Primary Games

Today by far was the funniest day I have had in Computer Essentials so far. We explored this awesome game site called Primary Games. I loved the site and I highly recommend it to anyone that loves a big variety of games to choose from, and games that actually have a challenge! My top three favorite games were Crazy Taxi, Parking Mania, and Lemonade Stand. These all of lots of challenges in them here is the link Primary Games.


The home page of the site should look like this. Have fun and enjoy!!! XD

ToonDoo

Well today we looked up this comic strip design website called ToonDoo. It's pretty awesome you can make anything from a comic strip, a book, a traitr, a doodle, etc. If you don't know what a traitr is its just a character you can make to put into a strip design or book. You can save your traitr, but you have to name it first. Its fun to play with, but very time consuming because there are so many options! Its super easy to use too, all you have to do is sign up. Don't worry its completely free just click where it says sign up for free. Below is an example of what I created on this site, enjoy! Here is the link if you are interested ToonDoo.

Here is the Traitr that I created on the site.

Vistors to My Blog

Soooooo the other day we added a flag counter to our blogs. So far I have only had visitors from America and the state of Kansas....Flag counter is just a little gadget to see where people view your blog from. Flag counter looks something like this, if you wanna see where your main audience comes from then I suggest getting the flag counter

Flag counter looks something like this. You can customize it yourself. If you are interested click here. Just follow the easy steps on the website!  ^_^

Word Clouds

Today we explored the wonderful world of word collages. I'm going to show you three website that I really liked and found very useful. I hope you enjoy reading about them, and I hope you find one that you really like! Keep in mind that we explored many and that I'm only going to show you my favorite three.

The first is Wordle. It was definitely my favorite out of all the other ones, it was the easiest to use and the fastest. I like it because of it's simplicity, but if you are a person that likes a complicated, or intricate design this wouldn't be the website for you!

 This is what I created click here for you to start creating your own word cloud.









The next one I went to is called Tagexdo. This one is a little bit more complicated and has a lot more options to choose from. The creations always turn out nice!

I created this one from the Jersey Shore cast. If you like how it looks then click here to start creating.











The very last site I liked was Textorizor. I didn't personally create any on this site but I thought it was very nice and cool! This site is very complicated too, so if you like complexity then click here. This is an example that is on the website! Enjoy :)

Photo Editing

Today we explored photo editing websites! If you like to take a lot of pictures then keep reading. We explored many different sites, but I'm only going to show you my favorites. I hope I help you in finding a new way to edit your photos!

The first site I would like to show you is picmonkey.com. The name sounds very odd but don't let that discourage you. This site is very fun, and professional. They're are lots of photo editing options to choose from. There is a catch though, to get the really cool editing tools you have to sign up for a membership. I think the membership costs money, but I am not sure. You might have to explore the site for yourself. Click here to start editing! Below is a picture of my creation it isn't very good because I don't really know how to edit pictures since I don't take pictures a lot, so I apologize for that.

The second site I'm going to show you is photofunia. com. This website was by far my favorite because it made me laugh the hardest. It takes your picture and places them in awkward or funny situations. Its an amazing site and I hope you like it as much as I do. Not only can you place your pictures in other ones you can also edit it really nice and make yourself look amazing! Click here to begin editing! Below is an example of what I created. Now don't judge the picture please :).

The last website that I will show you is piZap.com. This site is my second favorite. Not only can you edit pictures but you can also create meme's like the ones that are on Facebook. It's so fun and easy to use. This site is amazing and I hope you enjoy being funny. The picture I edited was one of the backgrounds from the site because I didn't have a picture. If you're interested in this site click here. Bye!

Teaching Tools

Today my class explored the websites of superteachertools, classtools, and teachweb2. Just like with every website there were some tools I thought were cool and others I thought were useless. Today my post is going to be about the tools I found on these websites.

The Random Name Generator was a really nice and helpful tool because my teachers always have no one who raises their hand, therefore they have no one to answer the question! With this tool all you have to do is enter the names of the students in your class, click on fruit machine to right, then hit the lever. The name generator will look something like this. I haven't entered anything yet, but its just an example. This website isn't all about tools though you can create a fake facebook profile or create a fake text message. If you happened to be interested in tools like these then click here to visit.

