How to do more with less....

The Northern Illinois Computing Educators (NICE), a Chapter of Illinois Computing Educators (ICE), rececently hosted a panel discussion on how to "Do More with Less" ... Learn how districts are using low-cost and no-cost solutions for technology integration and professional development. Click here for the notes.

On a similar note, Michael Fischer recently posted tips for classroom teachers on the ASCD/Edge blog. He provides ideas for designing motivating and engaging learning events using resources we already have.

New year, new tools? Or, revisiting favorites

Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year!

Looking for new tools, or reasons to revisit the old? Check out these links:

From online photo and video editors, to social bookmarking and networks for your classroom, check out this list of 20 websites to start your year off!
Visit: http://mrssmoke.onsugar.com/Top-20-Websites-Teacher-Should-Start-2010-2011-Year-Without-9213932

20 types of gadgets recommended by Google Certified Teachers
Visit: http://edutraining.googleapps.com/Training-Home/module-5-sites/chapter-8/3-1

Connecting with your Audience... Presentation tips

I was extremely fortunate to have participated in an Apple Distinguished Educators (ADE) Summer Institute several weeks ago. One of my favorite professional development sessions was by Michelle Hamilton, a professional speech coach.

Here are some of Michelle's presentation tips:

• You have 8 seconds to connect with your audience; use eye contact to engage each person for several moments... don't just glance at a person, finish your thought/sentence while only looking at one person (one thought - one pair of eyes).
• Always think, and say, "you ..." -- try to work in twenty "you"s to one "I." Don't open a presentation saying how glad you are to be here; the presentation is about them, not you ... such as "Today you are here to learn..." not "Today I am going to teach you..."
• Start with the end in mind; ask your audience what they need to get out of your presentation.
• Convince: Deliver only 3 main messages. Our brains are wired to remember in odd numbers (3 - 5 - 7, etc). But, stick to 3 key messages and divide your time equally. Focus on what your audience needs to hear or understand.
• Whatever it is you need to advocate, be compelling, and engaging.
• Walk around, touch the wall, sit in the audience to gain their perspective.
• When answering a question, don't just repeat it, or say it's a good question. Elevate the importance by sharing... "I'll bet everyone would like to know...."
• Turn your closing into a benefit. Don't apologize for "not getting through all of your information" ... rather, "I'm so glad that you could attend today. We could spend a lot more time on...."

Perhaps these few tips will help you to be, as Michelle stated, "incredibly effective" in your presentations, and your classroom.

Digital Divide = "Knows" and "Knows-not"s

I've seen many reports about the existence of a "digital divide" in this country -- often referring to the "haves" and the "have-nots" -- where the "haves" are those possessing digital equipment, and the "have-nots" are, well, those who basically don't.

A recent commentary by Mario Armstrong about the 7/10/2010 Pew Research Report stating the digital divide is closing, suggests that this definition needs to change:

There's much more to the "divide" than having digital stuff. Even in a well-equipped classroom, (with access to modern computers connected to the Internet), the digital divide is more about what teachers and students "know" and "know-not" when it comes to using the technology to improve teaching and learning.

President Bill Clinton's 2000 State of the Union Address proposed a bright future for "knowing" ...

Connecting classrooms and libraries to the Internet is crucial, but it's just a start. My budget ensures that all new teachers are trained to teach 21st century skills and creates technology centers in 1,000 communities to serve adults. This spring, I will invite high-tech leaders to join me on another New Markets tour -- to close the digital divide and open opportunity for all our people. I thank the high-tech companies that are already doing so much in this area and I hope the new tax incentives I have proposed will encourage others to join us.

If we take these steps, we will go a long way toward our goal of bringing opportunity to every community.

It's 2010!

Are we are there yet?

Google Earth for Educators -- New Community!

Are you an educator who wants to use Google Earth in the classroom? Now you can learn all the tips and tricks for using Google Earth as a teaching tool by visiting the new Google Earth for Educators Community. On this site, you can view lesson plans for a variety of grade levels and subjects, discuss Google Earth teaching tactics with fellow educators, see student-created work, and read how other teachers are using Google Earth in the classroom.

As posted 6/22/10 on http://www.google.com/educators/index.html

iPad ... therefore iExplore...

