"I surprised not only my guests, but also Tracy by pulling out my phone... I had her phone ready in my pocket, so when she asked for it I could hand it to her. No one knew about this except the minister, and myself."
I was just teaching my students how to add Flash videos to their web pages and I was surprised how foreign the embed tag was to them. If you are a blogger or social media user it is important to understand what embed tags are since they allow you to add all sorts of helpful items to your blog posts or blog layout. Adding Video, Music, Pictures and Much More
Embed tags allow you to add movies, music, flash files, pictures, widgets, your Twitter and Facebook feeds, and all sorts of gadgets to your blogs. Embed tags in HTML (the language used to write web pages) are written like this: < src="helloworld.swf">. A good example and more explanations can be found at HTML Code Tutorial. When you get to this page you will hear music thanks to the embed tag that adds music to that page.
When Do You Use Them?
Whenever you see embed tags it usually indicates that the gadget can be added to your blog. You would simply add the code following the < src=" "> tag to your page. A good example is the embed tag you find in a YouTube video. As long as the creator of the YouTube video hasn't disabled the embed code you can grab the video's embed code and add the video to your blog post.
Adding Embed Widgets On Your Blog
If you find a widget you like and wish to add it to your Blogger blog follow the steps below to add it. Note WordPress is similar you are just looking for an area that lets you add HTML.
1. First copy your embed tag for the widget you want to add.
2. Go to Layout 2. Add a Gadget 3. Choose HTML code 4. Paste your embed code 5. Click Save 6. You might also want to view your blog and then decide if you need to move your new widget to another spot in your layout.
Where Do To You Find Widgets & Gadgets
Widgets and gadgets can be found just about any where these days but some useful ones I like are:
1. Feedjit - You can see this one on bottom right side of my blog. It lets me see who visited my blog, what operating system they used, how they found my blog and what part of the world they came from.
2. SiteMeter - You can also see this one on the bottom right of my blog. Site Meter allows me to keep a counter of who visits my site. However, if you click on it you will see more details about who visited my site. It can show you the ISP, the IP and more detailed information about who has visited my site.
3. Twitter - You can also see this on my site and it allows you to see my Tweets. Click on the link and it will take you to Twitter support page and give you step by step instructions on how to do it.
4. Facebook - Let's you promote your facebook page outside of Facebook. Click on the link to see how to do it.
My 9 year old is a big fan of comics and luckily since we canceled the newspaper he has been able to read his favorite comics online. Go Comics is one of his most frequented sites and he has learned to copy and paste them into his blog. It is such a great way to keep him motivated about reading plus it is a wonderful way for him to practice his reading skills. I am sharing today's since I find it appropriate for the upcoming holiday. Can you image, how scary this giant turkey would be, if you watched it coming down the street during the Macy's parade? I think we would all leave asking for vegetables on Thanksgiving instead.
Turkey Hello
Another great online tool my kids like to use is Voki. While we were laughing at the giant turkey above my 6 year old reminded me that I could share his turkey. On Friday the poor thing missed school and he was really upset. He had been studying for weeks for his poetry recital. He was doing the Jaberwocky by Lewis Carol. To cheer him up I helped him create a Voki Turkey to send to his class. I've included the Voki Turkey below for you to enjoy. He was so funny. He wish his class a happy Thanksgiving break, good luck on their poetry recitals and gobbled. Vokis are a fun way to send someone you are missing during Thanksgiving a hello. It is free and loads of fun to create since you can record your own voice with all sorts of characters. They have dogs, odd creatures and real people you can use for just about any occasion. You could also use them to add a personal touch to your web page or blog. Have fun!
Virtual Poem Recitals
My six year old has also posted his poetry recital on video on his blog. He actually was one of three kids who were picked for the finals in his class and he did it via video. I was so happy and thankful his teacher accepted his entry through video since he was home sick. I couldn't believe it when she emailed me and told me he was one of three finalist picked from 1st grade. Thank goodness for technology. We are so proud!
