For the past several months I have had several questions about the devices I use as a teacher, blogger, and TpT seller. This seemed like the perfect time to provide answers to all of your questions about my gadgets, devices, and favorite computer programs.
I shoot with a Canon Rebel T3i. I have owned my current camera for over a year and I absolutely love it. I occasionally use an 18-55mm lens (which comes standard with many Canon DSLR cameras) but most of my photos are taken with a 50mm lens. It has a 1.8f setting and I LOVE how opening the aperture gives my photos a nice blurry artistic quality.You can read more about my camera and my lens in this blog post.
Maybe next year...
I Heart My MacBook Pro
Since I spend more time on my computer than anywhere else, let's begin with my laptop. I have a 15" MacBook Pro, which I absolutely love. I it is portable as a laptop; but powerful enough to handle my photo editing, product creation, and everything else I do on my computer. The 15" is heavier to carry around than the 13", but this is my primary computer and I love having a larger screen while I work. My laptop is 2 years old. Since then, Apple had decided to only carry 15" MacBooks with a retina display. This new line of MacBooks looks AMAZING.
If you have already upgraded to Mavericks (or if you intend to purchase a new Mac computer) this is the image for Pages you will see: It's the same program. Just with a fancy new icon. And a few different features.
I create nearly all of my products in Pages. It's a lot like Microsoft Word merged with Publisher without any of the bugs that make you want to throw your computer out the window. I haven't upgraded to Mavericks yet because I have heard many less-than-stellar reviews for the newest version of Pages. So my computer still has Mountain Lion installed and I don't intend to change it any time soon!
My Other Laptop
I am a Mac girl at heart but I recently broke down and bought my first PC in years. Occasionally it is helpful to have a spare computer handy and I wanted a PC so I could appreciate the experience that my customers with PCs have when they purchase and use my products. I also wanted to find something that most closely resembled the feel of my MacBook. Especially the trackpad. Ultimately, I decided to go with the Lenovo Yoga 2. There is no actual substitute for a MacBook, but the Lenovo isn't bad.
For a PC.
The Lenovo Yoga 2 is also nice because it has a touch screen and the screen pivots ALL the way backward so it can also be used as a tablet. I rarely use the touch screen or the tablet mode, but they are nice features to have access to… just in case.
Printing Like a Pro with a Laserjet
When I need to print classroom resources, I ALWAYS prefer to print on a laser printer. The colors are so much more vivid on a laser printer than an inkjet printer, and the price per page is SO MUCH CHEAPER. I have an inkjet printer in my classroom, but I made countless trips across the hall to my school's laser printer each time I had something ink-heavy to print. In fact, I made SO many trips across the hall that I finally decided to bite the bullet and purchase a laser printer for my home office (which also doubles as my bedroom).
I personally own the Hewlett Packard M451DN Laserjet Enterprise 400 Color PrinterImage may be NSFW.
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It's not a network (wireless) printer, but I solved that issue by adding a signal boosting router to it, which gave me wireless printing ability. This wonderful machine has a second paper tray that makes printing on cardstock. labels, and specialty papers a breeze. It also prints duplex (2-sided pages). And I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the printer arrived with all four toner colors installed to get me started. A wireless versionImage may be NSFW.
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with all of these features is also available.
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The toughest pill to swallow when a person considers switching to a laser printer is the cost of toner. With an inkjet printer, you can purchase a replacement cartridge for about $35 and that will get you through for a little while. It's not a big investment. With a laser printer, however, there are 4 different toner cartridgesImage may be NSFW.
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(black, yellow, blue, and magenta). I'm not gonna lie to you. The toner is expensive.
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Most of them run about $100.
For each color.
But the thing to keep in mind is that you can print about 1,000 pages from a single toner cartridge. It's a big initial investment, but it pays off in the end. I have printed DOZENS of pages from my {Black Series} product line on TpT and I still haven't had to replace my black toner. I wholeheartedly believe that a laser printer is better quality and more affordable in the long-run.
Let's Talk Lamination
Once you print all of those fabulous resources, they need be laminated before they enter the classroom. I actually own 2 thermal laminators. Both are Scotch brand, although they are different models. I keep one at home and the other in my classroom.
At home, I have a Scotch TL901 thermal laminator. I prefer this one. Probably because I purchased this one first and am more accustomed to it. I like it because the tray that holds the sheet to be laminated feels durable and not likely to break. (I often find myself in a rush and not as gentle as I ought to be.)
In my classroom, I have a Scotch TL902 personal laminator. It's great because the feeder tray folds in and makes this model easier to store. The tray itself is just a bit less sturdy so I handle this model with more care than my at-home laminator.
When it's time to order new laminating pouches, I always order generic brand pouchesImage may be NSFW.
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from Amazon. They are the cheapest and they work just as well as the name brand pouches.
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Shooting Photos Like a Pro
I have already answered all of your camera-related questions in a previous blog post, but I can't dish about my devices without mentioning my camera. People ALWAYS want to know what kind of camera I use to capture such memorable photos on the blog.I shoot with a Canon Rebel T3i. I have owned my current camera for over a year and I absolutely love it. I occasionally use an 18-55mm lens (which comes standard with many Canon DSLR cameras) but most of my photos are taken with a 50mm lens. It has a 1.8f setting and I LOVE how opening the aperture gives my photos a nice blurry artistic quality.You can read more about my camera and my lens in this blog post.
What I'm Wishing For
I have so many wonderful tools to help me work, but even I have a wish list. At the top of my list is a MacBook Air. I don't want it to be my primary computer, just the computer that I use when I travel. Right now I am living on a tight budget, so a Macbook Air is not in my immediate future.Maybe next year...