Rick Winter - Teacher at JA Back Door, Author, School Board, and Life Long Student
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JA TechTips Archive

By Rick Winter and the staff of Jefferson Academy

TechTips 5/14 - Google Tips from Lori

Below is a link to an excellent article on using advanced features of Google.  Just thought some of you might want to save/print it for your lazy/hazy days of summer reading...
:-) LB
http://www.aallnet.org/chapter/coall/lrc/lrc0507.pdf

TechTips 5/13 - PowerPoint

TechTips 5/7 - Social Bookmarking

By Rick Winter

 Are you familiar with the term social learning in terms of technology? This is where blogs, Wikipedia, shared videos such as YouTube, and social networking web sites such as MySpace and Facebook come in to play. From the Edutopia online magazine, I just learned of a new term, “social bookmarking.” This is where a group of people create bookmarks that are useful to the group. Lori is a strong advocate of iKeepBookmarks and this is one way we can share information as a staff. If you haven’t seen the list that the staff has compiled, it is getting quite comprehensive. The site that Edutopia recommends is called del.icio.us. Here is a more global site where you can create your own bookmarks. This site also has the capability of telling which sites have most number of bookmarks. The theory is that the more people that bookmark a site, the more useful the site is. I searched for “learning strategies” and got the most linked to sites for students as well as teachers. Click here to see the results.

JA TechTips 4/23/2007 - Dex Tools

As most of you know, I went on a field trip to Dex (the yellow pages company) with some of my students on Friday. You probably know about www.dexonline.com to search for a phone number. However, they have another neat online tool I would like to share.

www.dexpages.com allows you to look at an actual online copy (or print a page) from any of the 293 phone books in the 14-state region. For example, do the following:

1)      Type www.dexpages.com in an Internet browser. The map of Dex’s 14 state region opens.

2)      Click on the state you want. For example, click CO.

3)      On the left side of the screen, click on the area you want. For example, click Arvada/Broomfield/Westminster.

4)      You can download the directory to your computer or view it online. In this example, click View Directory Online. If prompted to accept the agreement, click Accept.

5)      The directory and a help window appear. You can spend a little time looking around the help page, or close the window. I closed the help window.

6)      Type in the name of the place you are looking for and click Search Yellow or Search White. I typed Jefferson Academy and clicked Search White.

7)      Click on the listing on the left side of the screen.

Notice the Green arrow pointing to our school.

Here is a picture of the yellow pages for Schools.

TechTips - 4/16/2007 (Education Commission of the States)

I received two emails this week from the Education Commission of the States that contained the following information

I decided to go to their Web site and find out a little more from their Web site. This group is located in Denver, Colorado. There job is to provide policy and technical assistance to policymakers within the states. They provide policy audits, consultation, conferences, and networking and partnerships. Although they target policy makers, some of the information may be useful to use, it at least framing questions while we evaluate ourselves. For example, they include assessments and comparisons of what states are doing about student engagement, high school college credit issues, graduation requirements, student support and remediation, curriculum and standards, and assessments.

TechTips - 4/9/2007 (Edutopia)

Here is a link to a readers survey with such items as best sources of classroom freebies, free lessons, field trips, and much more: http://www.edutopia.org/magazine/ed1article.php?id=Art_1835&issue=apr_07

TechTips - 3/19/2007 (Windows XP)

By Jeffco Service Desk

See http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/is/cscc/winxptips.html

Do I have to shut my computer off when I leave for the day?

Yes, you need to turn your computer off for the day. When your computer is turned off, the network connections are dropped and memory cleared. That will give your computer (and the applications you run each day) a fresh start the next time you turn it on.

My computer freezes or doesn't respond. I only have the program open that I'm working on.

The "extras" you may be running on your computer take up valuable memory and can impede your "work" programs, such as email, Cash Income, PeopleSoft Financials, ESS, PeopleSoft HRMS, etc. Each program that you run takes up your computer's limited memory. Some common culprits include: WeatherBug, Webshots, a CD or Multi-Media player, Internet Radio Stations, etc. You can check your computer's Startup folder to see what runs automatically.

My machine is frozen, how do I end tasks or programs from running?

Click on the following link: http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.co.us/is/cscc/winxptips/xpctrlaltdel.html

TechTips - 3/5/2007 (New Media)

Have you seen the new online magazines? Here is one from the George Lucas Education Foundation at http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/edutopia/0307/index.php.

