Who Needs American Idol!

Make your students, family or friends (even yourself) a star! Put the picture of your choice on the front of the magazine of your choice. Choose from Sports Illustrated, GQ, Seventeen, People, Time and more. This could be used in a variety of assignments--or just for fun. Simple to use.

Try it here!

Fix Your Photos FREE--and On The Web!

Look what Picnik Can do!

Fix your photos in just one click
Use advanced controls to fine-tune your results
Crop, resize, and rotate in real-time
Tons of special effects, from artsy to fun
Astoundingly fast, right in your browser
Awesome fonts and top-quality type tool
Basketfulls of shapes from hand-picked designers
Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux
No download required, nothing to install


Try it here.

Free and easy website building

Have the web site you deserve and do it yourself.
No coding!

Features: Web 2.0 technology, Real-time interactive editing, Drag-and-drop technology, Gadgets and widgets, Bookmark and tagging, Multiple file upload, On-line document editing, Free hosting, Use your own domain, More than 40 free templates, Import a custom template, Automatic SEO


Tools: Features: Web 2.0 technology, Real-time interactive editing, Drag-and-drop technology, Gadgets and widgets, Bookmark and tagging, Multiple file upload, On-line document editing, Free hosting, Use your own domain.

Try it here!

Edit your PDF files

PDF Hammer is a website that allows you to edit your PDF files online for free. You don't need to install any additional software, you can edit PDF documents right now inside your browser. Once you start, you will be able to upload one or more PDF files into your project, arrange the pages in any order you wish, and delete any pages you don't want.

For example, you can create a PDF document that has the cover page of one PDF file, followed by all of the pages of another PDF file, and finally followed by the back-cover page of the first file.

PDF Hammer is in beta and currently has the following features:
Reorder pages
Delete pages
Append PDF to another PDF

Features coming soon:
Rotate pages
Apply Watermarks and stamps to pages

Try it here.

The Voice of Today's Comsumer

In a bit of a departure from our usual posting, this site provides you with an opportunity to see what others are saying about their customer service experiences. Some fun (but not necessarily funny) experiences to share with your students. This also provides a chance to demonstrate how influential the web has become.

Try it here.

Let's Meet on the Web!

Welcome to a preview of the next generation of Adobe Acrobat Connect, codename "Brio." Brio is a web meeting service built with collaboration in mind for individual professionals and small businesses. With Brio, you can instantly communicate and collaborate through an easy-to-use, easy-to-access online personal meeting room.

Built on Adobe's Flash platform, Brio operates inside most popular web browsers, so you can start a meeting without worrying if others have a compatible system or the right software.
Brio beta allows you to:

• Host unlimited online meetings with up to 3 meeting participants.
• Interact with easy-to-use screen sharing, chat and whiteboards.
• Access your meeting instantly with a personalized, easy-to-remember URL.
• Distribute documents and files to meeting participants.
• Use integrated VoIP, teleconferencing and multi-point video.

Whether it is an ad-hoc meeting with remote colleagues or a sales call, Brio gives you the tools to conduct a meeting as if you were in the same room. See how you can reduce travel costs, save time and increase productivity by using Brio today.

Try it here.

Cell Phone Directions

Got Cell Phone? Got Directions!

Need directions to an address anywhere in the continental US? Select "Address" and say where you are and where you want to go. You can give an address or an intersection. ***COOL NEW FEATURE!*** Create a mobile invitation so your friends can easily get directions to meet you.
Find over 900 national and regional business chains nearest you. Select "Business Chain", say the name of the retailer or chain store, and your starting address or intersection.

Need directions to an event? Select "Event", say the name of the event your organizer provided to you, and your starting address or intersection. See a listing of posted events, or create your own event for free!

Try it here!

Free On Line Surveys

Get FREE On-line Surveys!

Surprise, a site called FreeOnlineSurveys.com provides--you guessed it--free online surveys! This is a great opportuity to either have your students learn how to create andadminister an onloie survey or to actually use the tool to gather data for your program.

