Geek Top Sites

Teaching Students to Use Technology in School

admin — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

It is very important to teach kids how to use technology in school. The ability to use a computer is a necessity in our advanced technological society.

One of the ways to teach a student how to use technology is by making it fun. If you show them how to play a game, they will have a good time and this will leave them wanting more. When you show them games, you can slowly start interesting other aspects of a computer. You can teach them how to use the Internet and how to look up information.

It is extremely important for students to use technology in school. It can help them understand complex math and reading concepts. This is important because it will help them get better grades in the classroom.

Teaching students to use technology in school is one of the most important things they can be taught. If you keep things fun, kids will gravitate to it. By exposing them to games and other interesting software, they will be asking you for more time using technology. Once they have a love for something, they will start to understand it. Due to this, the best way to teach technology is to show students how much fun it is.

How To Embed Just About Everything On a Website

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

As technology gets better and better, more and more websites are containing all manner of media. Both HTML 4 and the newer HTML 5 handle embedding files in a nice and elegant manner. Virtually any file of can think of can be handled by the embed tag. While you can use the embed tag to handle almost any file type, there are common files that are embedded in most websites.
Most web developer’s use embeds for video files of various types. To save space and loading time, rather than using video files that you would normally have on your computer, video files are first converted to SWF format. This format is smaller and handled by the web server at runtime, providing the quickest load to the web page. In order to embed a Flash file, which is the common name for SWF, you must include the handler code from Adobe.
Another use for the embed tag is to include video on your website that is not stored on your own web server. When embedded a video, you have full control over the appearance of the video on the web page. Even if the original video is 800 by 600 pixels in size, when embedding the file you can specify a smaller or larger size. The developer also has control over whether the file will start playing immediately and all kinds of different controls.
The embed tag gives a universal control to various file types when placing them on your web site and allows full and easy control over what would normally be a difficult process.

Teaching Students to Learn From You Tube

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

YouTube can be an excellent source for education of students at almost all levels. It should be used in a controlled situation so nothing inappropriate is shown. But when used in the proper manner, there are many free educational resources there.
A good way to begin is to pre-screen the videos under the topics you are looking for and save these as favorites in your YouTube account. Then they can be easily accessed when you want to show them.
You can send links to certain selected videos to older students who can view them as an assignment, and then write about or blog about what their thoughts are on this topic. Blogging will tie this together as an integration of technology lesson.
There are ways to download YouTube videos and show them later. This gives great flexibility in using them as part of a lesson with no network access to worry about.
Using an active white board with the YouTube video is a great way to highlight and draw attention to some of the things you want to focus on. This is more advanced technology integration that is quite popular today.
Another idea is to show YouTube video and then have the students create their own video on a similar topic and compare. This could be a creative way to tie in video editing, writing with viewing of YouTube.
There are many ways to use the free resources of YouTube.

Websites That Have Free Math Games

admin — Sun, 29 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Solving math problems can sometimes be a difficult task to accomplish. Playing math games, on the other hand, allows an individual the opportunity to tackle basic math problems in an engaging and fun manner. From Fun Brain to Fun School, there are many great websites that have free math games.

Fun Brain. Whether your kid is a preschooler or an 8th grader, Fun Brain is one of the leading websites that have free math games. Not only are students granted the opportunity to choose their specific skill or grade level, but they’re also able to pick one of many popular math arcade games to play.

Math Playground. From word problems to logic puzzles, the Math Playground website offers a diverse amount of math games to play. Besides featuring an array of fun games, Math Playground also boasts easy site navigation and visibility.

Fun School. Few websites that have free math games are as professional looking or offer as many games to play as Fun School. In fact, the Fun School website boasts an amazing 33 fun and educational math games. If you are looking for a professional website that features math games, look no further than the Fun School website.

Math Sites that Teach Math to Students

admin — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The internet is a fabulous resource for math students. There are sites abounding that are applicable to every grade level from K through college. Most of the elementary level sites are highly interactive and engaging. Their math games are meant to teach while the student has fun learning. Many of the math teaching web sites are in use in schools as activities to integrate technology into the classrooms.
For any level student math help can be found online. Skill and drill at early grade levels can help teach and reinforce development of skills in the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Practice through these sites reinforces the learner with letting them through to the next higher levels. They are rewarded by achievement in the game they are playing which is building on the skills as they go.
For higher grade students the resources come in a few different versions: online mathematics instruction in concepts and online skill practice. Certain sites contain only the instruction portion while others only provide the skill practice, but there are many sites that are able to combine the two.
Parents should check out the site first to see if it will provide the level of instruction they are seeking for the student.

Top Ten Technology News Websites on the Internet

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

This article will be discussing the top ten news technology websites on the internet. One of the most common websites for news technology is wired.com. Wired claims to give in-depth coverage on the current, yet also future, trends in the technology business. If you are looking for news in the international world, check out Business Week. This site also hosts in-depth profilse on many companies. For reviews of technology products written in a simple form, try cnet.com. Geek.com is a site that has been around for quite some time. If you are looking for reviews and information on the newest hardware and software, this is the site to look at. Their site also provides computer buying guides, which can be helpful. If you like the magazine PC World, take a look at their online website for even more articles. Rated as one of the industry’s best news sites, you can find technology reviews, the latest technology prices, and freeware and shareware downloads. Techcrunch is currently rated the top tech blog, so be sure to check this website out.All Things Digital is the Wall Street Journal’s blog hub. This website features Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, two of the top industry analysts.If you are looking for info on new gadgets, Boy Genius Report will be a beneficial site. This site predominantly features cell phones.Crave is another website that has commentaries on the newest gadgets. Lastly, be sure to look at Gizmodo for reviews of the newest consumer electronics and gadgets.

