Christmas Lights at Roy Fire Station

SMART Response Teacher Tools

Some features of the SMART Response Teacher Tools program

New Student Status on gradebook

Due to the teachers' requests, the new students added to your class will automatically show up at the bottom of your roster.  :)

You'll notice their cell is green, for highlighting purposes.  To remove this "new" status and let them sort alphabetically in your list, just Right Click on the cell, and "Remove New Status".

This is your choice.  You can keep it how it is, or sort it how you like.

Here's a 45 second video if you need assistance.

Thanks.

Add Smart Response Content to Notebook File

If you have a Smart Notebook file, you can easily convert it to have "Smart Response Content".

 

You can download Smart Notebook files that match up with your Curriculum Standards and Objectives.  Here's the link:

http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/Lesson+activities/Notebook+Activities/Standards+Search+US.htm

Smart Response without a Projector

Did you know your students can use Smart Response devices without the projector?  You can print out your assessments and your students can enter their answers into their devices, right from the paper.

 

When you think about it, the projector is only a method of showing your students the assessment questions.  It actually has nothing to do with receiving the signal from the Smart Response devices. 

 

One downside about using the projector is you can only display one question at a time from Smart Response.  This "printed" method lets the students complete the assessment/quiz/test on their own schedule.

 

Here's a 2 minute video:

Export Student Assessment Scores from Smart Response to Excel

This is how you can export your students' assessment results from Smart Response (formerly known as Senteo) into a CSV or Excel spreadsheet.

 

NOTE:  You must export before you close the assessment file if you want to retain the question data.

Import Smart Response questions from Word

If you already have a quiz/test written up in Microsoft Word, you can import it into a Smart Response (Senteo) assessment file.

Here's how:

New Wordpress 2.8 layout

Here's a quick comparison in under 2 minutes between the new 2.8 Dashboard and the old 2.6.

We invite you to try this out before we go LIVE, here:
http://sandbox.weber.k12.ut.us/ ***Enter your Novell Username at the end***

WARNING: This "Sandbox" will be DELETED once we go LIVE. All of your posts & uploaded items will be GONE. This is just a test area.

Check your Mailbox size in GroupWise

This is how you can check your mailbox size in GroupWise.

 

For directions on how to set up your archiving, and auto archiving, see this video:

http://blog.weber.k12.ut.us/jumcfarland/2008/10/24/how-to-archive-your-groupwise-email/

 

Here's a short video on checking your email size and deleting old items.

Import your class into Smart Response - Senteo list

This is how you can import your class list into your Smart Response class list (formerly called Senteo).

Download Smartboard or Senteo Lessons

If you have the Smart Notebook software installed, you can download lesson activities for free from smarttech.com.  Here's an easy link:

 

http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/

 

The great thing about this is you can search for the Utah Curriculum Standards & Objectives and download a corresponding lesson.  There are even Smart Response lessons online.  (formerly known as Senteo)

 

Here's a little video to help you out:

Ruby sleeping in the chair

Combining Grades from 2 Classes for Transfer Students

If you have a student that transfered to your class, and you'd like to combine your grade with the former class grade, here's how you can do that.

Snowbasin to Wheeler Creek

This is a great Mountain Bike Trail, especially if you work out a shuttle. 95% all downhill, and if you do it this time of year, the scenery is gorgeous.

More pictures will be posted here:
http://www.bogley.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18798

Here's the video:






Here are some pictures:

Change Webertube Video Embed Size

Do you find that the WeberTube video is too small when you embed it to a website or blog?

Here's how you can change that; I've also displayed different examples of sizes of the same video here.

You'll notice the "Lights" go off when you start playing this video. Don't panic, you can turn them back on with the "Light Bulb" icon. This feature just helps set a little more focus to the video.

This video is sized at 640 X 480







This is the SAME video in the original size, just to show comparison.

Install Mimio Trial at Home

If you don't like to stay at work late at night just so you can build your Mimio lesson, you can actually install a limited trial version of Mimio at home - for FREE.

You can access the download link here:
http://www.mimio.com/downloads/mimio_studio_software/index.asp

Choose your language, and hit "Download Software". On the next page, give some quick info about yourself, and then download.

Some of the limits with the Trial version is you won't get the "Gallery Browser" access. Not to worry, you can login for free at www.mimioconnect.com and download hundreds of Mimio Lessons, and edit them on your home computer.

:)

Mimio Button Settings

Here's how you can change the settings on the Mimio pen or bar.

