BARB'S TECH TIPS

Free Textbooks

2011-12-13T12:08:00.004-05:00

Bookboon is a free service offering free full-length textbooks, travel guides, and business books in digital form. The textbook section of Bookboon offers more than 500 digital textbooks. On Bookboon there are etextbooks available for twenty-five subjects, but the bulk of the etextbooks are focused on Economics, Engineering, and IT. You can browse the title lists to find a book you want or you can search Bookboon by keyword. Bookboon hosts books written in five languages. All of the books are free to download. The only catch is that you have to provide an email address before you can download the books.

I just downloaded the full text on Office 2010. Check it out!

What is that wierd box I see?

2011-04-12T12:51:00.005-04:00

That weird box you are starting to see that looks like a cross between a puzzle and a bar code is actually called a QR code (short for Quick Response) is a specific matrix bar code, readable by dedicated QR bar code readers, smart phones, and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arraigned in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, a URL or other data.

QR codes storing addresses and URL's may appear in magazines, on signs, in stores and supermarkets, business cards, website or on just about any object which users might need information. Users with a smart or camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the phone's browser.

There are many free, easy to use sites available for creating QR codes on such is http://createqrcode.appspot.com/

Bit.ly

2011-04-12T11:54:00.007-04:00

Think about the last time you tried to get all the students in your classroom on the same webpage at the same time. How long did it take to make that happen?

If the URL (short for Uniform Resource Locator) for that page was something like this http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22C6LEW85F/ (CTE Sr Survey) and you wrote it on the whiteboard in your room or you projected it on a screen, it probably took longer than you would have liked to get every student on that page.

There is and easy-to-use tool to fix that problem and it is called Bit.ly.

Bit.ly is a URL shortening service. Anytime you have a long, complicated URL you can use Bit.ly to shorten it down to something much more manageable.

You can create a free Bit.ly account you can customize your shortened URL to make it even more manageable.

For example, it's far easier for me to direct people to http://bit.ly/dKSQZd than it is to http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22C6L3EW85F/. You can use Bit.ly by copying a URL and pasting it into Bit.ly.

Try Bit.ly the next time you're setting up a lesson plan that requires all of your students to enter a long complicated URL.

You can find the link to Bit.ly below and over to the right under Cool Free Stuff.

http://bit.ly/

From Toy to Tool....Cell Phones in the Classroom

2010-05-18T08:15:00.003-04:00

I recently came across an article by Marc Prensky "What Can You Learn From A Cell Phone?-Almost Anything!". He stated that one-and-one half billion people, all over the world, are walking around with powerful computers in their pockets and purses. The fact is they often don't realize it, because they call it something else. But today's high-end cell phones have the computing power of a mid-1990's PC (while consuming one one-hundredth of the energy). Even the simplest, voice-only phones have more complex and powerful chips than the 1969 on-board computer that landed a spaceship on the moon!

Today's young people are using their cell phones for communicating by voice, text, and increasingly, digital photographs and videos.

Like all communication and computing devices, cell phones, can be used to learn. So rather than fight the trend for kids to come to school carrying their own powerful learning devices - which they have already paid for! - why not use the opportunity to our advantage?

At this years NERIC Technology Awareness Day, a statement by our District Superintent struck me. He stated "students should not come to school and use less technology that they use on the bus on the way to school".

I came across a site that allows live audience responses, somewhat like voting on American Idol. POLLEVERYWHERE is a text message polling and live audience response system. It is simple enough for anyone to use and flexible enough for a wide range of scenarios to interact with audiences and collect data.

You can insert a poll within an existing PowerPoint and get real time answers from your students. You can also conveniently log into a web site to vote.

Sure, as with any type of technology, students need to be monitored.

We have not used this yet but plan to with several volunteer teachers. Stay tuned....

http://polleverywhere.com

The Social Media Revolution & FYI..Kids Don't Email

2010-05-17T12:55:00.003-04:00

Its amazing how fast the world of Social Media moves!

Over 50% of the world's population is under 30
96% of them have joined a social network
Social Media is the #1 activity on the internet
Facebook has overtaken Google for weekly internet traffic in the US

These are just some of the interesting statics about Social Media. Check out the video below to see more.

YouTube - Social Media Revolution 2 (Refresh): ""

What is SKYPE?