I've been exploring an iPad since Monday. Like most users that have posted reviews, there is much to like! Having been an iPod Touch user since the 1st generation issue, the interface is familiar to me (no, I don't have an iPhone). The "intelligent keyboard" is a bit different than I am used to from the iPod (there's a shift key), yet, it's not hard to adapt to. I really appreciate the screen lock that prevents the image from rotating if I turn the iPad on it's side, which is great for reading in bed!

The physical size and weight seems a bit hard to hold "standing up" in my lap for a long period of time, although I appreciate the bigger screen, and it is light. I am hoping that once my "Apple branded portfolio-type case" arrives, that holding it will be a bit easier. For desktop or table top use, the keyboard/stand is probably a good idea. If all students begin to carry these instead of textbooks, I believe the keyboard/stand will be essential for classroom use.

Safari pages load quickly, however, I miss the ability to "find text on a page." When I have searched for information and want to locate the keywords on a resulting website, I haven't found a way to jump to the information. If you know how, please comment!!

My current journey and quest is to figure out how to create and publish content to be used with the iBooks App (that allows pages to curl as you turn them with your finger). The file type used for iBooks and other electronic book readers is "ePub." I've located several online resources for converting content, but have not yet found a resource that can produce an eBook that will maintain the page layout of a pdf or Word file. Since the underlying code appears to be html, I would imagine that software exists, or will soon.

If you haven't yet seen Theodore Gray's "The Elements" book for the iPad, check out this YouTube clip:

Imagine if all student texbooks contained content as dynamic and interactive as this!? I was inspired by this concept and emailed Mr. Gray to find out how "The Elements" was created for the iPad, to which he graciously responded:

The Elements was created almost entirely with Mathematica. Deployment on the iPad is with custom Objective-C code that reads configuration files and media assets created by Mathematica. It's not exactly a turn-key solution by any means: The Elements is an entirely new kind of thing and no existing system could just make something like it. Hence the use of Mathematica, which I like to think of as the ideal system for doing things for which there is no system for doing.

My new company, Touch Press, is actively working on multiple ebook projects that will use and extent the technology we developed for The Elements, and some day it may be fairly routine to create books like it.

Theo

Thanks! I look forward to learning more!

It's Time for the AP Govt. Review!!

Stevenson High School's American Government teachers Andy Conneen and Dan Larsen, will be reprising their "Cram for the Exam" review show on C-SPAN Saturday morning, May 1. The pair will appear on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, bringing their unique spin to American government and politics. Students across the country will be invited to call in with their questions in preparation for the upcoming Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Politics exam on May 3.

Check out Larsen and Conneen's blog, CBS 2School, on the CBS 2 Chicago website. Throughout the month of April, they have been featuring "Cram for the Exam" posts that serve as a primer for American government and politics.

Free Google Guide for Educators

Google offers dozens of free resources that teachers and students can use to improve their learning experiences. This 33-page guide by Google Certified Teacher Richard Byrne, is intended for teachers who would like to know more about Google Search, Google Docs, and Google Maps. This guide begins with an overview of advanced Google Search tools that can improve Internet search experiences.
See the detailed list below which includes information about using Google Gadgets for creating word clouds and checking readability levels (Pages 20-4) as well as...

Search Tools
An overview of Google’s lesserknown search tools. Google Books, Google Scholar, Google News.
Pages 2 - 3

Google Books
How to access Google Books advanced search. How to embed books into your blog or website.
Pages 4-6

Google News Widgets
How to put custom Google News on your blog or website.
Page 8

Google Docs
Nine uses of Google Docs beyond word processing and presentations.
Pages 9-11

Creating Quizzes in Google Docs
Step by step directions for creating a quiz and posting it online using Google Docs Forms.
Pages 12- 17

Google Maps
Six ways to use Google Maps beyond the Social Studies classroom. Directions for creating placemarks in Google Maps.
Pages 25 - 32

Visit: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/03/free-33-page-guide-google-for-teachers.html

You can view this guide electronically (consider the environment before printing!)

Film Your Issue

Only a few weeks remain to submit films to the "Film Your Issue" competition. Check out winning submissions and jury and audience favorites from past FYI competitions published in the iTunes podcast channel:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/film-your-issue/id360749159

What's Your Issue? Competition... spreading the word...

Are you familiar with "What's Your Issue?" -- "It's a global initiative and competition for the next generation of leaders and social entrepreneurs. The mission of What’s Your Issue Foundation is to provide a unique national platform for young adults to propose creative solutions to some of our nation’s most important challenges and for that voice to be heard, honored, and acted upon by leaders in government, the media, the private sector, and the nonprofit world.