There is a paid version that ofers great additional features and at a very affordable price.

Try it here.

Share your documents and store them as well!

Welcome to a preview of Adobe's latest online offering named "Share", a free web-based service that allows you to easily share, publish and organize your documents.
With Share you can:

• Send documents without email attachments.


• Access your documents from anywhere.


• View all the documents you have shared or received in one place.


• Post a link to your document on a wiki or blog.


• Embed a Flash® preview of your document on any website.


• Limit access to a document to a list of recipients.

Try it here!

Newsletters without the hassle of programming!

Many of you have written asking about the program I use for my newsletters (or eLetters). It is Constant Contact. There are two great things about the program. For one, you do not need to know any html or programming. It is all drag and drop and point and click. And, there is a FREE 60-day trial available.

I recommend you get a trial offer and play with it. Or, since we need to teach our students how to take advantage of current technology in marketing, let them try it or experiment as a group. You have nothing to lose!

Try it here.

For FREE text info . . .

It's a cliche . . . but it really is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Just choose an "alert" . . . be that sports scores, stats for fantasy sports, weather forecasts, news, or even celebrity gossip. Then, choose when you want that info. sent as a text message to your phone. The rest is dome automatically.

It is free and you can make changes as often as you want. I expected a catch--but I can't find one! Test it for yourself right here.

Broadcast your voice!

What is Phonevite™?Phonevite™ is the new, fun and simple way to send announcements and reminders over the phone, in your own voice. "... a really simple service to use" according to CNET/Webware. learn more . . .

When to use?Whether it's to broadcast reminders about an event or to provide the latest update, Phonevite™ makes it easy for you to communicate with many people at once, saving you time and money. learn more...

How it works?Phonevite™ uses the latest in Web and VOIP technologies to deliver the easiest way to send, and keep track of your announcements and event reminders. learn more . . .

Text to anyone . . .

Bottom line? The best way to communicate with your students in text messaging. I just can't do the thumb text thing. So this program is great.

All my student #'s are entered. I can send to individuals or groups. I use the free version. Give it a shot. By the way, the kids think it is pretty cool!

Joopz was created to make text messaging easier to use, more convenient and more accessible. Joopz allows users to send text messages from the Web to both individuals and groups, while enabling recipients to respond directly to the originating PC or Mac. Joopz web texts can be sent from any web-enabled device worldwide to any U.S. or Canadian mobile phone.

Think of Joopz as your online command center for text messaging. Joopz has been well-received by all types of people - from young professionals stuck behind a PC all day - to college students working in the library all night - to parents who want to reach their kids after school.
If you get easily frustrated with sending text messages from your traditional cell phone while you're at work or in class - you're not alone! Try Joopz today and you'll be sending and receiving text messages in no time.

Try it here.

Online personal vault!

Get organized, end paper clutter and gain extra space in your home, garage or office.

Protect against natural disaster, robbery and computer crashes with our easy and secure storage system.

Store photos, music, videos, personal and business documents and more!

Easily network, share and exchange documents with friends, family or co-workers.

You get a 1 GB account for free. No credit card required.

Try it here.

BrainCast

Last week I talked about sending email reminders via voice. This week, check out BrainCast. Send yourself an audio message instead (yes, I know Jott can do that to but it's always fun to learn about another program or company!)

BrainCast Beta provides you with a free, easy to use, internet & phone based message/memo recording & reminder organization system, compatible with any U.S. based cellular or regular telephone network. Register online and be recording in seconds!

Give it a try. It's free. Let us know what you think.

Speak an email???

This is one of my favorite programs, and I am just beginning to fully utilize it. Among other things, Jott allows you to call a number on your cell phone and leave a message. The message is then sent to your email as text and/or audio.

I rely on email a lot, and am old enough that my memory is suffering! I love the idea that I can be anywhere, see or hear something that triggers a thought and send a message to my email--without having to get my thumb to type out the message no my phone. Words to text--ya gotta love it!

