Robotic Prosthetic Hand that can feel!

I couldn't contain myself when I saw this site called "Maps of War!"

Excellent history resource. I've never seen anything like it. "Maps-of-War is a multimedia site dedicated to producing diverse, creative visuals that enhance our understanding of war and its history."













Waste no time historians! Go here now! http://www.mapsofwar.com

So you want Google Reader and RSS to follow my blog, I get it...

Well watch this video and then subscribe to my blog and then you'll get all the updates and not be left out of the loop (the ever important tech-ed loop)

Excellent Poe Site

Check out the Knowing Poe website here!

Google Wave: A Whole New Email Concept

Click on full screen to see the video better...

The WikiReader in your Pocket!

OK, I don't know how you feel about Wikipedia and citing it in reports but it is undeniably one of the best resources for information around. Move over Encyclopedia Britannica set and make way for the pocket WikiReader. According to their site:

"WikiReader delivers the joy of information by offering three million Wikipedia articles in a simple $99 handheld device. It turns on instantly, and works for months before replacement of its two AAA batteries is necessary. The large monochrome screen uses a touch interface. Articles are scrolled with a stroke of the finger and hyperlinks selected with a simple tap. Three buttons, Search, History and Random, offer the convenience of reading specific topics or the serendipitous pleasure of discovering something by chance within Wikipedia's rich array of articles ranging from Freud to Final Fantasy.

Updates for the WikiReader are provided quarterly and available for free download. A yearly subscription plan for updated microSD cards is also available for $29."

LEARN MORE HERE

Montessori and Technology discussion

“Good tools do not make a good teacher, but a good teacher makes good use of tools.” or so states the author in an interesting article on the "Philosophy of Instructional Technology" Check it out here.

Bonnie and Jo Anne suggested this cool bible site

Excellent bible resource. Jo Anne says "For you Bible geeks out there, the big advantage to this website is that it gives the "Strong's Number" for each word in the Bible. This makes cross-referencing really easy, and also shows the original Greek or Hebrew for a given text. Just click the box for "Show Strong's" when you select a text. The number appears above/next to the word in the English text as a blue link (hence "Blue Letter Bible") and clicking on that link takes you to a page that shows the original language lexicon, plus all the occurrences of that particular word in the entire Bible. Very cool stuff!

http://www.blueletterbible.org

Robots now sing!

OK, she's no Brittany Spears but maybe that's a good thing...

Excellent Resource for 21st Century Learning

At first when I came across "Ten Ideas for Getting Started with 21st Century Teaching and Learning" I was intrigued, but as I read more I realized all the incredible resources this short article contained. Their "10 Ideas to Begin Educating Innovatively" include topics such as equipment, standards, curriculum, professional development, blogs, wikis and internet safety. But you also find within these 10 ideas links to ISTE's Educational Technology Standards, Action Plan Templates for innovation, grant writing, 8 ways to use a school wiki to increase communication, collaboration and enrich instruction and much much more. I would definitely take a few minutes to click the link below and check it out! CLICK HERE

Mandatory Computer Competency Tests?

Just came across an interesting article proposing computer literacy tests be required for anyone in the workplace before they can start their job. This article deals mainly with PC users but the gist is the same for anyone using a computer. The author sums it up thus "Think of it as a 'computer driving test' that could reduce malware threats and cyberscams by making users smarter — or at least, not so stupid." Read the article here and draw your own conclusions.

Robot wars are coming sooner than you think!

You have to admire the ducking technique of King Kaiser


More:

Cursive handwriting is dead, dead, dead.

I have to admit I see no point to this skill anymore. Read article entitled: "Cursive may be a fading skill, but so what?"

Google vs. Microsoft, The Battle is On!

Fascinating article in the LA Times about Microsoft and Google battling it out to see who will take over the lucrative $7.25 million email system for the city. The ramifications for future technology are huge. "The heart and soul of technology" may be at stake. Read more by clicking here.

Customized artistic keyboards!

C'mon, you know you want a cool keyboard! This company has hundreds of designs they print right onton keyboards for some really cool stuff. Go to keyscaper.com for more info. Here's another design:

Wow, super podcast resource for educators!

This place is amazing and so simple to use. It's the Education Podcast Network and they've put together in one place hundreds of podcasts from across the disciplines. Music, Science, Language Arts, Mathematics, Health, Social Studies and many more!









Here's what they say: "The Education Podcast Network is an effort to bring together into one place, the wide range of podcast programming that may be helpful to teachers looking for content to teach with and about, and to explore issues of teaching and learning in the 21st century. "

Check it out by going to: epnweb.org. You won't regret it if you do, but you will if you don't!

Calling all Geographers!

GIS Day is coming up November 18th. So check out all the cool activities by going to gisday.com. There are all kinds of awesome events going on around the globe. Make sure you're "in position" for GIS Day!

