I hate it when I send something to my printer and discover (usually when it's already too late) that the one page of text I need is going to be surrounded by ten pages of junk. Let's face it, while some websites strive to create printer friendly pages, most of them don't.
I recently discovered that there are several web-based print tools out there to control how you print. Who knew? After checking out a few of them, I've decided that PrintFriendly is my favorite. While all the other web-based applications I looked at still "got the job done", PrintFriendly was by far the easiest to use.
PrintFriendly lets you take any webpage and create a clean page to print. Gone are all the advertisements, comments, sidebars, etc. You even have the option of printing with or without graphics. Plus you have the added flexibility of changing the font size of your text.
Once you are ready to print, you have the option of: sending your document to your printer, creating a PDF, or sending it as an email link. The folks at PrintFriendly have even created a bookmarklet (ie. a little icon) that you can drag to your internet browser's toolbar. By installing this nifty little feature, you are one click away from using PrintFriendly any time you need it. Plus, using launching the bookmarklet will automatically format the webpage you're currently viewing.
Folks, it just doesn't get any easier than this. PrintFriendly is a free web-based service. There's nothing to download, and they don't even require you set up an account. So if you're sick of killing a forest everytime you want to print something, I suggest you take a look at PrintFriendly. The trees will thank you.
If you would like to check out similar programs, that have even more customized features (but are a bit more complicated to use), here are other application to create printer friendly documents:
One of the challenges of homeschooling, especially when your kids use the internet for the majority of their school work, is balancing how much time they should spend on the computer. I know I'm not the only homeschooling parent that struggles with this.
Some parents create a system of rewards and demerits that boggles my brain. Their children earn (or lose) computer time, based upon doing chores, completing school assignments, and reading books. I have never wanted to do this, mostly because using such a complex system is too much work. I'm kind of lazy.
In my house, there has always been the understanding that school work comes first and electronic activities come second. Since my kids LOVE playing computer games, surfing the web, or playing on the Wii, they are very motivated to get their school work done each day. What we struggle with is what exactly constitutes "too much" computer time? Once my kids have completed everything on their "to do list" they feel they should be allowed to use electronics for the rest of the day. Given their choice, my kids would be "plugged in" 24/7. As their mom (aka "the bad guy"), I
think there should be limits. Figuring out those limits is the hard part of parenting. It's all about finding the right balance.
For us, the easiest way to set limits was to devise a set of house rules declaring when electronic devices can be used. Our defintion of "electronic devices" includes: computers, gameboys, Wii, Playstation, iPad, and television. Currently, my boys have a four hour window each day. Two hour block in the afternoon (3:30 to 5:30) and a two hour block in the evening (7:30 to 9:30). I leave it up to them to decide how they will use that time. They can play a game of Portal 2 with friends on the internet, watch a family movie, or jam by themselves with Guitar Hero.
My husband thinks I'm being far too generous. If he had his way, our boys would be limited to 1-2 hours a day. However, I feel that as long as they are spending the rest of their day pursuing other interests it's okay. So even within my own family, we are still struggling to determine the optimal amount of computer time.
I encourage my kids to get together with friends and urge them to spend time interacting with each other. Whether those interactions constitute playing board games or playing frisbee in the park. Even though I know they'd all rather play on the Wii, I try to get them to do other things. As a result, they usually find that a mix of movie watching, playing video games, and doing something non-electronic works best. It doesn't take long for them to see that playing a good game of Carcassonne or Risk is more enjoyable than watching Star Trek for the twentieth time.
Finally, I think it is important for kids to experience some downtime each day. They need to find things that they like to do - just for the sheer pleasure of doing them. My younger son likes to work on building airplane models. We recently bought him a second hand desk (so we could stop worrying about him spilling paint) and he now has a workspace he can call his own. He is happy to listen to his CDs and build models for hours on end. My older son has recently developed a passion for chess. We have tried to support him by having a chess board always set up in the house. With a chess board always at the ready, he is more likely to work on chess puzzles or ask a family member to play a game.
Why and how, we limit our children on the computer is a personal decision. What works for one family, may not work for another. I think what's most important is to consider your motivations for limiting computer use and then keep evaluating to see if your plan is meeting your goals.
Last Friday, I had one of those dreaded moments. There I was, happily surfing the internet, when up pops a little message warning me that a "potential threat" has just been detected on my computer. Oh dear.
Within moments, my internet browser closed itself down. I tried to run a virus scan, but it was too late. Seconds later the virus scan shut down too and I was staring at a gazillion windows opening up on my desktop. I had encountered a very nasty bug.
