The 2009-2010 (v3) Archives are being stored at my KnowledgeStream Account page - www.knowledgestream.org/nquigg

2008-2009 (v2) Archives

Tech Tip #32 – Create a Shortcut to any Website on your Desktop
We all have certain websites we access all the time. There are a couple of ways to make them easily accessible without having to key in the website address. 1. Create a “Favorite” (aka “Bookmark”) in your web browser (Internet Explorer or Mozilla). This creates a list of shortcuts to our favorite sites. OR 2. If you use the site daily (e.g. attendance entry), you can add a shortcut to your desktop for one-click access. In Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, drag the small icon at the left of the URL web address bar (e.g. http://www.google.com) to your desktop. You will first need to “Restore Down” your window so you can see part of your desktop and the window at the same time. The icon is usually different for each website, but is displayed in the same location. This is a good time saver for sites you use often.
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Tech Tip #31 – FREEZE your Projector Screen Output – This is Cool!
If you have a classroom projector, you can definitely use this tip. Often times we want to project something on the computer for students to use as part of a lesson, but we also need to work on something else simultaneously on the computer (e.g. grades, lessons, etc.). The problem is the projector displays exactly what you are doing on the computer, UNLESS you use the “Freeze” button on the projector remote. You can display the lesson or PowerPoint slide, hit the Freeze button to freeze the projection output for students and then continue working on something different on the computer without students seeing what you are doing. Special thanks to Brenda Radabaugh for sharing this tip.
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Tech Tip #30 – FREE Online Image Editing Application - Pixlr (Similar to Photoshop)
Most of us have heard of “Photoshop” and understand it is the industry-standard image-editing tool. Many of us also know it costs hundreds of dollars to purchase. Well, now there is a FREE alternative which will do 90% of the most common tasks Photoshop does. All you need is an internet connection. Check it out: www.pixlr.com. This is worth your time… Special thanks to Drew Predmore for sharing this site.
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Tech Tip #29 – Buy Microsoft Office for Only $59.98
I often have staff members ask me about purchasing Microsoft Office software at a discounted rate. I always refer them to www.JourneyEd.com/select to get a great deal. You can purchase Microsoft Office 2007 for as low as $59.98. This is available to staff and students. You just need to send them a copy of a paystub (staff) or gradecard (students). There are 3 versions of MS Office available: Microsoft Office Standard 2007 - $59.98 (My recommendation for most staff members) • Word 2007 • Excel 2007 • PowerPoint 2007 • Outlook 2007 Microsoft Office Professional 2007 - $89.98 • Word 2007 • Excel 2007 • PowerPoint 2007 • Outlook 2007 • Access 2007 • Publisher 2007 Microsoft Office for MAC - $94.98 • Word 2008 • Excel 2008 • PowerPoint 2008 • Entourage 2008 Check out the site for some great deals. And for the first time ever, they are going to make an $8 donation to the school district for every product purchased. _________________________________