The broader year-round mission of this dynamic and multi-faceted initiative is to encourage and support civic engagement by young adults – supported by an educational platform offering leadership and social entrepreneurial skills, as well as video-making skills."

Perhaps your curriculum includes units covering one of the eight issues listed below. Maybe you sponsor a club or activity that is committed to solving some of the problems in the world. In my years at Stevenson I have witnessed so many teachers, staff and students giving generously of their time and talents in support of a variety of local, national and global issues, whether it be working with the local senior citizens, honoring our veterans, or raising funds for victims of catastrophes, such as the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Today's technology allows our young people to have a global voice!! This is an amazing effort to better our world through the creative thinking of those who, one day, will be our caretakers. I urge you to share this with your students.

The "Film Your Issue" competition is open now! From the website: http://whatsyourissue.tv/competitions/

We are seeking your innovative solutions to issues. We think that 14 to 24 year olds can offer a fresh, innovative approach to problem-solving. Specifically, we are looking for workable project ideas that can be locally launched that would tangibly tackle a problem. An example might be program or project in a city or town to deal with surplus cellphones, or with under-employed youth, or that would deal with national security or human rights.

Check out the eight front-burner issues we’ve listed on our Issues page. We’ve listed some considerations for each issue there that may get you started in thinking about your solution-project.

Then submit your three-minute video to the Film Your Issue competition that both articulates the problem and proposes a specific project to deal with the problem. Submission is open January 18 through April 12. When you submit your video, we will ask for a one-sheet outlining your project in more detail.

The more dynamic the presentation of the issue and your proposed project, the more you will capture our enthusiasm. While cinematic quality always helps, a great project idea will sway our hearts. Innovative thinking is as important as slickness.

Just remember that American and global leaders will be selecting the winning solutions that will be presented to senior officials in the Obama administration, broadcast on screens in Best Buy stores across the planet, posted on our iTunes tile and YouTube playlist. We will also fly U.S.-based Jury winners to Los Angeles for our Awards ceremony co-hosted by Sony Pictures.

The Film Your Issue competition is open to all global young adults 14 to 24.

Global submissions are eligible for all our Jury Awards, and all presentation platforms. Due to the labyrinth of global legalities of any competition, the Audience Favorite winner, as selected by the public on YouTube, is only eligible to U.S. residents.

The eight issues are:

Education

Environment

Economic Recession

Health and Healthcare

Pathway from Poverty

National Security and Defense

Public Service

Human and Equal Rights

Technology

Additional information on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/filmyourissue

A few recent finds....

Over the past several weeks it seems I've found it difficult to make time for certain things ... such as posting to this blog. This has been partly due to the holiday season and end of semester/beginning of semester work, and partly due to my efforts on various committees (NICE Mini-Conference, ICE Educator of the Year, etc.), and extra-curricular activities (I'm now iLife Certified!)

Although I bookmark items as I find them, here are a few recent "finds" I'd like to share here:

100 Interesting Ways:

http://tbarrett.edublogs.org/2009/01/26/100-interesting-ways/#comment-3448

10 Teacher Development Tasks for Web 2.0 Tools:

http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/2009/11/10-teacher-development-task-for-web-20.html

What's Working in Schools (HOPE Foundation blog):

http://hopefoundation.org/hope/blog/

LoudLit.org -- Literature for your eyes and ears:

http://www.loudlit.org/

Do we know what good teaching looks like?

http://1to1schools.net/2010/01/do-we-know-what-good-teaching-looks-like.html

Technology Resources to Support the Struggling Reader (Meg Ormiston's wiki)

http://megormi.wikispaces.com/reading

Best Online Collections of PowerPoints for Teachers (Larry Ferlazzo's posts are always top-notch!!)

http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2010/01/24/the-best-online-collections-of-powerpoints-for-teachers/

Web 2.0 for Speech Teachers

http://farroutlinks.net/blog/integration-muse/web-2-0-resources-and-web-links-for-speech-teachers/

What to Educational Innovators Really Do?

http://www.schoolnet.com/viewpoints/Customized%20Leadership/viewpointpost.aspx?postid=39&paged=true&page=1

5 Reasons Why Educators Should Network

http://www.convergemag.com/workforce/5-Reasons-Why-Educators-Should-Network.html

Enjoy!