Luckily, I'm married to an IT guy and he was at home when this all happened. Even though he was sick in bed (he'd come down with a nasty bug too), he agreed to take a look at my ailing computer. To make a long story short, my laptop had indeed fallen prey to a virus and it ended up taking the whole weekend to clean it up. I am happy to report my hubby was able to restore my laptop using a backup from last week. I am very glad that he insists on backing up our home computers on a regular basis. The only catch was that any files I had worked on within the last few days were now lost. But, as luck would have it, that was not an issue for me, because I store the majority of my files on the internet.
I first started keeping my data files on the internet a few years ago. Mostly, it was because I wanted a method to access my files from multiple locations. Since I own both a desktop and a laptop, I needed a way to transfer files back and forth without having to use USB stick (aka "jump drive" or "thumb drive). I know another way to move files is by emailing yourself a copy, however, I don't like to do that because I get confused about WHICH file is most current.
So, when my husband came home from work one day, raving about Dropbox, a web-based program that could do exactly what I wanted... I got excited. When he told me that it was free... I was ecstatic. I have been a regular user of Dropbox for years now and have been 100% satisfied.
Dropbox
I love using Dropbox for storing files I'm currently working with. What I especially like is Dropbox's ability to automatically sync these files for me. This means, if I create a document in Word on my deskop computer and save it, I can later open up that same file on my laptop and continue working on it. Also, unlike other web-based programs that require a constant Internet connection, Dropbox allows me to work even when I'm offline. Which means, that even when I'm away from home I can still use my laptop to work on a file. Once I get back home (or somewhere that has free Wifi), Dropbox knows to automatically sync the file for me.
One question I first had when I began using Dropbox was whether my files were going to safe on their servers. If I stored my files on the internet, wouldn't that mean that other people could access them too? Luckily, Dropbox has several layers of security. First, when you sign up for Dropbox you create a user name and password. Secondly, Dropbox uses SSL and file encryption to protect your files when they are being sent between your computer to their server.
Another Dropbox plus is that you have the ability to share your files with other people. However, I have to admit that I really haven't explored using this feature. Only because, I already have another program that I use regularly to share my files with others (see below for details on Box.net).
Dropbox was recently in the news for reaching the 5 million user marker. The article also leaked that back in 2009, Steve Jobs tried to buy Dropbox (for an undisclosed 9 figure number). Dropbox's founder, Drew Houston, turned down the offer, saying he didn't want to sell and instead was planning to build a big company himself. I guess you must have something good if Apple came knocking at your door? Who knows, maybe if that acquisition had gone through, Apple would have had the iCloud a few years earlier.
Boxnet
I am a big fan of the www.Box.net website. This web-based application allows you to store different types of files and share them with others. Last year I taught a Hebrew class for some teens and parents in my local homeschool group. I used the Box.nest website to set up a shared folder for our class. In the folder, I was able to include a calendar, notes, lessons, audio, etc. from our weekly classes. The files included: PDFs, MP3s, and JPGs. What was really good, is that my students could browse through the website at their leisure. They had the option of accessing the files on-demand with web-based applications (a PDF viewer, embedded MP3 player, etc.) on the web, or, they could download any of the files to their own computer. A year later, these files are still accessible to all the members of my class.
Just like Dropbox, you can register for a free Box.net account. This basic account comes with 5 to 50 GBs of disk storage space on the web, which seems to be more than enough for personal use. While file size limits range from 25 MG to 1 GB, I have found that is ample for even storing MP3 files.
To share your files you have two choices: you can create "file sharing links" which can then be copied into an email, or you can permanently share a folder with specific people you want to grant full access. Finally, the program also allows for access to such mobile devices as: iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, etc.
So whether you use Dropbox, Boxnet, or some other file storage application, it's always good to have some sort of backup plan. You just never know when you're computer is going to come down with a virus. In the words of Ben Franklin, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
When I first found this iPad application for hands-free dictation. I got VERY excited. I had no idea that such a slick program even existed. To me, it's like something right out of Star Trek.
Dragon is a free app available for the iPad. This neat little program does an incredible job of recording anything you say and converting it to text. Amazing. Once you have finished making your recording, you can copy/paste the text into: other applications, an email, or post it directly to Facebook or Twitter.
