All the pictures and news shown on this eMagazine are the property of their respective owners.

• We don't hold any copyright about these pictures and news.
• These pictures have been collected from different public sources including different websites, considering to be in public domain.

If any one has any objection to displaying of any picture and news, it may be brought to our notice by sending an email to support@rsc-northwest.ac.uk & the same will be be removed immediately, after verification of the claim.

Links that have been included in previous eMagazines...

To visit the shared links go to http://www.only2clicks.com/pages/acljohn/ or use the live pages below...

Understanding the Need of Mobile ICT Learning as an Elderly Learning Tool - this paper by Lam¹ and W. Chung² (1 Oxford University, Oxford, UK
2 Tung Wah Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong), unlike most existing research, seeks to throw light on the use of mobile technologies for elderly learners rather than school or college students. 

The study indicates that elderly people are interested in using mobile devices and services, but these services need to deliver real value for them.

Read the full paper at http://www.online-journals.org/index.php/i-jet.

Note: Visitors will need to register to read the paper but there isn't any cost.

Please see below our programme of events for the next month...

Some of these events may count towards your Continuing Professional Development.

New training and awareness raising events are being added regularly - for the most up-to-date listing, visit our website at:

www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/events/eventlist

Dates 2010	Events & Training	Location	Time & Cost
11 January	"IN-TOUCH" MONTHLY LIVE PROGRAMS	RSC-NW TV (Online)	12:45 - 13:15 FREE
15 January	EduApps - CamStudio	Adobe Connect (Online)	12:30 - 13:30 FREE
22 January	Advanced Moodle Users Forum	One Central Park, Manchester	10:00 - 12:30 FREE
23 October	RSC NW Online Resources Lunchtime Showcase No.7 - Credo Reference	DimDim (Online)	13:00 - 14:00 FREE
28 January	EduApps - Mindmapping	Adobe Connect (Online)	12:30 - 13:30 FREE
29 January	Becta Generator Workshop	Lancaster University	10:00 - 16:00 FREE

Full event descriptions and online booking forms (where required) are available on our website or call and chat to one of our team if you need more information.

Website: www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/events/eventlist Tel: 01524 593797 Email: events@rsc-northwest.ac.uk

Advance Notice:

2 February 2010 - A New "Sharepoint Users and Interest Group" meeting at The Village Hotel Warrington

Further details will be released very soon.....

RSC NW Annual Event 2010, The Reebok Stadium, Bolton on 22nd June 2010.

New training and awareness raising events are being added regularly - for the most up-to-date listing, visit our website at:

www.rsc-northwest.ac.uk/events/eventlist

My Free Calendar Maker...

• is part of the My Calendar Maker family of sites.
• allows users to generate and print free calendars for use around
  
  • the office,
  • home, or
  • just about anywhere

Three easy steps...

1. Select a format for the calendar
2. Select an appropriate date
3. Generate the free printable calendar

Note: Users must have a pdf reader to generate the calendar

Yearly Calendar Maker...

Create and print a FREE yearly photo calendar in six easy steps:

1. Select the format - moving the mouse over descriptions to view samples
2. Select the Year
3. Select a photograph for inclusion
4. Enter a caption (optional
5. Select a font -Five choices
6. Generate the calendar

Visit http://www.myfreecalendarmaker.com/ for the free Calendar Maker and http://www.yearlycalendarmaker.net/welcome.do for the Yearly Calendar Maker.

If a learner is unsure of their level of achievement within the national framework, they can simply fill in the forms on the qualifications calculator and it will tell them. 

Most people in further education are aware of the levels up to 3 or 4 (A level and foundation degree) but the Qualifications Calculator will read up to level 8 (doctorate).  The site then provides useful links for further advice. 

Find out more and/or try it out at http://www.qualificationscalculator.co.uk/. 

Scriblink is an online white board with an integrated IMS (instant messaging system).

Scriblink users can...

• draw,
• type, or
• edit images on a white board.

Users have the option of...

• sharing their white board with others and
• allowing other users to collaborate on the whiteboard.

There is no need to set up an account or register in order to use the white board.

Users can take advantage of all kinds of useful features, such as...