The Seating Chart tool is amazing to me because everybody always complains to the teacher about where they sit. This is a way for teachers to save time and not have to deal with writing it all out. The computer does everything for you and is nearly compatible with every browser. It even works on the Ipad! I like this website the best because it has the best tools in my opinion. I highly recommend visiting this website to check out the tools and games. Below is a picture of a sample seating chart your chart will look something like this after you are finished. Click here if you want to check it out!

From what I have seen the teachweb2 site is really cool! The sidebar on the left shows categories of education. Once you click on one of the categories you will be showed a page on your right. It shows you links that are helpful to the subject you are trying to teach. If you need help forming your lesson plan I suggest visiting this website for ideas and links for assignments or homework. If you are interested in this website please click here. The easy bib tool on this site is the one I found most helpful because it sites your own sources for you! This is really helpful when you are doing a research paper, it saves time and a headache if you don't know how to do it. Below is a picture of the homepage of teachweb2's site. I hope these sites help and I hope you enjoy doing some exploring of your own, Bye!

Stykz

Hi there! Today we explored the animation program called Stykz. All you do is create your own animation, it takes a little bit to learn how to move the figures just right though. You will get the hang of it! Below is what I created while we explore. Now don't judge me if it looks weird, today was my first day exploring.  Click here if you are interested in downloading the program. I hope you have fun creating animations! Bye!

 

Claymation

Claymation is an amazing website where you create yourself in a whole new way. I really like it! Click here if you are interested. Below is an example of what I created.

Proprofs Games

Hey there! Today we created games on this website you can create many different types of games. You can create hangman, word search, word scramble, sliding puzzle, and many others.  My favorite was the hangman because it gets really intense when your down to your last guess and your trying to figure out the word. Sometimes you don't even know the subject of the puzzle! Well I really enjoyed playing the games, I would have made my own but my computer was being a jerk. If you are interested in playing really cool games or making your own click here. Enjoy! Bye!

Avatars

Hi there! Today in my class we explored what avatars are! Sometimes they are just really cool images that you can make and other times you upload your own picture and make adjustments. Both are pretty fun for me. I'm going to show you all of the websites we explored today and I will tell you my favorites or which ones I recommend.

The first one that I will show today is Build Yourself Wild. Your avatar on here doesn't have to be normal at all it can be as creepy, and freaky looking as you want it to be. Its fairly easy to use, but can sometimes be slow and mess up. There aren't a whole lot of options either. It wasn't my favorite out of all of them but with the options I was given on the site I was somewhat impressed. Below is the creation I made with the build yourself wild site. If you are interested in looking like a weirdo then click here.

Another website we explored is called DoppleMe. I didn't care for this one at all, there is few options and in my opinion when you finish it looks very simple and not very good. However, if you like making avatars that look exactly like you then this is the website for you. Below is an example of what I created on this site. click here if you are interested.

The third website we looked at was the South Park Studio. If you are a fan of South Park and like the way the characters are drawn then this is the site for you. This is by far my favorite out of all of them! I loved making an avatar that looks like a character of South Park. Your creations are bound to look cool there is no doubt about that! Below is an example of what I created and if you like what you see then click here.

The Be Funky avatar creator is okay if you like pictures of yourself (personally I don't). You upload a picture of yourself and edit it in any way you please. There are hundreds of options and many ways of changing your picture. I would show you a picture as an example, but I'm not comfortable with showing a picture of myself sorry. Click here if you only want to edit pictures of yourself.

The OSOQ avatar creator is my second favorite out of all the ones we explored. Your avatar looks like a baby though and looks really funny. If you have a major sense of humor and like to laugh this is the site for you. All you did is click on what you like to edit about your avatar then it changes automatically. You can even make the avatar cry. I really like this one and I'm sure you will too. I have an example of what one looks like below. If you are interested click here.

