contact manager. Perhaps you already have an app on your phone that reads QR codes.

Think you won't see these? Above left is a photo of a QR code displayed in a GAP store with promotional information. You can read about and view a photo of a QR-code Calvin Klein billboard at mashable.com. Below is a whitepaper discussing a community's use of QR codes as an economical way to communicate information to residents and tourists. For more examples, you can do your own search or see the additional links included at the end of this post.
It would be interesting to have students brainstorm uses of the QR codes even before having them research or giving them current uses. I wonder how visionary they are. I would suspec1t they would be much better at it than many of us adults. Of course, it's possible they are already aware of and using them!

If you want to read more, you might check
QR Code on Wikipedia
The use of QR signs in real estate
+"QR code" +app Google timeline search (2010)
+"QR code" +art Google search

I received and have used my pretty little red ThumbTacks microphone for the iPod Touch. I like it and will definitely use it. It does a good job recording the user's voice; I tested it at 6, 12, and 18 inches from my mouth with no noticeable difference in volume. I'm not sure how it would do in a classroom and have not had the opportunity to try it in a public setting like that .

It's so small that I just hope I don't lose it! I'm thinking of making a soft case for my iPod with two pockets on the outside: one for the earphones and one for the mic.

The only downside is that with the ThumbTacks plugged in, iTunes and Voice Memos sense that a headset is attached, so there is no audio from the iPod. Interestingly, though, the Talking Tom Cat app allows the use of the mic and still delivers audio via the iPod's speakers. :-)

All in all, I feel this was a good investment to add recording functionality to my iPod!

The iPod Touch software allows for audio recording, but the hardware does not include an integrated microphone. I think I just found the perfect solution...the ThumbTacks (TM) mic from SwitchEasy. I can't verify the quality or performance as I have not used it, but I have ordered one to check it out. At the price, I think it's worth investigating.

I've seen some good uses for iPod Touch in the classroom that required recording capability, and this looks to me to be a possible easy solution.

I have encountered and learned from the Interesting Ways series so many times and yet never thought about sharing it here. Then today I found this page by creator Tom Barrett where he includes links to all of them. This puts all the information he has put together at your fingertips

He has used Google presentations to create slides with uses and tips for using technology in the classroom, inviting others to add to the content. The result has been a rich resource of tested-in-the-classroom ideas for a wide range of topics. Examples of topics include using audio, the Wii, Twitter, Prezi, or Google Docs in the classroom; and  supporting spelling or writing in the classroom. This morning I was looking at Twelve Interesting Ways to Use an iPod Touch in the classroom,; I found things I had never considered and a piece of technology I did not know about, a way to share audio from a single iPod Touch with 5 students.

Note that since content may be added as teachers share their ideas, the number in the title may change. For example, the link I found and used to the iPod Touch presentation specified "Eleven," while the current count is up to twelve. By the time you look, it may be at thirteen!