2010-05-17T10:18:00.005-04:00

Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and, in some countries, to free-of-charge numbers, are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing. You will need a headset and a web cam. http://skype.com

Technology Facilitates Learning in Small Groups

2010-01-25T08:24:00.003-05:00

The following is an excerpt from an eSchool News Special Report on Small-Group Collaboration.

Educators are increasingly seeing the value of having students collaborate in small groups on classroom projects—and whether such projects involve producing a written or multimedia presentation, solving a math problem, or creating a video, technology can facilitate the group process.

With businesses seeking employees able to work in teams and collaborate on projects, more educators are looking for ways to incorporate these skills into the learning process.

"Everyone needs to be able to collaborate in a group, because that’s how things are done in the real world. No one sits alone and works by themselves any more," said Stan Silverman, director of technology-based learning systems at the New York Institute of Technology.

Some educators believe students gain a deeper understanding when they participate in group projects.

Lance Sutton, a teacher at Westview Elementary School in Goose Creek, S.C., said: "When a teacher lectures to them, they forget; when you have kids help design something, they will remember for a lifetime."

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards call for students to "use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others."

Collaborative projects not only help teach content, but also can help students develop 21st-century skills such as communication, time management, teamwork, and facilitation. With this approach, the teacher is seen less like an evaluator and more as a coach, facilitator, and mentor. Teachers today need to know how to mix and match those different roles to maximize learning.

Communication and collaboration are among the key skills necessary for succeeding in school and life, as identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, along with such skills as critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, flexibility, and media literacy.

What is WatchKnow?

2010-01-24T08:53:00.000-05:00

Imagine hundreds of thousands of great short videos, and other media, explaining every topic taught to school kids. Imagine them rated and sorted into a giant Directory, making them simple to find. WatchKnow--as in, "You watch, you know"--is a non-profit online community devoted to this goal.

WatchKnow is another source to find video's. It has a nice section on Computers and Technology

This category concerns computers, the use of computer applications, computer programming, the Internet, and other computer-related topics taught in schools. It also concerns computer peripherals and the introduction to the use of such technology as digital cameras and video cameras. Please remember that this is meant to be a resource for school students and should not have information beyond what is actually taught or studied at that level. Also note that the history of technology, invention, and innovation belongs under History, not here.

There are 4 videos in this category and 226 videos in 47 subcategories.

www.watchknow.org

CITRIX Student Instructions

2009-12-08T13:22:00.007-05:00

Students can access information stored on their (H) or home drives from anywhere they have an internet connection.

You can find a link to the instructions below.

CITRIX INSTRUCTIONS

THOUGHTS ON HOW TO MAKE TECHNOLOGY NOT SO OVERWHELMING

2009-11-23T10:39:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading and reflecting on an article (What Teachers Need to know about Technology) by a man named Yong Zhao and I took away some very valuable lessons on how not to make the use of technology not seem so overwhelming.

First of all he summarized it quite eloquently when he said that teachers need to “adapt technology instead of adopting it.” We need to be in control of the technology and not let the technology control us. The more depth of understanding we have the better we can use it effectively in our classrooms. The goal is not to learn and memorize the usage of tons of technology but to focus on a few types of technology that are applicable to the teaching you are already doing and that solve a problem for you, not create a new one. Technology should really be absorbed into what you are teaching not be the focus or distract from what you are doing.

Not all problems can be solved by using technology and one of our goals as educators is to identify which problems can be solved by using technology, what technology can be helpful, and how to use the technology in an efficient way to help solve the problem at hand. The more you apply technology into your every day teaching and the more training you receive in different areas that are applicable to the subject areas you teach, the more you will be able to manipulate the technology to meet your needs and not the other way around.

The more I thought about it I began to realize that the goal is not to know every trick in the book when it comes to technology. Let’s face it that would be impossible. But instead to know what tricks are the most helpful to you and your students based on what you teach and how you teach. Knowing a few technology tools inside and out and how they enhance what you are teaching is more valuable than having tons of technology at your fingertips that you don’t use appropriately.