Tech Tip #28 – New Exchange E-Mail 85% Launched
Most district users have transitioned to the new Exchange e-mail system. However, just because they have an e-mail account listed in the global address list, does not mean they have made the switch yet. Some users have accounts created, but have not switched yet. That means if you send them an e-mail, it will sit there unread until they do switch. The following groups have already switched: Coy Jerusalem Starr Wynn Eisenhower Wynn Admin Building Centennial Hall Transportation (Vicki & Terri only; not any bus drivers) A majority of Clay HS staff have NOT yet switched. Several e-mails have gone unanswered because the recipient is not using the new e-mail yet. Mike Csehi will be setting a date for a quick morning training session to switch the rest of those users. If you send everything to the old e-mail addresses, it will get to the recipient regardless if they are using the new or the old system. I hope this clears up any confusion with the new e-mail.
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Tech Tip #27 – WGTE BYOW Being Replaced by New Media Designer
For those of you who have developed a Build Your Own Website site, you will definitely want to read the message below. You will be able to continue using the site for the rest of the calendar year. At that point, you will have to transition to the New Media Designer offered by WGTE. There are several free training sessions being offered beginning this summer. If you have a website or want to start a new one, I would recommend attending these trainings.
- Tech Tip #27a – What to do if you drop your cell phone (or other small electronic device) in water If you drop your cell phone or other electronic device in water, immediately remove the battery, wipe the phone off with a towel and shove it into a jar full of uncooked rice. The rice will absorb the water and actually draw it out of the phone. After leaving it in the rice overnight, remove the phone, wipe it off and attach the battery. There is a good chance it will work.
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Tech Tip #26 – Free Educational Resource Website
Hippocampus.org is a free open educational resource website including over 2500 multi-media learning objects. Lessons are offered in the context of 34 courses in 9 discipline areas on a searchable, customizable public website. Check out the subject areas below: www.hippocampus.org
Subject Areas: Algebra (English or Spanish) American Government Biology Calculus (English or Spanish) Environmental Science Physics Psychology Religion Statistics US History
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Tech Tip #25 – Free Online File Conversion with ZAMZAR
Have you ever needed to convert a file from one format to another, but had no idea how to get the task accomplished (e.g. convert a Word or Excel document to a .pdf)? There is a website that will convert the files for free and e-mail the files back to you. Just go to www.zamzar.com. Just upload your document, choose a format to convert to and enter your e-mail address. It is that easy. It will convert all types of files (documents, images, audio, video and more!).
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Tech Tip #24 – Outlook Web Access E-Mail Accounts
Most of you have already switched to the new e-mail accounts (or will be shortly; Fassett March 11, Starr March 17). One important question has been asked and I want to make sure everyone is clear on the answer. You will still need to manage the password for your ore_aca_xx account until the end of the year because it is the password/system needed to access MOLE/SWAN for attendance/grade entry. This is completely separate from your new e-mail account password. You can use the same password for both (provided it is 8 characters or more), but the old one still expires every 90 days. That means if you do not update your password before it expires, you will not be able to login to do grade/attendance entry. You will NOT need this password/account next year, because everything will be done in eSIS, a new system you will learn in August. I would recommend changing your old e-mail/SWAN/Mole password this week, so it will not need changed again until after the end of the year (when you will no longer use/need the account).
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Tech Tip #23 – Online Tutorials
Have you ever known something is possible, but just don’t know how to do it or where to start? Over the past 10 years the personal computer has become a continually larger part of our lives. Often times we know the computer can help us do more, but we don’t know how. One great way to increase your computer competency is to use online tutorials. There are literally millions available for free on the web (not all are free, but many are). Try “Googling” a computer topic. Just enter: “Your Topic + tutorial + free” and see what results you get. Tech Tip #23a – Apple iWorks Online Tutorials (For ALL Elementary Teachers – This is installed on the iMac’s installed this year) Check out Apple iWorks introductory videos at http://www.apple.com/iwork/tutorials/ This includes videos for the following: Pages (Apple’s Word) Numbers – (Apple’s Excel) Keynote – (Apple’s PowerPoint)
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Tech Tip #22– PowerPointlessness
Most of have used PowerPoint at one time or another. Many of your students use it in class. However, most of us have never been taught how to properly use PowerPoint. The following 4-minute video uses comedy to point out many things NOT to do when developing a PowerPoint. One great rule I taught my students was the 5 x 5 Rule. In order to keep your message concise and keep the audience’s attention, do not have more than 5 lines on a slide and do not include more than 5 words in a line. PowerPoint should be a visual aid for the audience, not a giant note card for the presenter. http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=3e2d61891b1e4051ef75&page=1&viewtype=detailed&category= While you are at TeacherTube, take a minute and search the website. There are many great videos to use in your classrooms.
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Tech Tip #21– New e-Mail Addresses
Several of you have noticed staff with new e-mail addresses (e.g. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Many have inquired as to when they will receive a new e-mail address. The answer is soon. I have to schedule a date with each school to make the switch from NWOCA WebMail (some of you are currently using Thunderbird or Outlook to access WebMail). Coy has already made the switch. Jerusalem is scheduled for Feb. 25 and Eisenhower is scheduled for Feb. 27. The rest of you should switch sometime in March. Your new e-mail address will be the same as your Windows/network username (i.e. firstinitial+lastname) + @oregoncs.org. The new WebMail NWOCA rolled out earlier this year is not nearly as nice as Outlook Exchange, the system we will all be switching to. Outlook Exchange allows you to maintain all of your e-mail, contacts, calendar, tasks, notes in one spot and synchronizes up to NWOCA’s servers so you can access all of that information from any computer in the world. Dave Copsey and myself will maintain one district directory (making edits as staff information changes) so you won’t have to make all of your own edits. You will have to recreate your personal contacts, but all employees will already be there. There are many additional capabilities of this new program, but we are just getting started with e-Mail this year. I would like to apologize in advance for making another switch after switching to the new WebMail earlier this year. However, we were not given this choice at that time. I have wanted to implement Exchange for 2 years now but NWOCA did not offer this until now. I am confident you will like the new program once you have time to get used to it. Tech Tip #21a – New Website 99% Complete The new district website is live. We will be working this week to make last minute changes before redirecting the old address (www.oregon.k12.oh.us) to forward to the new address (www.oregoncityschools.org). Take a minute and checkout the new site. One of the new features of this site is each school has access to maintain their own portion of the site. The building tech contact and principal has been trained to maintain the site. All district information and Clay High School will be managed by Dawn Thompson. If you see any problems with the site, please feel free to contact the appropriate person. Tech Tip #21b – Toledo Spotlighted in National News (News story about transitioning from automotive industry to solar industry) http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6484425
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Tech Tip #20 – Printing a Limited Portion of a Document (Selection)
Often times we want to print an e-mail, but don’t want to have the long list of e-mail addresses it was originally sent to (Or print just a paragraph from a webpage or other document). This can be done easily. All you need to do is print a “Selection.” Hightlight/select the portion of the e-mail or document you want to print and the go to File - Print (don't click the print button). In the print menu, under page range, click the "Selection" radio button and it will only print what is selected. This could save the district some precious dollars by saving paper and toner, not to mention your time.
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Tech Tip #19 – Useful Personal Warning
Contributed by Dave Copsey – Thanks Dave! This lady has changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet... etc...was stolen. 20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account. Moral of the lesson: Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad , Mom, etc...... And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back!! Also, when you're being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you. Along with that if you have an entry called 'Home' with your actual home phone number it's not too hard to do a reverse lookup on the number to find the address. Now the robber has your home number, keys, AND address.
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Tech Tip #18 – No Sound? How to Turn Mute On/Off in Windows
We often get support requests that state “my sound quit working. It was fine yesterday, but now it doesn’t work.” More often than not, Mute was automatically turned on by a program/website you were using. To turn mute on/off, follow these steps: Click on: 1. Start 2. All Programs 3. Accessories 4. Entertainment 5. Volume Control 6. Make sure mute is not checked
- Tech Tip #18a If you want to create a shortcut to access Volume Control more quickly in the future, follow steps 1-5, but RIGHT CLICK on Volume Control, then scroll down to Send To ---- Desktop (create shortcut). This process can be used to create a shortcut on your desktop for any file or program on your computer.
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Tech Tip #17 – School Closings/Delays Sent to Your Phone or E-Mail DON”T MISS THIS ONE! This is too cool.
You can now subscribe to DynaCal to have school closings/delays sent to you via a text message on your cell phone or via e-mail to any e-mail account. As soon as school is delayed/closed, Vicki Laurell enters it into DynaCal. If you have subscribed, it will immediately send you a text message or e-mail. This is available to anyone (parents, students, staff). No more waiting on the radio or TV station to get to Oregon! To set this up, complete the following steps: 1. Go to the district website: www.oregoncityschools.org 2. Click on Calendar of Events 3. Click on My DynaCal (Listed under Calendar Views on the left) 4. Create a My DynaCal account by entering your e-mail address and a password (anything you want it to be) 5. Add a New Calendar 6. Name Calendar and Check “School Closings and Delays” and click Save 7. Click Yes for Text Alerts if you want a text message (If you prefer an e-mail, simply click Yes for Email Alerts and confirm) 8. Enter your phone number and choose your cell phone provider and click Save It is that easy!
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Tech Tip #16 – Creating Teacher Websites (WGTE Build Your Own Website)
I often have teachers inquire about developing classroom websites. In response to that need, we have increased our membership level with WGTE to include unlimited teacher websites. We have many teachers already developing their classroom website. They take some time to setup well, but you do not have to be a tech geek to develop one. The sites can include calendars, assignments, blogs, parent e-mail sign ups, and much, much more! Check out some sample sites at http://www.edu-core.org/byow/folders/erc/subpages.asp?id=67&parent_id=67. IF you are INTERESTED in DEVELOPING your OWN CLASSROOM SITE, I will be scheduling training in January/February (Two 2-hr sessions). I am also considering offering an advanced session for those needing a review or wanting to take their site to the next level (One 2-hr session). If you are interested in either of these offerings, please send Laurie Dartt an e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it indicating you would like to receive BYOW training. As soon as I can gauge interest, I will schedule the training sessions and contact you once training sessions have been scheduled with WGTE.
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Tech Tip #15 – Appropriate Use of School Computers
Many of us have access to critical student and/or staff data. It is important we only access that data for appropriate school-related purposes. Moreover, it is vital that we protect the usernames and passwords associated with accessing data (i.e. don’t share passwords with staff or students). Everything we do on the computer can be tracked back. To highlight this importance, I would like to point out the recent suspension of Ohio Jobs and Family Services director, Helen Jones-Kelley. She was suspended for improperly mining state databases for information on “Joe the Plumber” during the election campaign season. What seemed like a harmless use of her computer access resulted in a one month suspension from her $140,000 a year job. Many political leaders did not think the punishment was harsh enough! (Source: Toledo Blade - http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081121/NEWS24/811210372). Tech Tip #15a – Appropriate Use of School e-Mail The same goes for e-mail. Remember that your work e-mail account is a PERMANENT “Public Record” and past e-mails can be requested by almost anyone under Ohio Sunshine Laws (i.e. Public Records). In many cases, we have to provide those records to the requester. If it is not something you would want printed in the paper, think twice before you hit send.
