100 Incredibly Useful YouTube Channels for Teachers

Yes, there is a site named 100 Incredibly Useful YouTube Channels for Teachers, and yes the YouTube videos are great for integrating video in your classroom and online courses. Included are channels and video from Penn State, MIT, the Smithsonian, National Geographic, and, of course, 96 other contributors whose videos provide rich content to supplement your course materials.
The channels are divided into 4 categories:

• Multidisciplinary and General Education



• Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Technology



• Social Sciences, History and World Issues



• Visual, Performing and Liberal Arts

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TechChickTips

Try saying the title of this website three times quickly!
This blog features a pair of Texas educators, their podcasts and a slew of websites relating to technology, many education-related (down to K-12) and some just geeky-cool.
As they post in their "About" section, lots of links and lots of ideas!
R

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Jigsaw Planet

16 Halloween

20 Math

24 Cubpitcher[1]

At Jigsaw Planet you can upload any graphic or photo and transform it into a puzzle of 4 - 200 pieces. Once the puzzle is created, you can link to it or embed it (as with the puzzles above).

Something to think about:

You can create an image from anything you can enter on your computer screen by using Jing. This means you could create a puzzle of the step-by-step solution to an Algebra problem or a list of Spanish words with the English meaning, or a famous work of art. The possibilities are endless and provide students with a fun way to learn.

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Woophy

Woophy is a site where anyone can upload photos to share with the world. But Woophy goes one step further. Photos are pinned to a map of the world as seen in thumbnail to the left. Users can search by clicking on the map, or by typing in a keyword. When you hover over a pin the name of the city and country where the photo was taken appears. Check out the group of photos submitted by Zeeg on Woophy.

Presently, there are 844,838 photos on Woophy from 41,716 cities. Woophy Terms of Use state: Visitors of woophy.com can download a low resolution image of all photos you upload. They are allowed to use this for non-commercial, personal purposes only.

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In a Digital Age, Students Still Cling to Paper Textbooks

Only 3% of college textbooks are digital. Click here to understand why.

“'The screen won’t go blank,” said Faton Begolli, a sophomore from Boston. “There can’t be a virus. It wouldn’t be the same without books. They’ve defined ‘academia’ for a thousand years.'”

"Many students are reluctant to give up the ability to flip quickly between chapters, write in the margins and highlight passages, although new software applications are beginning to allow students to use e-textbooks that way."

“'Students grew up learning from print books,” said Nicole Allen, the textbooks campaign director for the research groups, “so as they transition to higher education, it’s not surprising that they carry a preference for a format that they are most accustomed to.'”

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Add a "Print This Page" Button

In order for students to easily print your syllabus and other course pages in ANGEL, you may want to add a "Print This Page" button. This is an easy process and allows you or the student to print the entire page by simply clicking the button.

Steps to Add a "Print This Page" button to an ANGEL page:

• Navigate to the ANGEL page that you wish to add the "Print This Page" button to.
• Click Settings.
• Click the Source icon.
• Type the following tag in front of the code on the page.

Note: you will not be able to copy the code from this blog. You must type it in. Once you have typed the code, however, you can use the copy and paste for other pages.

• Save.
• You should see: 

Note: You may need to refresh your page or clear the cache to see the changes.

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TypeItIn

TypeItIn is a great little tool that can save you lots of time. TypeItIn allows you to quickly create "buttons" of text you use repeatedly. Just right click the TypeItIn floating tool (like the graphic) and select New Button. Name the button, type the text you wish the button to enter and save. The text will be entered where your cursor is in virtually any application whenever you click that button. You can create groups of buttons to keep your buttons organized.

I have tried TypeItIn in ANGEL discussions, email, assignment comments, gradebook comments, etc. and it works great. You can also use it in Office. If you grade papers using the comments in Word, simply click the appropriate button to enter the text in the comment field.

Unlike many of the tools we mention in this blog, TypeItIn is not free. It is $20, but give it a try free for 30 days and I am betting you will buy it.

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Tablet Computers

We have been giving a lot of real estate on the blog recently to the new tablet PCs. One of the reasons is because these gizmos are tomorrows answer to college textbooks and access to the LMS. We are aware of two companies that offer double screen products so that a student can have an ebook open on the left and the internet on the right. You can check them out below…they are cool…but not quite there yet. Too heavy, expensive and bog down in heavy traffic.

• The Kno
  
• The Entourage Edge

I read an article this week (sorry, I can’t find the link) that answered the question, why do I need a tablet? The one answer that really resonated with me is that this generation’s tablet is the last generation’s coffee table book. Think of it, when you want to know something you don’t need to boot up the computer and wait 5 -10 minutes. Just pick up the tablet off the coffee table, turn it on, click the browser button and you are ready to search. It is quick, easy and right at your fingertips. I love my iPod Touch and use it daily, but the text is so small it is somewhat frustrating…but not with the new tablets.

Check them out. Which one is right for you?

• Apple iPad
• Blackberry Playbook
• Dell Streak
• Samsung Galaxy Tab

A comparison metric of these top four products can be found here. Which one will find its way under your Christmas tree this year (OK, it is not even the end of October...but it's never too soon to wish!)

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Apple TV

This little Apple TV allows you to rent HD movies, watch Netflix titles instantly, rent TV shows, commercial free in HD, and stream photos and music from your computer to your TV. It sells for $99. Can you believe all of this from a tiny black box you can hold in the palm of your hand?

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Stay in the Kno

Do you know about the Kno? "Kno is an upcoming tablet computer announced by the Kno company as a “digital textbook” aimed at the academic market. The tablet has two 14.1” touchscreens". "Choose from single or dual screen versions that you can write on, highlight on, watch video on. And, oh yes… read on".
Watch the video to be in the know . . .Kno?!

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