A new reason to love Dropbox

Not that you need another reason to love the usefulness of Dropbox (I mean I have about 99 reasons already)... but you get a new one anyway.* (What's Dropbox?)

A couple of days ago Dropbox announced a new and crazy easy way to share files or entire folders with anyone in just a couple of clicks.

All you have to do is open Dropbox on your computer, and right-click on the file (or folder) you want to share.

Select the "Get link" option from the Dropbox menu option and your browser will open showing you the web version of that folder.

Copy the web address and you can send it out to your students, other teachers, your grandmother, whomever!  You can even link to it, like I did right here (this is a collection of Digital Dioramas I created in PowerPoint... if you are interested).

Like I said, CRAZY EASY and an extremely useful way to share (you do share, right?).  I particularly think this is a simple and elegant way for teachers to share content with students.  The great thing is that you can still add files to any folder you share and the link does not change... so, share it once and then keep adding to it.

Oh, and your students DO NOT need Dropbox accounts to view and download your files.

One final tip.  If you use bitly (what's bitly?) to create a custom URL for your Dropbox sharing needs, you make it easy for your students to remember.  For example, here is that Dropbox link I shared above once I ran it through bitly: http://bit.ly/digitaldioramas.  Make one for science, math, reading logs, whatever!

Like I said at the outset, you may not need another reason to love Dropbox but this one might become your most useful reason yet.

Good luck!

*If you don't have a FREE Dropbox account, follow this link to sign up and we'll both get some additional extra space!

17 Keyboard Shortcuts You Must Know

There are probably thousands of keyboard shortcuts out there but here are my top 17 shortcuts that I use frequently and find the most useful. Together, they probably represent 85% of all my shortcut use.  I'm still amazed at how many people don't know these...

I use both Macs and PC so I'm listing the shortcuts required for each one (If I know it!).  I'll always list the Mac shortcut first (Mac / PC).  You'll notice how similar they are, so if you learn them on one platform they are easy to learn on the other.

Some of them have to be tried out to fully understand them.  I made a printable version of these that you can download if you want to keep it handy.

The Super Basics

Everyone should know these! All of these use the Command Key on the Mac (⌘) or the Control Key if you are on a Windows machine (Ctrl).  Memorize these.  You will use them all the time.

Navigation Shortcuts

Some of these might be new for you, give them a try.  I use these without even thinking about it anymore.  On the Mac I use the Run Application (Spotlight) to launch just about everything, rarely using the Dock. I prefer Chrome as my browser of choice.  Here are more Chrome shortcuts: Mac Shortcuts || PC shortcuts

Web Browsers
You probably spend a lot of time on the Web.  There are shortcuts that can help you here too.  Check these out.  Find (in page) is a great one to show students to help them become more efficient researchers.  Full Screen mode works great with LCD projectors.  The ⇧ represents the Shift key on the Mac.

Table 1 - Run Commands
These are my most used Run commands.  I like being able to launch applications without having to open the Start menu or get to the desktop.

Take the time to learn and memorize these shortcuts.  Quite often they are the fastest way to do something on the computer so they can be a time saver.  If you watch a tech-savvy person work on the computer they will use them all the time.  You can find even more shortcuts by doing some Google searches or simply look on the menu bar of your favorite programs and you'll see the keyboard shortcut typically listed next to many of the commands.

Bitly.com

Bitly can take a long web address (a URL) and turn it into a short one.  For example, this Google search for "Differentiation in the Classroom" before and after Bitly.

Before: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=differentiation+in+the+classroom&revid=1081965184&sa=X&ei=aGRLT6ObCMe10AGkjvmcDg&ved=0CCQQ1QIoAA&biw=1296&bih=783

After: http://bit.ly/xJJfRc

Pretty dramatic, right? Other than the short link, nothing else changes. Users that click on a short link are simply redirected to the original web address. It's not hard to imagine which one you would rather receive in an email or text message.

If you stop there, bitly might already be useful to you, however, if you sign up for a free account, bitly also lets you track and analyze your clicks.  So, you can easily see how many people have clicked on that link.  I think that teachers might find this useful if they use it for student, parent or teacher communication.  The additional data points that bitly provides can also be helpful if you are using it for blogging.  For example, please, share this post out using: http://bit.ly/w3gcXU... it will make my day :-)

Perceived Ease of Use

If you just want to shorten a web address bitly is super easy.  Simply copy and paste a web address into the text field at bitly.com and click the "shorten" button to generate your short link.  You don't need an account to take advantage of this functionality.