Happy Holidays

Google hosted another teacher academy in Washington D.C. last week, so there has been a bit of activity and discussion among the Google Certified Teachers. Kern Kelley shared some tips for using Google Gadgets on a Google spreadsheet, such as this "Word Search" gadget. (Read his blog for more tips.)

Enjoy this holiday word search (click and drag your mouse over words you find):

Here's more on how the gadget works.

Are you and your students blogging yet?

Stevenson teacher Chris Salituro ("Sal"), has been interacting online with his Sociology students for some time. Several years ago Sal began extending his classroom discussions beyond the school day using an online discussion board. Web-based tools have improved over the years, and through that experience, Sal has transitioned his Sociology class discussions into a "Ways of Thinking" classroom blog. Sal recently shared his rationale for using a blog, and has granted me permission to publish his comments here.

My use of blogging was a long time in developing. I was always reluctant to simply use technology for the sake of technology. But as blogging became more popular and the technology became more available I decided that blogging would be a way of using technology to educate students in a way that was previously impossible.

First, the rise of blogging in general seems to necessitate, to me, a blogging literacy among students. A number of our grads have gone on to work in media and they have returned to school to emphasize the multi-media explosion of the last few years. For example, one student works for Fox and he is producer, but he also does on-air reporting and throughout the last presidential campaign he maintained a blogsite for Fox that would be updated throughout the day. Many other traditional news sources such as newspapers are turning to blogging as well. My first goal is to introduce students to this up and coming trend.

Second, I have been very aware of the change from a producer to a consumer society. We have become a nation of consumers. By creating a blog, it makes students producers again. The student-managed blogs are productive in that students are producing their own writing and thoughts. Blogging is unique in that it allows for a forum for students to produce something that reaches millions of people. The seriousness and meaningfulness of blogging changes the dynamics of what would be a traditional assignment. Rather than a journal that is turned in to a teacher and then discarded, the blog is something that can be accessed by the general public. One example from my own life recently is that I was googling an article that we read last year in class because I couldn't find my copy of it. The first few yields of the google search were my previous students' blogs about the article. Now I not only had the article I was looking for, but I also had the context with which we discussed it in class. Students are now helping to produce the content of the class, and content for anyone with the Internet to see.

Along the lines of being productive, the third point about blogging that I have found to be transformational is that it requires students to take the class content and apply it to their own lives. In doing so, and in sharing this application, the students become teachers for themselves. In other words, I am not the only one giving examples of our lesson to the students, but now the students are giving each other a lesson as well. I do not want students to be simple consumers of my sociology, but I want them to produce their own sociology that I can learn from as well. With the blog I am finding more and more that students have insights and stories to share that add to our understanding of the content, and these stories would not be available without the blogging.

One of the reasons that the student insights are available because of blogging is the limited amount of classroom time. The blog is an unlimited classroom where students can read as much as they want and are free to share as much as they want. On the blog, I never have to say to students, “Okay, we have to move on.” This virtual classroom allows motivated and interested students to be as involved as they would like to be, without dominating the class. Incidentally, this has been really useful in terms of absences. My classes have a notoriously high absence rate. When students return and ask, “What did I miss?” I say, “Check the blog.”

Lastly, I have always been wary of what we were measuring with our objective tests. The blog is a type of online portfolio that allows real assessment of a student’s grasp of the subject matter and the student’s ability to apply that subject matter to his/her real life.

If you are a teacher who is "still on the fence" about whether blogging is worth the time and effort for you and/or your students, I hope that Sal's comments help you decide in favor of allowing your students to move from being only consumers of content, into the roles of knowledge producers and contributors to the stories that "add to our understanding of the content."

K12 Online Conference starts this week

The K12 Online Conference 2009 begins this week! This year’s conference begins with a pre-conference keynote by classroom teacher and international educator Kim Cofino (http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=394)

The 2009 conference theme is “Bridging the Divide.” K12 Online 2009 is a FREE conference, run by volunteers and open to ANYONE interested in integrating emerging technologies into classroom practice. A primary goal of the conference is to help educators make sense of and meet the needs of a continually changing learning landscape. Live events and twice-monthly webcasts will continue into 2010 via EdTechTalk, and Professional Development Credit is available.

The following two weeks, December 7-11 and December 14-17, over fifty presentations will be posted online to the conference blog ( http://k12onlineconference.org/) and Ning (http://k12online.ning.com/events ) for participants to view, download, and discuss.

