Time Saving Tips for Your Computer, iPad, and Smartphone

David Pogue offers 10 Time Saving Tech Tips via TED.  I thought I was tech savvy, but I learned three things from this talk!



Did you learn anything new?  Tell me about it in the comments.

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Doceri

Doceri is an easy to use app for the iPad or Windows tablet. It acts as an interactive whiteboard and screencast recorder with sophisticated tools for hand-drawn graphics and built-in remote desktop control. A few fancy words that say a whole lot.

Use it for working problems, drawing diagrams, group brainstorming. That's just for starters. You can present in real time, or record and edit the presentation for later use. The editing and voice over tools are impressive for such a free/inexpensive product.

Although you may create them on your tablet, the presentations can be saved and shared on YouTube, email or other media.

See for yourself - a whole series of videos gives you a better idea of Doceri's range of capabilities

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The Guide to Unplugging

We *love* technology here at Butler Online, but it's important to unplug sometimes. How do you unplug? One way  I use is a shut off time, and have my iPhone automatically go silent at 9 PM. I do not check e-mail, personal or otherwise, after that time. It is sacred, tech free time.

 Here's a fun infographic on how to unplug from all your tech for a bit.



Get health and fitness tips at Greatist.com

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Why it's Important to be Digital in our Classrooms

Why do teachers need to embrace the digital age?  In short, it's because digital skills are increasingly needed for just about every profession!  While your students may not be learning a digital skill for a specific future career in your class, learning to use different programs, apps, and software in your course will help train their brain to learn those career specific skills in their future jobs.

Here's how healthcare is being affected by digital tools.  My own doctor uses a laptop in the exam room, using it to record things her patients tell her, to remind her of what we've gone over already, and to have my various lab results at her fingertips.  She also sends my prescriptions to my pharmacy electronically, and will either print out or e-mail me a summary of what we've discussed that day for my reference.  How are digital tools affecting the careers your students plan to go in?



Get health and fitness tips at Greatist.com

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Making your iPhone battery last longer

Make your iPhone battery last longer

Anyone who has had a device that needs charging should be aware of these issues - some have been around for a while and some are relatively new to the iPhone/iPad. 

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Four things you might not have known about your cell phone

For all the folks with cell phones. (This should be printed and kept in your car, purse, and wallet. Good information to have with you.)
 There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies.
 Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival.   Check out the things that you can do with it:
1 Emergency
 The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
 
2  Hidden Battery Power  Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time.

3 How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone 
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits on your phone:      
 *#06# .
A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
If your phone is stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

4 Free Directory Service for Cells
 Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE411   or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all.  Program this into your cell phone now. 

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Butler Online Advent Calendar

Butler Online is celebrating Advent with 25 days of tech tips for you to try out and use! In addition, we have added a comment each day about unique and fun features of Canvas to get our instructors a little "sneak peak" of the new LMS. Enjoy!

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Teaching with Twitter

Teaching with Twitter
From the website GradHacker, this article (and website) demonstrates interesting perspectives to online teaching and learning. Check out the comments, as well as the article itself
In particular this is aimed at students and instructors who are increasingly aware even expectant of the use of technologies in their lives.

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Read This if You Like "To-Do" Lists!

Do you live by a to-do list?  Are you perplexed by all the new "to-do" productivity apps?  Are you looking for a to-do list tool that works across all your devices such as an iPad, Web, and Android?  Give Wunderlist a try.  It is a free task management tool that syncs across devices and is easy to use.  Check out this link to find more information and applications for education.

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MOOC talk

One of my favorite listens on my iPhone is the podcast American RadioWorks. Recently they featured a series on Keyboard College . As the title infers, it is a look at the future of online education. This link is an article from their website on MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses. They aren't new. However, MOOCs are being examined in a new light for their value in face of rising costs in education, and their increasing accessibility via mobile devices.
The entire documentary is worth checking out as it brings some interesting perspectives on the challenges and promise of online education from within and without the field of education.

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Powerocks Magicstick

Rapid Buyr has the Powerocks Magicstick available for $27 and this includes shipping. The site states that the regular price is $50 but I found them for $39.99 on Amazon. This did not include shipping though.
The Powerocks Magicstick is a backup battery charger that works on any device that is USB-chargeable. This means you can have a bckup energy supply for your iPhone, iPod, iPad, etc.Check out the video to see just how you might use it.

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iPads and literature

Virtual book clubs? It was inevitable, I suppose.