Once you have your shortened link, copy it and share it out!

If you sign up for an account, you can even create a custom shortcut to make it easy for people to remember.  For example, http://bitly.com/digilearn is a custom shortcut to the Digital Learning Series website.  That is much easier to remember than: https://sites.google.com/a/fccps.org/sparrgrove/digital-learning

Perceived Usefulness

Bitly is one of those services that you probably think you have no use for.  However, I think that if you remind yourself to use it when you are sharing links, you'll find that you use it all the time (assuming you share links with people)  If you get an account and make use of some of the statistics and analytical information they provide you may find bitly provides you with data that you can use to inform how you share and reflect on that sharing.

To make the service even more useful, bitly provides ways for you to use their service without even having to go to their website.  So, once you feel comfortable with the basics, make sure to view the list of tools that extend bitly.  I use the Chrome extension that will automatically shorten the web address of the page I'm on AND copy it to my clipboard so it is ready to paste somewhere... all with one click.  Since I really dislike extra clicks I find this very useful.

The mobile web-app (m.bitly.com) works really well also (at least on iPhone).  You can shorten links, see statistics and more right from your phone.  Availability on my desktop and iPhone is really becoming one of the primary characteristics I look for these days; it's unlikely an application makes my top usefulness list without this dual capability.

Pros

• No account required for basic functionality
• Super easy to use
• Create custom short URLs
• Tracking and analytics tools
• More tools that extend functionality than other URL shorteners I have seen.
• iPhone mobile app (m.bitly.com)
• Keeps an archive of what you share

Cons

• Short URL will mask web address (can mislead)
• I have heard (but not experienced) that some providers will block short URLs
• Wikipedia does not accept short URLs
• If bitly goes bust, not sure what happens to all your short URLs

Final Thoughts

It's amazing how many other URL shortening services there are out there and they are becoming more visible (especially now that Google has goo.gl and youtu.be).  For the time being I think bitly is the best of the bunch and don't see myself switching anytime soon... bitly is just too easy to use!

Tips & Tricks

• Use short URLs for your comments posted on blogs, forums, etc. Not only do they clean up the appearance of what you write but sometimes those locations cannot handle long URLs and might wrap them or cut them off, making them unclickable. 
• The mobile web-app is great for text messages. 
• If you create short URLs for your students to use, you can track hits and see if they are looking at what you are sharing. 
• Use the "Bundle" function to share many links at a time. 
• Check out the Firefox and Chrome extensions 
• There is a bookmarklet available 
• Bitly will generate a QR code for your short URLs (if you are into that kind of thing)

Dropbox

Dropbox is a storage service that keeps all your files and content easily accessible by storing it out "in the cloud".  Think of using it kind of like you use a USB thumb drive, except all of your stuff is available from apps available for just about any internet connected device (computer, tablet, and smartphone) and through the Web (just login at dropbox.com).  This means that you can get your stuff no matter where you are located... and this just rocks.  To help you out they even give you 2GB of space for free (I bet for many of you that is all you'll need). If you are still confused, watch the short video, that should help.

Perceived Ease of Use
Dropbox is very easy to use because you already have the skill set you need to use it.  Once you install it on all of your computers it looks and functions just like another folder.  The only difference is that all the files you put in your Dropbox folder will automatically sync to your Dropbox account in the cloud.  Those files will then sync down to any of your other computers or devices where you are using Dropbox.  So, start a file at work, save it to Dropbox and it's now almost instantly available on your home computer (not to mention your smartphone, iPad, etc).

Perceived Usefulness
Without a doubt, Dropbox is one of the most useful tools that's come along in the past few years.  I use it all the time and it has become the primary place I save things.  It's made me more efficient since I spend less time looking for things and I never lose my thumb drives anymore (especially since I never really use thumb drives anymore)

Pros

• Access your stuff from just about anywhere, on any device
• Get your stuff from web login
• Simple sharing of folders with other users (great for photos)
• It uses the folder structure you're already familiar with
• It's a quick way to backup your stuff
• Third-party software extends functionality (ex. dropitto.me & FileStork)
• Plenty of apps that integrate with Dropbox
• They provide lots of ways to get bonus free space (including a whopping 5GB bonus)

Cons

• Security concerns (I mean where is your stuff?).  Learn to encrypt it if you are paranoid
• Sync & access (mostly) depends on Internet access
• Hard to use on shared computers (in fact, it's a bad idea)
• Expensive (if you want to buy more space)

Final Thoughts
I've only skimmed the surface of some of the benefits of using Dropbox.  If you don't have a Dropbox account, your should strongly consider getting one.  If you are a thumb drive user, switching to Dropbox is an absolute no brainer.  If you use my referral code when you sign up for an account we'll both get extra FREE BONUS SPACE... although I'm shocked you don't already have a Dropbox account (but I won't judge if you use my referral code)!

Tips & Tricks

• Don't install it on computers that you don't use pretty much exclusively, otherwise, other people will be able to see your stuff.
• Check out the Dropbox blog for the latest news, including how to get more bonus space from time to time.

JotNot Scanner Pro

JotNot basic interface

 JotNot Scanner Pro is an interesting little app for iPhone* that essentially turns your phone's camera into a document scanner.  It's not a Fujitsu ScanSnap... but in a pinch, it's pretty awesome (and it's totally unfair to compare it to a $450 ScanSnap... but I will a couple of time in this post).  Also, at only $1.99 it is quite a bit cheaper than the ScanSnap.  You can email the results of the scans or take advantage of the tight integration with Evernote, Dropbox and Google Docs.  To see an example of the results this app can kick out, I recently used it to scan this 7-page document of David Foster Wallace's epic 2005 Kenyon College Commencement Speech.

*ipod touch or ipad, too

Perceived Ease of Use
While the learning curve on this app is not too complicated (once you know what you are doing), my first few times with it were not overly positive.  However, once you establish how to ensure you get the best quality scans (see Tips & Tricks below) and how to navigate through the JotNot screens, you will find that you can scan pretty quickly and easily (about a page every 20-30 seconds).  If you use apps regularly on the iPhone you will have little troubles learning this one.

Perceived Usefulness

Having this app at my disposal is incredibly useful.  Sure, I don't use it everyday and it's not worthy of a coveted spot on my home screen but I'm glad I've got access to it.  Likely, you will be in the same boat and probably won't use this app all the time (and when you do you will rarely use it to scan documents longer than 5-7 pages).  The app would be more useful to me if it could create readable PDFs but having OCR built into a $1.99 app would be a bit too much to ask for.  You can OCR through Google Docs (with which JotNot integrates nicely), but only if the file size is 2MB or less.

Pros

• It's about a portable as it can possible get
• Easily integrates with Dropbox, Evernote, Google Docs, and more
• You can create multi-page PDFs
• Creates very readable PDFs (take a look at a full page scan)
• Process cleans up background really well
• Fax your scans from your phone (I didn't try this... it's not free, but who faxes anymore?)

Cons

• Overall speed (The DFW scan took 3:30 with JotNot and 35 secs with ScanSnap)
• Size of scans (DFW with JotNot = 5.49MB.  With ScanSnap = 551k)
• Doesn't create searchable PDFs

Final Thoughts
I think you should buy this app.  The first time it gets you out of a pickle you can comment on this post and thank me for it.

Tips & Tricks

• Use a plain, neutral background and detect edges will work really well
• Take pictures straight down if you can (like in the image above)
• Use the "stabilize" button every time (it's slower but better quality)
• Go through all the menus, click on every button.  Great way to learn to navigate around.
• Use the "Enhancement Options" (presets for black & white, color, etc.)
• Swipe scanned documents on the home screen to delete, edit, star, etc.
• Open your scans in iBooks to read them on iPad
• Try it for other documents (recipes, receipts, etc.)

Prezi - Zooming Presentations

Prezi is a web-based application that allows you to make pretty stunning presentations.  What makes Prezi somewhat unique is that there are no slides.  You essentially have one big canvas on which to place your text, images, video, and more.  However, that is just the start of it.  Where Prezi gets interesting is that you "zoom" from piece of content to piece of content.  Hmm, not sure if that make sense, so take a look at this Prezi below.

