Saturday, September 29, 2007

Google info n G Docs

Living on the Internet and it's breathing so Free, fresh and ever enlightened with the amazing depth of Information spell. Web is a treasure of wisdom the interplay of Information, Work and Life. And with Google celebrating it's 9th Birthday, on the occasion, I feel compelled to sit back and marvel at the depth and Power of a Search Engine - My Affair with Google began way back years as I explored the web with various key words. 27th September - Google's Birthday and it's our Birthday too:-)

In September 1998, Google Inc. opened its door in Menlo Park, California. The door came with a remote control, as it was attached to the garage of a friend who sub-let space to the new corporation's staff of three. The office offered several big advantages and also provided a parking space for the first employee hired by the new company. He was Craig Silverstein, now Google's director of technology. Google.com was in the Beta version then and answered over 10,000 search queries each day. Their ladder to success was sure as in December 1998, PC Mag named Google as one of its Top 100 Web sites and Search Engines for 1998. By 21st September 1999, the Beta Label of Google Search Engine came off from the site and became Time magazine's Top Ten Best Cybertech list for 1999.

Google got the Webby Award and a People's Voice Award for technical achievement in May 2000 when Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin spoke few words of acceptance 'We Love you Google users. And this turned out today with people saying "We Love You Google". Quality of search results is all that matters with Google. Most comprehensive web search and here's Google come a long way with :google search, Google mail, Google Earth, Google Moon, Google Maps, Google Tool Bar, Google Adwords, Google Adsense, Google Store, Google Desktop, Google Video, Google Blog Search, Google Talk, and more n more!!! Yeah, Google Labs & Google Print and all more....

In 2006, we have the Google Video Player and its the best featuring upcoming on the web. Also a brand new Google video Store. A Google Pack and Google Apps - All so rosy and tempting to use! There is a play Blogger and the Picasa Web Albums coming up so live too. Even Google Moon went Live this year in September 2007 and this will give a chance to all who love Star Gazing:-) Indeed, a space Race for New Generation. Here's to Watch Google Lunar X Prize. Also get to the Nasa Sponsored Challenge for Technical Innovations - Info here.

Btw, there's all great Google Docs for use in the classroom I heard! I have just set up my Doc feature but for the English and Journalism class, Teachers have great tips from Joe Bellino and Ailish Zompa, ESL Teachers at Montgomery Blair High School, Rockville, Maryland. A brief video shows the use of Google Docs showed by Esther, Palo Alto High School.

I am sure, this will provide info to many Teachers - on marvels of using Google Docs, Spreadsheets, presentations and Blogger tools.

As for kids Safety, here's the Official Google Blog on Online Child Safety Initiatives which might help. Stay Informed. Enjoy!

- ilaxi patel
Editor, http://www.kidsfreesouls.com/

Author of Guardian of Angels

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Games to Choose for Kids - Tips

My last posting on Kidsfreesouls says, "kids play, they learn more" Like a Jadu ki Jhappi, their stress levels go down as they play. Video Games are so much a craze with many kids. Children are apt to play Games on computers or on the Internet. When I ask kids or visit a club, it's almost a child telling me the best tricks and cheat codes they use while playing a game.

Video Games was seen as a formidable enemy while studying but as the recent research in Tokyo find, Kids use Nintendo DS Lite to study maths during the 90 minute catch up at a High school there. With the highly popular Nintendo DS, a double screen handheld console, kids can study anywhere with no stress. These games go High Speed Wireless in Tokyo. Here's the Nintendo DS Lite Accessories which might interest you.

Btw, here's This Week in Games on Fox News if you like them. And well, it's still a concern for children to learn lessons especially during exams and there's when parents too need to check out the game and find what's best to pick at a store. Here's Games and Tips too. An X Box or a Playstation - or maybe allow kids to play on web - Remains all to be monitored!

Check on Kidsfreesouls for the current note or visit here again for updates. Enjoy!

- ilaxi patel
Editor, www.kidsfreesouls.com
Newspaper for Kids with Resources for Parents & Teachers
Author of Guardian of Angels

Smiley Award & Scone Technology!

Twenty five years ago, Carnegie Melon University Professor Scott E Fahlman used the first three strokes what we know as :-) These symbols are expressions we casually show in emails, chat rooms, messengers, etc. composed of several keyboard characters we use to express emotions.

