Rural schools serviced by small independent telephone companies are eligible for grants to improve technology resources. Grants of up to $10,000 will be given to increase technology use in the classroom. Equipment, curriculum, and training are appropriate uses of grant funds.
Six specific evaluation criteria will be used to score applications, and priority will be given to applications, which show strong collaboration between the school, community, and telephone company.

Check out all the details at http://crabfuartworks.blogspot.com/2010/09/crabfu-5-iphone-microscope-mod.html

The web’s best interactive math and science tutorials, ready when you are!

Created by an expert tutor and a designer, Virtual Nerd gives students a new option to turn to when they need help. For a fraction of the cost of private tutoring, students gain access to hundreds of interactive step-by-step video tutorials that match up with the practice problems in their textbook. Virtual Nerd’s patent-pending e-Learning system anticipates students’ questions, so they can easily drill down to related tutorials if they get confused. The innovative design makes it easy for students to stay focused. Plus, unique reporting features mean parents and teachers can stay involved with students’ progress.

It’s impossible to be available to every student, every time he or she needs help. That’s why we built Virtual Nerd! We use our patent-pending e-learning platform to provide anytime, anywhere access to online tutorials.

We’re focused on helping students. But we have a lot to offer educators as well, starting with free access to our entire library of tutorials!

Cleck it out: http://www.virtualnerd.com/

Great art speaks powerfully, inspires fresh thinking, and connects us to our past. As a teacher with a degree in art and who is passionate about it, I am excited.

To access the resources, Book and Images,

Resource Book (it is basically a step-by-step guide)

PowerPoint of the Images- scroll to the bottom of the page to access the download link.

Picturing America, an exciting new initiative from the National Endowment for the Humanities, brings masterpieces of American art into classrooms and libraries nationwide. Through this innovative program, students and citizens will gain a deeper appreciation of our country’s history and character through the study and understanding of its art.

The nation’s artistic heritage—our paintings, sculpture, architecture, fine crafts, and photography—offers unique insights into the character, ideals, and aspirations of our country.

Picturing America, a far-reaching new program from the National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the American Library Association, brings this vital heritage to all Americans.

By bringing high-quality reproductions of notable American art into public and private schools, libraries, and communities, Picturing America gives participants the opportunity to learn about our nation’s history and culture in a fresh and engaging way. The program uses art as a catalyst for the study of America—the cultural, political, and historical threads woven into our nation’s fabric over time.

Collectively, the masterpieces in Picturing America, used in conjunction with the Teachers Resource Book and program Web site, help students experience the humanity of history and enhance the teaching and understanding of America’s past.”

Google Sketchup has been around for some time now, but I have always found it was a little hard to master, so, I have never really gotten into it.  I am not 100% sure yet, but it is looking like 8 is much better and easier to use.

What’s New in Google SketchUp 8

We’ve stuffed SketchUp 8 full of new and improved features:

Because almost everything is somewhere

Whether you’re designing in context, creating a shadow study or photo-modeling existing structures, SketchUp 8 provides easy access to Google’s huge collection of geographic resources.

Life just got easier for me. I use Firefox on multiple computers and am so excited not I can use it on my iPad and iPhone.  As a friend of mine says, Yippy, Skippy

Firefox Home provides access to your Firefox desktop history, bookmarks and open tabs on your iPhone. Get up and go and have exactly what you are looking for on the Web on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Firefox Home uses your browser data, securely synced from Firefox on your desktop to the cloud, to let you search and browse quickly and efficiently. You can view the sites you want directly in Firefox Home, open them in Mobile Safari or share them with friends via email. Your Firefox data is private and only you have access to it.  Access it here.

Link to Mozilla for more detailed Information

I read in today’s  Parade Sunday Magazine that actor, Tony Danza is teaching high school English in Philadelphia.  Here is a news story from a TV station in Philly http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=d69514f1-c56d-4a83-8df8-0590b957070e

“After more than 30 years in entertainment as an actor, talk show host, Broadway star, cookbook author, pro boxer and song and dance man, Tony Danza faces his toughest audience to date – high school students. Long before the launch of Danza’s showbiz career, he hoped to be a teacher and even earned a degree in history to pursue that dream.”

Link to the show on A & E TV : http://www.aetv.com/teach-tony-danza/

About the SHOW: Long before his iconic acting career, which includes roles in “Taxi” and “Who’s The Boss,” Tony Danza received a degree in History Education. During the 2009-2010 school year, he took on his most challenging and rewarding role yet as he stepped into the classroom as a full-time teacher at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School. “Teach Tony Danza” follows the first year-teacher as he instructs a 10th-grade English class with 26 students.

The show airs beginning October 1 at 8:00 central time on A & E TV.

OK, I am curious. Guess I will be watching to see how it goes.  I applaud him, but, I really think we need to put congressmen and senators in this position and then have conversations about education and teaching. Bet it would be a very different conversation if they had to spend a week or two doing what teachers do every day.  By the way, they have to live on what teachers make during that time too!!  I wonder if Tony did?

Sure wish A&E TV had an iPad App like ABC does!!

SoundCloud – We Move Music:  SoundCloud lets you move music fast & easy. The platform takes the daily hassle out of receiving, sending & distributing music for artists, record labels & other music professionals.  http://soundcloud.com/.  Looking for Creative Commons Music, give SoundCloud a try.

Recently ranked in the top 10 iPad apps.  Kinda like MobileMe for Google Calendar, but less expensive. MobileMe is $99.00 a year.I use MobileMe, but also use BusyMac for syncing my iCal and Google Cal so I can post of my website.

Supports full editing as well as viewing of shared Google calendars. So if you are a Google Calendar user, you might just love this app, even if it does cost $6.99. http://pocketinformant.com/products_info.php?p_id=pocketinformant_iphone

“Pocket Informant® is an integrated calendaring and GTD®-based tasks solution for the iPad. Our purpose is to fuse together best-of-class calendaring with best-of-class tasks into one great solution.”

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-informant-hd-calendar/id380732176?mt=8#

Simple telephone reminders: Wakerupper is the web’s easiest telephone reminder tool. Schedule reminder calls on the web. It couldn’t be simpler.  Use Wakerupper to…

Set a wake-up call at a specific time
Remind yourself of important events
Remember to take medication on time
Escape from a boring date or meeting
Remind child or spouse to do chores
Set reminders for tasks and follow-ups