Western School Board Technology

Tech Tip #221: Sorting Out Your Tables in MS Word 2007

2012-01-30T08:10:00.000-04:00

As educators it seems that our life is made up of lists. We have to keep track of books, hardware, students, lunch money, assignments, dogs, cats...you get the point! It also happens that we often have a desk piled with scribbled notes and returned forms which we need to compile and submit to someone as soon as possible.

I can't help you with never requiring lists again, but I can help you with sorting out your information if you collect it in tables. Depending on the task, I may set up information in Excel and use that to keep track of items which I may "mine for data" later on; however, more often then not, most lists are simple one time only items. For these, I stick with MS Word and create a table.

Here I made a table where I am keeping track of some computer hardware. In the end I would love to have a list with all the like components listed together (eg all the printers). In the "olden" days I would have spent hours inserting rows above and below items and visually sorting through the info. But I don't have to do that any more. I can just add everything to my list in whatever order I wish.

(PS. If you wish to find out how to make it look "all fancy" refer to the previous tech tips #143 and #144.)

At any time I can resort this info quite quickly. All I need to do is click somewhere in the table and then choose LAYOUT from the TABLE TOOLS option which appears on the MS Office Ribbon at the top of the screen. From there I choose SORT (see below). It's fairly easy to make your choices. In this case, I chose Item (to lump all the like items together), then the make (to lump all the similar makes together within an item) and then the Serial Number. Your choices will change as you name the header cells in your table.

Click on OK and immediately your table is organized in the way you wish. See how mine changed below. What is nice is that you can keep adding and then sorting as required. No need to insert cells and move and delete items to get them in the right order.

Calculator Resource List

2012-01-25T15:11:00.001-04:00

This post will automatically update as I add links to my Diigo account. Feel free to drop back often to see what has been added.

Geography Resource List

2012-01-25T13:09:00.001-04:00

This post will automatically update as I add links to my Diigo account. Feel free to drop back often to see what has been added.

Google Maps Resource List

2012-01-25T13:00:00.001-04:00

This post will automatically update as I add links to my Diigo account. Feel free to drop back often to see what has been added.

French Elementary Resource Lists

2012-01-25T11:22:00.002-04:00

This post will automatically update as I add links to my Diigo account. Feel free to drop back often to see what has been added.

Tech Tip #220: Hard Drive Maintenance and Increasing Your Storage

2012-01-23T09:18:00.000-04:00

Very often I hear people refer to their desktop computer as their "hard drive". In reality, the hard drive is only one component of your computer...and a very important one if you are a "data packrat" like me! A few years back I chose to relinquish my desktop to a better cause and only use my laptop. I knew there would be consequences to this. Most importantly, the machine did not have the ability for me to swap out parts and upgrade my system over time and therefore I knew that the hard drive would never have the room to store all the multimedia I create.

Let's take a look at your current hard drive capacity. Go to my computer, right click on your hard drive (c:) and choose PROPERTIES. It will show you an image of your hard drive and the amount of used, unused and total space.

While we're here, you may wish to click on Disk Cleanup. This will run a utility which will remove "unrequired" files which have found there way onto your computer over time. This is more important to do if you are approaching disk capacity and find your computer is slowly chugging.

It will take a few minutes and then return a report which you can scroll through. It will automatically select the ones which are definitely "good to go" and remove them when you press "OK". I gained 1.3 GB of space on my hard drive after running this utility.

So, in short, I have quite a bit of room on my hard drive, but that is because I do not save ANYTHING on it. All it holds is the operating system (Windows) and any program files installed (such as Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, photo editing software, etc). Any files I save are kept on an external hard drive. This keeps my computer free from bulky files and should my computer crash...I don't have to worry about my important photos of the cat being lost forever!

What is an external hard drive? A hard drive in a box which you can hook up to your computer via a USB port. I have three of them. I use two on a regular basis. One for work related files (as I do not work on confidential projects I am safe to transport this around with me) and one for personal files (photographs, compositions, documents, etc). What is the third hard drive for? I use it to back up the other two hard drives on a weekly basis and store it in a secure and safe area. The thing you want to remember, is that because an external drive is portable and smaller than an actual computer, it is more likely to be physically damaged if you are not careful. And of course...these things don't last forever. So backing up your files is a great idea. I have a lot of data and use a 1TB hard drive. I am nowhere near to filling it up. If you're interested in going this way, you likely don't need that amount of storage capacity; however, if you store a lot of movies and music, you might wish to have that flexibility.

There are also many online storage possibilities should you wish to back up your hard drive such as DropBox. Or if you are uncomfortable saving your information in the "mysterious cloud", there are other options. I am currently testing one with a friend, where my files back up nightly in an encrypted folder to his computer and he to mine over the internet through a secure connection. I will never be able to see his files and he will never be able to see mine because only we hold our own "keys", but we're sharing part of our external hard drives with each other should any disaster occur such as a house fire.