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Tech Tip #14 – Another Common e-Mail Hoax
Building off of last week’s e-mail hoax tip, please be aware of another common e-mail hoax that uninformed e-mail users sometimes fall for (read below). With Christmas fast approaching, watch out for this….be alert! Also, notice the link to www.snopes.com below. Remember, Snopes is a great website to help determine if something online or in e-mail is a hoax. The newest virus circulating is the UPS Delivery Failure. You will receive an email from UPS Packet Service along with a packet number. NOTE: The word packet is misspelled on this line. It will say that they were unable to deliver a package sent to you on such-and-such a date. It then asks you to print out the invoice copy attached. DON'T TRY TO PRINT THIS. IT LAUNCHES THE VIRUS! Pass this warning on to all your PC operators at work and home. This virus has caused Millions of dollars in damage in the past few days. Snopes confirms that it is real: http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/ups.asp
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Tech Tip #13 – Identifying E-Mail Hoaxes
In light of recent events, I thought it would be a good time to review e-Mail security. Several of the Hallmark scam e-mails got through NWOCA’s servers before they could block them last Friday. At this time we only have a few infected computers, but those could have been avoided by following 1 simple rule: IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE SENDER OF AN E-MAIL, DO NOT OPEN IT. Sometimes it is easy to believe that an e-mail is legitimate because criminals can be incredibly creative. They play on our good nature and general belief that other people are inherently good. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to assume this with computers. Another rule to follow in e-mail, is to never provide personal information via e-mail. Scammers often purport to be legitimate businesses (often banks) and ask you to “Update” your personal info (i.e. account #, social security #, pin #, etc.). YOUR BANK WILL NEVER ASK YOU FOR THIS INFO VIA E-MAIL. They already know it. If there is a problem with this info, they will contact you personally or via snail mail.
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Tech Tip #12 – Properly Ejecting a USB drive (aka Flash drive or Thumb drive)
Nearly everyone has a USB drive (aka Flash drive or Thumb drive). Inserting it into the USB slot and opening files is the easy part. What many people do not know is how to properly eject the drive BEFORE they remove it from the USB slot. Before you remove the drive, you should find the green arrow in the system tray (bottom right corner of screen). When you roll your mouse over it, a screen note stating "Safely Remove Hardware" pops up. Click on this message and then click on "Safely Remove USB Mass Storage Device - Drive…". Then a note stating "It is now safe to remove hardware" should pop up. If you get a note indicating that the drive is still in use, then do not remove the drive yet. It means the computer is still writing files to the drive and you could potentially lose all files on the drive if you remove it. There is a less than 1% chance of this happening, but you don't want to learn the hard way.
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Tech Tip #11 – Saving/Printing Screen Shots
Have you ever wanted to copy what you see on the computer monitor EXACTLY the way it appears? Maybe to print it or to insert it into a PowerPoint, Word or other document for later use. It is really EASY to do. All you have to do is hit the Print Screen button (located on the top row, towards the right) on your keyboard. This will copy the screen as an image exactly as it appears. The next step is to Paste it into another document (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.). Save/Print it. Done!
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Tech Tip #10 – Shared Network Folders
One of the advantages of a network is the ability to share files with colleagues. Many teachers do not realize they can setup folders to share files with other teachers. To setup a shared network folder, simply fill out the Shared Folder Access Request form found on the district website at http://www.oregon.k12.oh.us/pages/forms.html. The person requesting the form is listed as the “folder owner” and has the ability to grant additional users access to the folder. You can determine whether the user can have read/write access or read-only. This is a great way to share lessons within grade levels, departments or buildings.
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Tech Tip #9 - NWOCA Resource Visits
Remember to take advantage of Carol Schwartz from NWOCA. She visits the high school and middle schools monthly (Elementary buildings scheduled quarterly, but she will schedule monthly if principal requests a specific skill). She will come to your room at your convenience to help you develop instructional activities that integrate technology as well as use NWOCA resources (i.e. UnitedStreaming) for instruction. She will also help you utilize various software applications (e.g. PowerPoint, Mozilla Thunderbird, NWOCA Webmail, SmartBoard Notebook, Harcourt Math, Read Naturally, etc.). She cannot install hardware or software. To sign up, simply click on “NWOCA Resource Visits on Infopage, fill in your information and click “Save Reservation” prior to 3:45pm the day before her scheduled visit. If you need to cancel a reservation, contact Carol directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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Tech Tip #8
Dawn Thompson recently added our school mascots/logos from the website as individual graphics for you to use. To access these graphics, go to the web page, click on Resources, then Logos & Mascots. Click on any image to preview it. RIGHT-click on the image you want and choose Save Target As to save it to your computer.
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Tech Tip #7 (Recycled from last year)
Each week, more staff and students are becoming aware of the abundant # of videos/resources available at www.unitedstreaming.com. You can search the site for content and/or grade specific clips. To access the site you will need to create a user account. You will also need the corresponding building passcode from below to create that account. If you teach in multiple buildings, pick one. It will work anywhere. The site has several thousand video clips and much, much, more. This is a great resource! Carol Schwartz from NWOCA is happy to help you learn how to use the site. Click here to see when she is visiting your school for her next Resource Visit. After you login and search for video clips, click on “Teacher Center” to see what else they have to offer, including: - Assignment Builder - Quiz Builder - Writing Prompt Builder - Calendar (Ties historical events and clips together) - Lesson Plan Library United Streaming Directions and Passcodes Go to www.unitedstreaming.com 1. Enter your corresponding eight-character passcode from below in the New User section 2. Create your own username and password 3. Log in with your new username and password 4. Search for videos, images, animations, audio files and more!

