ReadTheWords.com

ReadTheWords.com provides a free service that will read any submitted text out loud. Choose from fourteen different readers in three languages. Listen to the reading online or download for iPod or other mp3 player. Post your reading into your web site or blog.
Try it here ...

What's the Purpose?

Image by Cdammen via Flickr"Go to www.kennelclub.org and find out all you can about Jack Russell terriers and write a report."

"Find reliable sources of information on the internet to use in an article on Jack Russell terriers."

These statements exemplify two different approaches which teachers may use to give seemingly similar assignments. Taken out of context, as they are here, it could be said that each could be appropriate instruction given the objective of producing an article about Jack Russell terriers. And, either might be suitable within the it's own setting.

However, each sentence intends to have the students take very different routes to creating that product. If you're goal is to simply have a student find some basic information and shout it back at you, the first example will suffice. If your purpose is to have your students become knowledgeable consumers of information, as it should be in the 21st century, then you need to make assignments more in the style of the second instruction.

The second approach makes the student responsible for seeking out multiple reputable, trustworthy, authoritative sources of information on the subject as opposed to your having provided a single "safe" resource in the first. Students will need to judge the quality of their sources, they'll need to think about the content and decide on its value and usefulness.

If we want to develop intelligent users of information, we need to more often take the approach of the second example.

Store, Share, and Sync Your Files with DropBox

DropBox is a new free Web 2.0 application that allows you to quickly and easily store files both on your computer's hard drive and online. This means you will always have two up-to-date copies of every file in at least two different locations. There's nothing new to learn, nothing special to do. Save and open files to and from your DropBox folder just as you would any other folder. Create sub-folders in the DropBox folder to keep your files organized. No need to remember to copy files to a portable USB drive anymore. You can also share files with friends and colleagues by invitation, no need to email files to yourself or others.

But the best feature of DropBox is that it also keeps your files synced across all the computers you use. Edit a file that's in your DropBox folder and when you save it, the file stored online will update the changes automatically. If you move to a different computer, the edited file will be synced to that computer with no action needed on your part. It's that simple.

Your DropBox folder works exactly like every other folder on your computer's hard drive. You can access your DropBox folder by using My Documents or simply clicking the DropBox icon in the task bar.

Learn more about DropBox by taking the tour.

DropBox will make your life simpler. Guaranteed.

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Tips for Your Tech-integrated Classroom

Image via Wikipedia Here are three great ideas using a wiki and engaging students in your online classroom.

• Have students use the wiki to track background research for term papers, and you will gain insight into the project at the beginning.
• Use the wiki to post lecture notes and handouts to keep your class organized.
• Ask your students to post exam questions and respond to questions from their peers. Use these questions in your exam.

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Getting Things Done: Using Your MV Webmail Account to Manage Your To Do List

Most of us have more things to get accomplished than we can keep track of. I find that a useful to do list is invaluable to keeping me on track. A solution that helps me stay on top of my CFF tasks is a simple to do list tied into my MV Webmail account. I can add tasks to the list from anywhere I can access email, even from my mobile phone or iPod.

There are three steps to getting this kind of Webmail to do list up and running: create a special folder for your to do items, make a filter to sort your to do list tasks from your other mail and send them into your to do list folder, and inserting a flag into the subject line of the emails.

1) Create a special folder for your to do items.

On the Webmail toolbar, click the Folders icon.

Next, name your to do folder, in this example I used the name ToDo List, then click the Create button.

Now a folder with that name should appear in the folder list below.

2) Make a filter to sort your to do list tasks from your other mail and send them into your ToDo List folder

On the Webmail toolbar, click the Options icon.

From the available options, select Filters and Exceptions

You now have four things to do in the window that appears:

1. From the drop-down menu next to If the, choose Subject
2. Following Subject header contains, type 2DO:
3. Choose move from the menu beside then
4. and choose ToDo List from the menu next to IMAP folder

Then click the Add button and the filter you just made should appear in the list.

3) Insert a 'flag' into the subject line of the emails that contain your to do list items.

When you need to add a task to your to do list, compose an email to yourself. In the subject line you MUST include the 'flag' that will send this to your to do list folder. That 'flag' is 2DO:. Also on the subject line, include a brief description of the task. If you wish, you may include more detail about the task in the body of the message.

That email should now be channeled into your ToDo List folder. Select that folder and you should see a list of your tasks.

You might want to add a priority number to the subject line, or due date, or whatever else you like. Delete the tasks as they are completed. Hope this helps you better manage your workload.

© 2008 Thomas Boito