TechTips - 2/26/2007 (Word Screen)

TechTips – Using the Screen in Microsoft Word

By Rick Winter

Ever wonder what something is on the screen in Microsoft Word? Here are some tips for reading the screen.

Tech Tips - 2/5/2007

By Rick Winter

Announcements

Vista not tested with Infinite Campus

I talked with the Jeffco software specialists. They said that Infinite Campus has not been tested with the new Windows Vista. They suggest that we don’t consider upgrading to Vista for at least a year. Based on their comments, I would be hesitant to upgrade to Vista at home too.

Technology Field Trip to Invesco Field

This Friday, I’m taking my computer classes on a behind the scenes field trip to Invesco field to learn about the technology behind the Broncos and this stadium. If any staff members are interested in going, let me know.

Professional Development

The subject of today’s TechTips is professional development. How do we do teacher and administrator training so the information we get is timely, appropriate to our classrooms, and is of high quality? Here are a few sites that might help answer some of these questions.

I asked students which classes they would recommend that we take from a list of free classes at https://www.t2tweb.us/Workshops/Sessions.asp. If you’re interested, go to http://www.rickwinter.com/ToThinkAbout.htm#10/5/06_Classes_that_our_students_suggest_we_take to see their recommendations and reasons for the recommendations.

The subject of professional development and what the best way to facilitate this has come up at both Jefferson Academy and Clear Creek School District. I stumbled on some resources that might be helpful because they offer possible solutions and guidelines.

Resources for research:

Education Reform Networks is a network of educational leaders providing advice to common problems: http://edreform.net/  

A couple of articles that might be helpful to come up with schedule ideas for professional development:

Another general resource for searching about suggestions is the Education Commission of the States (ECS) Research Studies Database at

http://www.ecs.org/rs/. Click Search on the left side and enter the subject you are interested in.

TechTips 1/22/2007

Rick Winter

Tech Announcements

There is software out there that students have access to where they can capture login ID’s and passwords. One such program is PerfectKey and has been a big problem in other schools in Jefferson County. What is the solution? Do not type teacher or administrative passwords on student computers while a student is logged on. Also, always protect your computer when you leave the room (or if students have the ability to see what is on your screen). To hide your work, you’ll need to set up a password protected screen saver which I’ll talk about next week if you don’t know how to set it up.

Infinite Campus Basics

Print attendance rosters

It depends on what kind of report you want. The following are those I’ve found.

Move grades around so that they are in order

The order of assignments is determined by assignment Sequence. The default is 1 so if all are 1 they can appear in any order.

 View daily attendance to see if absences have been excused? 

Student Information

Quick Excel Charts

1. Type your data in a format similar to the items above. Make sure there are no blank rows or columns.

2. Click once in the data to place the cell pointer.

3. Press F11.

4. If you want to change the Chart type, click the down arrow on the Chart-Type button on the Chart toolbar.

5. Note if the chart toolbar doesn't display, choose View, Toolbars, Chart.

6. To put on the title, choose Chart, Chart Options, Titles tab.

TechTips for This Day in History 12/18/2006

By Rick Winter

I enjoy looking up the date I was born, my anniversary, and other dates. Here are some sites that you can find information on current dates.

o     History Channel - http://www.history.com/tdih.do - can enter a date.

o     New York Times Learning Network - http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/ - click Go to a previous date if you want a different day.

o     http://dmarie.com/timecap/step1.asp - enter a date to look up.

o     http://www.on-this-day.com/ (lots of ads) – To find specific day, click Search and type date, for example January 15 in Use this box to search On-This-Day.com.

o     InfoPlease: http://www.infoplease.com/daily (lots of ads).

Technology and Cross Curriculum ideas:

tech tip from the art department 12/8/06

Free Education Classes 12/4/06

PowerPoint Tips from Education World 11/27/06

Tammy has sent us links to Education World announcements. I found this by searching for “Education Computer Tips.”

 Note: archived at

Moving and Selecting in Excel 11/13/06

Tech Tips 11/6/06

MaryBeth - Infinite Campus - End of Quarter

How do I get computer support? 10/30/06

TechTips – Excel Formulas 10/23/06

I’ve been asked to do more Excel training and tips. Here are a few notes.

 Different ways to create a formula:                   

To see formulas in the worksheet:

To use the Status bar to see formulas for only selected cells:                 

Internet Explorer Tips 10/16/06

 Other Tips

Tech Tips (My Classes and Students Using Technology) 9/25/06

I have a question for all of you that require papers. I’ve been telling that we all use the MLA citation style. I've also been telling my students that teachers care about formatting of papers. I've been spending time on the Citation Machine, Works Cited page, and parenthetical citations. I want to make sure that I'm telling them the right thing. I know that colleges and others might be using a different standard, but I want to make sure that all of us at Jefferson Academy are all on the same page and that I'm not telling my students something incorrect.