Live Events in the form of three “Fireside Chats” are listed on the events page of the conference Ning and Facebook fan page, and live events will continue in 2010 through twice-monthly “K-12 Online Echo” webcasts on EdTechTalk. Everyone is encouraged to participate in both live events during and after the conference as well as asynchronous conversations.

Over 122 presentations from 2008, 2007, and 2006 are available, along with archived live events. Follow the K12 Online Conference on Twitter (http://twitter.com/k12online ) and Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/K12-Online-Conference/168872343206?ref=ts )!

To participate and begin learning, visit http://k12onlineconference.org/

Hope for schools of the future?

My niece Katelin is a student at Illinois State University, studying to become a Special Education teacher. She is also a recent Golden Apple Scholar awardee. In her EAF (Education and Foundation) 228 class, she was assigned to write her reflection on the state of education in the U.S. ... and to be creative. She has written the following poem (which she has given me permission to share). I applaud her ideas about schools needing "positive attitudes, high spirits, hope, and caring people" as critical resources. It's her hope for schools of the future. What do you think? Please feel free to leave a comment for Katie.

The State of Education

Geoffrey Canada once shouted through poetry to take a stand
An equal education is all we demand
But is it really equal?
We claim that our education is free
But since we’ve enforced NCLB
All our teachers are paying with time.
Precious time, our teachers invest.
Just so their schools can pass a standardized test
And keep what resources they have.
I worry about it as a teacher in training
That when I get there, my time will be draining
And I’ll miss those teachable moments.
I worry about the state education is in
Its imbalances are practically a sin
Children don’t have the same opportunities
Students up in the wealthy suburbs
Get all that a student deserves
And then grow up to be a success
While on the other side of town
School enrollment is down
Teachers are in a state of distress.
Because their school doesn’t get
Brand new laboratory sets
Or books with fresh, crisp pages
They just want what every school needs
And hopes to exceed
Society’s expectation of them.
I worry with my peer, Mae
who had much to say
about the schools on the other side of town.
She said its ignorant to be color blind
For these poor students you’ll find
Are no different from anyone else.
They start off with hope, but it becomes hard to cope
In a neighborhood that deals with dope,
Alcohol. Gangs. Fear.
Everything I’ve seen and everything I knew
Cannot compare to what these students have been through
They’ve had to give their education to chance.
Mae agrees that they easily fall
Into statistics, and find it harder to crawl
Out of the labels they’ve been given.
How its always the minorities
Getting gypped by the authorities
Because they’re low income, low property tax.
Their test scores are skewed,
They’re wrongfully viewed,
All they need is a chance.
Mae’s father says times have changed
Plans must now be arranged
To have a concentration in school
And to go onto college
And expand that specific knowledge
To excel in today’s society at all.
Such wisdom was passed to Mae
Who had something to say
Growing up in a white middle class suburb
Although her neighborhood changed
And races were rearranged
She never found it strange to adapt to.
She feels you could have the best schools
And still educate fools
Resources aren’t the only factor
While another school could be falling down
Yet have the brightest kids around,
All it takes is a chain reactor:
Positive attitudes, high spirits, hope, caring people.
American education is doing its best
To teach students from east to west
Lessons of the world around them.
These are the words of Miss Mae
But my opinions must stray
From something which sounds so clear.
For I feel education is split
Into a wide open pit
And all that is seen is an achievement gap
That must immediately be closed
Despite those who are opposed
To spend their tax dollars on proper education for all kids.
There are those who are with me
And those who disagree
One day I hope to resolve
We must all lend a hand
And together take a stand.
To fight such a huge discrepancy.

- by Katelin Johnson

Wolfram|Alpha Homework Day, Oct. 21

Last May I posted information about the debut of Wolfram|Alpha -- a website providing "free access to computable knowledge in nearly every imaginable subject area. Whether you're working on problem sets, papers, or projects, Wolfram|Alpha's algorithms compute answers that can help you not only complete your assignments but take your understanding of the subject to the next level." (Learn more about Wolfram|Alpha in this 12-minute screencast)

Now that school has started, Wolfram|Alpha is hosting a Homework Day on Wednesday, October 21, where "attendees" can:
*Learn tips and tricks to make schoolwork more fun,
*Chat with the experts behind Wolfram|Alpha, and
*Be a part of the webcast and win prizes

Wolfram|Alpha is soliciting homework questions or video clips showing how Wolfram|Alpha is being used in Math, Biology, Computer Science, Calculus, Chemistry, Finance, Physics, Astronomy, or ??? Visit the Wolfram|Alpha homework day website http://homeworkday.wolframalpha.com/ to submit your questions or videos... then visit the site on Oct. 21 to see whether your question or video is featured.