• Clay HS 96B1-43AC
• Coy ES 96B2-B782
• Eisenhower MS 96B2-40F6
• Fassett MS 96B2-A2E6
• Jerusalem ES 96B2-7F02
• Starr ES 96B2-75DE
• Wynn ES 96B2-7452
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Tech Tip #6 Context Sensitive Menus (aka Shortcuts)
Last week I introduced the idea of shortcut keystrokes. This week I will introduce shortcuts using the mouse. I probably use these at least once an hour. To access a shortcut menu on a PC, simply RIGHT-click your mouse somewhere on the screen. They are formally called “context sensitive” menus because right-clicking creates a menu that is sensitive to the context of where you click. More to the point, right-clicking will give you a menu listing the most common things that will be done with the file, button, image, etc. you click on. The menu generated changes dependant on where you right-click or what you right-click on. Often times, we know something can be done, but we don’t know how to do it or what menu to find it in. If it is commonly used, it will probably be in the shortcut menu. Try it! Start right-clicking all over the place. Notice what options are provided for the different areas/items you click on. PS. To choose an item in a shortcut menu, scroll down to it and LEFT-click. Right-click creates the menu; left-click selects the item.
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Tech Tip #5 Keyboard Shortcuts
There are many keystroke combinations that can be used on a keyboard to save a user the time of moving the mouse to a menu. It usually involves using a “modifier” key and another key. The most common modifier keys are: Control, Alt and Shift. You can find out if a command has a shortcut by looking at the option in the menu. If it has a shortcut, many programs will list it to the right of the menu option. Here is an easy one. I use it all of the time. Often computer users do something on the computer they wish they could “Rewind” or “Undo.” In most programs, you can “Undo.” There are two ways to do so. The first is to go to the Edit Menu and click “Undo x”. The other way is to press the following keyboard keys simultaneously: Control & Z. Control Z is the universal keyboard shortcut for Undo. Try it! Open a document, make a change, and then “Undo” it. Other often used keyboard shortcuts- Open – Control O Save – Control S Print – Control P Cut – Control X Copy – Control C Paste – Control V (notice it can’t be P because that is used for print)
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Tech Tip #4 - YouTube Alternative... 
Many teachers find valuable content on YouTube.com. Unfortunately, YouTube is blocked for access due to a large volume of inappropriate content for students. Nationally, educators have recognized the need for a place to share educationally relevant videos. Last year I shared www.teachertube.com as a tip. A similar site has just been brought to my attention by Dr. Zalar: www.schooltube.com. Below is a promotional advertisement describing the focus of this site. Check it out. http://mailer.schooltube.com/link.php?M=184973&N=7&L=2&F=H. SchoolTube provides your K-12 communities with a safe alternative for media sharing and is approved by National Education Associations SchoolTube highlights: • All videos and pictures must be approved by a local teacher at local schools ( http://www.schooltube.com/video/9301/Due-Time--Week-1 ) • SchoolTube relieves the cost of media hosting at your school • Energize your students and teachers by allowing them to use the internet to share their learning experiences It’s Easy, Educational, Free, and Fun! www.SchoolTube.com  Don’t take our word for it. We have been endorsed by respected educational associations such as National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), The Beta Club, National Forensic League, and more. See our complete partners list. SchoolTube provides teachers with an easy process to review their student produced media, and allows even the novice teacher the ability to approve or deny media their students submit. Digital students desire to showcase their class project, activity, or achievements and share them safely on the internet for their friends and family to see…Teachers can now participate and excite their students with SchoolTube.com. SchoolTube.com is absolutely free of charge. Finally, we have selected some inspiring videos from students and schools around the country. See how students and teachers are leveraging their skills, and showcasing their achievements and activities, in a safe and positive environment, which excites learning and classroom participation! Ask Mr. Z, Morning Segment Hightower Media Academy Waianae High School
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Tech Tip #3
Many of you experienced difficulty with the interface for NWOCA WebMail last week. They changed it midweek with no warning to anyone! However, you can CHOOSE which interface you want to use. When you logon you have to input your username and password. You also have the CHOICE to pick the “Interface”. You can pick from the following: -Basic (any browser) – offers less options, but seems to have less errors -Simple (Ajax browser) -Advanced (IE/FF) – offers more options Up until last Wednesday, the default choice was Advanced. Many of you were gaining familiarity with this interface. Then they switched the default to “Basic”. It is completely up to you which interface you want to use. The easiest way to switch is to log off and log back on choosing the desired interface from the drop down men.
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Tech Tip #2
NWOCA replaced BESS this summer with WebWasher. There have been many concerns of sites that were reachable throug BESS, which are no longer available through WebWasher. If you have a specific site that you can no longer access AND it is for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES (not entertainment), simply e-mail me the URL and I will evaluate the site to determine if WebWasher should let it through. If it was allowed by BESS, I will most likely approve it through WebWasher.
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Tech Tip #1
Often times I am asked “Who do I contact for help with…” So my first tech tip will be a list of who to contact for what. Following is a list of tech support areas and whom to contact for each area:

Computer Hardware – Building Tech Contact (see list below) - Includes computers, projectors, SmartBoards, etc.
DSL & EMIS – Dave Copsey ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
DynaCal – Dave Copsey E-mail Password – Dave Copsey
MOLE & SWAN – Dave Copsey
Software Support* – Carol Schwartz, NWOCA Educational Technologist (sign-up info below)
Telephone – Building Tech Contact
Website – Dawn Thompson ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

* Software Support If you need help learning how to effectively utilize any software applications (NWOCA WebMail, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Read Naturally, Harcourt Math, Study Island, United Streaming, etc.) or hardware (SmartBoard, scanner, digital camera, etc.) sign up for a NWOCA Resource Visit with Carol Schwartz (offered monthly at each school) at http://empower.nwoca.org/pls/htmldb/f?p=206:31. I have attached instructions for signing up online if you are unfamiliar with the process.

Building Tech Contacts
Clay - Mike Csehi (Submit ALL requests to Laurie Dartt)
Eisenhower- Belinda Gray & MaryLou Revenaugh
Fassett - Amy Sweet
Coy - Nancy Coy
Jerusalem - Laura Roe
Starr - Pat Price
Wynn - Corey Slovak

2007-2008 (v1) Archives

Tech Tip #26
The end of the school year is already upon us. I believe that we have made large strides in the use of technology in the district over the past year. I look forward to continue using technology to find innovative ways to meet curricular goals next year. My last Tech Tip is to share a great resource to stay in the know about technology trends. Every Saturday the Toledo Blade has multiple technology related articles in the Peach section. They are quick, informative and written for the average computer user. I am attaching a scanned article from earlier in the year to give you an idea of the types of things covered: Toledo Blade 01/19/08 Speaking Geek: Translating Tech Talk article Digital Cameras, Mobile Devices, Digital Music, WI-FI, Televisions Have a good summer!

Tech Tip #24
When sending e-mail it is important to follow proper e-mail etiquette. The following are some basic etiquette tips: 1. When replying to an e-mail, key the reply at the top of the original e-mail. This prevents the recipient from having to scroll down to read. 2. Always key something descriptive in the Subject Line. Many recipients will delete e-mails without a subject. 3. Don’t key in ALL CAPS. It is the electronic equivalent of SHOUTING! 4. Always key your signature at the end of your e-mail. I can’t believe how many times I receive an e-mail from within the district and I don’t know who it is from other than “ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .” Most people don’t have the time to memorize everyone’s e-mail address. 5. Do not forward/send jokes or inappropriate email using your NWOCA account. Use a HOME account for this type of correspondence. 6. Check your e-mail daily (at the very least). And remember, nothing you send via NWOCA e-mail should be considered temporary or private. It is a public record that is stored for years.

Tech Tip #23
When addressing an e-mail to recipients, there are 3 main ways to do so: 1. TO: - This is the intended recipient(s) 2. CC: - This is a “Carbon Copy” sent to another recipient(s) (i.e. you want them to read it, but it is not really to them) 3. BCC: - This is a “Blind Carbon Copy” sent to another recipient(s). (i.e. you want them to read it, but it is not really to them AND you DO NOT want others to know the BCC recipient is receiving the message) The only difference between a CC and a BCC is that recipients listed in the TO and CC fields will not know that the BCC recipients are receiving the e-mail. The BCC recipient will see the recipients in the TO and CC fields. There are a couple of reasons to use the BCC field. One is so others don’t know you are sharing this e-mail with the BCC recipient. The other is so you don’t share the e-mail address of the BCC recipient(s). For example, when I send these Tech Tips, I sent them TO myself, but BCC them to the entire district so I don’t have a list of 500+ people in the TO field.

