So it’s a Saturday and I should be shopping, but instead I am playing (anything to avoid the crazy crowds)! I found a suite of new (to me) photo image presentation tools. The first, imageloop, makes it simple to create image presentations. Of course, I thought it would be a fun way to share some of my daughter’s wedding photo’s on Facebook and what kind of proud mama would I be if I didn’t include a sample on my blog?

I found imageloop easy to use and intuitive. There are several options available to create photo presentations: skins, transitions, sizes, and all forms of sharing (including embedding, sharing on Social sites, and emailing). You do not need to register to create a slideshow, but I would suggest that you take the time to register so that you can edit your presentations if you feel inclined to change them later down the road.

My daughter’s wedding….

The second tool that I played with in the loop suite was guestloop, an application that makes it easy to add a guestbook feature to your website. Feel free to add your image and greeting to my guestbook sample…

The suite also includes an officeloop feature that supposedly allows you to upload PowerPoint presentations, but I have tried numerous presentations and had no success….maybe you will have better luck.

I should mention….there is a public section of the site that includes some sexy (meaning nudes) presentations. After spending a lot of time playing and working with the site, sadly I can only recommend this site for personal use. I do not feel it is appropriate for school use after perusing some of the resources posted on the site. Too bad…

I am intrigued by daily blogs that feature imagery and art. I also like quick daily blogs that make me smile. Below you will find links to a few of my favorite sites along with a sample image from each site. I hope you enjoy these daily image blogs as much as I do!

• Daily Squee – cute animal photos guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!
  
• Learn Something Every Day – great line drawings that illustrate a new daily fun fact.
  
• Indexed – images, graphs, and charts on an index card

• Awkward Family Photos.com – and you thought your family photo’s were bad!
  

I suspect that if you have been reading my blog for any length of time you have probably already figured out that I am pretty eclectic in my postings. Today I thought I would share an interesting gaming site I came across over the weekend…Fupa.

This gaming site features a number of free strategy and word games that can be embedded on your homepage or blog. Now, I am not saying these games are high order simulation-type games, but they still serve a purpose from the standpoint that they engage, motivate, teach students to think and reason, and they help students build small motor skills. And hey…who said students can’t have fun as they learn!?

Of course there is a catch (well, a couple actually). The embedded games link to the Fupa site which may contain some games that you might not want students to access…in other words, check the site for content you feel is appropriate for your students. Users might also need to endure some advertising depending on the game you embed or select for your site (though in many cases users can bypass the advertising…it depends on the game). The advertising doesn’t bother me as much as the fact that every embedded game links to the site. I understand why the games link back, but still wish the developers of the site would give educators an opportunity to select games that could be used strictly for educational purposes without the worry of a link back. I know this is asking a lot, especially since the resources are free, but hey…one can always dream (or pay a small fee perhaps?).