YouTube Distractions NO MORE!

We've all probably been there before. You're showing a video from the amazing resource which is YouTube. There are a plethora of educational videos that are rich, entertaining, funny and pertinent in which students really enjoy. However, there is always the fear of an inappropriate advertisement or suggestion for a related video that makes you wish you had never shown the video!



There's an app for that!



It is called Quiettube and can be found at http://quietube.com/. 

You drag the button on the web page to your Bookmark toolbar and it is ready to roll. Go to YouTube, pick your video, and click the bookmark you just made for Quiettube  and there are no more suggestions on the side of videos and life is better!

Thanks for taking the time and reading Simple Ed Tech.

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Screen casting Tools

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Screen Casting Tools

Screen Casting Tools

From time to time it is nice to have the ability to capture and share things you can see on your computer. Whether it is a Youtube video you want to add commentary to, directions on how to do a web quest, or having students use it to create content in which to share, there are times where the ability to Screen Cast, or get a video of your computer's screen with your voice in the background, is useful.

There are two tools I use and that I know that work well.

1) Screencast-o-matic: This is my go to Screen Cast resource. There are now two different versions. One that simply runs in your browser (you don't have to download anything) and one that you can download. I just started tinkering with the download version and it has an interesting feature in which it can record whoever is screen casting and place that video in the corner if you have a webcam. I also really like how you have options to simply download the video in multiple formats or even upload it right to Youtube!

2) Snagit: Snagit is a TechSmith product so I'm already a little biased as they are a Michigan company. This Chrome based application was initially used as a screen capture app. They have now included screen casting as a feature and it looks to be promising. You just need to install the extension to your Chrome browser and you should be good to go. One nice aspect of the Snagit application is that it can link up with your Google Drive which is nice for those of use that use a lot of Google products already.

If there is a screen capture application or software you really like please be sure to share in the comments.

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Simple Website to Practice Estimating Percents

If you want to practice estimating percents a great way to do this is by using the real world example of bills and tips at restaurants.

Head on over to Funbrain to play a quick game with levels difficulty to practice this skill. Servers will thank you! :)

Here is what you can expect!