I can see how homeschoolers could make great use of a program like this. Dragon could be used for: dictating a letter, recording journal entries, creating oral reports, composing song lyrics, sending hands-free emails, taking notes at a presentation or lecture, and even recording your moves in a game of chess. "White Bishop captures Black Queen on d4."
My eldest son has always hated writing. Truth be told, he isn't fond of typing either. With an application like Dragon, he wouldn't have to do either. A program like this would sure come in handy when he heads off to college in a few years.
If you do not have own an iPad, Nuance, the company that makes Dragon, also makes "Dragon for PC" and "Dragon for Mac", starting at $99. There is something on their website about discounts for homeschoolers, but it was so oddly worded I couldn't make heads nor tails of it. So, I would suggest calling their company for clarification before you make your purchase.
In the meantime, homeschoolers that own an iPad can use Dragon for free. I am not sure if this application is available on other tablets. If anyone knows the answer... please let me know.
If you've got a homeschooler that is a Steven Spielberg wannabe, you might want to check out Zimmer Twins, a kid friendly, movie-making, website.
The Zimmer Twins encourages kids (of all ages) to try their hand at creating short animated films. Using pre-designed characters, actions, and backgrounds, budding "directors" fill in movie frames with drawings, speech bubbles, and transitional objects, to create their own custom movie. If you opt to create a free account, you can save your feature flicks for others to watch at a later time.
There are two options for creating animated movies - you can use "story starters", or, you can make a film from scratch. Either way, creating animated movies is easy. Users simply piece together a movie, scene by scene, with clips of the website's characters: Edgar, Eva (the Zimmer twins) and their black cat, 13. You can even control what the actors "say" with typed speech or thought bubbles. This fun approach to movie making lets kids exercise their imagination and
practice their storytelling skills.
The Zimmer Twins is a great creative outlet for kids to learn the basics of movie making, it is also a great way to practice logic, event sequencing, and writing skills. While the website will most likely appeal to those homeschoolers in the 10 and under age group, I think it's fun enough for the older kids to check out too.
Not too long ago, my family was listening to a audio booked called "The Last Lecture". It's the true story of Randy Pausch and his battle with pancreatic cancer. The book was a result of Randy's inspirational lecture entitled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", which became an Internet sensation and has been viewed by millions of people worldwide.
While the video is truly wonderful, I think I enjoyed the audio book even more. In it, we learn more details about Randy's life and personal experiences. Like for instance, that he was an
award-winning teacher and researcher, who worked with technology giants like: Adobe, Google,
Electronic Arts (EA), and Walt Disney's Imagineering. Also, I learned that Randy was a professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University and was the pioneer of the Alice project.
The Alice project is very unique. It's an innovative software program that uses storytelling and interactive game-playing to teach young people computer programing in a 3-D environment. Alice utilizes "drag and drop" programming, instead of requiring users to learn complex computer code. Best of all, Alice is free.
Carnegie Mellon University currently offers two versions of Alice. Both of which are available for Windows and Mac.
Alice 2.0
Designed for High School & College Students
If you are looking for a graphics program that is similar to Photoshop, without the hefty price tag, your search may soon be over. Introducing GIMP, a free image editing software program that has become very popular.
The GNU Image Manipulation Program, more commonly known as GIMP, is a software program you can use to create and edit bitmapped images. This makes it an ideal program for editing photographs and web graphics. GIMP is powerful enough for the serious digital artist, but fun enough for the graphic artist wannabe. Oh, and did I mention it's FREE.
GIMP made it's internet debut in 1996. Five years later, it has already become so mainstream, that there are many how-to books documenting it's use. I recently checked out a 500+ page book, "Beginning GIMP: From Novice to Professional" by Akkana Peck, from my local library. After briefly skimming through the chapters, I discovered that GIMP has many many features. This is a very serious image editing program!
While commerical products, like Photoshop (the king of them all) may still be superior, many people are finding that GIMP can pretty much do the same things. In addition, since it's first release, GIMP has been updated a few times, so it looks like it's developers are willing to invest their time to make the program even better.
Since the cost of Photoshop can run into the hundreds of dollars, GIMP is a great alternative for anyone who can't afford to spend that much. To download GIMP, at no charge, visit the official GIMP website. GIMP can run on multiple operating systems, including: Windows, Mac, Linux, and most versions of UNIX.
Both of my sons have been using GIMP for over a year and are very happy with the results. When they first learned about GIMP, they just downloaded the program and jumped right in.
Here is a quick demo of me using the GIMP program:
Finally, here is a very short audio podcast of my eldest son's experinece with GIMP:
