Automatic Zoom

I am here attending Apple Startup workshop for OS X on our new MacBook Air laptops.

Here is one feature that I think is absolutely great for teachers.  Show small details or specific text to students that may be too small on your classroom display or for students in the back of the classroom with out having to hit specific key strokes.

One you set this up, it will stay in the function, allowing you to simply hold your Control key and drag two fingers across your trackpad.

Google Nutrition Search

About a week ago Google announced they were going to feature nutritional information on foods as part of your search results, so that you can instantly access this nutritional information any time.  You can pretty much find the nutritional value from almost any food - from apples to ramen noodles.  The nutrition stats are brought to you by the USDA.  Also, Wikipedia contributes a piece about the searched product.

This video I put together demonstrates how to use the new Google nutritional search.  You will notice that the nutrition results allow for other options - i.e. size, type and preparation of the searched products; and results populate when you make adjustments to these.

More Resources and Content

As I have mentioned in the right-hand column on this blog, I may not post as frequent on this blog as, perhaps, most bloggers, however, I want to encourage you to check my Google+ and Twitter profiles for much more content, resources, techy things, and just plain cool stuff for your classroom.  You do not have to have an account for either of these social networks.  Just go to my profile link for either network and view my tweets/posts for content and web links to content that you may find useful for your curriculum.

In being connected with my Personal Learning Networks on Twitter and Google+, I can find and share much more great stuff that is out there, new and old, that work very well for others in their curriculum plans.  I, also, share new things that I learn that are specific to our school district - Moodle, MLTI applications, Macbook, etc.

My Google+ Profile

My Twitter Profile

Tweets by @Ratkacher

Stay Tuned
I, also, have a Google+ Page, Ratkacher Station (separate from my Profile page), which I opened a while back, which I may begin next school year to direct viewers to for all Edu material.  Because I have more interests than EdTech (Edu Technology) content - i.e. coffee, formula 1 racing, leadership, etc - I like to share what I find in these areas as well.  So, to keep a strictly Edu-devoted stream, I would like to start directing viewers to this Google+ page of mine what will be solely for EdTech material.  That will not officially start until the beginning of the next school year.  However, you are more than welcome to view it, bookmark it, or whatever - Ratkacher Station.

The same will be done for my Twitter profile starting next school year.  My current Twitter profile has a collection of various interests other than EdTech.  I have opened a new Twitter account that will solely be devoted to EdTech - @benjaminnason.  Again, this will not officially start until the beginning of next school year, but you are welcome to save it.


Tweets by @benjaminnason

Twitter Follow Feature

Tweets by @hdiblasi

Tech Use Vs. Tech Integration

Thanks to +Educational Technology and Mobile Learning I found a very helpful table that explains the difference between teachers who "use" technology in their classroom and those teachers who "integrate" technology in their classroom.

There is a common misconception that if teachers are at least making an attempt to use technology in their classroom than that should be good enough.  When, in fact, if the technology is not enhancing the student learning, than it is an ineffective use and better if not used at all.

See where you stand.  I hope this will be helpful.

Read Educational Technology and Mobile Learning's article, as well as teachbytes' original article.

myHistro

I've mentioned myHistro before either through this blog or through twitter/google+.  It is a great product to use for any history or social studies topic.  You can customize a whole presentation using Google Maps in a Timeline sequence; adding your own content with text, images, web links, etc.

Here is a feature myHistro map created by a myHistro user pertaining to the 13 colonies.

The Myth Behind The iOS Multitasking Bar

Perhaps I was the last guy to figure this out, but my eyes were opened when I discovered that having to close out all of my recently used apps in the multitasking bar would greatly increase my iPad battery life was completely bogus.

For all of the faculty and staff that I, as well, proclaimed that it was necessary to close the multitasking bar apps, this is my apology and follow up.

In fact, the way iOS uses its multitasking bar is to display your "recently used apps" ONLY.  Not a "what is currently running in the background and taking up CPU and battery life" multitasking bar.  For most occasions, any of the apps you use get "suspended" when you hit your home button or go to another app.  Meaning, iOS will only allow them about 5 seconds to stay running, then shuts them down; still remembering where you left off.  iOS does the work for you.

Here are three articles that justly explain this misconception of the multitasking bar:

academiPad offers some great suggestions on how to improve speed on slow iPads.