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Class Dismissed

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Welcome to summer, teachers! Congratulations to you for completing yet another successful year of teaching, learning, and growing – not only your students, but you as well. We are continually amazed and in awe of teachers and their dedication. Now that summer is upon us, we thought we’d share some cool teacher-like things to do as you enjoy some calmer days.

  • Teachers love TED Talks. Here is a list of talks given by brilliant teachers from around the world. In case you need a few more, here you go.
  • Pop some popcorn and treat yourself to a movie night; here is a list of fabulous movies for and inspired by teachers.
  • Take time to de-stress; here’s a playlist to accompany your chill time.
  • If your students are not moving in class, you may wish them to do so. Learn about student’s brains and why it’s crucial for them to move beyond the playground.
  • Rock your summer break with a staycation, some baseball, reading, home décor and other awesome ideas.
  • How about a summer gig? Sure, there is always tutoring, but how about party planning for kids, working at a museum, or becoming a swim instructor? Check out these ideas and here are even more!
  • Keep an eye on your local community calendar for summer events.
  • Go to a concert and stay out late – you don’t have school tomorrow 😉
  • Check out your local art galleries.
  • You can find some rather interesting adventures in your own city, or wherever your travels may take you. Check out Atlas Obscura, a guide that celebrates a different way to look at the world.
  • Take some time to learn about all the various video sites for educators.
  • Take an online course, here are 25 sites to get you started.
  • Become a GlobalXplorer right from your desk using this online platform to analyze a wealth of satellite images currently available to archaeologists.
  • Ready to get paid for your creativity? Check out Patreon!

Last but not least, add some Snotes education to your summer to-do list. We offer this highly accessible tool to you as a way to spark your student’s brains, create amazing Breakout EDU clues and for whatever other creative ideas that come to you. And we know you do come up with creative ideas, please drop us a line and share your ideas with us so we can highlight you in a blog! Also, check out our Pinterest board for more summer fun!

Educated Guests

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smartOur Snotes team celebrates each new person that signs up for a Snotes account. Recently, we were flooded with new sign-ups! Of course, our curiosity was peaked; we had to know where all this sudden attention was coming from. Imagine our excitement when we found out that the new account holders were made up of teachers and educators!

From its inception, Snotes has always included an educational component. One of our first major developments was Snotes Quotes; a fast action trivia game app where the quicker the player can read and answer the author of the quote, the higher their score. One of our more recent developments is SmartSnotes; an innovative way of incorporating Snotes into the class curriculum, in the form of flash cards, game cards or through online or mobile learning apps that could be spin-offs of our Snotes Quotes game. SmartSnotes are still in the concept stage, in need of a licensing partner. Educators, a school system or a curriculum development company would be ideal for this opportunity.

But, one step at a time! To suddenly be the “talk of the town” amongst teachers thrilled us. We came to learn that during a recent GAFE (Google Apps For Education) conference, Snotes had been introduced at one of the breakout sessions, which was presented by Breakout EDU. Breakout EDU uses keys, locks and secret codes to help students complete their tasks, which in turn teaches critical thinking, teamwork, and complex problem solving. A number of educators are part of Breakout EDU’s very active Facebook Group as well; when one of its members posted a link to the Snote they created, several signed up for Snotes right away. Between Snotes being talked up at the GAFE conference and shared on social media, we became quite popular!

The educators involved with GAFE and Breakout EDU are clearly committed to pioneering new and creative ways to capture and keep their students attention, while simultaneously imparting valuable skills. Snotes being considered a great tool for education is just another reason to celebrate. We greatly value educators; it sure is wonderful to be valued by them. We eagerly look forward to what’s next.

A Top St. Louisan to Know, Knows (and Loves!) Snotes

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brianWhile at the TEDxGatewayArch event, we met someone who is as intrigued and excited about Snotes as are we. Brian Goldman, the President of the Northwest Chamber of Commerce in St. Louis, heads up the fastest growing chamber in the state of Missouri, with an average of 20 new members each month. And it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The Small Business Journal recently named Brian Goldman as one of the Top 100 St. Louisans to Know in Business. We recently caught up with him to get his take on Snotes.

Brian quickly began with, “Your Snotes booth was one of the first stops I made at TEDx. I saw all these people at your booth looking strangely at cards, flipping them around this way and that, I just had to know what was so fascinating to these folks.” He then shared, “I guess I speak Snotes, because as soon as I got one of your cards in my hands, I could read it almost immediately!”

The TEDx event featured several amazing speakers, but Brian confesses, “I found myself playing the Snotes Quotes game while the speakers were talking! Not that the speakers were boring by any means, I was just really drawn to Snotes and could see so many possibilities and ways of utilizing them. I finally just had to stop, knowing I could always go back and play the game on my own . . . and I do, often.”