I know that teaching technology in isolation is not always the best use of time. Let’s face it you have so many things to cover in a year that it can make your head spin! But, how many times have you skipped using the word processor with your students during writing because the slow peck, peck, peck on the computer keys really slows them down and actually hinders the flow of the writing process. Have you ever wanted groups to present something in Power Point but found that teaching the technology itself took away from what you wanted your students to focus on?
Whatever happened to typing class or keyboarding skills? I think that there is a time and place for the teaching of technology in isolation. Of course, the question is, where do we find the time? Well, that question is a tricky one. I don’t have all the answers but it did get the brain thinking about some things. It really does make you look at technology a little differently and hopefully not feel so overwhelmed by it!

Keeping Flash Drives Secure

2009-11-23T09:44:00.002-05:00

Keeping Flash Drives Secure

My USB flash drives (or thumb drives, flash drives or whatever you may call them!) are really handy, but also really easy to misplace. Is there a way to protect the files if (or when) I lose it?

The good news about USB drives is that you can inexpensively store many gigabytes of files in a small, convenient device; the bad news is you can easily lose that small, convenient device. If you are using your drive for storing any kind of information you don’t want shared all across the world , you need to consider your security options.

If you the files you are keeping on the drive are Microsoft Office files, you can password protect those files so they can only be opened by you or someone else that knows the password. In Office 2007, the Tools button is in the lower left-hand corner of the Save window, and you’ll need to select General Options to enter your desired password.

Now every time the document is opened, it will require entering the password. You need to write down this password – you cannot recover it if you forget it! (I speak from personal experience on this.)

While this works for Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files, it is kind of cumbersome if you have a lot of documents, and you may be storing other kinds of files.

If you plan ahead, you can purchase USB drives that have password security built in (or even fingerpint scanners!). If you search online vendors with the term “secure usb drive,” you will find quite a few options that cost only a few dollars more than a standard drive. (Most seem to be for Windows only, so this may not be a solution for Mac users.)

Insert a Picture/Clip Art in Office 2007

2009-10-19T12:54:00.004-04:00

Pictures and clip art can be inserted or copied into a document from many different sources, including downloaded from a clip art Web site provider, copied from a Web page, or inserted from a file where you save pictures.

Insert a picture from a file

1. Click where you want to insert the picture.

2. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Picture.

3. Locate the picture that you want to insert.

4. Double-click the picture that you want to insert.

Insert clip art

1. On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click Clip Art.

2. In the Clip Art task pane, in the Search for text box, type a word or phrase that describes the clip art that you want, or type in all or some of the file name of the clip art.

3. To narrow your search, do one or both of the following:

* To limit the search results to a specific collection of clip art, in the Search in box, click the arrow and select the collection you want to search.

* To limit the search results to clip art, click the arrow in the Results should be box and select the check box next to Clip Art.

* In the Clip Art task pane, you can also search for photographs, movies, and sounds. To include any of those media types, select the check boxes next to them.

4. Click Go.

5. In the list of results, click the clip art to insert it.

10 Most Dangerous Things Users Do Online

2009-10-19T12:21:00.005-04:00

The Staff of Dark Reading

The following is our list of "The Ten Most Dangerous Things Users Do Online," along with some explanation of some the risks — and solutions — associated with each. This list was generated directly from input they received from IT people.

Stick this up on your class bulletin board. If it keeps one user from making a big mistake, then we’ll have done our job.

1. Clicking on email attachments from unknown senders

2. Installing unauthorized applications

3. Turning off or disabling automated security tools

4. Opening HTML or plain-text messages from unknown senders

5. Surfing gambling, porn, or other legally-risky sites

6. Giving out passwords
Despite years of IT warnings to the contrary, about one in three people still write down their computer passwords somewhere near the machine, either on a piece of paper or in a text file on a PC.

7. Random surfing of unknown, untrusted Websites

8. Attaching to an unknown, untrustworthy WiFi network
There's nothing more soothing than a good cup of java and a free WiFi connection at your local coffee shop. But watch that guy at the booth next door — he may be hacking into your laptop over that very same WiFi link.
The only way to ensure that you won't get hacked via WiFi is to disable the wireless card altogether while they work from public places.

9. Filling out Web scripts, forms, or registration pages
" Users are more likely to get hacked if they use the same username and password for most every site they visit — a habit that puts their personal data in jeopardy.

10. Participating in chat rooms or social networking sites
"You should assume that anything you post to a social networking site is public."

MS Office Guides to the Ribbon

2009-10-19T11:50:00.004-04:00

Use Office 2003 menus to learn the Office 2007 user interface

Wondering where your favorite Office 2003 commands are located on the Ribbon in the new Office 2007 interface?

