I {heart} iFont Maker!

I have always been intrigued by handwriting in spite of  my sixth grade teacher that insisted we use cartridge fountain pen I am showing my age. I am a lefty. She insisted I slant my paper in a certain direction. NOT good when you're a lefty! If I made a mistake, or smeared the ink, I started over. I hated the process, but loved the final product! I learned not only patience and neat writing, but also how to write with a "left hook" to avoid the wet ink.

In college, I had to demonstrate my chalkboard writing skills. The prof wasn't thrilled I blocked the board, but was amused I could write forward with my right hand while simultaneously writing backward with my left (think mirror vision). He said show your class that and then apologize for blocking the board!

I was thrilled when technology took over so much of my "handwriting" needs. It isn't that I cannot write in beautiful script, I often choose to type instead. When I became hooked on technology I became obsessed with fonts. This eventually led to my new love, the iFont Maker app. It allows me to use my beloved handwriting for products I make.

You can free-form letters or use a font as a guide. The font is loaded to their site where you decide to download or publish the font for others to use. You can use your finger or a stylus. It can be a little tricky for lefties that cannot see what they have drawn.

When I have a block of time and my iPad is nearby, I make fonts. I made three new fonts on Saturday.

 Frames by The 3AM Teacher

I will give a the link to the first three people that comment. I would love to know what you think of my fonts. You don't need iFont to use the fonts as they are True Type fonts.

My PD Day

       While many teachers and students had the day off, I spent the day in two county in-service sessions. My county has committed itself to offer a wide selection of professional development on MLK day. It is our first chance since August, and I actually look forward to it. Teachers could choose to do field trips, multi-cultural experiences, Daily 5, CPR and first aid, technology, and so much more.
        I choose a session on using iPads and iPods in the classroom and another on Stop-Motion Animation. I learned some new apps that I will share in another post. I was convinced to purchase a VGA adapter to connect the Ipad to the data projector in my room. The iPad 2 can show apps and video. The original could just show apps.
        Another accessory to consider is an IPEVO camera, $69. I first saw it at a Learning in Hand conference. Tony Vincent used it with the iPod and iPad. It is little, at about three inches in length. It comes with a stand and plugs into a USB port. I loaned it to a colleague when I got my SAM CAM document camera(see post on Wax Museum). It doesn't work well with my splitter for the dual monitor/smartboard. I love my splitter! My students never see my desktop, just the items I want them to see.
        I have two iPads, an iPad 1 that I won at the county's session (August of 2010) with Tony Vincent and The Technology Symposium. The second one I got last spring from Scholastic Book Club with 20,000 bonus points. This year's cost is 36,000 points! I guess they realized the value was worth the increase in points.
        For those of you considering an iPad of your own, you may want to check to see the differences between the iPad 2 and the new iPad 3 due for release in March.
       My other session on Stop-Motion Animation was fun. We used a program from iCreatetoEducate. We used the free version. A paid version is $30. If you buy the Klutz Book of Animation, it comes with a complimentary copy. It costs about $15 on Amazon. There is also an app for stop-motion animation for the iPad! I will share that on another day.

Hope your day was as enjoyable as mine!

Marcia