Widgets

I searched Yahoo Widgets [http://widgets.yahoo.com/] and found a vast array of widgets to add fun and functionality to my desktop and blog. All of my widgets came from Yahoo Widgets. Yahoo Widgets is a searchable database of both Yahoo-created and private-entity created widgets. I searched the top-rated widget downloads for interesting widgets, along with the newest widget creations. I found 7 widgets that may be beneficial to my daily life and my profession. These widgets automatically downloaded onto my desktop in a navbar on the side of my screen. With each new widget I download, comes a new icon on my widget navbar. None of these widgets were so important that they have permanently placed themselves on my 'do no remove' list.

10 Minute Lesson of the Day
This simple Widget gives a list of audio files on a separate page that tell stories of interesting events in history. Students enjoy hearing facts about history. It's a great way to get their attention before a lesson.

Calvin and Hobbes Fetcher
This fetches the famous comic series, one for each day of the year. It's just a pick-me-up at the beginning of a day.

History Slideshow
This widget is a skinny movable bar that is a slideshow timeline of major historical events, selectable from the 20th century BC to the 20th century AD. Again this is trivial knowledge that can be added to any lesson to spice it up.

Math Kards
These are flashcards for elementary basic facts in +,X,/,-. They are selectable by level and amount and time. I may used a widget like this and download it to each of my classroom computers as a quick review for students who have finished their work early.

Sun Clock
This is a world map in projection view that shows how the sun travels across the land. I may want to use this when I discuss the Earth, Sun, Moon relationship.

Today in History
The name says it all. It what you find in newspapers near the comics. It gives you a searchable database of historical events based on the current day. Kids would love to look up historical events and deliver them to the class in the morning.

Werewolf Monitor
No like it sounds. This tracks the movement of the moon around the Earth. This will be a great addition to the Earth, Sun, Moon unit.

Additionally, I found 3 gadgets that could increase productivity. I placed these gadgets on my iGoogle page. The gadgets include a large clock with date and time, local weather, and a Google Maps search window. It's nice to have a large and easy to read clock handy. I'm always interested in how the weather is so I can prepare for the conditions. Google maps is amazing. I'm looking for real estate at the moment, so this comes in handy when I don't know the road the property is on.

Widgets and gadgets have potential for being helpful in my personal and professional life. Right now I can live without them. I haven't found any that I can't live without. Maybe some day there will be one.