IFTTT: One of my Productivity Secrets

I'm about to share one of my productivity secrets with you. I've gotten comments from people who know me or follow me on social media that I seem to be *everywhere,* and they wonder how I have the time.

The secret?  I don't have time.  I use technology to help me.  There's several things I use, but one of the biggest ones is IFTTT.  IFTTT stands for If This, Then That and it connects web applications through their recipes.  

Here's a short video that shares the basic concept of IFTTT.  It's an older video, but it explains what it is and what it does well:



Here's a few ways that I use IFTTT to simplify my life:

When I take a picture on Instagram, it posts to Facebook as well if I tag it.  That way I don't have to do any extra steps to add it to my Facebook account.  I can be two places at once!

I use the same formula to add tagged Instagram pictures to my travel blog.  When I travel, I can take pictures, make them pretty with filter, and post them to my travel blog all at once.  

I always update my Twitter when this blog makes a new post, even if it's at the crack of dawn or the middle of the night. I'm not hanging around, waiting for the blog to post so I can put it on Twitter- it's all IFTTT.

I also use it to keep track of what I've done at work.  I use my iPad's To Do list to keep track of things.  (Anybody who works with me knows that if I don't write it down, it does not exist!) When I check it off as done,  the task goes to a spreadsheet on Google.  This is really handy come review time! 

Those are just a few examples. As of this writing, I have 41 recipes created to help me manage my online life.  Some of them seem like such small things, but it helps me look like Superwoman with very little work on my part!

Wanna try IFTTT?  Here's a great step by step video on how to get started. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

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Quick Parts in Outlook

The Catherine and our Fearless Leader, Linda have been excited about using the signatures tool in Outlook. Not just for the closing of your messages, it can be used for whole messages that can be composed and reused.

Quite by accident, I discovered that Outlook as another tool aimed  specifically at reusing sentences, paragraphs or whole messages. The Quick Parts tool is located on the Insert ribbon's Text section.

You can save many preformatted snippets for use in those emails that you send over and over again each semester. Or all those answers you don't want to retype every time.
For specific directions, go here to the Outlook Blog

Pretty simple, pretty slick!

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Free Snagit Guide - Get Snagit 1/2 Price

We recently posted about Snagit and their half-price offer. Snagit has so many valuable features that it is easy to overlook some of what you can accomplish with this tool. Check out the Getting Started Guide embedded below. You can download the guide to your computer for quick access or just scroll through it here.

Note: Until April 15th you can purchase a Snagit single-user license for the upgrade price - a savings of 50% off the original price. Simply enter the promotion code below before you complete your purchase to get Snagit at the upgrade pricing. 

Use Promo Code: JINGPRO to get Snagit at 50% off (coupon expires Monday, April 15, 2013)
The Getting Started Guide for Snagit was posted earlier on the TechSmith Blog.
 

Getting Started Guide for Snagit 11.2 (Win) and 2.1 (Mac) by TechSmith

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Snagit 50% off Regular Price

Do you use Jing Pro? If so, you probably know that, beginning Feb. 28th the pro version will revert back to the free version. This means many of your favorite features will vanish.

But, just in time, we have a Snagit deal to the rescue!


"Snagit is the perfect tool for recording MPEG-4 video and YouTube uploading - just like Jing Pro. With Snagit you have the freedom to record longer videos, blur sensitive information, scroll long webpages, and more."

Until April 15th you can purchase a Snagit single-user license for the upgrade price - a savings of 50% off the original price. Simply enter the promotion code below before you complete your purchase to get Snagit at the upgrade pricing. You do not have to have Jing Pro to take advantage of this deal. Anyone can purchase Snagit at this discounted price.
Use Promo Code: JINGPRO to get Snagit at 50% off
(coupon expires April 15, 2013)

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Essential Google Drive Skills for Teachers

As Butler prepares to transition to Canvas, our new learning management system, one skill we all need to brush up on is how to utilize Google Drive.  Google Docs are stored on Google Drive and are easily embedded into Canvas. Not only are they easily embedded, but a Google document that is used in several different locations within Canvas only needs to be updated once in the Google document and is "auto-magically" updated everywhere.  Here is a great article entitled, "Five Essential Google Drive Skills for Teachers" that will help us all get started using Google Drive.

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33 Digital Skills for 21st century Teachers

What are you going to learn (or relearn) this new year?
Meg sent this link from this marvelous website Educational Technology & Mobile Learning
She thought it would be a keeper and I hope you agree.
Not only does the author provide a list of the skills, he provides links to empower teachers to develop those skills.
Besides being a terrific resource, I believe it further emphasizes the notion that technology is not just for computer 'experts' or an option you can choose to ignore, but a set of skills that is not optional, and worthy of learning to use well in very specific ways. Furthermore, our attitude towards these skills is as important as the competent use of them when it comes to our students.

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CyberLink Photo Director 2011 - Free

For a limited time, Download Crew has CyberLink PhotoDirector 2011 (Win) free of charge. This program has a list price of $99.95.

PhotoDirector 2011is "an all-in-one photography program for organizing, editing, enhancing, and sharing your digital pictures, one that compares with the likes of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Corel PaintShop Photo Pro." Sounds like a great deal to me. Who can beat free?

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LEAP!

I missed the most exciting (at least to me) presentation at last week's SIDLIT.
I am providing the link that will explain it in more detail.
Essentially this company Leap Motion, has designed a device for Macs that

• plugs into your USB port
• is roughly the size of a jump drive
• works with a number of programs
• interprets your motions into actions
• can be preordered for $70

Essentially the device will replace your mouse and keyboard, acting in much the same way that the XBox Kinnect device does for gaming systems.

Special needs, artists, engineers, repetitive motion issues,- this is only the beginning, I think

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