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How to Start Blogging? February 28, 2007

Posted by admin in : How To, Blogging , add a comment
How can I found out more about using blogs in education? Do you recomend any websites/books?

I suggest you start here: http://www.weblogg-ed.com/

Will Richardson is a professional blogger, but this is his first year out there. Before that, he was a tech coordinator at a high school in New Jersey. He also has a book that I can lend you.

Blogging is interesting. I’m still getting my head around it. It is definitely a transformative activity.

We have a blog server at school if you would like to experiment. Here are a few examples:

http://sg.collegiateschool.org/ (password protected: collegiate networkusername and password)
http://blogs.collegiateschool.org/tech (You’re here!)
http://davidallen.intranet2.collegiateschool.org/weblog/ (password protected: collegiate networkusername and password)

You can learn a lot more here: http://supportblogging.wikispaces.com/

I’d be happy to discuss the possibilities — but if you watch weblogg-ed for a while, you’ll start to see the linking and conversations developing.

There are also a number of other education bloggers out there. Here’s a list:

http://supportblogging.wikispaces.com/Links+to+School+Bloggers

When you’re ready, we can set up a blog for you if you.  Here are two tutorals, Wordpresss Intro and Posting to Wordpress.

Facebook: Deactivating Your Account February 22, 2007

Posted by admin in : Internet Safety, Facebook , add a comment

To deactivate your Facebook account:

  1. Cog in
  2. Click on the My Account link toward the bottom of the left hand links
  3. Scroll to the bottom and click the the link that says Click Here under Deactivate Account.
  4. Follow the instructions.

This is not a permanent deletion of your account, but will stop people from posting on your wall and accessing your account.

Getting the Most Out of Your SmartBoard February 16, 2007

Posted by admin in : February 2007 Professional Development, SmartBoard , 2comments

Getting the most out of your SmartBoard

Smartboard Room Instructions

Parts of a SmartBoard Room:

Projector

Projector

SmartBoard

SmartBoard

Amplifier and DVD/VCR

DVD-VCR

Wires (VGA, Audio, and USB)

VGA-AudioUSB

Hooking your computer up Help Sheet

To use, just cut out and tape to your laptop:

FN/F7
Open:

  1. Turn on Projector/small remote—power
  2. Plug in computer
  3. Switch to #2 (right side)
  4. Function/F7
  5. Presentation on projector, etc. (2nd setting)

Close:

  1. Switch back to #1 (left side)
  2. Turn off projector (push power twice)

 

SmartBoard Troubleshooting Scenarios

Smartboard Lessons on Atomic Learning:

 

User Help Breakouts:

Everyone should try to hook up there computer once.

45: Basic Smart Notebook – Hooking up Laptop Practice, Pens, Gallery, Smartboard basics…

42 or 43: Using Media in a SmartClassroom – (Rubin on PPT, Chisolm on French Web Sites)

41: Advanced SmartNotebook (inserting screenshots and web pages)

Internet Search with Google February 15, 2007

Posted by admin in : February 2007 Professional Development, Search, Google , add a comment

Parts of the Search result page

http://www.google.com/help/interpret.html

Basic Google search rules:

You need to choose search terms for your topic: One that is broad, one that is narrow, synonyms for term, and a meaning of the word you would like to avoid.

1.     Choosing the right search terms

a.     Start with the obvious

b.    advisable to use multiple search terms

c.     You might also ask yourself if your search terms are sufficiently specific

 

2.     Google searches are NOT case sensitive. All letters, regardless of how you type them, will be understood as lower case.

 

3.     By default, Google only returns pages that include all of your search terms. (There is no need to include “and” between terms.)

4.     The order in which the terms are typed will affect the search results.

 

5.     Google ignores common words and characters.

a.     Google will indicate if a common word has been excluded by displaying details on the results page below the search box.

b.    If a common word is essential to getting the results you want, you can include it by putting a “+” sign in front of it. (Be sure to include a space before the “+” sign.)

c.     Another method for doing this is conducting a phrase search, which simply means putting quotation marks around two or more words.

