The Buzz: Tools, trends, and gizmos—February 2012
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Iridescent beetles, LEGO gunships, gnomes in peril—math has never been more fun. That’s the point of Math Pickle, a site that employs these and other kid-friendly elements to teach mathematical concepts through creative problem-solving rather than worksheets. Spanning grades K–12, the site offers video clips, including one demonstrating the math structures in the picture book Brown Bear, Brown Bear. And curricular puzzle books featuring beautiful bugs are available for download in Powerpoint, PDF, and Keynote formats. Popular citation tool EasyBib is now available to Android users. Use the device’s camera to scan the bar code of any book and, voilà, your citation is automatically created in your choice of MLA, APA, and Chicago styles. As with versions of the app for the iPhone and iPad, users can search for a source by keyword or ISBN. Once they’re created, email the citations to your EasyBib account. Fans have praised the service in the App Store comments, but with this suggestion: add citations for Web and journal articles. With a goal of building “the world’s first library of human experience,” Web artist Jonathan Harris has launched the visual storytelling platform Cowbird. While you can add audio, the focus is on the image, which floats front and center, full screen; scroll down for the accompanying story and sharing elements, which facilitate connections around “characters,” themes, and location. “A lot of the self-expression that happens online today feels more like self-promotion,” says Harris. “Cowbird is a place for self-reflection and deeper connection.” Cowbird.com. Plain ol’ touch screen technology—that’s so 2011. Introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) for use with Windows 8, Microsoft’s upcoming OS, the Tobii Gaze interface, lets users control their laptops with their eyes. The software integrates eye-gaze functionality with the touch pad to optimize the seven touch commands of Windows 8 (activate, select, zoom, etc.). Open an application, move the cursor, and scroll a Web page, all using your peepers. So long, mouse. You’ll still need your fingers to drag, zoom, and click, so keep those handy. New York’s American Museum of Natural History is a wondrous place. Who better to provide a personal tour than Brian Selznick? In a unique virtual field trip by Scholastic, the best-selling author guides students through three exhibits that were featured in his 2011 novel Wonderstruck: the wolf diorama, the Ahnighito meteorite, and the giant anopheles mosquito. Activities by grade level accompany the highly produced clips, which also feature a scientist and curator, who provide additional insight into the museum’s history and collections. CES featured many tablets, but one stood out. It’s not the most powerful device and it’s not even for sale to individuals. But the long-awaited touchscreen device of the One Laptop Per Child initiative, the XO 3.0, seems poised to serve its target audience: kids in developing countries. With a power-conscious Marvell Armada PXA618 processor, the device sports a sturdy rubber casing and a Pixel Qi display for reading in sunlight. Charging can be accomplished via hand crank, solar panel, or a range of DC power sources.
Math Made Fun
EasyBib on Android
Beautiful Stories
So Long, Mouse
Brian Selznick, Tour Guide
OLPC Debuts $100 Tablet