• Privacy: the board is all yours, open only to the people you choose to invite
• Dynamic Tools: use shapes, hundreds of colors, a size bar, a text feature, and a grid to help guide your drawings
• File Options: gives you the ability to print, save, and email your work
• Image Uploader: upload an image onto the whiteboard as the background, allowing you to share it, mark it, deface it, or highlight key elements
• In-Screen Chat: when working with others, no need to sign in to third party software, simply use our in-screen chat
• VOIP Conferencing: if you have a microphone for your computer, you can automatically connect with your collaborators (no software necessary) and talk for free for as long as you like
• File transfer: when emailing is too much of a hassle, simply transfer files directly to anyone you're working with

Scriblink provides a way to share notes, outlines, and drawings with learners; learners can also be invited to collaborate on an online whiteboard to work through problems or to brainstorm/blue sky/Thought Shower. It is ideal for dispersed learners or those who are unable to attend face-to-face sessions.

Scriblink is like pen and paper, minus the dead trees, plastic, and the inconvenience of being at the same place at the same time; visit to http://www.scriblink.com/ try it out and to get your unique URL.

• Screenr

Will online software like this convert Twitter doubters?

Screenr allows users (workbased learners perhaps) to create screencasts for (e)Portfolio evidence; just...

• click the record button and users will have their ready-to-tweet screencast in seconds
• Web-based recorder - nothing to download
• Record on Mac or PC
• Plays everywhere on the web, even iPhones

Give it a go at http://screenr.com/.

From Lifehacker http://lifehacker.com/5422780/remains-of-the-day-a-day-in-the-internet-is-mindblowing-edition.

Thanks to...

Source http://www.shoeboxblog.com/?p=13261.

Cities that installed LED traffic lights to save money are learning that the incandescent lights they got rid of had a useful purpose: their waste heat melted the snow that covered them in winter storms.

Read full article at http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/16/unintended-consequence-of-technology-new-led-traffic-lights-can/.

• Smarty Games
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

SmartyGames is a great site with several interactive activities and games for younger learners in the area of...

• maths,
• reading,
• time telling, etc. 

Many of the games and activities work well with an IWB like the Tell Time quiz.

Note: - In the reading section both an English and Spanish is offered. 

If you are an family learning practitioner looking for some fun, engaging, free, advertisement free, interactive activities and games you may want to pop over and check out SmartyGames at http://www.smartygames.com/index.php.

 

 

• Making Money Easier
  • Take a look at Care Quality Commision Five Year Plan in the Publications Section
    • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

Making Money Easier offers a set of guides designed to help adults with a learning disability think about...

• money,
• banking and
• planning their life.

The Easy Guide to Banking would make an excellent resource for teaching Managing Money at Entry 2.

Find out more at http://www.making-money-easier.info/.

• Global Warming
• JISC: Top tips for a greener ICT department
• Reuse IT Assets: CESG Certified Blancco Tool Kit
  • Also take a look at Unintended Consequence of Technology in the eBreak Section.

The Associate Press Climate Pool has kept readers well informed over the course of the COP15 negotiations. Part of the coverage is contained in an interactive map of the participating nations' current emissions and the reductions they've pledged to make.

This map quickly lays out the current emissions trends around the world.

Some of the interesting things revealed by this map are...

• the huge percentage increase in emissions by China (136.2 percent)
• the reduction in emissions by us here in the UK (10.9 percent)
  
• the reduction in emissions by Russia since 1990 (23.8 percent).

Visit http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_science/globalWarming/index.html?SITE=WSAW to see more.

 

Top tips for a greener ICT department

"JISC is publishing advice to help ICT managers and information officers cut carbon emissions as Learning Providers come under mounting pressure from government, regulatory sources and the public to reduce their carbon footprint."

Through its Climate Change Act (2008), the UK government has a target to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.

The education sector has therefore been asked to...

• devise strategies that will make real energy savings, including the potential to generate its own energy using green technologies such as wind-turbines and solar panels.

One area identified by the JISC SusteIT report as having huge potential for reducing overall carbon emissions is the use of technology, such as vast computer suites and data storage systems. In fact, according to the report, about half of the ICT-related energy consumption in UK further and higher education providers is accounted for by PCs.

In response to this, JISC has released its ‘Top Tips for a sustainable IT department’, which identifies 10 simple steps for saving energy and money, whilst still responding to users’ needs.

Read JISC’s ‘Top Tips for a sustainable IT department’ at <http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2009/12/greentips>

For more information about the report visit <http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/documents/sustainableictfinalreport>

The Blancco Tool Kit is ideal for Learning Provider small to medium IT security projects.

It’s a complete standalone solution with no network or internet connection required. This handy Kit is completely CESG Certified and offers you a comprehensive post-erasure report. The Blancco Tool Kit is a perfect portable product for on or off site data erasure. The Erasure process is extremely efficient with this Kit since it takes approximately only 5 minutes to erase one PC or laptop.

The Blancco Tool Kit is also an environmentally friendly solution, eliminating the need to physically destroy your hardware. Just wipe it and then re-use it.

