Group items tagged

 a free web-based tool that tracks and analyzes how you spend time while at your computer.Once the application is installed it runs in the background, monitoring both your web-browsing habits and application usage. (It does stop if you get up and walk away, so lunchtime is still your time).The service does everything from assigning you a basic efficiency rating to providing categorical breakdowns of how much time you spend on different activities (using Excel would fall under "Business" while looking at cat videos would fall under "Leisure Surfing").The time-tracking reports and graphs will show you precisely how you're spending your time (by day, week, month and year) and what activities you're doing (and, by default, not doing).Those looking to get serious may want to upgrade to RescueTime Pro (the plan starts at $5.30 per month) to take advantage of extra features. One that's especially helpful is FocusTime, which allows you to block all Internet "distractions" for a specified period of time. 

K12 Online Conference Sarah Sutter presented a great story of her classroom blogging experience. In the presentation Sarah covers everything from her first steps toward getting students blogging two years ago through today. If you're looking for ideas about using blogs in education, Sarah's presentation is well worth eighteen minutes of your time. You can find supporting materials for Sarah Sutter's K12 Online Conference presentation here.

 PassPack, a free, secure password-management tool that allows you to organize your passwords and access all your password-protected sites with one click.Once you create an account (using a secure code that not even the site has access to) you add your various passwords and PIN numbers under the Passwords tab. (You can enter up to 100 for free).  The site will also help you generate secure passwords and offers encryption tools.After you create a PassPack bookmark for a specific page (your Amazon account, say), the site will automatically log you in when you visit.You can also use Passpack to record and maintain data on your frequent-flier miles, warranties, and other PINs.And, for those times when you're not using your own computer they offer the ability to create disposable passwords.