A nice file converting site

I am always in the need to convert one file type to another.  Wether it be an MP3 to M4A or AVI to MPEG  or JPEG to GIF.....  I recently had an issue with an XPS document.  This is microsoft's version of Adobe's PDF.  XPS stands for "Open XML Paper Specification". Windows Vista and 7 both have the ability to "print" XPS files.  You just choose "Microsoft XPS Document Writer" from the list of printers and away you go!

I needed a PDF version of a document on a webpage.  So, I decided to play with the XPS Document writer. (Yes, I know, I could have copied and pasted into Word or Google Docs then created a PDF from that, but hey, it was time to learn something new!!!)  I printed the page to the XPS printer, saved it and then went to Zamar, my trusty converting page.  But wouldn't you know it.... Zamzar can't convertXPS files!!  Oh nooooo!  Not to worry, a quick search and I found Convert.Files .  They can convert everything Zamzar can  but also XPS files!!  Whooo Hooo!  Upload my file, choose PDF as the output, and presto! All done!

Combining PDFs....for free!

Recently I had to combine several PDFs into one.  At school I have the full version of Adobe and boy it is real easy to use it!  However, I am not as school and I do not have the full version of Adobe.  So.....

A quick Google search gave me a large number of sites that could combine PDFs for me.  I found FoxyUtils.com  and gave it a shot.

I uploaded 3 PDFs, clicked on "Merge PDF" and very quickly was presented with a download link to my newly combined PDF!  Awesome!  One word of caution, before clicking "Merge PDF" make sure you have your files in the order you want!!  You can easily use the up and down arrows provided to rearrange your files to your hearts content!

Painless, smooth, easy and ......FREE!

An interesting quote

I was using Google Docs recently when a pop message told me about the "Research Tool" and to give it a try.  So, I did.  Wow!  Right from Google Docs you can research "Everything", "Images", "Scholars" and "Quotes". As a teacher leader with aspirations of becoming a principal,  I searched for a quote on "leadership".  True to Google form, I was getting real time results.  I ran across this one by  Jim Rohn:

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly”


Very powerful! It was a snap to add it to my Google Doc I was working on. I have only scratched the surface of the "Research Tool" but I believe I will be using it pretty frequently!

Common Core App

I know, long time since my last post!!  I have been very involved with the Dayton Regional STEM Center writing quality STEM curriculum.  It has taken a lot of my time.  But summer is approaching and I plan on being a lot more active with my blog posts.

So to start, a quick post about the "Common Core App" from MasteryConnect, Inc.  This app is for Android devices as well as the iPhone.  It allows you to view the common core standards in an extremely streamlined way.  I have already used it several times when creating STEM lessons.

The direct links to the app can be found below:
Android Common CoreApp
iPhone Common Core App

Two sites you might like

I have not written for awhile…. I have been a little busy!
I did however run across 2 sites that you might find interesting.  One is a file conversion site and the other, well, I can only say is interesting.
Most of you are probably familiar with ZamZar and how wonderfully easy it is to convert just about any file type to any file type.  However, at my school the site is blocked.  I was however able to get to DocsPal (at least on the day I tried it )  It is just as easy and wonderful to use as ZamZar.  Using DocsPal you can either upload a file or enter a URL for it.  Select what file type you want to convert it to and click convert.  You can have a download link sent to your email or wait for the conversion to be done online.  File conversion sites are extremely useful especially when it comes to video.  Digital cameras may record in an MOV format and you need it to be in WMV to use in Windows Movie Maker.  Using DocsPal the conversion is simple.
The other site is called CodeOrgan.  To really understand this site, you just have to go out and try it!  What it does is takes a URL, analyzes it and creates music based on the text it finds on the page.  Some URLs sound very happy, others sound downright scary!!  I can see this site being used by a computer science class or digital media class as they explore ways to make different sounding websites!  I am not sure exactly what other educational uses there are for the site, but I am sure someone will be able to come up with something!
(UPDATE: It appears CodeOrgan is no more.  If you find it, please let me know!)

A replacement for My Webspiration

In my last post I discussed how My Webspiration will no longer be free in April.  I also discussed how Google Docs Drawing no has connectors so it can be used to create concept maps.  Well, a few days ago I was searching through Google’s Chrome Web Store and ran across Lovely Charts.  If you are a Google Chrome user, you can install a free version of this very powerful diagramming application.

To use the free version you have to be using Google’s Chrome Web browser (here is the link to download Chrome). After you have Chrome installed, go get Lovely Charts here from the Web Store.

The free version does have a few limitations.  For instance you can only save one editable diagram at a time and can only collaborate on one diagram at a time (I have not tried this feature yet….)  Straight from Lovely Charts here is what they say about the free version:

Please note that Lovely Charts free version only allows you to maintain one editable chart of your own and collaborate on one chart at the time.
You certainly CAN create this new diagram, and you WILL be able to export it if needed, but you WON'T be able to save it for later revision, unless you delete the already existing diagram or decide to upgrade your account.
A premium account is exceptionally available from as little as €29/year for now, would you like to upgrade now?

I have “played” with it for awhile now and it is very user friendly.  It has a lot of stock symbols and shapes.  You can also import your own!  So give it a try, it might be just what you need!

My Webspiration is no longer free….

Ok, everyone is familiar with the saying that the only constant in education is change. I would like to extend the same saying to technology. The only constant in technology is change. Let’s face it, people find ways of doing or making things better, faster, cheaper, etc. Just take a moment and think back to 1996. Do you remember the sound your modem made when you were dialing into your ISP? When you finally connected, pages with pictures took forever to load and web pages were static. Now look at the page you are reading right now. The page and picture loaded almost instantly. There are hyperlinks you know that if you click on them they will open in seconds. Google even returns thousands of hits in milliseconds! Change is good.

It is unfortunate in education that we are limited by money. This is why teachers and educators are always looking for a “free” way to do something. I was extremely excited to find Webspiration, an online concept mapping tool. It is fantastic! I got my students to use it and they were completing concept maps and sharing them with the world. All for free.

But then the constant of change reared its head. Starting in April of this year, Webspiration will no longer be free (See this page to learn more: No longer free). Although the subscription price is extremely reasonable, I cannot bring myself to pay it.

 

But just as quickly that Webspiration is no longer free, Google docs adds “smart connectors”!! This allows you to add arrows between shapes and if you move a shape the arrow stays connected! Oh, and Google docs is still free!

You can find the info about using the new connectors for Google docs at this link: Google Docs Drawing Connectors.  And if you don’t have a Google account yet (and why not?), you can get one here: Google Accounts (Note: if you already have a Gmail address then you have a Google account. If you need a Gmail address go to www.gmail.com and get one.)

So, thanks to change I will still be able to have my students make concept maps and share them with the world!!