One of the many reasons for the Northwest Chamber’s great growth and popularity is due to the fact that Brian refuses to allow any bit of dullness in, “We are a super active chamber and have something for everyone, there is no room for boredom,” says Brian. The Northwest Chamber can expect Snotes to play a role soon, “I haven’t landed on which idea I like best, there are so many!” Brian is also coming up with ways to include Snotes at the chamber’s upcoming golf tournament and more!

“I am drawn to different,” says Brian, “and Snotes is one of the most unique things I have seen in a long time.” He goes onto to share, “I see so many possibilities for Snotes and for the businesses that see the potential for using Snotes on their mailers, products and more. It is definitely a way to get people’s attention. I will be sharing Snotes with all our chamber members.”

Thank you, Brian, for you excitement about Snotes. We cannot wait to see what you come up with!

Meet Snotes Ambassador Ciara

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Ciara’s favorite color is red, which also happens to be her personality type. Red represents a person who is outgoing and big-hearted, which Ciara is. She also describes herself as “intelligent, versatile, and dedicated,” and we very much agree.

Dedication is an important value to Ciara. She shares that her favorite actor is Johnny Depp, because he has proved such dedication to his art. “I read his biography and learned that he spent over two months physically shadowing a man he was to portray in a movie,” says Ciara, “This story has stuck with me and reminds me that hard work will result in success.

Though she admires Depp, Ciara says the person she most looks up to is her cousin Devony. “She is only 21 years old and already has a career as a hospital technician, earing enough money to care for herself, her husband and her baby girl.” Ciara goes on to share that Devony has “an amazing personality and is a truly genuine person, I’ve never met anyone else like her!”

No stranger to hard work herself, Ciara enjoys running Varity Track and Varsity Cross Country, “I love it because it allows me to make new friends each year and become closer to my teammates.” She also participates in her school’s Garden Club saying, “I have a huge green thumb.” This passion for gardening has planted a seed, one that she hopes to grow into a future career. Ciara plans to work in wildlife and conservation to collect, research and analyze data. “I hope to help make the world a better place with my own personal ecological footprint,” says Ciara.

Her other plans include photography; she would love to have a “side job” as a professional photographer. And since she has her sites set on traveling the world, we’re guessing she will have plenty of amazing photos to share.

When asked about being a Snotes Ambassador she says, “Snotes are so very unique. They are not only fun, but are also a great way to exercise your brain.” She introduced Snotes to the attendees of TEDxGatewayArch events and recently to her niece and nephew, who have taken a particular liking to creating Snotes. “Those two come up with the silliest Snotes, I love when they send them to me, it makes me smile every time.”

Thank you, Ciara, for being an amazing Snotes Ambassador and an amazing human being!

ciara

Hooray for Snotes’ New Website!

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Our Snotes Team is active and dedicated to bringing forth the best product possible. It has been an interesting process to bring something so new and so different to the world. Due to the fact that our offering is completely unique, and has never been offered before, we have had our share of challenges. That said, we must admit that we have enjoyed every second of the journey and are very much up to the task.

One of the biggest challenges was to create a digital solution for creating Snotes. Our founder, Joe Bayer, Sr. used to draw Snotes by hand; taking up to 8 hours to accomplish just one Snote! He dreamed of creating a process that would turn those hours into minutes, while also adding a bit of whim and whimsy to the mix. If you’ve ever made a Snote, and played around with choosing the best animation to accompany your words, you’ve seen firsthand where the whim and whimsy came into play. Pickett Productions created the animations. Owner Jeff Pickett was so taken with the idea of Snotes, he would soon be brought on as a partner.

The animations were part of the solution, but a generator would also need to be created. Graphite Lab, a gaming company, was approached. Excited, the company was up to the challenge and set to design a Generator that would take your special words and transform them into a Snote’s masterpiece to be shared with friends and family. A lot of time, work and creativeness went into the design. Not only did the generator have to work well but the entire user experience had to be seamless, easy and fun!

Snotes was then introduced to the world via its original website highlighting the Snotes lore; an interesting history of secret messaging throughout the ages. The lore shared evidence of “Snotes” throughout history and asked the viewer to come along on an adventure; a quick jaunt beginning with cave dwellers, to the tombs of kings, and a glimpse into the minds of a few select geniuses who had a hand in inspiring the idea of Snotes. Today, Snotes enjoy a digital existence that can be experienced by anyone with access to the internet.

As Snotes became popular, it became apparent that we needed to create a way to share the latest and greatest accomplishments and endeavors of our Snotes Team. Hence, our website now showcases a homepage dedicated to keeping our fans up to date with all things Snotes.

Please take a few minutes to check it out! Everything you need to know about Snotes is right at your fingertips. Of course, we would love to hang out with you on our social media. If you have not already done so, please come on over to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram; we very much wish to get to know you and be a part of your world.