Give it a try. It's free. Post comments below to let us know what you think.

Online Office Suite

If you want to stop paying money to Microsoft, here is an option. Zoho.com has a variety of applications that are free, and web-based. There is a word processor, spread sheet and a presentation app. that can take over for Power Point.




I have had students use this when they want to make a "power point" presentation but don't have the software. They can create the presentation at home and show it at school. They can also share their password and collaborate with fellow students without having to schedule a common time to meet.

Share stuff on line!

Share stuff for free!
With zSHARE you can upload files, images, videos, audio and flash for free. Simply use the upload form below and start sharing! You can also use zSHARE as your personal file storage: backup your data and protect your files.




After uploading you'll be given a link to your file that can be shared via e-mail, forums, MySpace, etc. Downloads are unlimited!

Visit the archives of the TeacherTechTips here.

Bzzster

WHAT IS BZZSTER!?
Bzzster makes recommending cool videos, news, blog posts, etc to friends easy. Bzzster! is the best way to recommend links.

WHY SHOULD I USE IT?
Because it shouldn't be tedious to send links to friends. Bzzster is always open, sitting right in your bookmarks bar, ready to send a link for you.

HOW DO I USE BZZSTER!?
Once you've joined Bzzster and installed the bookmarklet, find a link you want to recommend and then:

Click on the Bzzster! bookmarklet or button Pick who you want to recommend the link to Click Send

Help People Find You!

Why use lyro?Today the web is a tangled mess. People can't find you. With lyro, you can take your business card out-of-pocket and sell yourself to a broader marketplace. Customers, colleagues and contacts can find and connect with you instantly. Lyro allows you to control your personal online brand...

Brand yourself FREE today!

How does lyro work?
1) Simple
Sign-up is a snap! In less then a minute, increase your visibility on the web, provide as much information as you like, and we’ll take care of the rest.

2) Searchable
Your lyro card is completely searchable (Google, Yahoo, Ask, etc.). Find others and be found on the web.

3) Professional
An online business card is a clean and concise way to project your business identity. Showcase who you are and what you do.

Lyro is in BETA. What does that mean?
It means you can help mold the future of this site. As we frequently release new features we'll be working with you to ensure it is simple, relevant and compelling. You’ll drive our innovation.

Here's a list of things that are currently under development:

Uploading a profile photo
Downloadable vCard
Customizable card
Lyro badge

Try it out here

mySchoolog

What is mySchoolog?
mySchoolog is an online web-based application which students can organize their school life easily. You can organize everything about your school life with mySchoolog, too. Try it now!

Lessons
Make your school life organized.
Just enter your lessons you take.
Categorize everything by lessons.
Make your weekly lesson schedule.
and much more.

Schedule
Make a Weekly Lesson Schedule
Just Drag&Drop lessons.
Set time and classroom.
Keep your schedule organized.

To-Do's
Organize what to do any time
Don't forget what will you do.
Appointment, homework, everything..
Export To-Do list as PDF, TXT...
Remember a to-do by e-mail or sms.

Notes
Keep your lesson notes in an order.
Format your notes how you want.
Copy and Paste where you want.
Export notes and carry them with you.
Search and share notes.

Files
Store your files
Documents, audio, images...
Download them when you want.
Upload up to 25 MB.
Categorize files by lessons.

File conversion made easy

What a simple yet valuable web site. Zamzar converts file formats for you. From "X" to "Y." That's it. Really simple.

It takes just four steps:
1. Select the files to convert (up to 100MB in size):
2. Choose the format to convert to:
3. Enter your email address to receive converted files:
4. Convert (by clicking you agree to our Terms of Service)

Get a web site . . .

A little more from Google. If you want a web site--
for you, your class, your DECA Chapter, etc., but
have no interest in programming--Google has what
you want with their beta Page Creator.

No technical knowledge required.