For further information go to...
http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-directory-1.nsf/slh?Open&dc=DNWA-7YSKEX&usr=KGR9942E4

• Blog goes mobile
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

164 visitors already to the mobile version of my "What DL is Happening?" Blog

Visit http://acljohn.wirenode.mobi/ on your mobile device to see for yourself!

Thanks to Colin's blog, http://mindmug.wordpress.com/, I've been introduced to ...

An...

* EASY-TO-USE MOBILE WEBSITE CREATOR
* INTUITIVE MOBILE PUBLISHING
* FREE FOR PERSONAL USE
* READY FOR MOBILE MARKETING
* 100% W3C & MobileOK
* ANYPAGE© RENDERING ENGINE

Visit http://www.wirenode.com/showIndex.do to try it out yourself.

If you are a member of the Microblogging service Twitter, you can now receive updates from the JISC RSC-Northwest by following us at http://twitter.com/JISCRSCNW

Below is a live feed using Scoopler <http://www.scoopler.com/>

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care services in England. They also protect the interests of people whose rights have been restricted under the Mental Health Act.

They have published a five year plan outlining how they will drive up standards on behalf of people with learning disabilities. This has been published in response to an inpatient review published on16 December 2009.

One interesting statistic within the document is that there are almost 1 million people in the UK with a learning disability and of these 800,000 are adults.

Key to driving improvement will be building intelligence networks, within services, representative groups and other relevant organisations.

The publication can be downloaded from http://www.cqc.org.uk/_db/_documents/CQC_learning_disability_strat_plan_2010-15.pdf.

Learning Providers do not have time for pages and pages of jargon and gobbledegook, but getting data protection right makes good 'business sense'. Data protection lapses cost reputations and can affect the bottom line. But, many Learning Providers feel that data protection law is difficult to comprehend. This new guide will assist them to understand and comply with the law.

The publication is definitely written in plain English and there are many specific examples which are useful to help understand it all.

If your job gets close to protecting data, then this is a must read.

Be warned the publication runs to 92 pages - 92 pages for an easy-to-understand guide? 

Download the publication at http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/data_protection/practical_application/the_guide_to_data_protection.pdf. 

Schools and Parents: A New Partnership, is a research report, conducted with over 2,000 parents and 1,000 teachers explores what motivates, and hinders, successful parental engagement to benefit the child, parents and schools. 

It can be downloaded from http://www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/Global/Schools%20and%20parents%20-%20a%20new%20partnership%20A4.pdf. 

Parents as partners in learning, another booklet from Becta, has been developed to provide schools and headteachers with information on how to use technology to improve communications with parents. 

It can be downloaded from http://www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/PageFiles/1239/Parents%20as%20partners%20in%20learning.pdf.  

Nick Linford and Edexcel have produced a guide for school sixth forms, training providers and further education colleges. It explains where the funding comes from, what it funds and how much funding is earned for the most popular qualifications.

Visit http://www.fundingguide.co.uk/ to find out more.

• Creative Commons Image Library: Sprixi
• ForiSearch
• InkMesh
• Keitor: Lets Learners Type & Search Google In Their Language
• Rutgers RIOT
• Spaaze
• Words Like

Sprixi is a new extensive creative commons image library where users can search for stock photos.

All the images on Sprixi are free and available for use under the Creative Commons License.

To use Sprixi...

• enter the keyword and
• press enter.
• Sprixi will then provide a large number of free images that users can choose from.
• Click on an image to view it in its original size and
• click on the use button to see the instructions on how to use the image.
• Users can...
  • either download the image with all the credits or
  • share it on the web through the provided permanent link.

Visit http://www.sprixi.com/ to find out more.

Are you and/or your learners interested in knowing what foreign language websites have to offer?

Then ForiSearch should be checked out.

This simple online foreign image or video search tool lets users enter a search term, in their native language, and then find images and videos from a different selected language.

ForiSearch is very easy to use...

• enter search keywords
• choose whether to look for images or videos
• choose a language to get back search results

ForiSearch uses Google’s translation API to complete the translation before running the search using Google, Yahoo, or Bing. It also uses YouTube for foreign language video search.

Note: Users can select a different input language thus extending its usefulness to learners whose first language isn't English.

Visit http://www.forisearch.com/ to try it out.

eBooks, for those that grew up with print media, are an acquired taste; in fact, it is a taste that many may never acquire – old habits die hard.

For those of you who use eBooks (and for those who want to give them a chance and/or are working on getting accustomed with them) this new search portal will be one you should try out.

Inkmesh lets users look up any title they are interested in.

