Free and Cheap Instructional Technology Resources

I was recently asked for a list of free and cheap instructional technology resources that I have found productive for use on computers. Here is a list in no particular order. I will share an app list (iOS & Android) later…

Hot Potatoes (FREE quiz maker) https://hotpot.uvic.ca/

Quia (Subscription quiz maker) http://quia.com

Kahoot (Online quiz maker) https://getkahoot.com/

WordPress (FREE Web space creator) https://wordpress.com/

Wikispaces (FREE Wiki maker) https://www.wikispaces.com/

PBWorks (FREE Wiki maker) http://www.pbworks.com/

Delicious (FREE bookarkmarking service) http://delicious.com/

Diigo (FREE bookarkmarking service) https://www.diigo.com/

MOODLE (Open Source Learning/Content Management System) https://moodle.org/

GIMP (Open Source Image Editor) https://www.gimp.org/

Inkscape (Open Source graphics software) https://inkscape.org/en/

Open Office (FREE Productivity Suite) https://www.openoffice.org/

Audacity (FREE Audio Editor) http://www.audacityteam.org/

Kompozer (FREE Webpage Creator) http://www.kompozer.net/

Ubuntu (FREE Operating System) http://www.ubuntu.com/

VLC (FREE Media Player) http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

Blender (FREE Digital Rendering Software) https://www.blender.org/features/

Scratch (FREE Programming Software) https://scratch.mit.edu/

InfranView (FREE Image Graphic Editor) http://www.irfanview.com/

PDFSAM (FREE PDF Manipulator) http://www.pdfsam.org/

Jing (FREE Screenshot/Screencast Software) https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html

 

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Infographic Projects

I have had my students create infographic projects on World War II topics the past couple of weeks. Here is a link to the instructions and resources page Hokanson’s American History Infographic Project!

Assistive Technology

There is a great article on assistive technology at Buzz Feed titled – How A Simple Apple Feature Called Switch Control Is Changing Lives

“For years, Christopher Hills’s cerebral palsy made it nearly impossible for him to use a computer. Now he’s editing video on one.”

FTP

Anytime you have several files to transfer to a web server, FTP is the best option. In the past I have used Transmit (not free) on my Mac, but there are some good options that are free to use.  The one I like the best is FileZilla.  Better than being free is that it works on all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux).  It is easy to setup once you know your connection information, is simple to understand and manipulate, it works fast, and it does a good job of reconnecting in case it disconnects and therefore picks up right where it left off.  Give it a try if you are looking for something fast, easy, and free…

“The Ghost Army”

Interesting World War II article at The Morning News on a WWII secret unit the “waged war and fakery” as a weapon… The Ghost Army

Teaching History Resources…

The Associated Press (AP) has several great resources for teaching history…see links below:

AP Explore Page (Some examples follow)

Berlin Wall 25th Anniversary

D-Day 70th Anniversary

World War I 100th Anniversary

JFK Assassination 50th Anniversary

Vietnam – The Real War

The Android Tablet Saga Continues…

As I shared some time ago, I have been embedding DOPO Android tablets into the learning process in my classroom.  My students and I have been utilizing the devices this school year without any major bumps in the road.  One was dropped and met its end, but the rest of the tablets have weathered heavy use.  One thing I miss is access to Flash; so, I installed the Dolphin and FlashFox browsers as a solution to run some of my Flash based resources (I do have alternative HTML versions as a work around too).  Yes, these browsers utilize the last version of Flash to run on Android (11…), but I’m not too concerned about a security risk as we spend most of our time in the walled garden of my classroom website.  Many of my students also use their own devices (a few tablets and mostly phones) to access my online resources.  I also reworked my classroom site, that runs via WordPress, with a more mobile friendly theme.  So, what will the new school year bring?  A continued effort in personally financed and low end tech that can follow me anywhere…

“A Smarter Way to Teach the Teachers”

Great article on professional development for teachers:  A Smarter Way to Teach the Teachers

Freedom isn’t free…

This is a picture I shot at the Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell, Nebraska.  I am thankful for the freedoms that I have and for the sacrifice given for me to have them…

Apple’s Lost Future – Picts from the 80s…

Great picts of Apple prototypes and models from the 1980s:  http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/28/5757414/apple-prototype-tablets-phones-laptops-from-the-80s-photos

“61-year-old Computer Springs to Life…” (CNN)

Read more here…

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 18,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Visitors & Residents

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6th Grade Concert – Adams Middle School Concert

6th Grade Concert:Adams Middle School Concert

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8th Grade Concert – November 5, 2009 Adams Middle School

8th Grade Concert – November 5, 2009 Adams Middle School Fall Concert

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