The points I would like you to verify for me:

1. You're using MLA citation style if you have students write papers. I have the students learn the Citation Machine at http://citationmachine.net/ > click on MLA.

2. Parenthetical citations are in the correct format you want (see bottom of this note which is an example of a portion of paper).

3. Works Cited page is in the format you want (see highlight on paper):

  a) On page by itself.
  b) Works Cited centered.
  c) Hanging indent for each item.
  d) Double-spacing.
  e) Authors, Title in italic, City: Publisher, Year.

I'm trying to make the computer classes relevant for the students as well as helpful for you. In addition to the content, if you could put at least a small grade on formatting -- especially works cited, that would help me out.

The reason I have asked that Office 1 be required for all students is because students are required to create the following which I think they will need in other classes throughout high school, college, and work: flyers; research papers; letters; envelopes; labels; resumes; simple worksheets with data, totals, averages, and charts; and simple databases. In addition to PowerPoint (which most students know fairly well by 9th grade) if you could think of projects that use these skills, it would help the students develop relevant skills for the future as well as not make a liar out of me J.

Students seem to know how to generally type, format, and make corrections, but I would like them to start thinking about how to use their higher level thinking skills to come up with projects using the tools they're learning in my classes. If possible, could you give assignments where students have to choose different computer applications? There are quite a few students going through Flash which is a movie animation program. If you could assign optional assignments where they would have to produce illustrations of concepts they are learning that would be wonderful. This might also reach some of your students who have problems demonstrating knowledge in written form, but are exceptional right-brained learners.

I have a Web site where I put student work, and I would love to add Flash or other computer generated files by our students that illustrate what they are learning in your classes. For example, see my Web page at http://www.rickwinter.com/student_flash_projects.htm and click on Peter N(adeau's) Rock Cycle link.

It is possible you might need a Flash Player on your computer which can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com/.

Lori's Note on Jefferson County Public Library Research Databases 9/20/06

Just a little 'library update' that hopefully will be helpful to you all. I wanted you to know that the Jefferson County Public Library has several databases available that use the Ebsco/Host content. Many of us are familiar with Ebsco from our own Master's level research. I have used these databases with several classes doing research in the library lately and have been reminded again of what an amazing resource this is! We need to prepare our students for the 'rigors of college' by preparing them to use these high quality resources available to them right NOW (and stop wasting so much time on Google)! Also, Jefferson Academy Secondary library now has our OWN library card # to make them even easier to access! Follow the directions below to access them.

'Driving' Directions:
Log onto jajags.com > library tab > link to Jefferson County Public Library (listed first under 'Public Libraries') > click on the purple 'Research Tools' square > click on the lavender rectangle that says 'Subscription Databases A-Z' > click on 'Academic Search Premier' for Ebsco, or 'Opposing Viewpoints', 'Newsbank', or whatever database you wish to use! > when prompted, type in: user name: Jefferson Academy card #: [See Lori]

Quick Excel Primer 9/17/06

A number of you asked for Excel training. Here is a very quick primer.
1. Open Excel - Start, Start Programs, Microsoft Excel.
2. Use the White cross pointer to click in a cell. Type what you want and press Enter.
3. To replace what is in the cell, click in the cell again and type your new text.
4. Text that "flops" over to the next cell still is in the first cell. To edit, you need to click in the original cell. In the example to the right, even the "points" part of Wellness points is in cell A1 although it looks like it is in cell B1. Click in cell A1 to delete or edit Wellness points.
5. To delete what is in a cell, click on the cell and press Delete.
6. To edit what is in a cell, double-click on the cell, move the cursor and press Backspace to delete text before cursor or Delete to delete text after cursor.
7. To undo a mistake, press Ctrl+Z.
8. To type today's date, press Ctrl+; (semi-colon).
9. To copy the cell above, press Ctrl+' (single quote).
9. To total numbers in a column, click in cell below numbers (in example above C15) and click the Sum button on the toolbar (it is a Greek E below the Window menu).
10. Save with Ctrl+S; File, Save; or Save button.