Two buttons are provided besides the input box; they are...

• Find eBooks and
• Find Fee eBooks

Being able to launch these searches straightaway is something intrinsically attractive.

A list of subjects is provided but there are no other labels for refining a search. 

Try out this eBook Portal at http://www.inkmesh.com/. 

Keitor is an interesting site that offers learners a useful way to type and search Google in their native language.

The homepage of Keitor lets learners activate virtual keyboards for different languages around the world. The list currently has 37 different languages from...

• Albanian to Uzbec_latin

Click on a tab and a virtual keyboard of the selected language pops up on the screen. It can be...

• Dragged anywhere on the page
• Used to enter a query...
  
  • Hit search and users get results from Google in the same language.

Try it out for yourself at http://www.keitor.com/.

Rutgers' animated research tutorial could be a good resource for introducing or refreshing research techniques in a clear and simple way.

Rutgers' Riot is an animated research tutorial.

Rutgers' Riot plays like a five part animated movie. Each part of the movie features characters explaining an aspect of the research process.

The five parts are...

• selecting a topic,
• finding sources,
• choosing keywords,
• identifying citations, and
• evaluating sources.

Note: There are text documents available to accompany the videos.

Try it out by visiting http://kognito.com/clients/rutgers/infolit/. 

Spaaze works as an (unlimited) space where users can place anything they come across such as...

• YouTube videos
• your favorite sites
• assorted links
• notes etc.

Potential users can create an account in several ways –

• by using their Yahoo! Credentials, or
• sign in using their OpenID, or
• creating an account from scratch.

Once inside, users will receive a basic amount of Spaaze Points that they can use to start playing around with the website NOTE: adding and deleting waste points so planning may be advisable.

As stated on Spaaze: different people like to arrange things in ways of their very own.
It goes beyond just aesthetic reasons – people work differently, and what lets one person access data easily fails to work out for others; Spaaze might work for you or may not. However as it can be tried out for free during the provided beta phase, now it would be a good time to find it out.

Find out more by visiting http://www.spaaze.com/.

Watch an informative clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zySZPulL8kQ or the embedded version below...

WordsLike could be useful for learner writers that are in need of some 'new' words to "spice-up" their written work.

WordsLike is a handy website for the times learners need a thesaurus.

• Either browse the word clouds
• or simply enter a word in the search box.

Any word selected by left-clicking it in the word cloud or in the list generated by a search will result in at least one word with a similar meaning. Definitions are provided for every word on WordsLike.

Try it out at http://www.wordslike.net/. 

Overview of Resources, in this month's eMagazine, that could be use in Art...

• FlockDraw
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section.

FlockDraw is a simple but elegant collaborative sketching website which lets users...

• draw,
• share and
• collaborate on freehand sketches and diagrams.

The simplicity of the tool makes it worth using. Just click 'start drawing' and users are presented with a whiteboard which has a url that can be easily shared (no sign up required).

On the right hand side of the board are drawing tools. There aren’t any complex tools. Just the ones that help you make a basic drawing – brush, text, line etc.

Note: the site plans to introduce embed and save the drawings as images features soon. 

Visit this nice drawing tool and have a play at http://www.flockdraw.com/. 

Overview of Resources, in this month's eMagazine, that could be use in Creative Writing...

• Flickr Poet
• Niceletter
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

Have you and/or your learners got a story to tell or a poem to write? You can now both do so with pictures from Flickr using FlickrPoet.

Simply go to FlickrPoet and type a sentence. When you click on the ‘Show Story‘ button, FlickrPoet will browse the Flickr database and pull an image for each word/phrase used in your sentence. These images will be organized to provide you with a picture story.

Go on try it out at http://www.storiesinflight.com/flickrpoet/index.php.

Niceletter is a free letter wizard that will enable learners to construct a letter which complies with writing rules, simply by filling in text fields.

No word editor is needed as the layout is handled automatically. In addition, many sample letters are available such as...

• cover letters,
• thank-you letters,
• complaint letters and
• business letters.

Practitioners can use these templates to discuss letter structure, content etc., with learners.

Find out more at http://www.niceletter.com/.

Overview of Resources, in this month's eMagazine, that could be use in Design...

• HTML Ipsum  
  
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

If you are a web designer and life revolves around HTML and CSS, then you are aware of the importance of various time-saving tools that make life easier. HTML Ipsum is one such tool.

It has a collection of HTML codes along with dummy Latin text in it (or what we call “Lorem Ipsum” text). Just click on the title of any of the code boxes and the corresponding code gets copied to the clipboard.