The last avatar I'm going to show you is the Zui creator. I like this one but it isn't one of my favorites. I just don't like the way the avatar looks and the design of the website, but that's just my opinion. It all comes down to what you like. It has tons of options and you can have crazy outfits and hair. If you like doing that kind of thing then I recommend this site. Below is the avatar I created on this site. click here if you are interested.

iGoogle

Hey again! I have come to you with some news. Today we explored iGoogle and the gadgets and bookmarks it has to offer! I'm going to explain and show you three gadgets that I think are the coolest and by far the most beneficial! 

The To do List gadget lets you write all the things you need to get done throughout a time span. In other words you can check your to do list anytime and anywhere. As long as you have an iGoogle account you will be able to access your list. If you are a busy person I would highly recommend getting this gadget. If you are wondering what the gadget looks like I have put the image below.

Today's Horoscope gadget isn't really one of great importance, but I like it because of the wisdom in some of the horoscopes. All you have to do is put in what astrological sign you are and your name. Then you everyday there will be a horoscope waiting for you to read. Sometimes they are long and lengthy, but its worth it because of how interesting it is. If you are having a bad day some thoughtful words with positive meaning can make all the difference. Below is just an example of a horoscope. It happens to be mine and I'm a Scorpio.

 Google Translate is one of the best out of the many gadgets in my opinion. As an American student studying Spanish I often forget the words my teacher teaches us. It helps a lot to just type in the word and find out in an instant what it means. If you are studying another language and are struggling with it, I really implore you to get this gadget. It helps a ton! As you can see from the image, finding the answer is fairly simple. 







I hope you enjoyed learning about the gadgets I showed you! If you are interested in creating your own iGoogle account click here. Good luck, see you later!

                                                                         

     

Google Maps

Hi there! We learned about the awesomeness of Google Maps. This tool really helps if you have no idea how to get from point A to point B. Say you want to get from Abilene Kansas to Worlds of Fun in Missouri, you would type in where you are are at and where you want to go. The picture shown below is a perfect example of this. If you are the traveling type this will help a ton! I hope what I have shown you helps! If you don't know how to get to Google maps, go to Google.com, and look at the top, it will say maps at the top. Bye! See you later!

Google Doodle

Hey there! Today in class we explored Google's doodles. I know that name sounds silly, but I assure you that google doodle is amazing. You may wonder what a Google doodle is and it is an illustration or a logo that is on Google everyday. Some of my favorite doodles are shown below. I hope you find a doodle that interests you out of the ones I have shown. Enjoy!

Google Jobs

Hi there! Today in class we are learning about the jobs that Google has to offer. I hope you enjoy this post and find a job that interests you!

Here are 3 Jobs at Google that I really find interesting. If you really like these jobs you can apply for any that stand out for you.

The first job I would like to show you is the Rocket Lawyer if you enjoy writing and are very creative. Your duties will include researching, and composing original articles that pertain to www.article-3.com. You must also assist in helping update Twitter, Google+, Linkedin, Tumblr, and Facebook on a daily basis. In order to even apply for this job you must have a GPA that is 3.5 or higher, a degree in History, Politics, English, Journalism, Law or related field preferred, and 2-5 years of web-writing and public relations experience is preferred. All in all being a Rocket Lawyer is basically being part of an online legal service. They are hiring and are looking for more people that they could add to their team. You will be known as an editor and communications associate. As for whether it is full time and part time I have no idea. I could find no information and for that I apologize.

The second job is The Software Engineer. If you are creative and like bringing things to life this is the job for you! This job is a Google venture backed company.  You are always creating new software, so basically your ideas will come to life. You must have Extensive experience with Python 2.7, a basic understanding of JavaScript and AJAX (and a desire to learn backbone.js)The belief that code should be DRY, well-documented, efficient and optimized, and thorough knowledge of MVC frameworks and a deep understanding of Django. Those are just some of the requirements needed. There are tons more! If you ever want to become a software engineer make sure you have a deep understanding of computers and the many programs and software involved with them.