Recently, Smiley turned 25 on 19th September and to mark the anniversary, Fahlman and his colleagues are starting an annual student contest for innovation in technology for expressions. The competition is held by the Carnegie Mellon University and Prizes are sponsored by Yahoo. The Smiley Award carries a $500 cash prize! I gather, Fahlman posted the emoticon in a message to a online BBS (Bulletin Board Posts) as he proposed it as a joke marker character showing humour or positive feelings with a smile and the reverse of the parenthesis to form a frown :-(

After many years, I visited Scott Fahlman's site today. Currently, he seems to be working on am working on Scone, a practical system that can represent a large body of real-world knowledge and that can efficiently perform the kinds of search and inference that seem so effortless for humans. Too high end learning for me yet, take a look at the site and this sure is Interesting!

And here's with the Smiley day just gone, I remember all those smileys and frowns I got with winks and yawning, angelic and devilish too - as I passed through ICQ, Talkcity, Yahoo Messengers and even India Times and many more Chatrooms. Kidsfreesouls has the Smileys Here - The Unofficial Smiley Faq for use and you can even add more of your smileys here 0:-) Enjoy!

ilaxi patel
Editor, www.kidsfreesouls.com
Newspaper for Kids with Resources for Parents & Teachers
Author of Guardian of Angels

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Sunita Williams Can't speak Gujarati!!!

A child came to me excitedly in the evening and said, 'Teacher, I met Sunita Williams' - Joshna Aunty put a tilak on her forehead and the television covered the news". Divya was however disappointed and coyly said, "I could not shake hand with her." Divya Chowdhury is a Sr. Kg student and so much happy to meet Sunita Williams personally in Ahmedabad at Roopnagar Society during her visit to one of her cousin's place.

Sunita, earlier during the day, visited the Sabarmati Ashram. The American Astronaut with Indian origin gave a message to around 500 children on the need to protect Planet Earth. She added, "It is our responsibility to as human beings to care of mother Earth. She mentioned, "Limitations are creations of the mind and if one sincerely tries every aim is achieveable" Apart from setting the record for the longest stay by a woman in space, Sunita Williams created more milestones- a world record for females with four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes. Sunita Williams will be conferred with the Sardar Patel Vishva Pratibha Award on 21st September. The annual award will be given by the Vishwa Gujarati Samaj, a city-based organisation, formed to bring Gujaratis living across the globe under one roof. It carries a cash prize of 2.5 lacs, a citation and a memento.

Sunita Williams had her inspirations from Kalpana Chawla but these younger children in Ahmedabad are so inspired by her. I asked Divya Chowdhury,"Sunita is an Astronaut. What are you going to be? And Divya said, "I will be an Astronaut one day." These innocent minds.....That's what we call 'Influences".

It seems, Sunita Williams had been to University later next day and she regretted that she could not speak the Gujarati nor the Hindi Language. Now, this is a surprise as her roots are in Gujarati and she's a Gujarati - an Indian too. Now, I guess Suni needs to be inspired from many Gujaratis kids here who speak Hindi, Gujarati, English and even learn Spanish, French or more languages!

- ilaxi patel
Editor, www.kidsfreesouls.com
Newspaper for kids with Resources for Parents & Teachers

Making Impact on Blogosphere

The other day, I mentioned of the yearly Blogger's Choice Awards for the Blogs on my Ex-Editor's Blog. These Awards are for the Blogs that make an impact on the Blogosphere. You can find their last year's winners here on the site with links to the Best Blogs in various Categories.

For this year Nominations, you can Brag their badge on your Blog. The Voting is open till 19th October and the winners will be announced on 10th November 2007 at Las Vegas, NV. The Awards are sponsored by Payperpost and other Advertisers.

Kidsfreesouls bragged the Badge for information on Kidsfreesouls.com. I am sure, you will find good Blogs here in their Parenting section. As such, the Best Award comes along when our hard work is really appreciated but more, our efforts are made use in some way - be it information, education, entertainment or any constructive way.

Click to enter your Blog through this link and stay tuned in here for more news and scoops of information. Enjoy!

Ilaxi Patel
Editor, www.kidsfreesouls.com
Newspaper for Kids with Resources for Parents & Teacher
Author of : Guardian of Angels

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Anxiety & Ageing

Grandparents are ever our strength as they motivate, inspire and encourage us with their wisdom. They are the heritage. A day may come when one has to be grandparent one day and leave behind our footprints with the sands of time!