Your Vote Can Help Change the World!

Last September, 2008, Google launched a contest called Project 10^100 -- it was a "call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible." Almost a year later, it's time to choose!



More than 150,000 ideas were submitted from people in more than 170 countries, which has been narrowed down to 16 possible "big ideas" --

Community:
Create genocide monitoring and alert system
Create real-world issue reporting system
Collect and organize the world's urban data
Create real-time natural crisis tracking system
Make government more transparent

Education:
Enhance science and engineering education
Make educational content available online for free
Encourage positive media depictions of engineers and scientists
Provide quality education to African students

Energy: Drive innovation in public transport

Everything Else: Build real-time, user-reported news service

Environment: Work toward socially conscious tax policies

Health: Promote health monitoring and data analysis

Opportunity:
Build better banking tools for everyone
Help social entrepreneurs drive change

Shelter: Create more efficient landmine removal programs

When deciding how to vote, consider the following criteria:
Reach: How many people would this idea affect?
Depth: How deeply are people impacted? How urgent is the need?
Attainability: Can this idea be implemented within a year or two?
Efficiency: How simple and cost-effective is your idea?
Longevity: How long will the idea's impact last?

Google is committing $10 million to implement these projects, and their goal is to help as many people as possible. So remember, money may provide a jumpstart, but the idea is the thing.
Voting is open now, until October 8!

Here's YOUR chance to build a better world. Note... you may only cast one vote for the idea you think is best.

I just love "feel-good" stories!!

What are your technology goals this year?

Welcome back to school! The 2009-10 school year is just getting underway. Each year, we ask teachers to reflect on their use of technology and to set personal learning goals (relating to technology integration) for the upcoming year. Often, teacher learning goals are "skill-based" or pertain to increasing productivity (learn to use Excel, Word, PowerPoint, or learn to manage email, or post assignments online, etc.). Although these technology "skills" are important, it is equally important to consider ways in which technology used by the teacher, will directly impact student learning, and consider what will "success" look like? For the teacher? For the student?

Once goals are set, the next step is to and locate resources to help teachers reach their objectives. Is there another teacher who can help? What is available online? What workshops or after school classes can be offered?

To borrow from a recent presentation, Information Literacy and the Internet– Managing the Change, by Lanie Rowell, here are some ideas to begin thinking about your professional learning goals for the coming year. How will you ...

Use technology to...

• Create students who are information literate
• Motivate students to learn 24/7
• Provide students with reasons and opportunities to connect globally
• Give students an authentic purpose and audience
• Encourage creativity and passion by utilizing their strengths and interests
• Engage the learner and allow them opportunities to become more actively involved in their education as well as develop critical thinking skills
• Act as facilitators guiding students to choose the right tools, find answers, and make decisions

Successful integration of technology extends beyond "basic skills" -- as you plan, consider how technology can transform both your teaching and student learning.

Gear up for Back to School with an online calendar

Scott Meech recently shared this article by Jon Wittwer of Vertex42* on "Embedding Google Spreadsheets Into Your Blog or Website."

As you gear up for back to school, consider Wittwer's examples of using a spreadsheet as a calendar for your class, sport, or activity schedule. And if you don't feel like creating your own, you are welcome to use any of their preformatted Google calendars:

*Vertex42: The Guide to Excel in Everything website provides a large library of free Excel templates for calendars, schedules, budgets, project management, loan calculators, and more!

Archiving images from the past...

Not sure what's available in your area, but if you live in Chicagoland, I found this as I was going through the weekly "ads" this morning. Time to get out your old photo albums and go digital!

From Kodak: Rapid Print Scanner Service, "Exclusively at Jewel-OSCO" -- prints to digital in minutes. You can archive up to 200 photographs on a CD for only $9.99...

Archive images from the past with their easy-to-use scanner.
1. Choose up to 200 images
2. Load 20 at a time (up to 8 x 10)
3. Scan in minutes
4. Create prints, photo gifts or store images on a Kodak Picture disk.

Perhaps this would make a nice summer project?