Tuesday, May 31, 2011
A Contest on The Journey to Homesteading- Contest Winner : Me!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Kindle Collections Manager
Do you have a Kindle? Do you love your Kindle? Do you have a lot of books on your Kindle? Do you find it somewhat difficult to manage your books/collections? Well, then there is a possible solution: Give your Kindle to someone that does not get annoyed at anything -ever. Problem solved!
Of course, just kidding. Buy that person their own Kindle! and then download the Kindle Collection Manager. It is in beta at the moment and is only for Windows but it makes it somewhat easier to manage your books/collections on Kindle. Here's how it works, somewhat ;)
You go to Kindle Collections Manager website and register. You will receive an email with the download link. From there you will download the zip file that has the installation software. You will have this application on your computer in whatever location you put it (mine automatically goes to Program Files).
When you want to manage your books, plug in your Kindle to the computer and open the Kindle Collections Manager program. It will come up with a window like this (give or take a few books and most likely the collection titles will be somewhat different
) To get a better look at it, click on image (use back button to come back to this post)
When it comes up, it has every book on your computer that is compatible with Kindle (on the left) and it also shows all the books on your Kindle (on the right). It also shows duplicates –even when you don’t know you have any and even if you think that you don’t have any and it shouldn’t be showing that you do, such as the little snippet below. There are a lot of duplicates on my Kindle according to this.
You can rename your books, delete them (gasp!) and/or move them into collections or start new collections. When you download the software it comes with a “Brief instructions” notepad document. It’d be good to read that over before going to far but as far as I can see, this program is fairly easy to use ![]()
Well, another software/application to add to my growing number of technology gadgets ![]()
Friday, May 27, 2011
Khan Academy- Math, Science, History, Finance & Test Prep
A better YouTube meets math... and science...and history...and economics... and more- all for free!
I happened across Khan Academy what seems like forever ago (really it was about 2 years ago) and liked what I saw. It was basically math and science at the time I first checked it out. You could watch video tutorials for concepts that you were wanting to learn, needed to learn, were struggling with, or just curious about (oh, I know there are some people out there like that!). We were using a different math program at the time though and I kept forgetting about Khan Academy.
Well, I 'happened' on Khan Academy again this year. Wow, what a difference! And an amazing one at that!
It is totally revamped! It looks awesome. And there are MORE subjects with MORE videos. Oh, and one of the coolest thing so far that my kids and I like is the Practice:
You can sign into KA with either your Google account or Facebook account
In that screenshot above you can see the Algebra VIDEOS that are available. Above the list is a dropdown menu bar so that you can navigate around the site to the exact subject you wish to learn more about.
And take a look at all the Physics videos!:
Here is a part of the video on Jamestown to the Civil War (I’m big on history
)
Personally, I love the blackboard that is used as opposed to a ‘white’ board (that is tougher on my eyes it seems). It is a very condensed history lesson but it is well done.
How about …. Chemistry? (which I know next to nothing about…)
The videos are interesting because Sal actually imparts personality to his videos. They aren’t simply information. He makes them more interesting ![]()
So what do you want to learn about?? And one of the absolutely best things about Khan Academy is that it is FREE.
We will be using KA in our school next year for a few different subjects. Perhaps there is something there for you!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Giveaway @ Freely Educate- Friendly Chemistry
- Student text
- Teacher text
- Manipulative text (a 74 page booklet to be disassembled by the end user)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
And in the forcast...more rain
Make Your Own Note Cards and Envelopes, Part 3
You’ve chosen your paper and you have all your tools together. Now you’re ready to make your note cards and envelopes!
**Unfortunately, I’m missing my scorer (aka: hairstick) and had to improvise with a pen lid to score- and what do ya know! it worked just fine!) and please excuse my fingernail polish
**
First, you’ll want to decide what size of note card set you want to make. It is important to have envelopes and note cards that fit together. An easy way to do this is to find an envelope you have already. Perhaps one that you received a birthday card in or a sweet little card from a friend or loved one. Depending on the size of paper you have chosen, you can make an envelope just like the one you received- but in whatever paper pattern you want!
I really like simple myself and to make this tutorial easier, I will use a basic envelope.
The envelope is about 5 3/4” wide and since my scrap book paper is 12x12, I will only be able to make one envelope per sheet. (I promise my math isn’t off- you’ll see
) In another part to this tutorial series, I will show you how to make smaller ones but it is based off of this basic envelope.
Gently, very carefully undo the envelope that you wish to use as a template.
The flaps on the sides of my template envelope make the actual size of the envelope that I will be cutting out of the scrap book paper larger than the 11 1/2” it would be if it were two envelopes side by side. Instead the width is almost 7 1/4” inches (too large for two envelopes from one sheet of 12x12 scrap book paper!)
On the paper you have chosen, trace the open envelope with the sharp pencil. With the paper I am using for this particular step, I cannot erase much because the eraser dulls the paper… I’ll just have to be very careful
Cut out either right on the trace line or a smidgen on the inside of the trace line (that way your envelope doesn’t have pencil marks).
Now you will score the envelope where the side flaps are and also the bottom and top flap of the envelope. It is difficult to show the score marks…I hope you can see them or at least tell what it is that I’m doing
Here is when you use the bone-scorer. Using it at an angle and not too roughly, run it down the length of the ruler where it is on the paper. Clear as mud? ![]()
Fold the flaps of the side of the envelope in, lift the bottom flap up on top of those and finally bring the top flap down. Don’t press too hard when folding, it could crack the paper (which will cause it to tear and fall apart).
Does it sit right? Is it straight? One thing about these envelopes is that if you haven’t scored them in the right place, you can generally ‘scoot’ the flaps over, up or down to make them line up better without messing up your finished envelope.
Once it is the way you would like it to be, put glue on the inside bottom flaps, close to the edge and just to the top.
Fold the side flaps in and the bottom flap up and press for a few seconds. It doesn’t take long.
Voila! You have made an envelope that you can put your note card into.
Next up: Make note cards to go with your envelopes.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Make Your Own Note Cards and Envelopes, Part 2
Scissors- it really does not matter what brand or even the size. If you are comfortable with your pair of scissors, then I suggest using those. It is good to have a sharp pair however as it won’t leave a tattered edge- unless of course that is what you are wanting.
Exequy’s blog
Glue- I use Tacky Glue or Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Adhesive (the Scotch is my favorite and it takes very little so the bottle lasts for quite a while!)
Straight edge, or a Ruler- a metal ruler comes in real handy for crafts because it does not get nicked or dented like wooden or plastic. But if you have a plastic (or wooden) ruler, it will work just fine. Mine is an older plastic ruler that I ahem, borrow from my kids
Pencil and eraser- I would suggest a nice sharp pencil and a white plastic eraser. The reason is the sharper the pencil (as long as it is not an extremely hard ‘lead’) will leave a light line when needed. The plastic eraser does not leave behind residue like Pink Pearls or the eraser on a typical pencil.
Bone folder/scorer- this will be used to crease the flaps after the notecards and envelopes have been cut out from the scrapbook paper. Honestly, I use a hairstick that was made by my mom
Some Blogs I Follow- Have a Look-See :)
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What's On My Nightstand18 hours ago
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Bushland and Seashore1 day ago
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