Thank you for being a fan of Snotes; we are absolutely a fan of you and all that you do!

website

Everybody Opens Up the Fortune Cookie . . .

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snotes fortuneEven if they are not going to eat it, at the very least they have to know the fortune that lies within. Fortune cookies have a built in curiosity factor, all it takes is a crack of the thin cookie shell to reveal a tidbit of information that may bring insight into one’s life.

Just like a fortune cookie, Snotes also have curiosity built right into their design. When the recipient sees the Snote, they will want to know what secret message awaits them. Even after they’ve become acquainted with Snotes, they will continue to be intrigued – it’s human to have to know what one has taken the time to send.

Fortune cookies cannot be sent via email, but Snotes can! The thought or insight you wish to share can easily be made into a Snote, then sent off to a friend, family member or colleague. Our ready-made fortunes may be the boost, insight or bit of fun they need! Here is a list of “Fortune Cookie” Snotes for you to share:

A friend asks only for your time, not money

A smile is your passport into the hearts of others

Stop procrastinating starting tomorrow

Hard work pays off in the future, laziness pays off now

A chance meeting opens new doors to success and friendship

Never give up. You’re not a failure if you don’t give up

A stranger is a friend you have not spoken to yet

You will travel to many exotic places in your life

The man on the top of the mountain did not fall there

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Stop wishing, start doing

Life is not a mystery to be solved, but a reality to be experienced

Achieve what you imagine, become what you dream

Big journeys begin with a single step

A mile walked with a friend is but only a few steps

Every exit is an entrance to new experiences

If you can learn from failure you’ll be able to lead the way

Don’t be pushed by problems, be led by dreams

Always smile it is your gift to others

There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going

Once you have clicked on the link, simply copy the URL from your browser’s bar and email it along. It’s that easy.

Thank you for being a Snotester and we hope you enjoy these digital “fortunes”!

Snotes Quotes Update

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People love trivia! Consider popular games shows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Hollywood Squares and Jeopardy; though each show is unique in its structure, they showcase trivia as their cornerstone. Over the years we have also seen a rise in Trivia Nights, which have become a popular way to raise money for organizations and those in need. At Snotes, we love trivia too. So much so that we created a fun trivia game app called Snotes Quotes.

If you have yet to play Snotes Quotes, you can play it online at Snotes.com or download the free app today for both iPhone and Android.

Just like the various game shows, our app has its own unique twist; to read the quote, players must first decode the Snote! This adds a layer of challenge and fun that has users vying to gain their spot on our leaderboard. Here is how the game is played

Players earn points by decoding a quote on a Snote, then guessing who created the quote, and they must do so in 90 seconds or less. The player is presented with a multiple-choice list of possible answers, the quicker they answer the more points they’ll receive. If the player runs out of time or provides three incorrect answers, it’s a strike out and they have to start over. Players receive additional points by guessing several correct answers in a row. The social aspect comes into play when participants invite their friends and family to the challenge; their scores can also be shared on Facebook and Twitter.

Snotes Quotes features hundreds of quotes from various genres including movies, pop songs, artists, famous leaders and more. The Snotes Team plans to expand the offering of quotes in all these areas, plus add additional categories, most immediately baseball-related quotes – we will let you sport fans know when we’re ready to check us out!

We hope to see you on the Snotes Quotes leaderboard soon!

Fun Snotes Tutorial

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If you follow us on Instagram (@snotes4us), you will see that we add Snotes to all kinds of pictures.  This is a fairly simple process that you can do as well.  Here are directions:

1)   Create your snote, using a plain white background.  After you Save your Snote, send it to yourself via email.

2)   When you receive the email, download and save your Snote.  FYI, the Snote comes to you ready to use with a transparent background.

3)   Next find the picture you would like to use. You can either use a picture you have taken or find a picture online. Be sure you have permission to use any pictures you get from online. As an option, you can download a picture from Unsplash, as all photos here are free and can be used for personal or commercial use.

4)   Your next step is to insert this picture into a blank Powerpoint slide or upload the picture to a free online image creation program like Canva. Canva is fun to use and they share many design ideas on their blog.

5)   Next insert your Snote image! Since the Snote image is already transparent it will allow your background picture to show through.

Have fun and be creative. You can make the Snote as big as or as small as you wish. Use one Snote as a centerpiece of the picture or sprinkle them about your picture.  Use them to decorate homemade cards, invitations or to craft unique images for use on your social media pages.

If you are on Instragram, be sure to follow us @snotes4us. If you upload any pictures using Snotes, make sure to let us know via #snotes so we can share your pictures with our fans!

Keep an eye out on our blog for more ways to bring your Snotes creations up to a whole new level. Also, if you have come up with your own idea that you would like to share, email us so we can feature you and your creations on a blog!

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