 

6.     Google uses stemming technology. It will search not only for your search terms, but also for words that are similar (root words) to some or all of those terms.

 

7.     If your search term has more than one meaning, you can focus your search by putting a minus sign (”-”) in front of words related to the meaning you want to avoid.

 

 

 

Advanced Search

 

A new tool for searches: within certain topics, you’ll notice links at the top of the search results page that help you quickly narrow your search.

 

Cheat Sheet: http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html

 

Site: The word “site” followed by a colon enables you to restrict your search to a specific site.

Date: Search only a range of months

Info: Find information about the website

Link: linked pages

Intitle: word in the title

Author: author of the article

 

 ”I’m Feeling Lucky” button, which takes you straight to the most relevant website that Google found for your query.

 We are going to Sign on to Atomic Learning and watch: Refining A Google Search With Specific Key Words

 Phone Numbers:

 

Google book and Google Scholar

More More Page or   http://books.google.com/ and  http://scholar.google.com/

Google Scholar

Google Book

Few short excerpts to the entire book

 

What is possible?

Google Scholar

 

Google Scholar aims to sort articles the way researchers do, weighing the full text of each article, the author, the publication in which the article appears, and how often the piece has been cited in other scholarly literature. The most relevant results will always appear on the first page.

1.     Title – Links to the abstract of the article, or when available on the web, the complete article.

2.     Cited By – Identifies other papers that have cited articles in the group.

3.     Related Articles – Finds other papers that are similar to articles in this group.

4.     Library Links (online) – Locates an electronic version of the work through your affiliated Library. These links appear automatically if you’re on campus.

5.     Library Links (offline) – Locates libraries which have a physical copy of the work.

6.     Group of – Finds other articles included in this group of scholarly works, possibly preliminary, which you may be able to access. Examples include preprints, abstracts, conference papers or other adaptations.

7.     Web Search – Searches for information about this work on Google.

8.     BL Direct – Purchase the full text of the article through the British Library. Google receives no compensation from this service.

Great Presentations with Powerpoint February 15, 2007

Posted by rsong in : Uncategorized, February 2007 Professional Development, PowerPoint , add a comment

What’s Wrong With This Slide? Modeling the Good and the Bad.

· Slide show of slides with good and bad elements. As a group we can say what we like and dislike. What is effective? What is distracting?

· Distribute good practices document.

Rotating Slide Show
Scenario : You have a camera full of images that you took of your class. It is curriculum night and you want to create a slide show that automatically rotates through the photos.

· Take a folder of images that you want to rotate through continuously

· Create slide show.

· Set to Repeat.

Lesson in PowerPoint
Scenario: You want to show your students a sample PowerPoint for their upcoming presentation.

Part 1: Create your slide show

· Title Slide

· Insert a new slide

o Hint : Insert Menu

· Choose a template for your presentation (aka. Slide Design)

o Hint: Format Menu

· Customize the background color of your slides

o Hint: Format Menu

· Change text colors

o Hint 1: Look on your toolbar

o Hint 2: Format Menu

· Change text size

o Hint 1: Look on your toolbar

o Hint 2: Format Menu

· Change slides on clicks versus by time

o Hint: Slide Show Menu

· Animate the title (Custom Animation), using dissolve (More Effects)

o Hint 1: Slide Show Menu

o Hint 2: Microsoft provides instructions about Custom Animations.

· Text Animation

· Use a table to show data summary

o Hint: Insert Menu

· Use the shapes (Auto Shapes) and clip art catalog

o Hint: Insert Menu

· References Slide

· Insert Sounds (from the Clip Organizer)

o Hint: Insert Menu

· Hyperlink some resources in your reference slide

o Hint: Insert Menu

 

Part 2: Review your slide show

· View Slide Show

o Hint: Slide Show Menu

· Use arrows to navigate slides

o Us e the left and right arrows

· Commenting

o Hint: Insert Menu

 

Part 3: Printing slides to take notes

· Printing multiple slides per page.

o File à Print à Print what? Handouts

· Printing slides with note taking lines

o Hint: 3 slides per page

 

If you finish early, or you need more instruction please look for further assistance at Atomic Learning.