Ideas shape the course of history. – John Maynard Keynes, 1883-1946, English Economist

Print Paycheck 9/1/06

1. Go to the www.jajags.com Web site.
2. Click Jeffco Employee Connections.
3. Click ESS in the bar at the top.
4. Click the icon or words Click to logon at the top left of the page.
5. Type in your username and password (it should be the same as Campus) and click Signin.
6. Click Self Service.
7. In the third column over under Payroll and Compensation, click View Paycheck.

Make Recurring Appointment 8/30/06

1. Open OWA (Outlook Web Access) -- the same program you use for Email.
2. Click on Calendar or click on the arrow after New and choose Appointment.
3. Type the Subject of the appointment. For example, JA Staff meeting is shown below.
4. If desired type the Location. Ember's room is shown below.
5. Put in the Start date and time and end date and time if desired.
6. If you want a reminder check the Reminder box and choose how long before the meeting you want to be reminded.
7. Click Recurrence...
8. Select the recurrence pattern such as Monthly and fill in the rest of the dialog box.
9. Click OK and choose Save and Close.

Mark favorite Sites from Ember 8/29/06

Hi all-  Here's another way to mark your favorite sites:   If you move from computer to computer alot, like many of us do, and want access to our favorite websites all over the place, open a free account at www.ikeepbookmarks.com.  I have a locked personal folder on mine, and then the rest of my sites are organized into folders according to what they're about.  Take a look at mine, if you like, at www.ikeepbookmarks.com/edbabcock.   Lori has made a link to ikeep on the Library page of jajags for those of us that make websearches for the kids.  The kids go to your ikeep site and open the folder for the specific project and visit only the sites you've put in there for them.

Infinite Campus Weekly Eligibility Posting 8/28/06

1. Go into Infinite Campus.
2. Select your first class in the Section drop-down list.
3. Click Gradebook.
4. Click in the one of the green or white cells below the Green % or Grd column to the right of one of the student’s names.
5. Right-click on this cell and a shortcut menu appears.
6. Click on Post Grades to other task and then choose Weekly Eligibility.
7. Repeat for each class.

Note: If your scores do not appear in the yellow area, you probably have not set your curve.

1. Click Lesson Planner.
2. Click Term...Final
3. In the Curve drop-down list choose Jefferson Academy.

Go to a Web Site Often? 8/28/06

If you go to a Web site a lot, make a bookmark in Internet Explorer.

Go to Web site, then choose Favorites, Add to Favorites. Then when you want to go to this site you click and choose the item from the Favorites menu. I’ve added OWA (email) logon and Infinite Campus logon to my favorites. I recommend Internet Explorer for both OWA and Infinite Campus instead of other Internet browsers (like Foxfire) because they seem to work better.

If you go to a Web site all the time (such as www.jajags.com) and want to make this as the first Web page when you start Internet Explorer, go to the Web site and then choose Tools, Internet Options, General tab, then in the Home page section click the Use Current button.

Favorite Quickies

My favorite keyboard shortcuts that work in most programs:

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. – Frederick Douglass, 1817-1895, American Abolotionist

Outlook Web Access Tasks 8/21/06

Tammy asked me to add a "column" for Happy Monday. Let me know if this stuff is useful or what you would like to see here.

Did you know that you could use Outlook Web Access (from JAJAGS web site click Jeffco OWA) for things in addition to the Email? For example, I use the Tasks area so I can have a school to do list that I can see and add from both school and home. One of the tips for to do lists that I've learned is to put your highest priority items and what you can do in one day on your to do list. Then when you complete your to do list you'll feel great. Put all other items in a separate folder called Pending. To create a folder in Tasks:

1) Click the down arrow after New in the toolbar.

2) Choose Task. The Create New Folder shows.

3) In the Name: text box, type "Pending" or whatever name you want for your folder.

4) In the Folder contains drop down, choose Task Items (but notice you can create other types of folders to organize your life).

5) Scroll down and select where you want this folder to appear. In this example, I'm selecting Tasks.

I love differentiating learning. For some just the instructions above will help. For others, they need to see it and do it. If you want a short 5 minute class on this or any other tech topic, let me know. The first couple of weeks I know I'll be crazy, but I'll put you on my own list and probably start mini-classes after I'm settled with my students.

The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention. ~Kahlil

240398743

Upload and Restore Image

1. Insert PBA (Personal Backup Applicance) CD-ROM in computer.
2. Boot computer.
3. IP/Hostname look on server in big letters on banner. Current 10.200.65.76.
4. Type 2 Backup Hard Disk. (3 Restore)
5. Name backup. We did highschool2.

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