Tech Tip #22
Most of the district now regularly uses e-mail. However, some users are not aware of some basic e-mail features and/or e-mail etiquette. The next few tips will be about using e-mail properly and effectively. There are 5 main ways to main ways to deal with an e-mail. 1. “Reply” – Click this button to reply to a message you are reading (i.e. click this button to reply directly to me) 2. “Reply to All” – Click this button to reply to EVERYONE the original message was sent to (i.e. click this button to reply to everyone in the district) 3. “Forward” – Click this button to send a copy of the message you are reading to someone else 4. Save it in a folder you create 5. Delete it

Tech Tip #22a
Grant Opportunities www.grants.gov  – Central storehouse for more than 1,000 grant programs with more than $400 billion in yearly rewards. www.discoveryeducation.com/cdwg - Win 1 of 5 grand prizes of a $50,000 wireless computer lab with 20 laptops, an interactive whiteboard, wireless cart, projector, printer, digital camera and more (see attached flyer). Tech Tip #21 This tip is for United Streaming users. If you find a great video clip and you know you will want to use it again in the future, you can save a link to that clip for future reference by adding it to “My Content” (saving you the trouble of finding it again). As long as the Internet is up, you will be able to access that clip on demand. However,iIf it is a great clip that you want to download for later use (which can be used even if the Internet is down), follow these steps to save the video clip to your computer: 1. Find clip you want to save 2. Right-click on the "Download" button 3. Choose "Save Target As" to save the clip as an .asx file which can be played in Windows Media Player. 4. Save the clip to a folder on your C: or USB drive. I do NOT recommend saving the clip in your My Documents because you have a limited amount of file storage and video clips are extremely large compared to text documents. You will fill up your My Documents quickly and they won’t back up to the server if you exceed your file storage limit.

Tech Tip #21a
Take some time this summer to browse the United Streaming site to find video clips you could use throughout the year in your lesson plans. Save links to those clips in “My Content”. Bonus Tech Tip FOR THUNDERBIRD E-Mail USERS ONLY - You can add a calendar program to Thunderbird so that you can manage important dates in the same program that you use for e-mail. To install the attached add-on, follow these steps: 1. Save the attached zipped folder "Lightning.zip" to your desktop 2. Double-click on the folder to unzip it 3. Drag the file "lightning-0.7.win32.xpi" out of the zipped folder to the desktop 4. Open Thunderbird 5. Click on the Tools menu; choose "Add-ons" 6. Click the Install button in the bottom left hand corner of the window 7. Navigate to your desktop and select "lightning-0.7.win32.xpi"; click Open 8. Click "Install Now" 9. Click "Restart Thunderbird" You will now have a calendar displayed on the right side of the Thunderbird window. To switch to full-screen calendar view, click on the Calendar button in the bottom left of your screen. Click the Mail button to switch back to e-mail view with a small calendar.

Tech Tip #20
Have you ever worried about what would happen if your computer crashes? If not, maybe you should. It is not a matter of “if”, but rather a matter of “when.” Eventually, we will all experience a computer crash. The key is to be prepared with a backup plan. If you save absolutely everything in your My Documents, you are 99.9% secure (.1% is attributed if the server and server backup both crash). However, if you save files anywhere else on your computer, you should back up those files on a regular basis. The easiest way to do so is to copy those files to a USB drive (aka Flash/Thumb Drive). Simply open the USB drive and the folder where you store your additional files. Then drag that folder to the USB drive. After the first time it will ask you if you want to save over the files already on the USB drive. These are from your last backup. Just click “Yes” and it will save over the old backup. I try to do this weekly myself.

Tech Tip #19
You don’t have to walk to the office to get printouts of district forms. Most district forms and many building forms are listed on the “Forms & Documents” page of the district website. In fact, most of the forms can be keyed directly into and printed so you don’t have to fill out by hand. To access these forms follow these steps: 1. Access the district website at www.oregon.k12.oh.us 2. Click on “Resources” 3. Click on “Forms & Documents” 4. Scroll through the list to see what forms are available in an electronic format 5. Click on any form 6. Attempt to key directly into form (if desired) 7. Print Use the time saved walking to the office to do something else.