Getting the Most Out of FirstClass February 15, 2007

Posted by admin in : FirstClass, February 2007 Professional Development , add a comment

Goal: First Class Competency.

Have them log into First Class.
Change their password.

Basic Messaging
Create and send an e-mail message
Read and reply to e-mail message to sender
Read and reply to e-mail message to a group
Forward an e-mail message
Reply to all with quote
BCC

Demo/Activity: Bounce an email around the class (forwarding, replying, etc.)

Attachments
Send an e-mail with an attachment
Save an attachment to another location

Demo/Activity: Send an attachment to the group.

Mailing Lists
Create and send a welcome email to the group with an outline of the class.
Show them how to see who is on the mailing list.
Create a mailing list for each of your classes using Collegiate Connect. [ http://blogs.collegiateschool.org/tech/2007/02/02/how-to-send-an-email-to-your-roster-from-collegiate-connect/]

Demo/Activity: Redo the previous activity, but instead using the mailing list.
Activity: Create mailing lists for each of their courses.

Conference & Search
Read, Send to, and Reply to messages in News and Division Conferences
Post a support request to Technical Support
Find an e-mail

Demo/Activity: Show the different results using the different search options

Organizng Your Messages
Sort Mailbox by Name, Size, Subject or Last Modified
Show different views - splitting panes.
Organizing your messages - File management.
Create a New Folder
File messages in a folder
Delete old/unwanted messages
Mark messages as read/unread
Undelete
Full Inbox: 1500 messages

Activity: Start to sort and organize your files

First Class Chat
Initiate a Chat

Activity: Participate in a Chat

Accessing First Class at Home:
Access FirstClass from home using the client
How to download and install the client
Setup the client
Access FirstClass from any web browser

Creating a Publication with Publisher February 15, 2007

Posted by admin in : February 2007 Professional Development, Publisher , add a comment

Let’s Learn Publisher!

Begin with a Blank Print Publication

(Do not choose a Publication Design)

Learn to use the Toolbars

In addition to the tools that you often use in Microsoft Word, these tools are very helpful in Publisher. If you rest your mouse on each tool without clicking it will tell you in a yellow box what that tool does.

1.Go to AUTOSHAPES and choose one. Draw it in the middle of the page.

2.Right click and on it and ADD TEXT.

3.Type a phrase or sentence into the shape.

4.Select the text, choose a FONT, and make it large enough to fill the shape without getting cut off.

5.Right click in the middle of the word text and choose PROOFING TOOLS -HYPHENATION – remove the checkmark for AUTOMATICALLY HYPHENATE THIS STORY.

6.You might need to widen your shape to make the text fit.

7.Select the font and use the FONT COLOR tool (formatting toolbar) to choose RED (go to MORE COLORS).

8.CENTER the text (Formatting Toolbar).

9.Right click in the middle of the shape and choose FORMAT AUTOSHAPE – Click on the TEXT BOX tab at the top and under VERTICAL ALIGNMENT choose MIDDLE.

10.  Click once on the shape and use the FILL COLOR tool (formatting toolbar) to choose a SOLID COLOR (or go to FILL EFFECTS to choose something more funky).

11.  Click once on the shape and use the LINE/BORDER STYLE tool (Formatting Toolbar) – choose 4½ PT.

12.  Use the DASH STYLE tool (Formatting Toolbar) – choose any of the dashes.

13.  Use the LINE COLOR tool (Formatting Toolbar) – a color for the outside of your shape.

14.  Choose the ARROW TOOL (Object Toolbar) and draw an arrow from the bottom left corner to the top right of your shape.

15.  Right click on the arrow and choose FORMAT AUTOSHAPE. Then change everything about the arrow – font, size, color, etc.

