Monday, December 29, 2008

Blogging Made Easy

I love blogging... so why don't I have any more blog entries than I do? My last entry was written on September 20th, which was eons ago. I'm always thinking of blog topics, but never when I have time to write and usually when I'm away from my computer.

Another mental block for me is that, believe it or not, I enjoy writing my blog entries on paper. Expository writing flows easily when I'm typing, but the kind of reflective writing I do in my blog seems more suited to pen and paper. I guess I just haven't arrived in the digital world yet - or have I?

This Christmas my husband gave me a gift that allows me to blog on paper and then transfer my writing to a computer via an SD memory card - without me having to type one word! Right now I’m on a 5-hour flight to California and the seats are so tightly packed that I have no room to open my computer. But I do have room for my new DigiMemo L2 notepad! I write on real paper with a real pen that has real ink - really cool! After I transfer my writing to digital format, I can save it to read later or use the handwriting recognition software to convert it to Rich Text or graphic format. With a few clicks I can create a Word document from something I wrote in pen on paper. After it's in Word format, I can edit it and work with it as I would any other Word document.

It may seem like just another digital toy, but it's proving to be quite useful. I'm currently trying to finish my book, Mastering Math Facts, and I have been able to do quite a bit of writing today on the plane. Now I just need to transfer it to digital format and import it into my book document which will take me far less time than having to type it from written notes. And I can think of so many more uses for my new DigiMemo notepad! When I attend workshops and conferences, I like to take lots of notes. Unfortunately, most of my notes end up in the trash can because I don't have an organized system for storing them and accessing them later. Problem solved! Now I can take notes, transfer them to my computer, and store them in folders just as I do with my word processed documents!

Want to learn more? Check out the link shown on the right. My DigiMemo pad was purchased at Amazon, and it arrived in a few days in perfect condition. I also received the ACECAD portfolio which is essential for keeping all my paraphernalia together (special pen, USB cord, SD card, etc). Put it on your wish list now!