The last job I would like to show you is a Research Associate. They are looking for people that just recently graduated from college. You will be exploring things such as gene cloning and expression vector construction, protein expression in yeast, insect, and mammalian cells, antibody library construction, antibody selection, and high-throughput screening, functional characterization of
antibodies, and flow cytometry for cell line characterization and antibody discovery. This is a one to two year position, ideal for someone who is looking to gain work experience before continuing on to graduate school. So if you liked or are interested in any of the topics that I just listed you can apply to any of these jobs online.


These are just three jobs that interested me, you can find more jobs by going to Google.com, scrolling down and clicking on "about google." If these instructions are unclear to you study the picture below.

I hope you enjoy your job search. Bye!

Add Ons

Hey there again! I have come to you with some really cool add ons that I think everyone should utilize. An add on is a small piece of software created to make your experience with your computer easier.

Google Translator for Firefox is an amazing add on because if you happen to come across a page you would like to read but can't because it is in another language then you can highlight up to 38,000 characters and have the add on translate it to your language. English should be the default language. However its better to highlight very few words because then the translation begins faster. The picture below shows the tool after see it on your screen, click on the down arrow to the right of it and it will give the option to translate the entire page.

No Squint is another add on that I think is very beneficial if you have issues with your sight or the text is just too small to read on the screen, you can use the No Squint add on.  Once you download the add on there should be a magnifying glass in the corner of your screen that looks something like this. You click on it and it will have a range of options on there, but if you just want to adjust the zoom it will look like this.

Calculator is an add on that can solve the most confusing functions or the simplest of equations. You still have to enter the numbers in like you would a regular calculator, but you are given more options. Your calculator add on will be located under tools. After you find it there you must hold your mouse on the arrow and open it in another tab, sidebar, or in another window. Once you open it somewhere else it should look something like this.

Pop-Up Dictionary is an add on that is really cool and helps a lot when your doing your homework, you click on the word you don't understand on the web page and a pop-up will be displayed and will show you the meaning of the word and sometimes synonyms. 

 

Open Links in New Tab add on is out of the ones I have searched my favorite because I hate being on a website then clicking on a link I like then leaving the web page I was on. With this add on that will no longer be an issue you can click on the link and the add on automatically creates a new tab with that website there. The tabs created will resemble the image below.

Morning Coffee is an add on that keeps tracks of the websites your on the most. Its helpful if your lazy and don't feel like typing in your websites all it takes is a couple of clicks and your there. The icon looks something like this.

The Panic Button is an add on that allows you to close out of whatever your in with a click of a button.

The Weather Now add on is good if your a busy person and want to know whats appropriate to wear quickly. With the click of a button you can know what the weather will be like in your exact location.

The Theme and Font Changer add on changes the font and the theme of whatever your reading. This helps if you ever get bored with what your reading you could always change the font and make it more interesting.

 The Ad Block Site add on blocks any unwanted ads. If you are on a site and ads are popping up and blocking you from being the site you want, this ad is going to help. This is beneficial because all the ads that everyone hates so much are going to be blocked.

P.S: Sorry I'm just now getting this published, I haven't had time and didn't finish on the day we worked on it. I wanted to make sure I published quality work so sorry again. Bye!
                   

Google Drive

Hey there! Today we explored this amazing tool called Google Drive. In this tool you can create many different things. You can create a spreadsheet which is similar to the Numbers application on the Ipad. You can create a document which is like using the Microsoft Word program. Or you can even make a presentation which is like the Keynote application. This tool is so helpful and so easy to use. When you create your document you can either keep it private or share it with someone else. You can even chat with others while you are on this tool. When you add others they can edit your paper so be sure your careful about who you choose to see your creation. This isn't just for at school either if you are at home you can get on the tool and work on it as well, so say you have a partner for a project you both can edit it together.

Google Drive is located at the top of your screen when your in the google search engine.

Animated Text Generators

Hey there again! I have come to you with yet another amazing tool! They are called animated text generators, there are a variety of texts and fonts you can choose from. The ones we explored today are glowtxt.com and flashvortex.com. Glow text looks something like this (see picture below). If you like the way the glow text looks then click here to start creating your amazing designs.