Mimio Recorder - video your screen

This Mimio application will let you record video of your actions on the mimio. This will also record audio if you have a microphone plugged in.

Mimio Backgrounds / Templates

This is where you can find some background files for your mimio pages.

Mimio - Screen Annotations

This will show how to make screen annotations, and how to retrieve and save them in different formats.

Introduction to Twitter

What's this craze about Twitter? You might see a lot of websites having a twitter icon nowadays. A lot of skeptics thought it would soon die out a few months after launching, but Twitter and Facebook are the largest social sites on the internet, known for "Micro Blogging".

Here's a 2-1/2 minute video to get you started.

Download & Share Files at MimioConnect.com

Mimio has a great online community where you can view, download, upload, and even discuss Mimio files.

Click here:
MimioConnect.com

For beginners, try browsing some of the material by category in the "Lesson Plans & Activities" button. You can search by subject or age level.

Here's a 3 minute video to get you started.

Mimio Recognize Ink Feature

This feature will convert your handwriting to text.

Mimio Training Sample

justins-mimio-training-guide

Mimio Lesson - Spinner

Here is a mathematical lesson involving the spinner. You can hide and reveal the answers, and add more sections to the spinner.

Click this link:

mimio-lesson-spinner

And here's a screenshot:

Mimio Lesson - Telling Time

This lesson can only be used if you have installed Mimio Studio.

With this lesson you can drag the clock hands to display the correct time, and test if you are right.

Click this link to open or save:

mimio-lesson-telling-time

Here is a screenshot:

MyGrades Grade Scales

Here is how to edit or create additional grade scales, and then how to choose which one to use for your class.

MyGrades - Printing Class Grades - TEMPORARY

For those of you who are looking for a 1 page report of your students and their grades, here's a temporary solution until it's available.

EDIT: This has been FIXED :)

The video is 1:16

Mimio Lesson - Drag and Reveal

Here is a Mimio lesson download. This sample shows how you can display questions or clues on one side, and they can be drug to the right side to reveal the answer. For this example, drag the word "wouldn't" to the right side.

The secret is the two different text colors, exactly opposite of the background color. You can double click the objects to edit them.

If you like what you see and would like to edit it as your own, copy the slide and paste it into your own Mimio file.

This file will only open in Mimio Notebook.

Click this link:

mimio-drag-and-reveal-sample

And here is a screenshot:

01 Moodle Introduction

Video by Ryan James

02 Moodle Editing

Video by Ryan James

03 Moodle Resources Part 1

Video by Ryan James

04 Moodle Resources part 2

Video by Ryan James

05 Moodle Uploading Files

Video by Ryan James

06 Moodle Advanced Uploading

Video by Ryan James

07 Moodle Online Text

Video by Ryan James

08 Moodle Offline Activity

Video by Ryan James

09 Moodle Chat

Video by Ryan James

10 Moodle Choice

Video by Ryan James

11 Moodle Database

Video by Ryan James

12 Moodle Forum

Video by Ryan James

13 Moodle Scales

Video by Ryan James

14 Moodle Glossary

Video by Ryan James

15 Moodle Lesson

Video by Ryan James

16 Moodle Questionnaire

Video by Ryan James

17 Moodle Quiz Part 1

Video by Ryan James

18 Moodle Quiz Part 2

Video by Ryan James

19 Moodle Question Categories

Video by Ryan James

20 Moodle Calculated Question

Video by Ryan James

21 Moodle Description Question

Video by Ryan James

22 Moodle Essay Question

Video by Ryan James

23 Moodle Matching Question

Video by Ryan James

24 Moodle Embedded Answer Multi Choice Question

Video by Ryan James

25 Moodle Embedded Answer Short Answer

Video by Ryan James

26 Moodle Embedded Answer Numerical

Video by Ryan James

27 Moodle Multiple Choice Question

Video by Ryan James

28 Moodle Short Answer Question

Video by Ryan James

29 Moodle Numerical Question

Video by Ryan James

30 Moodle Random Short Answer Question

Video by Ryan James

31 Moodle True False Question

Video by Ryan James

32 Moodle Quiz Part 3

Video by Ryan James

33 Moodle Wiki

Video by Ryan James

34 Moodle Using Blocks

Video by Ryan James

MyProgress Standards

MyProgress - Creating a Gradebook

MyProgress Proxy Access

MyProgress Grading

MyProgress Assessments

MyProgress Seating Chart

MyGrades Assignment Columns

MyGrades - Download Student Rosters

MyGrades - How Attendance affects scores

MyGrades Dropped Students

MyGrades Printing the Seating Chart TEMP

EDIT: This has been FIXED :)

MyGrades Gradebook Properties

MyGrades Categories

MyGrades Proxy Access

MyGrades Seating Chart

MyGrades - Creating Assignments

MyGrades - Posting Your Grades

How to open a Groupwise Email Attachment

I've had a few questions on this. Some of you are Double Clicking on attachments and having a hard time seeing them. Go ahead and Right Click on it instead, and Open.