Get to Know Prezi on Prezi

Pretty neat, right? I haven't used Prezi in quite a while (probably 18 months or so).  However, I recently had an occasion to use it again.  I was quite pleased with the changes they had made.  It certainly is a much better tool than it was before.  Now, the gritty details

Perceived Ease of Use

Given the basic tool set, I think that Prezi is pretty easy to use and that people that are comfortable with something like PowerPoint should have no problems picking it up quickly.  The only tricky part is learning how to navigate around, once you get that, you will be good to go. I think it is important not to be deceived by the ease of use, it can take a long time to create a really well-crafted Prezi (much longer than it would take in PowerPoint).

They make some nice tutorials to get you started, but, I would wager you can figure out 90% of it by yourself.

Perceived Usefulness
This is a tough one for me.  I really like Prezi and you will create stunning presentations with it. It's web-based so I have easy access to all my Prezis and the tool to create more from just about anywhere.  I can share them in all the usual ways.  You can play your Prezis on an iPad (this works surprisingly well, although not perfectly).  Oh, did I mention the stunning presentations?

Unfortunately, I remain unconvinced of its overall usefulness. There is no way it becomes my "go to" presentation tool.  Not yet, anyway.  It still takes too long to create even a basic presentation and the lack of an expanded tool set really limits the overall usefulness (drawing tools, specifically).  So, in the end, Prezi becomes a bit of a one-trick pony.  However, I think for special occasions it can blow away the competition.  Therefore, I guess it is the Filet Mignon and Lobster of presentation tools... best reserved for special occasions...

Pros

• Free for basic use (teachers and students get upgraded for free)
• Web-based creation and viewing for widespread access
• Download option for offline viewing (for Enjoy and eduEnjoy users)
• Works on iPad
• Can embed into webpages
• Guidelines to help you align and center your objects (I really liked this one)
• Plenty of wow factor (at least until it becomes ubiquitous)

Cons

• Can be time-consuming (especially if add images) 
• Can be difficult to use until navigation is mastered
• You will constantly be zooming in/out to find your bearings
• Not as many drawing options available as in other programs (ex. PowerPoint)
• Too much motion may turn people off
• Web-based (if you don't have Internet, it can be a problem)
• You can't print (although, this could be a pro)
• It's easy to get caught up in the zooming enough to stop focusing on the purpose of your presentation... which is the content.
• My computer starts to heat up when I use it... I think it uses quite a bit of processing power

Final Thoughts

You should certainly try Prezi out.  I don't think you will be disappointed.

Prezi has a free, public license that will be fine for most people.  There are two premium licenses that allow for increased functionality, including a Pro one which includes the Prezi Desktop for creating Prezis offline.  They are pretty expensive, but if you use it a lot, or it helps you make that big sale, it might be worth it to you.  

If you are a teacher or student, Prezi has you covered.  You can get the EDUenjoy option for free (a $60 value).  This EDUenjoy account lets you download your Prezis so you can use them without being connected to the Internet (pretty nice).

Tips & Tricks

• Have a central theme or concept (possibly an image) that everything centers around
• Hold down SHIFT to select multiple items.  You can make the selection box appear with SHIFT + CLICK + DRAG 
• Import PNG for better looking images
• You don't have infinate "zoom in" or "zoom out", so plan accordingly
• Master the FRAME tool
• Create basic drawings in PowerPoint.  Save them as PNGs and use them in Prezi
• minimize motion, too much can be a bad thing
• PDFs imported as individual pages... so plan accordingly if importing a 40 page PDF

Triptico - Fun With Words

As I become more comfortable with the Triptico tools I find myself thinking about ways to use them.  I was in a classroom the other day and saw the excellent, hands-on, manipulative called Reading Rods.  The students were using them to practice and understand prefixes, suffixes, and root words.

ETA/Cuisenaire Reading Rods

Naturally, this made me think about the Word Magnets app in Triptico.  So, I made a few files that utilize the same basic concept.

Base word Families

Doubling Consonants

I think this would work well as a large group interactive (when teaching whole group), or could be a nice station or individual activity if you have access to laptops or a computer lab.  I've made the files I used available here for download or you can make your own (as needed).  The master list is the only one you would NOT open directly in Word Magnets.

Remember, you can add words, consonants, or vowels at anytime using the "Add" function built into Word Magnets.

Download and use these files:

1. Master Word List - Don't open directly in Word Magnets
2. Basewords & Endings 1
3. Basewords & Endings 2
4. Doubling Consonants
5. Suffixes
6. Words with ~graph
7. Base Word Families