Keeping Everything in a Safe Place

I may be the worst at backing up my data regularly, but a 1 terabyte (read: 1000 gigabytes!!) external hard drive is perfect for backing up large volumes of information for a small price. This improves professional productivity because all of your documents and files can be backed up in one safe place in an easy, convenient manner. In combination with incremental backup software, teachers can set up an automatic weekly or bi-monthly schedule so that your computer only backs up new drive changes such as new flipcharts, PowerPoints, or photos. This means backups are more current, and lost files are less likely.

My recommendation is the Western Digital WD Elements SE 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive. The Western Digital (WD) external hard drive is a small, portable storage space for backing up data of all sorts (music files, documents, photographs, etc.). Much like a flash drive, an external hard drive uses the USB port for connectivity and power and holds 1 TB, or terabyte, of data. One terabyte is equal to 1024 gigabytes (GB)—that’s the size of 500 2GB flash drives! You can even find them around $60 on eBay.

Read more here:
How To Back Up Your Data on a Windows PC
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Back_Up_Your_Data_on_a_Windows_PC

Alternative External Drives:

· Hitachi 0S02484 XL Desk 1TB External Hard Drive - USB 2.0, 3.5" Desktop, $69.99

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=18666&CatId=4230

 · Seagate Expansion ST910004EXA101-RK External Portable Hard Drive - 1TB, 5,400RPM, USB 2.0, $99.99

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6416079&CatId=4227

· Toshiba E05A100BBU2XK Canvio Basics External Hard Drive - 1TB, USB 2.0, 5400 RPM, 8MB, $109.99

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1347213&CatId=4227

Digital Microscope

In my last class of grad. school, we were asked to research up-and-coming technologies for the classroom.  My professor, Dr. Maureen Yoder, created an exemplar of a digital microscope.  Here are the specs:

1. Name of device:  Bodelin ProScope HR Mobile
2. Link to source(s) http://www.bodelin.com/proscopehr/proscope_mobile/
3. Retail Price $399
4. Description: The ProScope Mobile is a high resolution microscope, with a 50x lens, that uses BlueTooth technology to connect to an iPhone, iPad, or iPod  Touche. It creates a WiFi network and will “display live video on up to 253 Apple Mobile devices simultaneously”. Images and video can be seen live, and also captured for later uploads to a computer.  It does not work with computers or non-Apple products.
5. Classroom Possibilities: The ProScope can be used outside, so it can be taken on field trips and used for nature studies. Because it is handheld, items are not limited to what could fit under a traditional microscope. In the classroom, a teacher can project the image from the ProScope so that every student can see the magnified image. Or, images can be saved and used in student presentations, written reports, or art projects.

Magazine Apps for Children

A classmate of mine, Margaret Gary, reported on online newspaper and magazine apps for the classroom.  Here are her findings:

Highlights For Kids- http://www.highlightskids.com/
Highlights For Kids is an online version of the popular children’s magazine.  This online version of the magazine has many features that can appeal to school age children and can be used in the classroom.  It focuses mostly on science and social studies topics.  There is an area for  children to conduct science experiments and ask science related questions.  It also includes games, art activities, puzzles, and fiction stories.  There is a section that provides homework practice   The best part of this app is that it does not require a subscription or a fee to access the content.  I would use this in my classroom as a resource when my students are researching a science or social studies topic.  

Timbuktu- http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/timbuktu/id428469245?mt=8
Timbuktu is free iTunes app that is staking claim as the first iPad magazine app for children.  It discusses science and social studies topics.  The magazine made its debut in August 2011.  The first issue focused on things related to ice (Frozen Lakes, Popsicles, Arctic Beaches, Krills, Glaciers).  The interface is very clean and easy to read. The magazine is totally touchscreen interactive and it features cartoons and drawn characters, but includes video clips related to the particular article’s topic. I would use this in my classroom for research purposes, but it looks like it is only compatible with iPads.  

KidsMag http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kidsmag-issue-01/id434848007?mt=8
This fun iTunes app is catered to children ages 3 years and up.  It is a brightly colored magazine app that uses cartoon characters Bianca and Teo to help teach children about different topics.  I downloaded the free lite version of the first issue of this magazine.  It did not include all of the features available on the paid version of this app ($2.99 for each issue).  The first issue focused on learning how to brush your teeth, farm animals, firefighters, and learning Spanish.  I liked how this app featured easy to manipulate icons for smaller fingers and utilized the shake to change the screen capabilities for the iPad.  It also included games and puzzles throughout the magazine.  This app is a great app for a primary classroom, but it is only available on the iPad. 

Laser Keyboard

By Bill Weir | This Could Be Big – Tue, Oct 11, 2011

A classmate of mine, Carolyn De La Garza, reported on a new technology called the Laser Keyboard.  Below is her write-up highlighting the features of this awesome tool. 

Retail Price: $169.99

Description: The laser keyboard or “Magic Cube” uses state of the art infrared and laser technology to project a full size keyboard onto any flat surface. It is compatible with PDAs, Smartphones and other handheld devices. Also, you can use the laser keyboard with a MAC or PC and it reacts like any other ordinary keyboard. Mobile device users will be able to type normally on this laser keyboard and hopefully be more effective and work at a faster speed.

Classroom Possibilities: Laser keyboards help with meeting the diverse needs of all learners in the classroom. It doesn’t matter if you have students with learning or physical disabilities because laser keyboards provide an opportunity to assist students of all learning levels.  Teachers can use laser keyboards with multiple computer types, instruct students how to use the laser keyboard across the entire curriculum while moving from classroom to classroom, develop multimedia files, or use the keyboard itself to play a musical instrument. You can use drawing programs to create diagrams and designs for classroom projects too. For students who may have a physical disability and cannot press two keys at once, all they have to do is press the shift key followed by a letter to create a capital letter. Students can use the laser pointer instead of the mouse.

Additional Resources:

http://www.ehow.com/how_10034341_use-laser-keyboards-inclusion-classroom.html

This is a great article talking about how the laser keyboard can be used in an inclusion classroom and the benefits for all learners.