You're in the right place.

If you want to explore the new design with some guidance, try the interactive guides. You can run the guides right here, or you can download them to your own computer for use any time you like. Follow the directions to either open or download the guide from the web site.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102295841033.aspx

Line Spacing in Word 2007

2009-10-19T08:16:00.004-04:00

To fix the line spacing and paragraph spacing in Word 2007 so that it is the same as in earlier versions of Word, you have to change the Style Set option.To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click the Home tab.

2. Click Change Styles in the Styles group, point to Style Set, and then click the style set that you want to use.

To change the default formatting of your document, such as the line spacing and paragraph spacing, to the default formatting that is used in earlier versions of Word, click Word 2003.

3. To set the style set as the default style set in Word 2007, click Change Styles in the Styles group, and then click Set as Default.

Online Personal Safety Tips

2009-06-11T10:23:00.008-04:00

Rules of the Road

Don’t give out identifying information on the Internet. These are things like your full name, address, age, school, and phone number.

Review your screen name and see if it reveals too much information about you.

Check your profile. You may be displaying information about yourself that predators can use.

Screen your buddy list. Do you really know who’s on there?

Some people lie on the Internet. Unless you know the person, don’t believe that pictures sent to you are the actual person you are chatting with.

Take a stand. Don’t be afraid to say no and log off.

Tell a trusted adult or police officer if you or a friend gets into a dangerous situation!

Be aware of strangers asking too many personal questions and trying to become friends quickly.

Learn and practice the 4 R’s of Internet safety:

RECOGNIZE-techniques used by online preditors to deceive their victims.

REFUSE-requests for personal information.

RESPOND-assertively if you are ever in an uncomfortable situation while online. Exit the program,log off or turn off the coumputer, and notify your ISP (Internet Service Provider) or local law enforcment.

REPORT-to law enforcement authorities, any suspicious or dangerous contact that makes uyou uncomfortable

Cyber Bullying Awareness Tips

2009-06-11T09:48:00.006-04:00

Boys are as likely as girls to be targeted for threats or efforts to humiliate them on the Internet

Gender does not affect a child’s online risk profile.

i-SAFE America has created this list of Internet safety tips to help your family recognize online danger and take the appropriate steps to protect yourselves

Don’t open/read messages from cyber bullies
Your child can’t be intimidated by messages from cyber bullies they never open. Teach your child to curb his or her curiosity to read and respond to a message if they suspect or know a cyber bully has sent.

Encourage your child to tell an adult
For some children, their reaction to being bullied is not only fright, but also confusion about how to react appropriately. Coach your child to tell a trusted adult if they are ever being bullied.

Report cyber bullying
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can often block a cyber bully, and schools have specific procedures and rules to handle bullying. Save the bully’s message and screen name, then contact and report it.

No chatting while angry
Sending angry, hostile or taunting messages attracts cyber bullies. Make certain your child is not using e-mail messages or chat rooms to vent their own anger in a way that hurts others.

If you are threatened with harm, tell the police
Even if you don’t know how to identify the individual who has made the threat, law enforcement often has access to the information and may be able to track down and arrest them before they do more harm.

Be part of your child’s online experience
It can be a fun journey to explore the wonders of the Internet as a family. As computer-savvy as kids and teens are today, they may even teach you a thing or two!

What is Web 2.0 ?

2009-04-09T08:31:00.002-04:00

There has been a lot of questions lately about Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is simply a term describing the supposed second generation of web applications that encompass 'community' sites. Examples include wikis, social networking sites, blogs etc.

Here is a link to a short video explaining what Web 2.0 is.

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=fb43824bbab2d8c9b078&msg=You+must+be+logged+in+to+Add+to+Favorites!

CTE Literacy Wiki

2009-04-03T10:22:00.000-04:00

Did you ever need a new way to present old material?
Have you ever had a question about how to include some reading strategies into your lesson?
Have you tried something new and it worked great?

Well now you can get answers to your questions, have resources at your fingertips and have a place to share that great lesson with others!

Check it out: http://www.cteliteracy.pbwiki.com/

It is a new wiki created for our staff to share ideas, ask questions, get resources. You can create an account which will allow you to make comments or add pages. OR you can just get resources and read about great ideas.