16.  Right click on the arrow and go to ORDER – choose SEND TO BACK.

17.  Click on the INSERT WORDART tool and choose a style. Type your name and choose a font. You do not have to change the size.

18.  Move the WORDART above your shape­­ and resize it using the circles surrounding it.

19.  If you’d like, use the WORDART TOOLBAR to change the way your name looks – the shape, color, font, etc. Have fun experimenting with it.

20.  Click the PICTURE FRAME tool and choose CLIP ART.

21.  Search for a clip. Choose the one that you like by clicking on it once. It will take a second but then it will show up on your page. Use the resizing circles to make it smaller and move it under the text in your shape. Close the Clip Art.

22.  Click the TEXT BOX tool and draw a box on your page. Type a message. Change the FONT, SIZE, and TEXT COLOR. Add a FILL COLOR to the box.

23.  Save this in My Documents or on your Z: drive – call it LEARNING PUBLISHER.

 

You now know how to use all of the drawing tools in PUBLISHER! But wait – don’t leave yet. There’s still more to learn…                      

Learn To Make Any Kind of Publication

1.      Go to FILE – NEW. You’re going to take a look at your options and decide what you want to make. On the left side of the page, look at the NEW PUBLICATION sidebar. You have several choices for publications now.

 

a.       Click the little blue triangle next to PUBLICATIONS FOR PRINT and look at all the different kind of publications you can make. These are publications that are done for you (all of which can be changed). It’s a great way to make something if you are in a rush! Scroll down to see all the options. Click that little blue triangle again to see more options.

 

b.      Take a look at the choices under BLANK PUBLICATIONS. I love this one because it will set up the pages for me and all I have to do is add the text and then set up the design any way I like it.

 

2.      Choose the Publication that you want to work on. I highly recommend adding the text first and then working on the design. It will make your life much easier later on.

 

3.      HAVE FUN!

 

 

 

Wait – we’re not done. There are some things you should look out for…

 

1.      Watch for the  symbol at the bottom of a text box. It means that you have text that is not showing. You have several choices: make the text smaller, the box bigger, or link this box to another box.  Use the  (CREATE TEXT BOX LINK) tool to do this.

 

2.      On when you create some documents like the SIDE FOLD CARD or the BOOK FOLD, you will get this message:

You should always add pages in groups for documents like this. The program is doing you a favor. Don’t believe me, put something different on each page and print it out. It will be clear to you then how it works!

 

3.      There are tons of options in Publisher. Give your document a try. If you want to learn more, be sure to visit Atomic Learning at  http://www.atomiclearning.com/publisher_2003. You can also link there from Connect – click on Atomic Learning and the Our Tutorials. You are looking for the Publisher 2003 for PC tutorial.

Getting Your Files Organized February 15, 2007

Posted by admin in : February 2007 Professional Development, File Management , add a comment

Learning Goal: To know where your files are, organize them in My Documents, and back them up.

Organizing Your Files
Cheat Sheet

Click My Computer.
Click the folder that needs organizing.
Maximize the folder.
Click on the FOLDERS button on the toolbar at the top. Use this to help reorganize files.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I make a new folder? Right click outside of all other folders and choose NEW and then FOLDER. Type the name of the folder immediately and click outside of it.
How do I move a file? Just DRAG and DROP it into the new location. If you can’t see both folders, you can also CUT it from the original folder and PASTE it in the correct destination.
How do I rename a file? Simply right click on it and choose RENAME
How do I delete a file? First you need to know that once you do it, it is permanent! Deleting is easy. Right click on the file and choose DELETE, then confirm in the next window. If you want to delete several files at once, select them but using the CTRL-Click method. Then Right click on one of the selected files and choose DELETE.
Where should I save my pictures? If they are school related photos put them in the shared photos folder for the respective division. If they are personal photos, put them in your My Documents folder.
I know I saved a file but I can’t find it anywhere. How do I search for a file? Go to START – SEARCH and follow the prompts. Still can’t find it, click on ADVANCED SEARCH OPTIONS to tell the computer where to search or to search for a word or phrase in the file.

