How to use our IPEVO document cameras.

 

10 Sites for Teaching/Learning a Foreign Language.

1. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)A free site, no sign up required, from the folks that brought you Doctor Who bring you a robust site with tons of material to start learning one of the forty different languages they have to offer. Everything from; A Guide to Languages, videos, links to foreign media sites, as well as resources that can complement a secondary curriculum. This site seemingly has it all.  So go a head, <<parlez francais!>>
   
2. Duolingo
   Is a sites that allows users to translate text from the web.  Sentences are given to users at their own learning pace and Duolingo supplies words with images to reinforce learning.
   
3. Imendi
   A site where you can learn 8 foreign languages through 12 lessons that incorporates flash card style games.
   
4. Learn a Language
   Learn a variety of languages through online games, activities and more.
   
5. Lingt Classroom
   An educational portal that allows teachers to create voice based assignments.
   
6. Lyrics Gap
   Learn a language by filling in the missing words of a song.  A user can even create their own exercises by selecting what word to be omitted and then sharing a link.
   
7. Memrise
   A site for learning a variety of subjects including foreign languages through an innovative flash card system.
   
8. Nabber
   A collaborative site that allows users to search for a word/term and finds translations/suggestions left by others.
   
9. Nulu Languages
   Learn a foreign language through online translations of current events and use of flashcards.  Includes a education portal for student tracking.
   
10. Word Steps
    A great way to learn a foreign language words by creating word list with images and audio.  Word Steps also has a mobile app which is ideal for learning on the go.

How to use our Hamilton .mp3 players.

You may have seen these around school and you may have used them in your English class, our Hamilton mp3 player/voice recorders. We have been having great success using them as audio book players.  Staff and students can check them out just like books.  They are available at the Media Center.  Please give a couple days notice to have an audio book loaded on to the device(s).

Here are is a cheat sheet for the device 

and the actual instructions.  These device holds 1GB.

What do you mean I'm OVER my monthly data plan for my smartphone?!?

Ever wonder how much data you blow through watching re-runs of Blossom on your smartphone plan? Well here are some guidelines on how much certain activities use.  I'm using a 2-gigabyte (2,000 megabytes) monthly allowance of a typical data plan.  Remember try use the the Wi-Fi option whenever possible!!

1. Watching video streamsA high-quality video consumes almost 6MB per minute with a 4G connection.  If you stream a video a day from YouTube for a month or a single HD movie, that's 700MB.  More that a third of that 2GB plan.
2. Video calls
   Face-to-face video calls, using the camera on most new smartphones used 2.5 to 3MB a minute.  Video chat for 20 minutes a week and you used anywhere from 200-600 MB.
3. Uploading video
   Unless it's compressed a 3-minute video clip in HD(1080p) is around 300 MB.
4. Streaming music from a subscription service
   You like tuning in to Pandora while you go for that jog?  That half hour workout every day for a week, plus a couple times a week in the car eats up around 700 MB.
5. Playing games online
   Like battling Curt Schilling in video games while riding the T? Just remember that every minute of playing equals 1MB of data.

On the good side, these three activities use less than 1MB per minute; 

• surfing the web
• using maps an navigation
• sending email without attachments. 

Welcome to Opening Day November 29, 2012!

Upcoming posts in this blog will include; tools, reviews, information and shared thoughts for things that across my desk in Libraryland at GMHS and as the title says it will be slanted for people and programs with not a lot of $$ to throw at the solution.  I will be adding video book talks, professional development how to(s) (PD in 5 minutes) and a place for my colleagues to find directions and support for our multimedia equipment.  Any questions or suggestions feel free to contact me at swaimp@georgetown.k12.ma.us

Yes Virginia, you can digitize your old cassette tapes.

Yes there is a way to record cassette tapes to a computer and then save them as an audio file (be it .mp3, .wav, etc.)  I’ll try to make this a easy as I can! 

You can either go to the Vermont Country Store and for $39.95 you can buy this Cassette Converter or you can do it yourself!

First download this program, Audacity.  This is the recording software.

Secondly you need this cable, it’s a mini stereo plug to mini stereo plug.  Think of it as a headphone cable without the headphones.

Plug one end into the headset jack of the cassette player and the other into the “line-in” or “microphone” jack on the computer.

Go to the bottom right hand side of your computer (considering it’s a PC—if it’s a MAC email me back and I’ll figure that out for you.

Look for the speaker icon next to the time and right click on it and click on “open volume control”   This is the tricky party because some computers will look different than others but the basics are the same.  In the top left hand side under the “Options” , click “Properties”  It should look something like this...

Click on the “Recording” option.  Looks something like this….

Make sure all “devices” listed are selected if you have them and click “OK”.  Again this may look different.

This is where you control the volume for the inputs one of them; mic, “what U hear” S/PDIF, WAVE/MP3 will control the volume of what’s coming in from the cassette player.  You should be able to hear the cassette player through the computer and turn up/down the volume with a corresponding slider.

Open Audacity

You can keep the project Rate at 44100.  Click the record button and you should see an audio wave form move across the screen. Click the stop button when done.

I believe they have updated the software where you can go to the “save project as” under “file” and save as a .mp3. Once created you can put it on a flash drive or a cd.

If you create a cd you can do it 2 ways (using any cd creation software); if you create a music cd you will only fit about an hour or so on the disc—let’s say about 13-20 4-minute songs.  If you create it as a data disc and add the individual .mp3 files you can fit about 160 4-minute songs. 

I know I’ve thrown a lot out here, once you get it it’s a piece of cake.

I know I have probably left out something, again every computer is different.  If you need help feel free to drop me a line.