RyanCollins.org

Encyclopedia Britannica, through their Encyclopedia Britannica Webshare program allows web publishers free online access to the encyclopedia and the ability to give their readers free access to an article in its entirety.

A special program for web publishers, including bloggers, webmasters, and anyone who writes for the Internet. You get complimentary access to the Encyclopaedia Britannica online and, if you like, an easy way to give your readers background of the topics you write about with links to complete Britannica articles.

I don’t see anything in the FAQ about limiting access to educational institutions, but they do check any who is applying to see if they really have a blog and publish regularly (left up to them whether you qualify).

This free access is in no doubt related to the popularity of Wikipedia (for every page view on EB online, 184 pages are viewed on Wikipedia). I applaud their effort to stay relevant and to offer this ability to Internet users.

And what a great motivational tool to get teachers blogging!

Tags: Online Tools by Mr.Rcollins
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Need a quick an easy way to convert html code to the html entities so you can post online? Check out the online XHTML Character Encoder. It will let you take something like this:

<h1>This is a test</h1>

into something like this that you can post:

<h1>This is a test</h1>

Tags: Online Tools by Mr.Rcollins
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From the NCS-Tech blog: Meet your “Maker” - Newsletters, Brochures, Albums and Postcards

Thanks to a tip from my friend and colleague Nancy Sharoff, I am pleased to tell you about these VERY cool and FREE of course services offering fast and easy creation of professional looking newsletters, brochures, photo albums and postcards Who needs Microsoft Publisher??

• http://www.mynewslettermaker.com/
• http://www.mybrochuremaker.com/
• http://www.myalbummaker.com/
• http://www.mycardmaker.com/

Tags: Online Tools, Web 2.0 by Mr.Rcollins
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Google, at Google For Educators, is now offering educational resources for using Google products in the classroom:

Google recognizes the central role that teachers play in breaking down the barriers between people and information, and we support educators who work each day to empower their students and expand the frontiers of human knowledge. This website is one of the ways we’re working to bolster that support and explore how Google and educators can work together.As a start, we’re inviting you to share your best ideas for using technology to innovate in the classroom. To your left, you’ll find a teacher’s guide to 12 Google products, including basic information about each tool, examples of how educators are using them, and lesson ideas. You’ll also find lesson plans and videos from our partners at Discovery Education focusing on two of our most popular teaching tools: Google Earth and Google SketchUp.

When I first read it I was expecting a more general view of Internet
resources that may be used in the classroom, but limiting it to Google products still gives teachers and students some very cool software they can use. Google Earth is talked about a lot, but I think a lot of people are missing out learning opportunities that can take place with Google SketchUp.

Tags: Online Tools, Professional Development, Web 2.0 by Mr.Rcollins
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