PhotoFiltre - Free Photo Editing and Effects

Have any plans for those summer vacation photos or photos from the previous school year?

Take a look at PhotoFiltre. It's freeware and I have looked at a couple of different sites and all I can find are rave reviews. Did I mention that it is FREE (you probably know by now what that means to me)!!! Take a look at the review on SnapFiles:

PhotoFiltre

Photo Editing and Effects
Our Rating: (Excellent)

PhotoFiltre is a complete image editing and effects package, that will not only amaze you with features but also the fact that it is free (for personal use). It comes with many features that rival some commercial packages, as well as additional add-on that can be downloaded from the web site. PhotoFiltre offers all the standard editing features (selection, clone brush, paint brush etc.) as well as a large selection of image effects, photo masks, image adjustments, thumbnail browser and much more. The program also supports batch processing to apply filters, sizing, adjustments and transformations to a large number of images at once. PhotoFiltre comes with modern, well designed interface and is well suited for everything from simple resizing to advanced photo editing.

Pros: Great editing features; easy-to-use; fast loading
Cons: Does not support layers; no support for Photoshop filters Freeware

Also take a look at the reader's comments.

Update: I'm still trying to talk my kids into several vacation options, i.e. a trip down the virtual highway in New Zealand, or another virtual trip, but they aren't buying into my "technologically advanced" ideas. I think I'll pull out my copy of Touring Oklahoma and let them decide on a few local trips this summer. They will have input and learn something as they research the possibilities. Nothing like a little inadvertent learning...just don't tell them!

Thanks to Patricia H. for the info on PhotoFiltre!

Great Resources for Staff Development

I recently received an email from a blog subscriber that I wanted to share with everyone:

"I had the good fortune to recently attend the Student Equity and Access Professional Development Conference in Baton Rouge and wanted to let my colleagues know about two great resources for staff development. The first is a keynote speaker on working with students and families in poverty. It was sobering to hear Dr. Donna Beegle talk about growing up in poverty and the challenges many people, young and old, wake up to every day. Her message is that as educators we need talk about and better understand how poverty impacts learning and utilize strategies that work to help all students succeed in the classroom and in life. Dr. Beegle suggests that everyone should take Poverty 101 because our perception is not their reality. Go to her website, Communication Across Barriers, at http://www.combarriers.com/ to learn more.

The second great resource I learned about for staff development is Taking the Road Less Traveled II. The presenter, Jane Huston, talked about barriers that were keeping students from choosing a nontraditional career pathway and pursuing a nontraditional job, and suggested that stronger communication with our students, parents and community leaders about the opportunities and benefits of a nontraditional career is key. She also recommended that our district and state plans include more emphasis on career exploration in early education. The feature on the CD toolkit that I really like is how easy it is to access all the resources within the toolkit by simply clicking on a button. For instance, if you choose to view the modules on your computer, you can click on numerous links that have been provided to take you to sights with additional information, video shows, games, and lessons. They have also included PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and brochure templates that can be customized for your school. MAVCC has more information on the CD toolkit at their website, http://www.mavcc.com/ . I went there and was surprised to see how many resources they have available for CTE."

I hope you will take the time to research both of these sites. They are excellent resources for your programs. Also, I think I need to get out of my office so I can find more great resources for you! It looks like I missed a great conference!!! J.T.

Who Else Wants Money for Passing a Test?

Is money the key to testing sucess? I'm sure my kids would like money for passing their achievement tests, but would they work more if they could make up to $500.00? Would it provide healthy competition among their peers? Would their increased study habits be sustainable over time? Would they use their money on a new iPhone, save it for college, or even buy their dad a Christmas present? (My guess for my own kids would be the iPhone...but I'm always optimistic!) Low income students may have definite needs for the added income, i.e. school supplies, shoes, dinner, etc.

Or is education truly an intrinsic value? Will money for performance decrease our appreciation of something that should be treasured? Can the money for performance develop a "value" for education that possibly wasn't there before? Does this concept run parallel to our capitalistic society?

New York City Public Schools, the Dallas (TX) Independent School District, and a few others are offering cash incentives for their students to pass Advanced Placement and/or other mandated tests. The New York Post had a recent article entitled, "Learn-&-Earn Plan Pays Off: Scores Soar at Cash-for-Kids Schools" by Kelly Magee and Yoav Gonen that discusses the success of the pay for performance program. Many instructors are also offered an incentive for class performance on mandated tests. Is this an effective program for them as well? (Check out an article discussing the pros and cons, "Should We Pay Students for Good Test Scores? ")

The primary argument that I see in this discussion is incentives vs. the intrinsic value of education. I can truly see both sides of the argument and I hope you will let us know your thoughts on this topic.

I have one last thought for the day. I have long wondered about addressing teacher pay and there is a new program in New York that is paying teachers $125,000.00 per year and they will also be eligible for bonuses, based on school-wide performance, of up to $25,000 in the second year.

The school, called the Equity Project, is premised on the theory that excellent teachers — and not revolutionary technology, talented principals or small class size — are the critical ingredient for success. Experts hope it could offer a window into some of the most pressing and elusive questions in education: Is a collection of superb teachers enough to make a great school?

The school’s founder, Zeke M. Vanderhoek, 32, a Yale graduate who founded a test prep company, has been grappling with just these issues. Check out the New York Times article, "Next Test: Value of $125,000-a-Year Teachers," for the rest of the story.

As always, let us know your thoughts! J.T.

Encyclopedia of Life

I know this doesn't have much to do with testing, but when you find a cool site, you have to share it.....don't you??? JT

According to the website, "The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is an ambitious, even audacious project to organize and make available via the Internet virtually all information about life present on Earth. At its heart lies a series of Web sites—one for each of the approximately 1.8 million known species—that provide the entry points to this vast array of knowledge. The entry-point for each site is a species page suitable for the general public, but with several linked pages aimed at more specialized users. The sites sparkle with text and images that are enticing to everyone, as well as providing deep links to specific data.

The EOL dynamically synthesizes biodiversity knowledge about all known species, including their taxonomy, geographic distribution, collections, genetics, evolutionary history, morphology, behavior, ecological relationships, and importance for human well being, and distribute this information through the Internet. It serves as a primary resource for a wide audience that includes scientists, natural resource managers, conservationists, teachers, and students around the world. We believe that the EOL's encompassing scope and innovation will have a major global impact in facilitating biodiversity research, conservation, and education.

The EOL staff is made up of scientists and non-scientists working from museums and research institutions around the world. We currently have 20 full time employees, but as this project grows, so will the EOL family."

Thanks to JLa for sharing the site!

PBS Video

Thanks to the Librarian's Internet Index, I just found out that you can "watch your favorite Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) shows and catch the episodes you may have missed, all on your schedule." Browse episodes by PBS program or by topics such as culture and science. Also under the "Topics" tag are current events collections such as "Flu Outbreak," "The Presidents," and "Going Places." The site also includes links to PBS videos for children and podcasts.

Try PBS Video. They have some great resources! J.T.