Websites, Apps, Pocket Change...Oh My!

And just like that we had our third late start of this crazy winter. 

I am not complaining one bit, an extra hour of sleep goes a long way in my life. Plus this is completely testing my ability to be flexible and roll with the changes. So what if I have had to rewrite my lesson plans twice each week or we rescheduled our MOY when my PDA's was supposed to be...grades are due next week...why not just give them smiley faces?

With all the odd changes surrounding our weather and our MOY schedule I have been looking for ways to 'occupy' my students way too hyper minds and channeling my inner blogger has been just the ticket. 

In today's Tried it Tuesday edition I present to you...

WEBSITES, APPS AND POCKET CHANGE...OH MY!

I was not offered any commission or other goodies to talk about these websites/apps, just figured I would pass along what I have been loving right now. Sharing the wealth, one blogger at a time!

Websites. 

Picture editing websites like www.picmonkey.com are bloggers jam but our students also love to create images, or at least mine do!

I tasked all students to locate a quote or song lyric that represents themselves and then to find an image that could work to create their inspirational image. Then we walk through the steps to edit the image, add the text and even add their blog username...just like true bloggers. The results were pretty neat:

I have even borrowed Farley's Currently idea and had students create a currently using picmonkey...students really are just like bloggers in the making.

A few other picture editing sites we use are: http://ipiccy.com/, http://www.fotor.com/ and http://fotoflexer.com/. Who needs to buy Photoshop when you have all of these awesome tools at your fingertips?

Another set of websites we use are: http://webcamtoy.com/ and http://www.pixect.com/  in order to take pictures using our built in webcams on the computer. We do a ton of group work in my classes and in order to build that team bond I make them complete a team contract and I allow them to take a group picture...it unites a group of students into thinking of themselves as a whole.

We also spend a lot of time talking about problem solving when working with our groups and all groups are required to document their problem solving steps in a format the group prefers, a lot of students will take pictures using one of the above websites and add them in their presentations. Story telling with pictures has been a great way to allow all the team members to contribute in a way they feel really comfortable with. 

Plus its really cute when they say...John put the wheels on the motors and then John's head pops up in a picture with the wheels and the motors ... their facial expressions kill me.

Apps and Pocket Change.

These two topics pretty much go hand and hand but have nothing to do with school. We have a very strong no electronics rule at school that we must follow, but a lot of the above websites do have free apps if you are interested.

Everyone likes saving money and with all of these extra snow days and late starts I have had a lot more time to play with my phone and discover some really incredible apps. Perhaps I live under a rock and you already know about these...says the technology teacher.

one. The Cartwheel App from Target is amazing! Download and set up an account and BOOM you start saving $$$! For instance I stopped by Target for some wine this afternoon...and ended up lusting after a pair of cute spring pajamas. I opened up the app and searched for women clothes and low and behold there was a 5% offer on the pajamas. I added the offer to my Cartwheel and when I checked out presented the app with the QR code to the register and it took 5% off both items. 

What I love even more about that app is you can combine them with coupons so you get double the savings...and Target has some great coupons on their site. Two weeks ago I went in loaded with coupons and my app: rang up over $90 in purchases but saved over $17! Winner, winner...chicken dinner?

two. I just downloaded Scantopia and I am still playing with it but the concept is pretty addicting...simply scan bar codes of products with the app and earn coins or pocket change. The coins let you enter raffles and provide you offers for coupons...so in a sense extra pocket change! I always pick the slowest line at the grocery store and the other day I found myself occupying my time by scanning bar codes, collecting coins and a few extra dollars...aka...keeping me from strangling the customer in front of me!

three. Poshmark is pretty much my new addiction. It's a free site that you can list clothing/household items on and sell them straight through the app. I had four bags of clothes I was just going to donate when I discovered the app, out of curiosity I listed all of my items and have already sold 6 items! 

There are so many things I like about the app! One, you can take pictures and list on one page which makes the process quick and easy. Two, once you have sold an item Poshmark emails you the shipping label for you to print, so easy! Three, there are always 'parties' going on and ladies sharing your listings so you reach a large range of people! I have over 100 followers already, I can't even describe how long it took me to reach that in the blogging world.

Poshmark does take a small commission from your sale, I figure it covers the cost of shipping, but really these items were sitting in a closet unused so any money is extra pocket change for me.

What's even better is that if you download the app and use my sign up code (BPNVB) we both receive a $5 credit to the site, which sounds pretty awesome to me!

What great new apps or websites have had you singing their praises lately?

- The Babbling Box!