Find out more and or try it out at http://html-ipsum.com/.

Overview of Resources, in this month's eMagazine, that could be use in English Language - Literature Teaching & Learning...

• LoudLit
  
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

LoudLit is a good place to find free audio recordings of well known works of literature.

Many websites do this, but what makes LoudLit unique, and useful for practitioners, is the option of reading the text online while listening to the reading of the text.

LoudLit is a great resource for struggling readers.

Learners can...

• use LoudLit to follow along with the reading of a text.
• use individual computers to progress at their own pace.

Visit http://www.loudlit.org/ to find out more.

Overview of Resources, in this month's eMagazine, that could be use in Family Learning...

• Kideos
• Printable, foldable paper toys
• Video Clips: Being Smart Online
• Virtual Dinosaur Dig

• Take a look at The Unbelievable World of Snowflakes in the Sciences Section
  
• Learn Anytime in the Health & Safety Section
  
• Smarty Games in the eGames Section and
• Making Money Easier in the eInclusion Section.
  

• Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

Kideos is a video website designed with learners under ten years old in mind.

Videos on Kideos are categorized by...

• age appropriateness and
• topic.

The videos, in the main, appear to be via YouTube but they are displayed with the Kideos border which removes...

• advertising and
• YouTube's "related videos" and comments.

Note: users might not be able to access the videos in learning environments that block YouTube. That said Kideos could be a great resource for Family Learning. Learning Providers might also consider recommnending Kideos to parents when they ask about educational websites they can use at home with their children.

Visit http://www.kideos.com/ to find out more.

Paper Toys are an inexpensive way of keeping children both happy and busy.

If you are a Family Learning practitioner looking for activities that involve cutting, folding and gluing? Paper toys from Toy-a-Day could be one answer. Parents/Guardians/Carers etc., and their young charges, can print, fold and glue them together, to create any number of toys they want. Children (and Adults) will have a great time making the toys and costs are minimal. 

The resulting toys could be used in a 'Toy Theatre' where stories can be acted out.

Take a close look yourself at http://toy-a-day.blogspot.com/. 

I've just found a series of three videos created by YouTube for the purpose of educating learners about online behavior.

Each of the three videos...

• are roughly two minutes in length
• provides clear narration and visual aids.

The three videos are...

• Detecting Lies and Staying True http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXFbQKz3anw
  

• Playing and Staying Safe Online,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ5zJvA0NYY
  
  
  and
• Staying Safe on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI2tmiKdPnU
  

These videos could be used in any teaching environment, if only to raise awareness or to stimulate discussion.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has three excellent interactive activities about dinosaurs.

There is a virtual tour in which learners can tour the museum and see close-ups of exhibits. The interactive timeline provides learners with an overview of the...

• Paleozoic,
• Mesozoic, and
• Cenozoic eras.

The highlight of the interactive activities is the virtual dinosaur dig where learners use a variety of archeologists' tools to unearth fossils and then assemble them.

Visit http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/index.htm to find out more.

Overview of Functional Skills Resources included in this eMagazine...

• The Plasma Screen & WhiteBoard Room
  • Take a look at Niceletter in the Creative Writing Section
    
  • Papert: Logo - turtle in the Mathematics Section and
  • Making Money Easier in the eInclusion Section.
• Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

Although The Plasma Screen & Whiteboard Room is a free website for practitioners in special schools it has many resources that can be used with all learners. It's a place for practitioners to share resources .There are a good range of resources that can be used in functional skills courses, some in Smart board format but many in PowerPoint.

Other subject areas included are...

• Science
• Geography
• History
• RE
• PMLD
• Art & Design
• Design & Technology and
• PSHE

Find out more by visiting http://www.whiteboardroom.org.uk/. 

Overview of Geography Resources included in this eMagazine...

• Google Maps Distance Measurement Tool
• Mondeus
  
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

The screencast above shows how to find and use the Distance Measurement Tool in Google Maps (http://screenr.com/WNS)

Another eggman913's video clip - Mountain Landscapes - Temples of the Earth

Including Images of... 

Mount Ararat - Turkey
Pico de Orizaba - Mexico
Denali (Mount McKinley) - Alaska, U.S.A.
Mount Wilson - Nevada, U.S.A.
Mount Kilimanjaro - Tanzania
Ailsa Craig - Scotland
Nevado Huaguruncho - Peru
Mount Temetiu - French Polynesia
Masada - Israel
Uluru (Ayers Rock) - Austrailia
Herdubreid - Iceland
Peitlerkofel - Italy
Mount Fuji - Japan
Mount Everest - China/Nepal
Cathederal Peak - South Africa
Atwell Peak - Canada
Lanin Volcano - Argentina/Chile

Music choice always seems appropriate and this time it is :"Ikindija" written and performed by AlmaNova from the album "After Hours"

To access all of Philip Scott Johnson's YouTube video clips visit his channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/eggman913.