A whole new world: living online for free

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:51:19 +0000

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be another person (and let’s be honest, who hasn’t), virtual world online games are the perfect opportunity. How would people react to you if you were a different gender, or if you were tall instead of short? Even beyond physical appearance, players can create entirely new personalities and show them off to the world. If you’re interested in joining such a world, there are plenty of options. Unlike games on social networking sites, which we’ve already discussed, all of these sites run on their own engine, although some incorporate social networking features like chat and browsing.Second Life is a well-known online world that has also become one of the most popular. In January 2008, players spent more then 28 million hours logged in, creating businesses, putting on performances, and simply chatting with other “residents.” Second Life has become popular as a teaching platform for colleges and universities, and religious website Islam Online purchased land to let Muslims and non-Muslims practice the ritual of Hajj.Kaneva is another growing choice for online geeks. Originally founded by an Atlanta start-up company, Kaneva differs from Second Life in that it urges people to use their real names and locations. This won’t keep you from creating a buff bodybuilder, of course, but it does encourage social networking to extend outside of the game world. You can chat with people from around the world and meet new pen-pals as long as you’re outgoing enough.Gaia Online is one of the most cartoony options, with an art style based on Japanese anime. The game combines chatting, collecting, and celebrating real world events like Christmas with in-game plots. Players are also encouraged to share their art and creative writing, where players can vote on each other’s works and award prizes.

Top 5 Smart Phones of 2010

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:00:35 +0000

We ushered in this new decade right in the midst of a mobile phone revolution. As smart phones are rapidly replacing standard cellular devices, there is a constant battle for the top. Each cell phone company is working tirelessly to provide the best Internet connection, most extensive coverage, and now, the most apps. Though the market is flooded with these trendy gadgets, we’ve come up with our pick of the best smart phones of the year.

Apple iPhone 4: This incredible device, is just another in Apple’s long list of impressive products. Revolutionizing the industry, this phone allows for video calling, HD video recording, and the use of multiple apps at the same time. Keeping with the design of the original iPhone, this device has a large touch screen display for easy handling and viewing.
Droid Incredible by HTC: The newest product in the Droid line, this smart phone includes 8GB onboard memory, an 8 megapixel camera and a record-breaking 3.7″ touch screen. HTC sense allows you to shrink and zoom displays with the touch of a finger. This phone also has access to over 38,000 apps for any possible function or service you can imagine.
Blackberry Bold 9700: Another quality blackberry product, this device has the new trackless ball feature for easier navigation. Impressive battery power and 3G network are notable mentions of this smart phone. As with all blackberries, the blackberry messenger feature makes it a market favorite.
Palm Pre Plus: The combination of touch screen with a full QWERTY keypad gives you flexibility in typing and navigation. A multi-tasking feature which will compile all of your events and meetings from different sources into one schedule makes sure you’re always on time. This smart phone has twice as much storage space as its predecessor, the Palm Pre.
Nexus One: This Google smart phone with its sleek and attractive design, along with unique technologies such as voice to text transcription makes this device a major player in the smart phone market.

Best Free Online Graphics

www.geektopsites.com — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:53:20 +0000

Whether you’re creating your own website, trying to craft a unique invitation, or just happen to be a fan of graphics, there are a number of sites that offer thousands of downloads at no cost. Browse through a few of these sites to find the clips you need.

Pixlr: This online photo editor allows you to upload pictures for editing, or create an image from scratch. The Pixlr Grabber feature works with Chrome and Firefox to let you pull any image from the web for editing. You can also save, share, and upload images using a number of different tools on this unique site.
Free Graphics World: This site offers everything from buttons to banners to website templates, all royalty free. You can also find help on creating certain images and adding graphics to a webpage.
Cool Text: This online site has over 300 million free images and is great for creating a logo for a personal site. A range of options allow you to customize the text and style of your logo. They also provide a feature for creating a website and FAQs about graphics and design.
FreeFoto: With over 130,000 images, this site is ideal for downloading pictures for off-line non-commercial use. You can also use these images on-line, with the option of purchasing a higher resolution version.
Flaming Text: A range of features on this site let you design buttons and logos as well as search through popular fonts and graphics. You can download, edit, email and print designs you create, or even upload them to Facebook.

Anytime you use online graphics, designs, or pictures, always read the fine print for licensing and crediting information. Make sure whatever images you choose to use are being legally distributed and you are using them only as appropriated, giving any necessary credit to original sources.

The World in 3D

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:47:55 +0000

Many of the top grossing Hollywood hits are now shown in 3D. Online gaming is now incorporating 3D computer graphics for that extra dimensional experience. Now, 3D televisions can be found at many electronic stores, bringing the 3D experience into your living room.Because our eyes are spaced apart, they each receive two different images, which are sent to the brain where they are transformed into one overlapping three dimensional image. However, when images appear on screen, the depth perceived in real life is not there. In order to create this, two different overlapping images must be displayed; one for each eye. The glasses work with the TV to block your eyes at certain times so that the correct eye perceives the correct image and the 3D picture can be created in the brain.Samsung now has a line of 3D TVs available in plasma, LED and LCD. Creating 3D images requires the use of a 3D TV as well as 3D content such as a Blue-ray movie, and the famous 3D glasses. However, one of the most incredible technologies of this device is the 3D-processor, which allows you to convert 2D films into 3D.The Viera VT25 Series was recently launched by Panasonic, incorporating 3D and HD in a plasma screen. This 65″ screen is also Energy Star Qualified, making it a visually and environmentally outstanding product. Wi-Fi capabilities also allow you to stream and watch videos from the web on your HDTV. This device even has videophone technology so that you can use online web communication on this state of the art screen.After you see a movie in theatres in 3D, watching it in 2D will never be the same. As more 3D TVs hit the market they will likely be available at lower prices and in greater quantities.