Omnivorous Surfer

I made peanut butter fudge that was really good, but it was grainy. In looking for an answer, I found baking911.com. I didn't know that I needed to let it sit until it cooled to about 110 degrees and then stir it to break up the sugar crystals. Next time I will try a different recipe, one including corn syrup, which will interfere with the crystal growth. It won't stop it, but will make it easier to produce the desired creaminess. The recipe I used before was one thet belonged to a master candymaker. I'm not ready for that!

I plan to spend some time looking at this site. It has lots of information that I think will help me with my baking and cooking. I'm actually glad I had a small problem with the fudge. It was a small price to pay for finding this site!

RefTagger is a great little widget for web pages and blogs which include scripture references. I found this one while reading some new blogs.

When I placed a reference on a blog, I used to find the text on one of my Bible sites and create a link to open that site to the scripture. This is much faster for me as I create and the viewer who reads my blog. Once the code has been put in place (instructions are easy to follow), RefTagger automatically turns any scripture reference (for example, John 3:16), into a hyperlink which opens a popup window showing the scripture text from Bible.Logos.com. To see it in action, you can check this short post.

ESV (English Standard Version) is the default version for RefTagger, but you can choose any of the many available when you have your code created.

I personally can find at least a couple of uses for iStockphoto, and I think many others can as well. Once you join, you can use all kinds of royalty-free files: stock photography, vector illustrations, video footage, audio tracks, and Flash(r) files. This could be a great source of free graphics for teachers and students. In addition you can purchase photos uploaded by approved contributors if you wish.

You can also upload your own photos and, by meeting the requirements to be a contributor, you can sell your photos. I found this site while perusing a photographer's blog and then viewing his photos. Enjoying photography--taking as well as viewing photos--I'll have to be careful not to spend too much time at iStockphoto!

"How do I integrate the Internet into my classroom curriculum?" The Curriculum Ideas section of the cyberbee website seeks to help answer this question for the vast number of teachers who have little extra time to search out curriculum-related websites. Included sites are organized by content area, cross-curricular, and teacher ideas, with a separate section for science fair ideas. Each curricular item leads to a listing of websites which fit that description. All the ones I checked were very good, and I recommend this site. Most of its hundreds of resources seem to be geared to elementary teachers, but some would also be appropriate for middle school.

In addition to the Curriculum Ideas, the site also has Postcards for students to send and pickup from the site, Research Tools to help students be better users of the Internet, Treasure Hunts, Web Links, Web Projects, and Web Picks. Check this one out. You'll be glad you did!

Okay, this isn't technically about a web site, but I think it's relevant here anyway.

The premier of Digital Nation , a film about new technologies and "the critical ways that technology is transforming us--and what we may be learning about ourselves in the process," will be broadcast on PBS Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 9 p.m. I have viewed the trailer and read the press release, and I think this would be of interest to anyone. Teachers may be particularly interested in its presentation of the ways the integration of technology use into their lives may be affecting youth. I definitely intend to record this one.

I'm always looking for age-appropriate things to do with our grandson when I stay with him. When I look for games and activities, I always find new ones along with ones I had completely forgotten about. I thought it might be a good idea to record a few of the most useful sites I've found. I'm past the infant ones right now, but who knows, I just might have another opportunity to use them!

grandparents.com's best offering, in my opinion, is its everyday activities, many of which are good exercise for the grandparent, too! You can choose age categories from birth to 12+. The games section has rules for favorite classic games--all types of games--but these are not classified by age group. There's much more here, as well, including suggestions for toys and gifts, an "expert advice" area, and information on food and vacations. If you want to register (free), there are groups and tools available as well.

My favorite part of the Fisher-Price website is Grandest Time, which has links to all the resources on their site that would be helpful for a grandparent--not only toys, but "grand things to do" (games, outings, crafts, and cards) and "grand advice." Activities are divided into small age groups from birth to 6 years, making it easy to find just the right activity.

Games to Play with Babies has activites only for ages birth to 12 months, using everyday items you have around the house. It also includes for each 3-month age group a generic list of age-appropriate toys.

SparkPeople is a great site if you want to lose weight, get more fit, or live a healthier lifestyle. You can use as many or as few of the features as you wish, most of which are available without registration. If you choose to register (free), the site will help you track your diet, exercise, and other goals. You choose the goals yourself; they aren't set for you. There are lots of recipes (which you can add to your own "cookbook"), exercise suggestions (which can be saved to your favorites), and health-related information. SparkRecipes has lots of recipes and a recipe calculator which will calculate nutritional information for your own recipes; you can take advantate of SparkRecipes without registering on the site.

You can select from a variety of email options, and there are message boards, blogs, teams, and other ways to connect and be encouraged. It is definitely worth taking a look at, even if you don't want to go to the trouble to track your eating and exercise. I've been using it for three weeks now, and I really do like it!