Excel Professional February 15, 2007

Posted by admin in : February 2007 Professional Development, Excel , add a comment

I. Intro – What Can Excel do for me
II. Workbook – Header and Footer; Columns and Rows
III. Worksheets – Insert, delete, rename, copy
IV. Cell Reference – Naming procedure
V. Cell Formatting – Font, font size, color, bold, italic, underline, borders, alignment, wrap text, number, currency, text.
Battleship with cell formatting
VI. Column & Row Formatting – Resize width and height
VII. Setup a Budget Worksheet;

1. Cell A1 Enter text ‘Family Monthly Budget – 2007
2. Highlight Cells A1 through O1.
3. Select Merge and Center tool
4. Cell A2 enter ‘Expenses’
5. Cell B2 enter January
6. Auto Fill February through December
7. Cell N2 enter text ‘Year to Date Totals‘ & Wrap Text
8. Cell O2 enter text ‘Average Monthly Expense‘ & Wrap Text
9. Beginning in Cell A2 enter one of the following expense items in successive cells: Rent, Phone, Electricity, Gas, Water, Cable, Waste Removal, Maintenance, Supplies, Food, Entertainment. The last entry should be Monthly Totals
10. In Column B, January, enter a dollar amount to correspond with each of the expense items listed in Column A
11. For February write a formula using cell references to calculate a projected 10% increase in January expenses
12. Calculate the Monthly Totals – Use Sum function
13. Calculate the Year to Date Totals for each expense item – Use Sum function
14. Calculate the Average Monthly Expense – Use Average Function
13. Create borders on cells
14. Insert > Row above Monthly Totals and add an entry for Transportation with a corresponding expenditure
15. Window > Freeze and Unfreeze panes

VIII. Edit > Move or Copy Sheet > Copy.
IX. Rename Worksheets: 2007; 2008; 2009
Color Code Tabs
X. Page Setup (File menu) – portrait or landscape?
100% or fit to one page wide by 1 page tall?
Print area?
Columns to repeat at top?
Rows to repeat at left?
XI. File > New > Templates – Microsoft Office Online
Family Budget
XII. Tutorials – Atomic Learning
http://www.atomiclearning.com/excel_2003_intro

Excel Gradebook February 15, 2007

Posted by admin in : February 2007 Professional Development, Excel , 1 comment so far

I. Intro – What Can Excel do for me
II. Workbook – Header and Footer; Columns and Rows
III. Worksheets – Insert, delete, rename, copy
IV. Cell Reference – Naming procedure
V. Cell Formatting – Font, font size, color, bold, italic, underline, borders, alignment, wrap text, number, currency, text.
Battleship with cell formatting
VI. Column & Row Formatting – Resize width and height
VII. Setup a Gradebook Worksheet;

1. Cell A1 Enter text ‘Gradebook for 6th Grade Math – Trimester 1
2. Highlight Cells A1 through L1.
3. Select Merge and Center tool
4. Cell A2 enter ‘Student Name’
5. Cell B2 enter Quiz 1
6. Auto Fill Quiz 2 through 10
7. Enter at least 5 students names in the A column
8. Enter Quiz scores for each student in Quiz 1 Column B
9. For Quiz 2 write a formula using cell references to calculate Quiz 1 scores – 2
8. Calculate the total score for each student – Use Sum function
9. Calculate the average score for each Quiz – Use Average function
10. Create borders on cells
11. Window > Freeze and Unfreeze Panes

VIII. Edit > Move or Copy Sheet > Copy.
IX. Rename Worksheets: Trimester 1; Trimester 2; Trimester 3

Color Code Tabs

X. Inserting and Deleting Columns and Rows
XI. Page Setup (File menu) – portrait or landscape?

100% or fit to one page wide by 1 page tall?
Print area?
Columns to repeat at top?
Rows to repeat at left?

XII. File > New > Templates – Microsoft Office Online

Gradebook
Family Budget

XIII. Tutorials – Atomic Learning
http://www.atomiclearning.com/excel_2003_intro