Nanobees fight cancer!

Nanotechnology fighting cancer cells? The time is now. For a long time now I have been excited about the prospect of cancer cells being destroyed by nanobots. And things are starting to happen.












"Particles on the nanoscale are small enough to enter cells, but big enough to carry large doses of drugs, said Robert Langer, Institute professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a leader in the nanotech field.

"We are gradually forming a pipeline of nanotechnology-based products," said Piotr Grodzinski, director of the National Cancer Institute's Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, a program that funds eight Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence in the U.S., including Wickline's and Langer's research initiatives. "These things are happening as we speak.""

Read the full article here.

Number of students using Google Apps on campus increases 400% from last year at same time.

Looks like a lot more students are using Google Apps with 5 million "going Google." Read about it straight from the Google Blog by CLICKING HERE.

And read about the Top 10 reasons to use Google Apps here!

Wireless Electricity

I recently stumbled upon a very promising article about wireless electricity. Looks like it's happening... CLICK HERE

How Google Gets Away With "Free"

People ask me all the time "How come all this stuff is free?" Well, Time Magazine just published an article that tries to explain it. Here is an excerpt (link to full article below):

"One of the most interesting issues that Varney will have to face is Google's use of free. This is not 20th Century "free," as in "buy one, get one free" or "free gift inside." Instead, it's really Free (let's dignify it with a capital F), something that's only possible in the digital age, where costs are close to zero.

Like many Web companies, Google gives away most of what it does. Its searches are free, as are its e-mail, maps, online word processor and spreadsheet, and nearly 300 other products, from directory assistance (GOOG411) to Google Earth.

This use of Free is part of its "max strategy" -- it uses Free to get its products in the hands of the greatest number of users, and then figures out some way to get money from them (mostly with ads, but sometimes with "pro" versions of the services, in which users can pay for more storage or features, using the "freemium" business model).

Google can give away so much because the incremental cost of serving one more Web page to one more user is almost nothing -- and falling as technology gets cheaper. This is the difference between the "bits economy" and the "atoms economy." The marginal cost of production for digital things is so low that Free becomes not just a marketing gimmick but the default price in most markets, driven by economic forces as real online as gravity is in the real world.

But companies still have to make money, so there are limits to how much they can provide free. Not a problem for Google. Its core advertising business is so powerful, dominant and profitable that it can subsidize almost everything else the company does, using Free to get customers in new markets."

FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE

The Gadget You Must Have In The Fall!

Yes, a microwave you can attach via USB to your laptop! You know you want something to heat up your coffee in the classroom, and here it is! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

New challenge to Google search!

Check out Bing a new search engine. And let me know how it is. Looks cool as far as I can tell so far... bing.com

Why Twitter when you can Boo?

I'm too excited about this new iPhone "audioblogging" app called Audioboo. It allows you to record a sound clip of up to 5 minutes and post it online. It even links up with your Facebook or Twitter account. Although why Twitter when you can Boo? It's also a great way to record notes and save them for yourself on your iPhone or retrieve them online on your own personal Audioboo page. And it integrates the iPhones location feature allowing you to show where you Booed. And you can share the link to a clip or embed it on your website or blog. Here is a little video that explains it all:

Here is my first Boo:



And here is their website: http://audioboo.fm

Welcome to the iSchool!

Artificial Tissue based on DNA strands is happening...

Scientists now are producing artificial tissue for use in implants and artificial growth of organs and tissue. This means that eventually they will be able to grow (for example) new artificial livers based on DNA strands! Yes, the same stuff that makes up your skin is being produced artificially. We can make you better, stronger, faster than you were! Think about the implications for future robots, they will have artificial skin that looks and feels exactly like human skin and won't be any different fundamentally... Cool stuff... Read more here.

Google News Timeline Search

" Google News Timeline--is a new feature by Google labs that organizes many different types of search results on a zoomable, graphical timeline." CLICK HERE

I am a videogame addict - brilliant short video

I saw this video on Ted.com and was blown away by its implications. A must see...

Click Here

Best of the Internet 2009 Site!

www.shmoop.com/teachers/ is a fantastic resource for Literature, Poetry, US History and Books. It was a 2009 Webby Award honoree. "Shmoop is lovingly created by Ph.D. and Masters students from top universities - primarily Stanford and U.C. Berkeley." You won't regret looking at this site. Easy to use and tons of awesome resources. Do it now!

Go to: www.shmoop.com/teachers/

Excellent Scientific Inquiry Site for Middle School

Stumbled on a cool interactive site launched by the National Academy of Sciences and wanted to share it with you. It's all about women's adventures in science. It's definitely worth a look. Take 5 minutes to check it out at: iwaswondering.com