So what is on your Black Friday holiday shopping list? A big trend this holiday season is the small laptops or netbooks that are designed mostly for us to access the Internet and at the same time sporting a very small footprint. These tiny computers were very popular at the last educational technology conference I attended. I watched many users taking notes or multi-tasking while listening to the concurrent sessions. I liked them so much I almost went out and bought one, but then it got me thinking...I should wait for the price to go down and buy it during Black Friday deal or Cyber Monday. Which also has me pondering, are they worth me waking up extra early after Thanksgiving or camping out in front of Best Buy to get one? Yes, I did that one year and I can't even remember the gadget I bought. The only thing I have from the experience is that I certainly won't be doing it again. Did I mention it was freezing?!? Maybe I'll do my Black Friday shopping online this year and consider snatching up some online deals on Cyber Monday.
The Itty Bitty ComputersAre Here
Do y'all remember in the 80's when your family got the first computer? They were huge, clunky and we had to buy special ugly desks to put them in our homes. Which brings me back to the subject of these little popular laptops. They are so cute, however are they good enough to get the job done? And are they worth buying? The people at the tech conference I spoke to seem to think so. Plus, as we all know the way we use computers is changing and with it has come the computer that is optimized for Internet use. I remember this idea of easily accessible Internet through small mobile computers mentioned in the textbooks when I started teaching computers in the 1990s. And here we are almost a decade later and it is finally a reality!
What's In a Name?
These small laptops are usually called netbooks but are also known as mini laptops, mini notebooks, subnotebooks, kneetops, or laptots. They are colorful, sturdy and there's no denying the cost of less than $300 makes them a very enticing. Probably the best part is that they are easy to take on the go, have real keyboards, and even include a lot of storage.
What To Look For When Purchasing a Netbook
Batteries: Be sure to look for a batteries that are small have the ability to use your netbook for long periods of time when you're away from an electrical outlet.
Operating Systems: Most netbooks now use a Windows-based OS (usually XP Home) also Windows 7 is expected to run on netbooks. Just be sure to read the reviews about Windows 7 compatibility on your netbook.
Storage and RAM: Some netbooks may require storage space from peripheral devices such as SD cards or a subscription (free or paid) to an online file storage service. Netbooks that have low amounts of RAM may run slow. Especially when running more than one program at a time.
Keyboards & Displays: Screen sizes for netbooks are usually 10.1 inches or less. Be sure to give this a trial run. The netbooks portability maybe be nice but if you find the tiny keyboards and screens to cause to much strain and frustration these types of computers might not be enough reason for you to buy one.
MAC: There is rumor that MAC will be releasing an Apple tablet to run on AT&T's 3G network but I have not found any news about this device lately. Just a lot of talk that it will cost between $800 to $1000.
And theReviews Are In
If you do plan on purchasing a netbook, I suggest you look at consumer reviews. Pink and cute is not a good reason to buy one of these inexpensive mini laptops. After the initial few days of coochi coochi coo are over, you want to be sure this little device over its lifetime will provide you with many thousands of hours of productivity, efficiency and fun. This is why I like looking at Amazon's shopping area first to see what others who have made the purchase already have to say. Amazon provides you with good customer reviews to just about any product you are looking for. After you look at the items and the prices on there you can then purchase the item directly from the advertised vendor or if the price is right from Amazon. So don't rule Amazon out, sometimes they really do have a better deal.
Netbook Video Reviews
I am also providing you with my playlist to the videos I have been watching on YouTube about netbooks. The side arrows on the video below will let you scroll through the videos I have found. I have found them helpful as well as educational. Stay tuned on more about Netbooks, gadgets, gizmos and holiday shopping.
So anybody out there thinking of purchasing a Netbook next week?
ItseemslikeSesameStreethascrossedovertoallmedialately. You saw what Martha Stewart did to Cookie Monster on my last post but now Snuffleupagus! Watchthis but be sure to cover your little ones eyes this is not for young viewers.
"You do not want to be on Sesame Street during a full moon." My goodness!
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