Overview of Health & Safety Resources included in this eMagazine...

• Health and Safety bingo
• Learn Anytime
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

Vienna, http://studentswithlearningdifficulties.blogspot.com/, has shared her Health and Safety Bingo resources on box.

Visit http://www.box.net/shared/g4xva1jp1o.

Learn Anytime has a list of  links to some interactive hazard identification activities including...

• Dangers in the bedroom
• Disaster Kitchen
• Dangers in the lounge
• Hazards in the room
• Home Hazard Hunt

Visit http://www.learnanytime.co.uk/PHSE/Safety%20in%20the%20home.htm to find out more.

Overview of ICT + Resources included in this eMagazine...

• Take a look at Papert: Logo - turtle in the Mathematics Section
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

Overview of Mathematics Resources included in this eMagazine...

• Papert: Logo - turtle
  • Take a look at Making Money Easier in the eInclusion Section
    
• Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

"LOGO, at least in the guise of turtle graphics, has a clear place within mathematics teaching as enshrined in the New Attainment Targets of the National Curriculum. More importantly perhaps the potential of the language to give learners more autonomy over their own learning is becoming increasingly clear" quotation from 1992

Remember LOGO, the computer language that many of you learnt at school? (...and some of us taught in School) well...

Papert is an online LOGO compiler.

Time to play with the turtle at http://logo.twentygototen.org/.

PS Logo is a programming language developed by Papert and Feurzig in the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT in the late 1960s

Overview of Music Resources included in this eMagazine...

• Incredibox
• Sheet Music Editor
  
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

Beatboxing is a musical art that only a few people can do.

Incredibox is a fun online beatbox machine which lets users compose their own human beatbox arrangements online, and share them with others.

Features:

• Free, no registration required.
• Compose a human beatbox ensemble.
• Drag and drop icons to a character to create sounds.
• Click shuffle icons to let app run on itself.
• Download Incredibox as a screensaver.
• Share your compositions with others.
• Available in French and English.

Try it out for yourself at http://www.incredibox.fr/.

SheetMusicEditor allows users to drag and drop their...

• clefs,
• time signatures and
• notes

...onto the sheet. Very simple, and very intuitive.

Because users have to manually drag everything into the right place the resulting sheets won’t have that high quality look; alignment of notes will be slightly off.

A great tool to write down simple tunes and prepare them for printing quickly. I don't think it would be advisable to use with very complicated compositions.

Find out more at http://www.sheetmusiceditor.com/.

Overview of Science Resources included in this eMagazine...

• The first artificial snowflake
• The Unbelievable World of Snowflakes
  • Take a look at Papert: Logo - turtle in the Mathematics Section and
    
  • Virtual Dinosaur Dig in the Family Learning Section.
    
• Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

Below the short BBC video explains how Ukichiro Nakaya, a mid-20th century scientist in Hokkaido, Japan, created the very first artificial snowflake in his laboratory.

In 1933 he built a chamber with adjustable...

• temperature,
• air pressure, and
• humidity

...that could mimic the weather condition in clouds that produce snow.

 

This video can also be watched at http://vimeo.com/4745126.

"Snow crystals," Ukichiro Nakaya wrote in 1939, "may be called letters sent from heaven."

The Japanese physicist spent his life studying snowflakes, eventually becoming the first to create an artificial snow crystal in the laboratory.

Take a close look at this slide show at http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2009/12/the-unbelievable-world-of-snowflakes.php. 

Overview of Thoughts-Beliefs Resources included in this eMagazine...

• Interactive Quran (Koran)
  
  • Why not suggest a resource, that you use or feel has potential, in our Over2U section

There are millions of Quran, also spelled as Koran, readers on the internet but there are very few websites providing a proper reading experience of the Holy book of Muslims.

QuranFlash makes reading Quran smoother by providing all the content in an easy-to-navigate flash interface.

Features:

• Read Quran in a flash-based interface.
• Easily go to the next or previous pages with a single click.
• Option to go 10 pages forward or backward with a single click.
• Jump to any of the 30 chapters easily.
• Resize the reading window for better reading.
• Enter a specific page number to jump to that page.
• Choose a lower flash quality for slower connections.
• Choose from several background images.

Note: since Quran is in Arabic it reads from right-to-left.

Visit http://www.quranflash.com/en/index.html to find out more.