Build high-quality web pages without having to learn
HTML or use complex software.

What you see is what you'll get.

Edit your pages right in your browser, seeing exactly
how your finished product will look every step along
the way.

Don't worry about hosting.

Your web pages will live on your own site at
http://yoursitename.googlepages.com

Google, google, everywhere!

I love Google. It's my favorite search engine. Always has been. But Google is so much more. Here is a bit of advice. Get a Google account (FREE) and take 10 minutes to create a personalized Google home page. Simple, and it will save you a ton of time and effort. I love mine!

Customize Your Results

Lets people create fully customized search engines in two simple steps without the need to register. Users simply choose their favorite search engines, and the site combines them into one completely new search engine.

Forget the bib

Share this with your students and be a hero (but the English Department might not like you.) You type in the ISBN for a book and it create the bib entry. Nice.

Create an on line photo album

Tabblo lets you:

• have full control of who can view, comment, and share your tabblos
• pool your photos together with other Tabblo members for collaborative tabblo creation
• participate in the Tabblo community with your tabblos, photos, and commentary
• integrate open photo services such as Flickr to avoid having to upload to multiple sites
• publish tabblos to blogs, social networking sites, and other places online

With Tabblo, you can do all of the above entirely inside of your web browser (no downloads required) and with an unprecedented amount of control. And hopefully, have fun doing it.

Here is one way I have used it. I like it because I can create a link and anyone can click on it and see pictures without having to download any software or log in.

Search for video

To empower video enthusiasts, PureVideo Labs is exposing its backend technology in free online utilities designed to facilitate video search, storage, editing and management. You can access PureVideo Search in double-secret early beta here.

If it doesn't work perfectly, it's because the big brains in the lab are spinning mad cycles to get it launched on or before 9/15/06.

Ever have a problem getting things done?

Make lists and get stuff done! Tada!

Ta-da makes it easy to...

• Keep track of all the little things you need to get done
• Make lists for other people (co-workers, friends, family)
• Share lists with the world ("My favorite movies of 2004")
• Subscribe to your lists in RSS so you're always on track

This is really pretty cool. You know how you sometimes find a worthwhile site and want to share it with your students--or anyone else for that matter. Problem is, the URL consists of slightly less than 7,000 characters!

No problem, just cut and paste the URL into the box below and it will convert it to a new and shorter unique address for you to use!

You can certainly try out the process below, or go to the site. Have fun.

Enter a long URL to make tiny:

Writeboards are sharable, web-based text documents that let you save every edit, roll back to any version, and easily compare changes. This is a great tool for group work because it eliminates the complaint that "we can't get together outside of school because of our schedules!"

Writeboard makes it easy to...

• Write without fear of losing or overwriting a good idea
• Compare different versions of a document
• Collaborate with colleagues on copy, proposals, memos, etc.
• Subscribe to documents via RSS and be notified of changes

Try it out, it is easy and free. Go to Writeboard

Your own radio station!

This piece of technology will probably be used more personally than for school. But who knows.

Everyone listens to music, but finding a station that plays what we want, and that comes in clearly at school, is another issue. So, why not create your own station?

Go to Pandora.com top music you like--and that is all it will play.

It is easy to use and it is FREE.

Enjoy!

What's a Widget? Get yours!

Widgets are real afterall. I always thought is was a word we used in class when we couldn't think of a real example. And guess what, Widgets are really cool too. Check out this site for a variety of FREE desktop applications that can make using your computer easier or more efficient. Or just pick up a fun way to waste time!

First you download a very simple program and then you search through a ton of free applications that reside on your desktop.

Talking eMail

Tired of reading email? Maybe the people you send yours to are also! So, send a audio clip instead. Springdoo is a great (and FREE) program that lets you send audio email through your current email program.

The good news is, you don't really send the clip. That would take up a lot of space and clog your recipients mailbox. Instead, you send a link to the message.

Give it a try. It is easy and fun.