This site provides inspiration for using literature with eReaders inside the classroom and independently. The site includes links to the best known sites for free eBooks, and  tools for a reading discussion group

• determining the readability scores for online articles
• notetaking apps
• cloud storage/exchange apps
• discussions apps

One of the intriguing parts of this site is the section on the use of roles (tracing travel, gathering background information, illustrator) and list of apps that facilitate those roles. Many of these ideas are aimed at K-12, but could easily be adapted to higher ed, or independent reading groups. At any rate it is an example of how technology can be used with imagination.

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Bridging the Gap Apps!

I stumbled onto a wonderful site called BridgingApps.   The purpose of this site is to “bridge the gap between technology and people with disabilities.”  The website contains pathways of information organized according to whether you are a parent, therapist, teacher, institution, doctor, or have a disability.  The focus of the website is to provide information on how to use mobile device with apps to help accelerate learning and advance skills.  The website also has a place to sign up for a newsletter as well as information on new app reviews and some wonderful success stories.  This site could be one you want to save as a favorite!

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iPad Apps for Educators!

I recently got an iPad. I love it. I have visions of all the wonderful things I will do with my iPad, but searching for apps takes time. So that is why I am a teeny bit addicted to articles that tell me about great apps because it saves me some disappointment. This morning I found an article that highlights great apps for educators, so I wanted to share this knowledge with you!

Also, if you know of some great educational apps, we would love to hear from you. Has anyting particularly helped you with teaching online or are you excited about trying something new this fall?

Great iPad apps:

• 20 Apps for Educators
• 10 Apps for Teachers AND Students
• 6 Apps for Business (the business teachers out there might want to utilize these!)

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NFC Tags

Have you investigated NFC Tags? When  I viewed the C/Net video below I decided it was time to see what NFC Tags are all about. Wikipedia states, "Near field communication (NFC) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimeters."


What this means is that an NFC Tag by your bedside could be programmed to tell your phone to disable the WiFi connection, turn on Pandora, and set the morning alarm by simply touching your phone near the tag. 


How cool is that? If you are a DIYer you can take it one step further and turn a book into a phone dock that includes an NFC Tag. You can purchase NFC Tags on Amazon for around $15 - $20 or check out other distributors at ReadWriteWeb. You will also discover just how to create your own NFC Tags to perform a number of tasks.

List of NFC enabled cell phones

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A little secret about free apps

I am excited that Andrea and I will be sharing some great ideas about using apps and mobile devices in the next two weeks. Between the upcoming new version of ANGEL (Safari = OK) and our investigation of a successor to ANGEL, we agree that mobile apps and mobile devices will be playing growing roles in our online classrooms.
With that in mind, let me share a link on a very short Scientific American article regarding hidden truths about free apps.

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U-Socket

I just read about this device last night, although it won Best of Show at MacWorld back in 2010. The U-Socket replaces your regular electrical wall outlet with one that supplies 2 USB connections. This means you can charge your phone and iPod/Pad while still using the original electrical outlets.

You can buy one of these handy little devices in white or almond at FastMac for around $25. The video demonstrates how easy it is to install the U-Socket.

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Side by Side for the iPad

If I ever get an iPad, I think I would want this app. If you have an iPad you might want to check out this one. Not only does it allow the user to view 4 screens but also supports Dropbox. By the way, did I mention that it is free?

From the website: "Side by Side is a multiple-window reader/browser with offline reading and note taking capabilities. It turns the iPad into multiple resizable reading devices working in parallel. You can browse webpages, download files, read documents, or take notes on each split screen".

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Mobile App

Do you have an Apple phone or iPad?   Consider using this app called OMJS Learning Structures 
The site touts:

Teachers and trainers are always looking for new ways to organize their lessons or meetings in an inspiring way and it is well known that the use of different learning structures contribute to the learning fun and learning efficiency.

But, where do you discover another new learning structure and what is a suitable form that contributes to the purpose of your lessons? This application has the answer! A simple menu helps you to find the right learning structure for your lessons.

The application contains over 40 different learning structures and another 10 for getting your students acquainted.

In for a surprise? Shake your iPhone and get a random suggestion.

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Android Scientific Calculator

Do your students need a scientific calculator - or do you? With the popularity of cell phones among our students, I thought the Real Calc Android Scientific Calculator app might be of interest. This post on the I Love Free Software site discusses the app and provides the link for downloading.

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