Elementary Writing Resource List

2012-01-19T13:46:00.001-04:00

This post will automatically update as I add links to my Diigo account. Feel free to drop back often to see what has been added.

Reading Resource List

2012-01-19T13:41:00.001-04:00

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Art Resource List

2012-01-19T13:30:00.000-04:00

This post will automatically update as I add links to my Diigo account. Feel free to drop back often to see what has been added.

Tech Tip #219: Selection Techniques in MS Word

2012-01-16T09:24:00.000-04:00

Selecting text can be finicky because at times we may have a mouse that doesn't work so well or you may be like me and find that sometimes keyboard commands are faster than manipulating a mouse to do the work for us.

Here are some quick tips for MS Word 2007 and text selection.

WORD
Double-click on the word.

RANDOM WORDS
*this is good for applying formatting to various words in a document all at once rather than selecting them one at a time
Double-click on the first word...
hold down the CTRL key...
then click on all other words you wish to choose.

LINE OF TEXT
Place your mouse at the beginning of the line...
hold down the SHIFT key...
press the END button.

MULTIPLE LINES OF TEXT
Place your mouse at the beginning of the first line of text...
hold down the SHIFT key...
press the down arrow until you have selected all the lines.

SENTENCE
Hold down the CTRL key...
and click in the sentence you wish to choose.

PARAGRAPH
Triple-click on a word in the paragraph.

ENTIRE DOCUMENT
CTRL-A

Tech Tip #218: Using Hand Held Devices for Writing

2012-01-03T11:35:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Carolyn Black for suggesting this week's tech tip!

A few years ago (probably 8 or 10 now), I experimented with Dragon Dictate Naturally Speaking with several resource students. The program had wonderful potential, but the time it took to "train" the computer was too much in my opinion and that coupled with a noisy classroom environment meant that sometimes it was just easier for me to type while my students said their thoughts out loud.

When I purchased my iPhone, I downloaded the free Dragon Dictate app, but never really experimented with it: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/dragon-dictation/id341446764?mt=8.

Carolyn summed up the information you need to know nicely in her email to me:

"Dragon Dictate is a FREE app that is available for use on your iPhone, iTouch and iPad. It is much better than the Dragon Dictate software available for purchase as a program as you don't have to train it. The app is "smart" and can automatically pick up nuances in your voice and type appropriate responses for what you speak.
Most kids already own an iTouch, but the old iTouch versions will still require a mike system (this can be purchased for about $40...the earphone system that is provided with iPhones has one ear bud that is a mike and one ear bud that is an ear speaker).
Once you have what you want dictated, you can merely email it to yourself and then you can edit it in a word processing program.
This is a god send for students who have a learning disability related to writing. As long as they have a wireless Internet system at home...they can do work at school and when they finish email it to themselves when at home."

After receiving her email, I tested the program on my iPhone. It works seamlessly and not only does it provide the ability to email the text to yourself, it also has social media connections to Twitter, Facebook and text messaging.

Tech Tip #217: Ebook Resources

2011-12-20T08:32:00.001-04:00

Likely many of you were the recipients of e-readers this Christmas. I've been using one for a couple of years now and was surprised that the cost of an e-book is not that much less than a print one. Although I'm an avid reader, I do have a budget for this habit so I looked around for some resources where books were freely shared legally. Many of these sites allow authors to self-publish, several authors to collaborate, or they are classics which no longer fall under copyrights.

If you know of any other sites for this list, just send me the link!

EBooks - General
http://www.planetebook.com/
http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/
http://www.freebook-s.com/
http://openlibrary.org/
http://www.manybooks.net/

Classics
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/meta/authors.html

Textbooks
http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/

E-Book Search Engines
http://www.neotake.com/
http://books.google.com/

Science
http://sciyo.com/

Tech Tip #216: NORAD Tracks Santa

2011-12-19T08:20:00.000-04:00

Technology has made the world's cultures and traditions so much more accessible and learning about them extremely interactive.

NORAD Tracks Santa has been around for a few years, but the past few years has allowed integration with interactive technologies such as Google Earth. Check out their website , like their page on Facebook or Google+, or even follow them on Twitter to use activities with your students and children. You can even track him on your mobile phone. I usually leave the website running on my computer on Christmas Eve just to keep an eye on the big guy!

Another interesting site is this online Advent Calendar which allows students to learn about different traditions at this time of the year and provides links to many other online activities as well.

Enjoy your holidays and the time spent with family and friends.