Blog Posts, Pages, Links, and Categories

Hi Teachers, a common question I hear is "What's the difference between a Post, Page, Link, or Category?" I'm hoping this 3 minute video will help explain the answer.

 

I'll summarize just in case you don't have time to watch the video:

 

Posts are your most common task in a Blog. A post is your journal, or log, such as what the assignments were this week in class. A student or parent could access this at home and keep up, or prepare for next week's agenda.

 

Pages are more of a long term item, such as displaying your Class Disclosure, Class Fees, what to expect from your classes, etc…. You can also create a separate page to display your latest posts if you do not want them on your Home Page. This is called a "Static Home Page". Info on that here: http://blog.weber.k12.ut.us/jumcfarland/2008/09/19/set-a-static-page-for-your-blog/

 

Links are useful resources for your students that are elsewhere on the internet, such as your Online Classroom, other websites relating to your class material, their student webaccess mail…

 

Categories are chosen each time you write a post, so you can "categorize" and group your posts together, perhaps for each of your different classes. With this, your "English III" students will visit your blog, click on the English III category, and filter all of the posts addressing their class.

Compatibility View with GroupWise WebAccess IE8

If you're having trouble viewing your Novell GroupWise WebAccess email with Internet Explorer 8, try the Compatibility View button up top.

Here's how:

The Summer Continues

School started back up, but that doesn't mean Summer is over. 8)

Did a little Surfing at Pineview this weekend.

What I did on my Summer Vacation

For my homework assignment, my report is on what I did on my summer vacation.

Taylor Canyon

Porter and I went up Taylor Canyon today in Ogden. We parked at the top of 27th street.

Flip Video Tutorial

Hi Brainblasters;

Here is a short, simplistic tutorial video for your Flip Video Camera.

And for WSD Employees, go ahead and share your video with us by uploading it to Webertube.com!

How to embed media in your blog

One way to get your students to visit your blog (and enjoy it) is to embed media - pictures, videos, games, music, slideshows - into your posts.

Install Groupwise Messenger at Home

Hi Folks;

Some of you may want to chat with your friends within the school district during the summer, on the weekends, or just after school - and you can't be bothered to learn a different Instant Messaging program.

Here is how you can install Groupwise Messenger at home. Don't worry, this isn't a method of "The District" spying on your home computer and invading your home.

^_^

Here is the direct link for the install:
https://messenger.weber.k12.ut.us:8300/

Yes, this will even work for you Mac folks out there.

And if you'd like a little more help, here's a short video.

Enjoy.

How to send an exact LINK

Hi folks;

Those of you who receive my emails see the link to this specific topic, such as:

...rather than just the link to my blog's home page:

When you tell somebody to "check my blog", they may not get to it immediately. So if the author has written several posts by the time your friend has checked that blog, they will not see what you were directing them to.

If you send them an exact link to a specific topic, it won't matter when they click it, they'll always be directed to that specific post.

Another good example is KSL.com. You may tell your friend to click on KSL.com and read the story posted there. If they wait even an hour, KSL may have posted several topics by that time, and your intended story is no longer at the top.

Here is the best way to avoid the confusion, please watch this 5 minute video:

How to send large files via the internet

Hi folks, just a friendly message from the Tech Nazi:

QUIT BURNING CDS FULL OF PICTURES AND MAILING THEM OUT.

Now that I'm done yelling, here is a way to send those large files to somebody without going through the hassle of burning discs.

Some of you may already know that CD production is on the rapid decline, and there are more and more computers produced today that don't even have a disc drive.  (this means DVD drives too!)  We even had to specify that these new computers at school must come with a disc drive!  When you think about the reason for a disc drive, it boils down to "transferring files".  Many program installs are contained in downloads now.

There exists some "old skool" thinking when you want to share some media with somebody.  If it's too big to email, you may immediately think of burning it to a CD and handing it off to that somebody.  Then that somebody says "hey, I've got this CD full of funny videos that I've got to show you.  Next time you're here, remind me and I'll give it to you."