So stop searching and go to: http://www.cteliteracy.pbwiki.com/ Today!

from
your literacy team
Jen Hower
Sam Frink and
Jim Haas

The Whole Wide World is Watching

2009-04-02T09:40:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting article with some words of caution about what you post on MySpace and Facebook.

This is from the NEA (National Education Association)

http://www.nea.org/home/12784.htm

Let me know what you think

Cool Free Stuff

2009-03-31T08:41:00.000-04:00

As promised to all that attended my workshop on Friday (COOL FREE STUFF), and for those that were unable to attend, you will find the links to the websites we vidited to the left.

If you run into any problems, please send me an email or give me a call.

Also, please let me know if you find any other interesting sites so we can add to the list.

Have fun, play a little and hope you enjoy,

Convert a Works document to Word

2008-12-22T13:25:00.000-05:00

Method 1:

If you have Microsoft Works installed on your computer

To convert a Works document to Word, use Works to save the document as a Word document, and then open the document directly in Word.

To convert a Works 6.0, Works 7.0, Works 8.0, or Works 9.0 document so that you can open it directly in Word, save the document as a Word document.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. In Works, open the document that you want to be able to open in Word.

2. Click File and then click Save As.

3. In the Save As dialog box, follow these steps:

a. Change the Save in box to the location where you want to save the Word-format version your document.

b. In the File name box, type a new name (if one is required) for the Word version of your document.

c. In the Save as type box, select Word 97-2000 & 6.0/95 - RTF (*.doc), and then click Save.

Note If you are using Works 8.0, select Word 97-2003 (*.doc) in the Save as type box, and then click Save.

d. On the File menu, click Close to close the document before you try to open the document in Word.

4. Start Microsoft Word and open the newly created document.

2008-12-22T13:22:00.000-05:00

5 Ways to Choose a Good Password
By Cathryn Conroy
A good password is one that is easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess.
First, this is what you should never do:
Don't use your children's names, your birthday, your alma mater or any personal information that is easily guessed.
Don't use the 10 most common passwords: God, love, lust, money, private, qwerty, secret, sex, Snoopy and password.
Don't use words that can be found in the dictionary.
So how do you choose an effective password?

Do one of these:
1. Think of a sentence that is easy for you to remember and then make your password the first letter of each word in that sentence.Example: "The baby is due on September 30" becomes the password tbidos30
2. Choose a word or phrase you can easily remember and then insert random numbers between the letters. Example: george870clooney539
3. Slightly change a familiar phrase by purposely misspelling it.Example: Two tickets to paradise becomes 2Tickets2Paradiz
4. Do what you're not supposed to do: Choose your name or birthday. But instead of using the actual name or date, type it one character to the right on the keyboard. Example: BrianJones becomes NtosmKpmrd
5. The best password, although it can be hard to remember, is one that is just random characters.Example: rj9kx3hla

Important advice:
No password is totally secure. Every password can be cracked. The best you can do is to make it difficult for someone to figure it out.
The worst password? That's the one you forgot!
Change your password often.
The more important the password, the more frequently you should change it.
Choose a long password. The longer it is, the harder it is to guess.
If you must write down your password, hide the paper.
Never give your password to anyone for any reason, and if you do, change it immediately.

Inserting a picture into MS Word

2008-12-22T13:19:00.000-05:00

Insert a picture into Microsoft Word
Insert a picture from a file or floppy
1. Click where you want to insert the picture.
2. Click on the Insert menu, point to Picture, and then click From File.
3. Locate the picture you want to insert.
4. Double-click the picture you want to insert.

View Picture tool bar
Click on the View menu, point to Tool Bars, and then click Pictures.
The Pictures Toolbar will appear.
From this tool bar you will be able to do a variety of editing to your picture.
Crop a picture
One useful tool is the ability to Crop your picture. This will allow you to cut and/or trim your picture.
Select the picture you want to crop.
On the Picture toolbar, click Crop
Position the cropping tool over a cropping handle and then do one of the following:
To crop one side, drag the center handle on that side inward.
To crop equally on two sides at once, hold down CTRL as you drag the center handle on either side inward.
To crop equally on all four sides at once, hold down CTRL as you drag a corner handle inward.
On the Picture toolbar, click Crop to turn off the Crop command.
Note: You can undo a crop at anytime before saving the picture.