Tech Tip #215: 30 Second Videos with Animoto

2011-12-12T10:07:00.001-04:00

On the last school development day, I spent some time with EAs at TOSH. We did two quick sessions with creating EAP portfolios for their TAP students in mind. The first session was an intro to Animoto which I introduced in early 2008 on this blog in Tech Tip #84 and the subsequent post Remembering with Animoto. Well in the three years since then, the service has remained just as simple and satisfying to use, but have evolved with the time and added more music, video styles, and the ability to use video as well.

Here is the "Quick Start" handout I made for the EAs. The try me account allows 30 second videos for free. There are school accounts available and personal ones as well. If you find yourself frequently sending photos to friends, family and colleagues of your children, your pets, your trips, etc. This might be a fun option for you to provide that. Suggested uses for the classroom are included in the doc. If you have any other ideas, please send them in to me and I'll add them!

Here's one I whipped up in 5 minutes for the PD session:

Transactional Writing Resource List

2011-12-08T13:48:00.001-04:00

This post will automatically update as I add links to my Diigo account. Feel free to drop back often to see what has been added.

Tech Tip #214: Rescuing a CD/DVD Stuck in Your Computer

2011-12-05T08:16:00.001-04:00

Did you know that if you have a CD/DVD stuck in your computer's drive or the eject button is not working, you can "force" it to open. If you look closely on your drive, there is a tiny hole located somewhere on the drive. If you take a paperclip, unwind it, insert it into the hole and then gently press, you will feel the locking mechanism on the drive let go and it will open.

Yes...a pretty simple tip, but one I have used many times over the years!

Tech Tip #213: Creating a Gingerbread House with Google Sketch Up

2011-11-28T09:13:00.001-04:00

I grew up in Bruce County, on the shores of Lake Huron. Once the snow hit, we were often at home for days on end due to blizzards and the resulting road closures. This usually didn't happen until exam time in January, but one year in grade 9 or 10, we had a week stretch at home before the Christmas holidays. I was bored about three days into it (we only had one channel and it was "pre-Internet"). I opened a magazine my mother had brought home from the library and there were instructions on how to make a gingerbread house from scratch (using their design of course). It was a multi-day project and since the CKNX weatherman had already assured us we were going to be stuck about the same time, I got to work. I had a blast. The family enjoyed it. The dog ate it some time in January when my mother put it outside for the birds. Through the years, I thought about it often, but I always wanted to create my own design.

A few years ago I thought about doing this with Google Sketch-Up but didn't have the time to sit down and figure out how that could be done. This year, I decided that finally, not only would I do it, but I would share the outcome of my work with you.

You can create a Gingerbread house plan and follow through to construction and decoration, or simply create a house in Sketch-Up and decorate and print it from there (likely the better choice for school!).

I had hoped to create one at home this weekend; however, I'm still up to my eyeballs in my actual house renovation. If you do create something from this, please send me a photo of your work and I'll create a slideshow. At some point, I'll post my own pics here as well.

Enjoy and have a wonderful holiday with your friends and family. Hopefully, this handout will start a fun tradition in your family.

Gingerbread House Sketchup

Tech Tip #212: UsefulCharts.com

2011-11-21T08:36:00.001-04:00

UsefulCharts.com is a website where different topics are charted. These may be used for handouts and lesson planning. I would have loved the quick one pager for teaching The Four Humours in any of my Shakespeare units. They are sorted visually by order. You might take a peek at the Stanley Cup Winners over time and note when the Toronto Maple Leafs actually last won the cup for instance!

An extension to this would be to have your students take a peek at these and have them come up with their own one pager to demonstrate data, a concept or a timeline in CONTEXT.

Tech Tip #211: Using Groupwise Mail on your Smart Phone

2011-11-14T08:40:00.001-04:00

I've had quite a few questions the past few weeks about the ability to access Groupwise on personal Smart Phones (Blackberry, Iphone, etc). Yes, it is possible to install a client to do this; however, you need to pay out of pocket to do so (if memory serves it's a costly venture from my dark days as a Blackberry Owner), you also drop your phone at the service center for several days to have them install it and configure it, etc and in reality, although they support smart phones purchased by gov't this is a hazy area where I'm not sure that they would get into tweaking personal devices. It would be like asking them to set up your personal computer.

However; there is good news...because your phone has internet connectivity, you can access your Groupwise webmail via your web browser. Type in the address: http://mail.edu.pe.ca and log in (make sure you don't type in www in the address).

Iphone users like me have been frustrated because it seemed like you could not open messages. Last week, I learned of the solution. When you log in on your Iphone or Ipad, check the box that reads USE THE BASIC INTERFACE. Although somewhat awkward, this does allow you to open emails and links in Groupwise on your phone.

