A Few ‘Blooming’ Online Resources…

By Dr. Pamela Bracey

Happy Spring, CTE Professionals!

As a former Business teacher, I understand that many people assume that all CTE teachers are technology gurus.  Yet, realistically, many of us need a little extra help in that area! As the March winds begin to blow in, I thought it would be great to share a few website ideas to help your classroom continue to “bloom” successfully, regardless of your level of technology expertise.  Please keep in mind that none of these sites are being endorsed by TEA or UNT…I’m simply offering to transfer them from my personal teacher toolbox to yours; so use at your own risk.

Are you interested in Image Editing without using standard high-tech, editing software?  Perhaps these websites would be fun to try:

• Aviary:  http://aviary.com. Available in both web and mobile formats
• Gimp:  www.gimp.org. Works on several different operating systems in many different languages
• Photoscape:  www.photoscape.org. Has a large variety of easy-to-use features

Maybe photo editing is not your ‘cup of tea’.  However, all CTE teachers should have the desire to stay abreast of Internet Safety information.  The following websites provide a variety of readily available tips to share with your students about how to safely ‘surf the net’.

• GetNetWise:  www.getnetwise.org
• WiredSafety:  www.wiredsafety.org
• NetSmartz411:  www.netsmartz411.org
• OnGuard Online:  www.onguardonline.gov

 
Are you in need of tutorials about Web Development Technologies?  Whether you are a beginner or expert, you may be able to learn how to create basic websites after you visit:  http://w3schools.com.  If you happen to get confused by some of the terminology used, try using some of the computer and internet reference tools available at Webopedia: www.webopedia.com. 

I hope that you will be able to find some of these resources helpful!  You should also check out our new TechTalk blog for more great innovative ideas (http://cte-techtalk.blogspot.com/)!