Creating diagrams with traditional software is not an easy task however there are many diagram creation tools which make drawing diagrams easy and quick. One such tool is Cacoo.

Cacoo lets users create diagrams by just dragging and dropping items. You can use it to...

• create flowcharts,
• UML diagrams,
• Wireframes,
• Sitemaps or
• any other form of diagrams.

Cacoo is also great when it comes to sharing diagrams with others and collaborating with them in real time. Simply invite colleagues by providing their email address and Cacoo will let them view and edit the diagrams as well.

Features:

• Create diagrams online easily.
• Just drag and drop elements to create a diagram.
• Collaborate with others in real-time.
• Insert text and images in diagrams.
• Export diagrams as PNG.

Try it out at https://cacoo.com/.

MagCover will let users take a picture (any picture) and turn it into the cover of a magazine with bespoke headlines.

Themes and motifs range from “Bride” and “Model” to cartoon type ones and magazines for pet owners. There is also one named “The Poker Face”, and I bet many of you could put that one to splendid use.

And for the mLearning practitioners/promoters, in addition to taking care of the mashup process through the website, it is possible to do it all when you are on the go since iPhones are supported.
MagCover will let you take a picture (any picture) and have it turned into the cover of a magazine.

This isn't the first of its type that I've flagged up but it does have the added bonus of bespoke headlines.

Try it out at http://www.magcover.com/.

MagoFun serves a popular function, that of letting users take any picture and have some fun with it.

MagoFun allows users to upload a photograph and put it on the cover of a magazine. There are currently about 60 to choose from and once the cover is ready it can easily be published by the user in VLEs, websites, blogs and just any corner of the WWW.

The process is as easy as...

• uploading the photo and
• choosing a cover from the many on offer.
• The resulting file can be downloaded to a computer.

Try it out at http://www.magofun.com/.

Just over a month ago my Dad had a fall and broke his hip. What has that to do with you? Well he used Morse Code to communicate with ‘next door' to call for help (I bet they wondered what the annoying banging was all about!).

If, like my Dad, you have a thing for Morse Code, Qbit Labs' Morse Code Translator is free Morse Code software online that can help users quench their thirst without having to spend too much of your time trying to learn the code.

Go enter the text that you want to hear (or see) in Morse Code and press the Translate to Morse Code button.

Note: - If you want to hear how the text sounds in Morse Code, check the Play Sound checkbox.

Qbit Labs' Morse Code Translator provides...

• A simple and easy text to Morse Code translation tool; visit http://www.qbit.it/lab/morse.php.
• An option to play the translation to "hear" what the Morse Code sounds like.
• Another translation tool to convert Morse Code to text; visit http://www.qbit.it/lab/demorse.php?.
• It's Free, and no sign up

What do you think this says?

 

Use this transcription to find out...

.-. ... -.-. / -. --- .-. - .... .-- . ... - / ... - .. -- ..- .-.. .- - .. -. --. / .- -. -.. / ... ..- .--. .--. --- .-. - .. -. --. / .. -. -. --- ...- .- - .. --- -. / .. -. / .-.. . .- .-. -. .. -. --.

Scanimation is an animation technique which can create the illusion of motion on plain paper!

Scanimation involves two layers...

• a background image, usually a black and white silhouette, and
• a transparent sheet having black bars, called scanlines.

The image appears to be blurry or jagged at first, but when a transparent sheet with scanlines is placed on top of the image and the sheet moved horizontally across the background image, something magical happens.

Watch the video below...

How can you or your learners make your own Scanimation?

1. Get hold of the software called Scanimation Creation at http://wisecodes.com/Download/Scanimation_Creation_v1.1.zip (or visit http://gmc.yoyogames.com/lofiversion/index.php/t400314.html)
2. Find a GIF animation that you want to turn into a Scanimation. One animation of a leopard running is already included with the software for practice.
   Note: Any animated GIF can be used but Scanimation works best with black & white images and particularly silhouettes.
3. Load the GIF file into the software
4. Adjust the speed of animation
5. Click the Save icon.
6. Note: this will create two images

• a background BMP file, which you print on 'regular paper', and
• the scanlines, which you print on a clear transparent sheet.

Your Scanimation is ready for action.

Below is an overview of the process...

PS This was about in the '60s when I was at school!

Getting in touch with staff, managers, administrators, learners etc., who are scattered around the campus, region, globe becomes a need which is catered for by endless applications.

SendShots is one such tool, as it will let you...

• record a video message and
• send it to whomever you like.

This service is a free one, and all you need in order to set going is a web camera and microphone to record the message. Once you have done so, you simply...