Tech Tip #210: Intro to Collaborating with Google Docs

2011-11-08T09:45:00.001-04:00

Google Docs is not just limited to a word processor as it's name implies, it also contains a slide show/presentation maker, spreadsheets and even the ability to create drawings. Any of these aspects can be shared to either specific users or any user for editing, commenting or simply viewing. You can collaborate using Google Docs to accomplish any of the following type of activities:

editing a completed document (either through total editing control or through commenting suggestions)
co-authoring a document
contributing to a document (such as a list)

Editing gives the individual full rights to change anything in the document. Commenting allows the individual to make “comments” by highlighting text or an object in the document and typing in a note. The highlighted portion becomes literally highlighted. Viewing allows an individual to see your doc. This is not truly collaborative as it only allows another individual to consume your doc. Another nice feature is the “revision” history, which allows you to revert to a previous version of the document. This is helpful, if a co-author edits away something you wish they hadn't! 1. Create your document and save it with a name you will remember.
2. Set it up for sharing by clicking on the SHARE button in the upper right hand corner of the document page.

3. There are two separate things to consider when sharing. First is to determine the "Global Access". If you click on CHANGE (first red arrow), you will see that you can choose from three different settings. Public on the web allows anyone to find the document and access it without logging in. Anyone with the link allows people to access it without the need to log in. Private requires that not only do you have to invite the person by providing the link, but they will also need to sign in (have a Google Account).

If you choose Public on the web, or Anyone with the Link, you can then tweak the universal access.  You can allow them to comment, access or view.

If you wish to have more control and only allow certain people to view, you will add them separately and change their ability individually to comment, edit or view.  This is done under sharing and is highlighted in the main area above.

So the example we looked at last week is obviously a document that is Public on the Web which anyone can edit.  

Tech Tip #209: Interesting Ways to Use Interactive Whiteboards in Your Classroom

2011-10-31T10:53:00.000-03:00

Google Docs allows individuals to collaborate on documents or slideshows. Educators have seized upon this idea to create "Interesting Ways" slideshows where individuals can add 1 slide of information at a time. The main author, of course, is the curator and ensures each slide meets the intent of the slideshow once a person publishes something to it.

I've embedded one that many teachers who have smart boards in their classroom will find useful. Yout might even find you have something to contribute. Next week, we begin a series on collaboration using Google.

Tech Tip #208: Story Starters

2011-10-24T10:16:00.003-03:00

Some days a budding young author (or slightly older technology blogger) needs a little inspiration before they can write! An idea or jumping off point is always helpful. Fortunately for me, I have an online notepad where I jot down ideas as they come to me for this blog. Fortunately, for our young authors out there sites such as Story Starters exist.

This site, generates ideas in a machine style prompter, which can be used on an interactive whiteboard or individual computers. Students can spin the main wheel, but also tweak the individual aspects by clicking on the buttons. Students also may use their own imagination, once inspired by this machine and add their own elements.

Once the idea has been obtained, the students can write in the program choosing from the following formats: notebook, letter, newspaper or postcard. They may add pictures as well. Or they could also take the idea and use any program of their choice. Blogging, Microsoft Word, Moviemaker, etc.

The power of this website is to generate ideas.

Tech Tip #207: A Book and a Hug

2011-10-17T08:55:00.001-03:00

A Book and a Hug is a resource site created by Barb Langridge. It should help you and your students and children find great books.

There are reviews for approximately 6000 books for children. These are categorized into helpful groupings such as Good for Reluctant Readers, Fiction, Mystery, Graphic Novels, etc as well as by age/reading levels. There are many video interviews with authors and illustrators available as well.

Students are also able to send in their own reviews without being required to provide an email address. I would suggest that they only use a first name or pen name as part of their review though! You can also create an account that allows you to create recommendations just for your own class, family, or even school based on the books on this site.

Tech Tip #206: Answer Garden

2011-10-11T10:16:00.003-03:00

Answer Garden is an interesting site which allows the online collection of ideas in response to a question. No registration is required. Participants can be sent directly to the question OR you can embed it in websites, wikis, blogs, etc if you have the technological know-how. It can be used in real-time or over-time. A maximum of 25 answers will be collected per garden; however, if participants enter the same term, it will grow in size.

Answer Garden can be used in a wide variety of ways:

collaborative brainstorming
collection of a body of existing knowledge
reflect on a topic, character, plot, theme, etc
as a classroom poll
etc

Although, users do not have to register to use it, this does mean that there is the potential for abuse. If an individual does input inappropriate material, you as the administrator, can log in and hide it from display.

Here is an Answer Garden I have created. Please feel free to add some ideas!

What is literacy?... at AnswerGarden.ch.

Tech Tip #205: GetCyberSafe

2011-10-03T08:15:00.003-03:00

Today the Government of Canada releases a new website: GetCyberSafe (in both official languages). It provides a plethora of tips and advice on the following:

It is very important that you educate yourself on these topics in order to prevent identity theft, financial loss, and protect your privacy and reputation.

The tools to do this are in your hands and this site contains all the information in one resource.