The Techno Cheetah

Can you type?  If so, then you can make a movie.  There’s a new website, xtranormal.com, that allows users to type in a script and the site will automatically generate a video from your script.  You also get to choose your setting, background music, and characters who will deliver your lines. Although the fine print implies the site may cost money in the future, for the time being, it’s free!  Students, please get permission from your parents before creating an account.

Here’s an example of what the videos look like.  I put this brief video together in about 10 minutes:

If you’re a fan of snow days like me, you may already be checking the extended forecast to see if snow is in the future.  But how do you know where to look for accurate forecasts?  There are so many websites devoted to weather forecasting it can be difficult to figure out which one to trust.  Although no forecast is perfect, ForecastAdvisor gives you the forecast accuracy from several major weather websites for your area.

As of this writing, The Weather Channel website has been the most accurate for the Baltimore area in the last month.

Is studying for your weekly spelling test getting to be a bore? If it is, try SpellingCity.com. This website lets you enter your own spelling words and helps you practice your words with eight different games.

If you decide to try SpellingCity, leave a comment on this post and give other students your opinion.

Last school year, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders all completed an activity using Google Earth.  Google Earth quickly became a favorite application among the students.  This upcoming year, the tech teacher laptops will have the newest version of Google Earth.  One of the upgrades that I really like in the new version is the date stamp.  When zooming in on an area the date the satellite photo was taken appears on the bottom right of the screen.  In the picture below you can see that the satellite photo of Bellows Spring was taken in February 2002.  This makes sense, as there’s a lot of brown around the school because although the outside of the school was built, it was still a construction zone.

If you don’t have Google Earth on your computer, you can download it free from the Google Earth website. (Students, please get assistance from your parents before doing this.)  To see the other cool upgrades in Google Earth 4.3 watch the video below.

The NECC conference has been very busy but I did have some time to walk around San Antonio and take some pictures. I could just post the pictures I’ve taken on this blog.  But, I wanted to do some a little more unique . . .

A few months ago I came across a website called Animoto.  Animoto will automatically create a montage video of pictures you upload to their website with music (either from your computer or Animoto’s selection).  The final product will look like a professional music video.  Here’s my Animoto video of sites around San Antonio:

For more information about some of the sites in the video, click on the links below.

The Alamo

The Riverwalk

The Torch of Friendship

Tower of the Americas

Two representatives from the Howard County Library, Ms. Debbie and Ms. Deborah, talked to each grade today about the library’s summer reading program.  “The Deborahs” gave several wonderful book suggestions for summer reading.

If you need help finding a good book to read this summer check out Book Adventure. This Sylvan website is a terrific resource to help you find books that interest you at your reading level.

I hope to make the “Tech Tip” a regular feature on this blog. If you have a suggestion for a Tech Tip or would like me to answer a technology question please leave a comment or fill out the contact form.

My first tech tip deals with websites that are down. Have you ever tried to go to a specific website that’s not working and wondered, “Is this website really down or is it my computer?” Now you can find out the answer. Going to http://www.computerhope.com/cgi-bin/isitup.cgi will determine if your computer and/or internet connection is preventing you from accessing a website or if the website itself is down.