• choose the recipient(s) and
• send the video on its way...

The site is practical, and I think that the lack of bells and whistles makes it a valuable asset. After all, who can go wrong with a tool that bears just three buttons to press about – “record”, “save” and “send”?

Try it out at http://www.sendshots.com/.

If you and/or your learners are looking for an extremely simple to-do list, you/they should Teux Deux a test drive.

TeuxDeux is a dead simple online to-do list manager with an elegant and minimal user-interface.

Once signed-up users can start adding tasks to their list immediatey. TeuxDeux’s display window shows 7 days at a time which users can scroll through using the arrow buttons at either end.

Note: TeuxDeux has no pointers or reminders or any fancy stuff you usually find in a to-do list manager.

Users can...

• add tasks,
• delete tasks,
• arrange tasks by drag and drop, and
• strike off tasks when completed.

All uncompleted tasks of the previous day are automatically added to the task list of the next day, which makes it immensely useful.

There is also a “Someday” section where users can drop tasks that don’t have any strict deadline.

Visit http://teuxdeux.com/ to find out more. 

I'd almost forgotten about Tuxpi when I was reminded to revisit the tools by one of the many RSS feeds I read.

Tuxpi is one of many useful web-based tools that lets users upload any picture they own and apply a set of effects to it; either because they want to experiment or because they intend to put it to some educational/professional use.

Just...

• upload the photograph,
• choose what it is you want to do to it from the provided list; they currently include...
  • 18 Photo Effects
  • 11 Picture Frames and
  • 9 Collages/Tools
• If required, adjust and/or add...
  • Filter settings
  • Crop
  • Text
• the conversion process is carried out.

Files users want to upload must not exceed 2 MB, and the supported file formats include...

• JPG,
• PNG and
• GIF.

The feedback I get, about imaging tools like this, suggests that there is going to be something here for everybody.

Visit http://www.tuxpi.com/ to try it out.

Here are some I made earlier... 

"Do you know how to get individual PowerPoint slides into a video?"

PowerPoint’s part in the process is simple. As with many solutions, it’s knowing where to look that stumps most people.

People tend to think in “exporting” terms when a task like this arise — we want to export data from one application to another. Unfortunately, you can’t do that in PowerPoint.

What users can do is save individual slides as separate files.

When you want to use a slide in another medium, save the slide in a compatible format. e.g. to drop a slide into a video, users need to first save the slide as an image file. Fortunately, that is straight forward...

• From the File menu, choose Save As. (In PowerPoint 2007, click the Office button and choose Save As).
• In the resulting Save As dialog box, locate a folder for saving the new image file.
• Give the new image a name.

Now, here is the important part...

• From the Save As Type dropdown list, choose an image format

• .gif,
• .jpg, and so on i.e. one that’s compatible with your video software.

• Click Save.
  PowerPoint will ask you if you want to save...
  • just the selected slide or
  • all of the slides in the presentation

respond accordingly.

• Once you have the slide(s) in an image file format, simply follow your video software’s specifications for inserting the image file.

"I find it a pain in the butt to use calendar programs on my computer? It's simple: they don't mimic my real life counterparts very well. I use my calendar to organize my daily live and want to have it visible, in plain sight nearly all of the time!"

"On the computer, I have to go through a myriad of windows and clicks before I can even see my calendar. Help!"

There is a program that I've downloaded and use; I think it will meet your requirements!

Outlook on the Desktop will place the Microsoft Outlook Calendar system right on your desktop. The calendar object gets pinned to your desktop and stays there all the time in plain sight so you can always see what's upcoming.

The benefits don't stop there ... because it's the actual Microsoft Outlook calendar, users get all it's functionality, such as direct editing, drag and drop of files, etc. You have to try it to believe it.

Features

* Places fully functional Microsoft Outlook Calendar on your Desktop.
* The Outlook Calendar is pinned to your desktop so that no windows can get stuck behind it.
* The Calendar's position, size and opacity are all adjustable via a very intuitive GUI.
* A tray Icon (complete with the day of the month) is provided to to configure the app and perform other actions.
* Multiple-Monitor Support.
* Ability to switch between calendar, inbox, contacts, tasks and notes views.

Find out more at http://www.outlookonthedesktop.com/ and or download it at http://www.outlookonthedesktop.com/download.

My posterous Blog provides a 'drip-feed' of eMagazine items, throughout the month.

Either subscribe to the RSS feed or visit http://acljohn.posterous.com/ for your daily update.

N.B. Notification of publication also via Twitter (search for #wdlih or go to http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23wdlih)

 

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