Instead of waiting until you run into that person again (and hopefully you've got that CD in your back pocket when you do), just use www.transferbigfiles.com

It's free, and you can get those files to that person in a matter of minutes.  Here's a tutorial how to use it:

How to save Word 2007 as PDF

Hi Staff;

Now that we will all have Office 2007 on the WSD computers, I'd like to show you a useful tip on saving your documents as PDF.

This can come in handy when you're emailing your document to multiple people such as staff - they won't be able to edit it, and it will be presented to them exactly how you wanted.   It's also very nice if you just want to upload it to your blog, then the users at home can view it no matter what software they have on their computer.

Here's a 3 minute tutorial video:

Free substitute for Microsoft Office - OpenOffice.org

Hi Staff;

Many of you, like myself, do not have Microsoft Office on your home computer.  Many of your students are the same way. 

You can download and install a FREE (and legal) substitute for Microsoft Office called OpenOffice.org. 

It's a rather large download, but better than spending 200 bucks, in my opinion. 

You can open MS Office documents with OpenOffice.org, and you can also use OpenOffice.org to create documents and save them in a Microsoft format.

Here's a 3 minute video showing you how:

Wrap Text around an image in MS Word 2007

Word 2007 has some neat options for inserting images, clip art, or shapes into the text. This video will show you how to do that, and even wrap your text around them.

Office 2007 – How to change the default font size

Hi Staff;


Here's a short 1-1/2 minute video showing how you can change the default font size in Microsoft Office 2007.


Your default font will probably be Calibri size 11. Most of the world has a size 10 font by default, and probably in Arial font. If that doesn't bother you, no change is needed.


 

By the way, I wrote this blog post right from Word 2007. For a reminder on how to do that, click here:



http://blog.weber.k12.ut.us/jumcfarland/2009/05/01/how-to-blog-from-word-2007/

Here's the video:

How to Blog from Word 2007

Hi Folks, I just stumbled upon this gem a little while ago. You can write your blog post from Word 2007 and publish it WITHOUT even opening up a web page.

 

In fact, I wrote this current blog post right from Word, and sent it straight to my blog.

 

Most of us are MUCH more comfortable writing documents in MS Word than we are on our blog, so this makes it much easier to display that message, in less time.

 

Here's a quick 3 minute video to help you get set up.

 

Office 2007 for beginners

Here are some newbie tips for operating Office 2007

Backup your documents (school related)

Hi Staff;

 

Here's another reminder of how to backup your documents from your hard drive.  This is a MUST before summer break, especially if you are getting new computers.

You may want to create different folders within your M Drive naming the original source of your documents, such as

• My Documents


• Desktop


• Internet Favorites


• 
  

  Email Archive

  
  

DO NOT "DRAG AND DROP" THE "My Documents" FOLDER FROM YOUR DESKTOP TO YOUR DISK DRIVE.  This only creates a SHORTCUT to that folder.  You must go INSIDE the folder and actually grab the contents of the My Documents folder and copy those.

 

How to make a ScreenCast from your monitor

Are you having a difficult time explaining how to install a certain program to your friends, just by describing what it should look like?

.

It's like teaching my parents how to write an email.... over the phone.  This is why all of the Tech Support jobs are going overseas, is because they have more patience than us.

.

Why not show them exactly how you are doing it, right on your screen?

(No, we are not condoning this type of support with the School Techs....our job is to meet with you face to face.)

.

I've also added a page to my blog called LIVE Support:

http://blog.weber.k12.ut.us/jumcfarland/live-support/

I can be contacted via any method, and we can hop on right there and show you how to do something.

.

NOTE:  These extra programs aren't really "supported" by the Tech Service Department, meaning it won't be a priority of ours to set this up for you.  This is just a little fun accessory you can try out sometime.  But this is not part of the "School Tech" duty.

.

This could be used by School Techs if there's just no better way.  I actually had in mind the "Techie Teachers" in each school that wanted to show a procedure to their peers, without having the time to schedule the lab for a quick meeting.

.

Here's a 5 minute video showing you the FREE method of setting this up.

(Webertube may be undergoing some maintenance at this time)

Professional Development in MyStudent

This video explains the purpose of the Professional Development program in MyStudent.  This is how you can enter your certification hours.

 

 

 

 

YOUR "PDV" PROGRAM MAY LOOK SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, DEPENDING ON THE IMPROVEMENTS MADE FROM TIME TO TIME

 

Here's the 3 minute video.  Please leave a comment if you have any questions about this.