Another website you can visit for font designs is flashvortex.com. In my opinion there is a lot more options on this site and I would highly recommend someone using this for their blog or anything else they had in mind. The picture below is the example I made on their website. If your interested in this site click here to create your design. All in all it comes down to what you prefer more. I hope this post helped see you later!

Backgrounds

A background for your blog may seem very unimportant but it gives your blog a sense of uniqueness. They're a lot of really nice ones on the websites listed below.

The Cutest Blog On The Block
Hot Bliggity Blog
Shabby Blogs
Simply Blog it Backgrounds
Dotty Dot Dot Design
Jelly Pages

I recommend Jelly Pages because in my opinion it had the coolest backgrounds and had more of wide range of selections. If you would like to have that background you have to click on design, then template, then click on java gadget and copy the html code of the background then paste it on there.

Personas

Personas is a new tool we have explored during my computer essentials class. This is where the top of your screen has its own background as shown below.

Personas is only available on the firefox web browser. They're a lot of really cool backgrounds, with many of your favorite things on there. click here if you are interested in checking out the many different personas. Enjoy!

Feedjit

Feedjit is an interesting gadget to have because it shows who is visiting your blog, where they are from, what browser they use, and how they got there. For example someone could have used my blog to get to someone else's. Feedjit basically shows what kind of traffic you have. Its actually kind of fun to see who is visiting your blog and how they got there. Click here to create your feedjit account to see who is viewing your blog.

Favicon

Favicon is short for "favorite icon" it is located at the left hand corner. It is very close to the web address. Its good to have if you want your website or blog to stand out because it shows that your website is different and or unique.

Its going to look something like that but i have enlarged the picture the original size is about 16x16. Click here to start creating your favicon. It only takes a minute to create an account, after you have finished, i would suggest you download the icon and publish it on whatever website you have.

Below is a picture of the actual size icon. 

Blogging on the iPad

This app is very nice on the iPad but it all comes down to which one you prefer more. It's fairly simple to use. It's easier to use the iPad in my opinion, because I prefer being on my iPad. Writing a post on the app is really easy all you have to do is tap to create a new post. Editing your post on your iPad is quite simple too all you need to do is tap on the pencil icon and then you may start editing. I prefer the iPad app because its easier and just plain simple. Honestly I'm a person that likes to access things quickly and have no problems getting there and back. Using the app on the iPad meets all my requirements.

I would say they are both very user friendly but it all comes down to your preference and what you're more comfortable with. The views on the iPad aren't much different, below is what it normal looks like on the iPad. You can also view the web version by tapping on the bottom where it says those very words. Both are amazing, it just comes down to what you prefer.

Symbaloo

Today we learned about this cool website called symbaloo. This new tool helps you keep track of your favorite websites. You can add which websites you visit the most and easily access these.

As you can see from my symbaloo profile I have most of my class websites I use the most. Symbaloo is good to have especially if your a slow typer or if you just hate typing period. All it takes is one click and your already on your favorite websites. You can also set symbaloo as your home screen by going up to your browser (firefox, safari, internet explorer, etc) and click on preferences, then click set as home screen. If your interested in setting up a symbaloo account its fairly easy all you need is your email address and a password.

Click this link to create your symbaloo profile click here

Blogger Gadgets

The Inspirational Prayer of the day gadget is of use to my blog because it could attract a different variety of people. It shows my values and what I believe in as well. Also if your having a bad day maybe your faith could lift you up.

Having the Greek and Roman mythology gadget shows some of my interests and shows that I am not shallow and actually have some kind of depth. Plus its interesting to learn about someone in mythology you never even knew existed.

The Marilyn Monroe quote of the day gadget is beneficial because she was an American icon and many people adore the woman to this day. Most people would like to know what a famous person like her would think like so more people would view my blog to find out.

The BBC news gadget is beneficial to my blog because after you are done viewing my blog you have some interesting news story to read.

The page views counter gadget is beneficial because it lets me and my audience know how many people have viewed my blog and how popular it actually is.