Well, here's Grandparents Day on Kidsfreesouls. Kids can be provided information as to the History of this Day, the values of being a close knit family and showering love to these ageing souls and filling their world with happiness. You can read on my article Anxiety in my Book, Guardian of Angels - With the age, comes the anxiety and insecurity. This is for us to check this on while we pass numbers to be Grand oldies.



Well, here's a Survey ( Learning Environment Surveys ) on NY Daily News, which reveals some facts - Parents like Teachers but also have woes. What do Teachers have to say on this?

- ilaxi patel
Editor, www.kidsfreesouls.com
Newspaper for Kids with Resources for Parents & Teachers

Concerned for Kids Literacy?

World Literacy Day and it's 8th September to mark on your Calendar. Literacy is a way to go - Educate at least one child who needs to learn the basics or at least one can try to encourage and cultivate reading habits among children who are lost in textual lessons. Be a HIP (Home Instructional Programmer) with Swagat Children Library Worksheets online! Help kids - wherever you live!

I always say, 'Education without Experience and Exposure, is Incomplete' - With Tech savvy skills, it is more on getting Educated. Every Teacher or a Parent need to update with the skills of Technology. Get on to use the Google Tools and all the Tools you require for the Classrooms here. Kidsfreesouls has already been NIE - a Newspaper in Education with many topics already used in classroom Projects. You can join me at the Google Educator's Group and share your classroom projects and lessons too.

Here's my note on Literacy, written earlier. Kidsfreesouls is being re-designed to make my own work easier - meanwhile, explore and do send in your suggestions, comments or inputs.

- ilaxi patel
Editor, www.kidsfreesouls.com
Newspaper for Kids with Resources for Parents & Teachers

September 5th was Teachers Day

It is said "A great teacher is not simply one who imparts knowledge to his students but one who awakens their interest in it and makes them eager to pursue it." In modern era, teaching is not a mechanical process. It has become an art. Teaching is no longer simply giving lectures in the class or to make the students learn or write but overall Teaching means, making subjects interesting, easy to learn and understand. A teacher is a spark plug not a fuel pipe and so, applying various teaching techniques in the classroom makes a big difference for the development of the child. - Says a Teacher Here on the Teacher's Page on Kidsfreesouls.com. These are the Teachers' Voices I earlier covered in one of my Print Newspaper Supplement page.

In India, Teacher's Day is celebrated in honor of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, when he became the second President of India in 1962 and his Birthday is 5th September. Dr. Radhakrishnan said once "A good teacher must know how to arouse the interest of the pupil in the field of study for which he is responsible. He must himself be a master in the field of study and be in touch with the latest developments in the subject, he must himself be a fellow traveler in the exciting pursuit of knowledge. Here is the Wiki of Teacher's Day and here is a site with the Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam's Speech in 2003 on eve of Teacher's day.It is always wise to remember "Education without Experience and Exposure is Incomplete." Happy Teacher's Day!

- ilaxi patel
Editor, www.kidsfreesouls.com
Newspaper for Kids with Resources for Parents & Teachers

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Subscribe Ed Feeds for your News Reader

While I made some Widgets and surfed my way to learn more tech skills on the web, here's my Feedburner below - You can subscribe my feed post of this Blog to read in News Readers.

Btw, RSS is a huge opportunity for all publishers. You can even add my widgets to your Site or Blog with Newsgator widgets or springwidgets or the Feedburners.

Feed Demon has ever been my fav Reader and so is Newsgator. The Free version of NewsGator online Web based RSS News Reader is the "Best" and I been using the services since ages. Over a database of 1.5 million feeds, I have added all my Interests here with all automatic updates. Google or Yahoo or any other are no match to NewsGator, no ways! Try this and you sure will thank me for the NewsGator Recommendation. You can sign up here for NewsGator RSS News Reads.

All you got to do is, click below widget of my Feedburner and Add to Subscribe - You can select Newsgator, Yahoo, Google or whatever your News Reader too. Enjoy!

- ilaxi patel
Ed, www.kidsfreesouls.com

Kidsfreesouls Editor Blog

KIDSFREESOULS: Newspaper for kids with Resources for Parents & Teachers

↑ Grab this Headline Animator
Subscribe my Feeds to read in News Readers