All posts by NerdMom
And Now for a Little Holiday Spirit!
We love this group but we hadn’t heard this version before.
Puppetools Review
I got the opportunity to evaluate Puppetools. Their mission is:
OUR MISSION is to open the door to sweeping change in education by advancing the principle of play in teaching and learning. The world still looks to America for inventive social, economic, and technological solutions. Once, America’s gift to itself –and to the world–was a bold new experiment in political freedom. America’s next gift–again for itself and for the world– can and must be a bold new leap in education.
Due to my creativity deficiency, I am always excited to try any thing that will help me out in the arts ‘n’ craft arena. This site focuses on the creation of hand puppets. It has a patent pending base and then downloadable templates that you can use to create a variety of puppets. There are also forums and opportunities to see what others are doing with puppets. There is also different things offered to give ideas on how to use puppets.
This site has a couple of different membership options. A year subscription is $99 and is good for up to 30 users. There is also a 60 day trial subscription for $20. With the trial you will have full access.
So my recommendation? For a homeschooling mom or small enterprise? If you really want puppet help, I would do the 60 day subscription and be prepared to look at everything during that time. I think you can fully take advantage of the program with in that time. On the whole it is ok. I do think you could find these resources cheaper but they are all here in one spot and that counts for something.
Go look at the site and let me know what you think!
Let’s Make A Webpage! Review
Recently I got the opportunity to review a new e-book called Let’s Make a Web Page! I hate to say this and if I do I may never be asked to do another review but…. Don’t buy this! This e-book, put out by Motherboard books, is supposed to teach your 8-12 year old how to program a basic webpage. Unfortunately, this really just teaches you how to use and manipulate a specific html editor (she tells how to get it) with a wizard. This means you don’t actually learn any coding. You could get the same effect by taking a basic Word document and have it convert the document into a webpage.
I know this is harsh but I don’t feel this actually expands any computer science knowledge. As someone who has taken programming, and specifically web design classes, this e-book doesn’t really give you any skills to take away. Normally when a product is not my cup of tea I look for the person it would help. This time I don’t really see a good audience that it could help.
So that is my 2 cents, take it or leave it. I promise I won’t be offended.
It Seems So Wrong But Is It?
On one hand this is painful and hilarious. On the other, as NerdDad says, once Barry sings a song it is his and I like Barry…..
Convicted By an Atheist
I have to say that many times I can really find myself convicted by people who don’t believe in God. I saw this video on the Anchoress.
When the Anchoress said:
The second message is as far from passive as you can get, and it comes from Jillette himself; “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them that?”
Think about it. How many times have you not engaged someone – and not exclusively for the purpose of proselytizing, but on any level – because you’ve simply assumed they are ‘not the sort’ to be receptive to you, or they are ‘one of them’ – the avowed secularists? Is that a sort of passive, impersonal “hate?” When you’ve passed them by, have you stopped to think that everything a Christian says or does, how a Christian comports himself or herself, minute-by-minute, gives endless witness, and so only kindliness will do?
But another thing really hit me. He repeatedly says this is a good man. All it took for this businessman to make an impression was to be kind and sincere. I think that I can do at least that in life. But I can say that I often think it isn’t enough to count as far as my witness goes. I fear that I need just the right words, opportunities or something shockingly special. Apparently you don’t. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Penn Jillette has converted but can you deny a seed. Either in him or any of the many people who watches his little video? And how many Christian lives are going to be changed? I hope at least mine.
Continuing Ed Anyone?
Apparently there are some free online courses in nanotech. Who says I need to put my kids in school to have them taught by some of the best and the brightest? With today’s internet there are more and more free courses being made available. So I can teach my kids all I know and then go to those bigger and brighter to teach them more. Stanford and MIT also have all kinds of courses for free. That more is more than they can get in any public school! Heck, when I can find the time I want to take the many courses offered. Maybe even a paid college degree will soon be outdated? What do you all think?
Refrigerated Beaches?
This is just an example of people with way to much money who know even more people with even more money.
Note to Self: Experiements Not to Do
But oh so cool to watch! The lighter is in the blender!
Times Tales Review
We recently received Times Tales to help the NerdBug learn his times tables. This is a cute mnemonic based system that is full of illustrations to help kids memorize their upper times table. Everyone I have talked to loves it. Well, we aren’t those people. For us, this system is harder than just memorizing the facts themselves. Because we are focusing so much on teaching him the theory, by the time he understood the concept he memorized it. This would be perfect for the person who isn’t working on the concept but is just trying to memorize. I am just not sure what kind of recall speed you would have if you have to recall the picture and translate it to numbers. At $29.95 you really have to figure out if you have the kind of child who would benifit from this system.