Customize your GroupWise 8 Home Page

Gadgets - How much do they cost?

I wanted to list some simple computer accessories, and what they cost.  I've tried my best to list the everyday prices and not the special deals.  Each item can have a WIDE variety of models and prices, but I've listed prices for items that I'd actually use.

I've referenced WalMart because of ease of use.  You are responsible for your own shopping.

• Webcam - $15


• Microphone - $10


• Headset w/ Microphone - $15


• Wireless Mouse - $15


• Wireless Keyboard & Mouse - $20 - $30


• Card Reader - $10


• Speakers - $15


• Power Surge Strip - under $10


• USB Hub (4 port) - $10 - $15


• Wireless Presenter Mouse - $30

***

Really cool USB accessories from thinkgeek.com (once again, shop responsibly)

• USB Flexible Light - $10


• USB Lava Lamp - under $20 (depending on model) http://www.vat19.com/dvds/usb-lava-lamp.cfm


• USB Rocket Launcher - $30  -  http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/8a0f/


• USB SnowBot - $8 - http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/854a/

You can really get geeked out for relatively cheap.  Think of it this way, these items replace the "Office Accessories" such as the "putting course pen holder" and "metal spheres on a string" dealio.

Quick Save Images with your Document Camera

Hi folks, this is regarding the document camera model Samsung SDP850X



Using the USB Viewer program, there's an easier way to save images, rather than

1. Capture


2. Save


3. Name the image


4. Choose a location


5. Release the frame

You can skip these 5 steps with Quick Save - or just hit F2.  You'll also be able to save the images in large size.



Here's a 3 minute video to show you how.

RSS Reader in GroupWise 8

Finally! RSS Feeds can be viewed in GroupWise Email. You MUST have GroupWise 8 installed though.

The purpose of RSS is to make your websites come to you. You can stop going to KSL to check if any new stories have been posted. You will now be notified in your GroupWise if anything has been updated on your favorite sites and blogs. This includes any bargain websites with new deals posted.

Here's a 6 minute video that will show you how to turn your GroupWise 8 program into an RSS reader.
Most of you do not currently have GroupWise 8, but it is available as of this week.
We will be installing it for you.



Suggested Feeds:

http://rss.weber.k12.ut.us/rss_posts.php- LATEST BLOG POSTS (All of WSD Blogs_
http://www.ksl.com/xml/148.rss-- (KSL local stories)
http://www.techbargains.com/rss.xml (deals at Tech Bargains)

 

 

Please leave a comment and share your favorite RSS feeds!

 

 

Would you like to know a little more about RSS? Here's another tutorial:
http://blog.weber.k12.ut.us/jumcfarland/2008/10/23/what-is-rss/

Password Protect Your Computer

This is how you can put a password protection on your computer, once you are already logged in.

 

NOTE:  If your school tech NEEDS to get into your computer, it's a good idea to let them know your password.  This is one of the FEW people you'll ever give your password to.

 

If we don't have your password, depending on how urgent the matter is, we may have to reboot your PC.  We'll try to get your password first though.

 

Here's a short tutorial video:



 

Turn your image into a link

This is how you can make an image turn into a link, in other words, when you click the picture, it takes you somewhere.

 

There is an example of this on my home page.

Make your Blog look more like a Website

Some of you have expressed interest in making your blog have that "website" feel, rather than displaying the latest posts on the front page. 

Here's a 3-1/2 minute video on how you can do that, and if you go back to my home page, you can see I've done the same.

Blogging - Logging in for the first time

If you have never been to your blog, then Logging in will actually create it for you.

 

You do NOT have a blog address if you have not yet logged in and created it yet.

This is a short video on just that.  Logging in and establishing your blog web address.

Blog Skills Survey

This particular survey is meant for the staff of Freedom Elementary ONLY.  Thanks.

Keep your GroupWise Email after you retire

Retiring soon?  Or would you just like to see that cute email your aunt sent you with the puppy eyed dolls that you were told to forward to 12 people and a magical message would pop up on your screen..... from Outlook Express?

 

How to move your Gradebooks

This is how to move your GradeQuick gradebooks at the end of the term.

This is mainly for secondary schools, but from time to time, Elementaries have to move theirs too.

Funny Tech Support Stories

I've come across some great Tech Support stories.  This time, the joke is on the Tech.

How NOT to use PowerPoint

What to avoid when using powerpoint...