Tech Tip #18
Sometimes when we print, the printout does not go to the printer we thought it would. Everyone has a default printer set in their profile. Occasionally, that default printer will get reset to a different printer. It is very simple to reset your default printer, which saves you from having to choose your printer every time you print. Follow these steps to (re)set your default printer: 1. Click “Start” menu in Windows 2. Click “Printers & Faxes” (a list of all printers installed on your computer will be displayed) 3. Right-click on the printer you want to make default 4. Choose “Set as default printer” (a black circle with a white check mark will display next to the printer icon indicating it is the default printer) Now every time you hit a print button, it will default to this printer. Remember, you may have to reset this occasionally if the default is unintentionally changed.

Tech Tip #17
Check out www.TeacherTube.com for some great videos produced by teachers for classroom lessons. It has much of the same stuff YouTube has, but you can actually access it from school.

Tech Tip #17a
If you are looking for software at discounted prices, I would definitely check this website out! You will need to verify your employment with the district, but that is pretty easy to do. The web link below is set up through an agreement with NWOCA and MCOECN. We all have the opportunity to purchase from Journey ED software at “DEEP DISCOUNT” prices!! http://www.journeyed.com/select/Default.asp 1. Choose K-12 2. Select Oregon City Schools The site gives you a list of products and software from over 200 vendors! There are some great prices.

Tech Tip #16
Have you ever wanted to e-mail an entire folder as an attachment? Rather than click on each file individually, you can "Zip" the folder. This will compress the overall file size and reduce it into one file. Then you attach the zipped file. The receiver must be able to "unzip" the file, but that is built into Windows XP, so most users can do it. To Zip a folder (or file) 1. Right-click on the folder/file 2. Click "Send To - Compressed (zipped) Folder 3. It will automatically create the folder for you and save it in the same location as the original with the same name plus .zip on the end (It will also have a small zipper on the folder). Now you can attach that one folder instead of many individual files. I have attached a zipped folder for you to open to better understand what you will be sending others if you zip it.

Tech Tip #16a
NWOCA e-mails are limited to 10mb, so make sure you are not trying to send a folder that is larger than 10mb. To check the size of the zipped folder: right-click on the folder/file and choose properties. It will display a window with information about the file, including the "Size". Rough Conversions: 1000 B (byte) = 1KB (kilobyte) 1000 KB (kilobyte) = 1 MB (megabyte) 1000 MB (megabyte) = 1 GB (gigabyte)

Tech Tip #15
FOR THUNDERBIRD E-mail USERS ONLY: If you are using Thunderbird for your e-mail, please take the time to make this setting change (It will make your life easier and it is good e-mail etiquette). You need to change one setting to automatically put your responses above the original e-mail when making a reply (instead of below, causing everyone to scroll down to read your reply). Follow these steps: 1. Click the Tools Menu 2. Click Account Settings 3. Choose Composition & Addressing (yours might be slightly different if it is a different version than mine) 4. Change the box stating "Automatically quote the original message when replying: Then, start my reply below the quote" to "START MY REPLY ABOVE THE QUOTE"

Tech Tip #14
Notice at the bottom of my e-mails, my contact information is always provided. I do not key this every time I send an e-mail. It is already provided by creating a “signature.” You can easily set this up if you are using Thunderbird for your e-mail. You set it up once and it will automatically be added to the bottom of every e-mail you create. To create a signature in Thunderbird, follow these steps 1. Save the attachment I am sending with this e-mail named "signature.txt" in your My Documents. 2. Open "signature.txt" by double-clicking on it (it should open in Notepad, not Word). 3. Edit the content to contain your information 4. Save the file. NOTE: You can not delete or move this file or the signature will not work. 5. Exit Notepad 6. Open Thunderbird 7. Click on Tools - Account Settings 8. Check "Attach this Signature" 9. Browse to the .txt file you just created and click open. 10. Click OK

Tech Tip #13
This week's tip is aimed at Thunderbird e-mail users. If you are getting an error that instructs you to update the program every time you open Thunderbird, you can easily disable that feature. Many of you have told me you simply cancel the operation every time, but all you need to do to get rid of that annoying feature is follow these instructions: - Open the TOOLS Menu - Select OPTIONS - Click on ADVANCED (if necessary) - Uncheck the two boxes listed under “Automatically check for updates to:” (Thunderbird & Installed Add-ons) Have a great week!

Tech Tip #12
Got Direct Deposit? Would you like to save the district precious dollars? If yes, did you know that you can have your paystub info e-mailed to you instead of waiting on a paper stub in your mailbox? Not only does this save time, paper, and printer toner for the district, but you actually get the information faster! Occasionally I even receive the e-mail on Wednesday night. I have received my paystub in a paperless format for a couple of years and love it. They direct deposit my check and e-mail my pay stub information. I have it sent to my personal e-mail at home, but you can have it sent to any e-mail you desire. Then I save all of the e-mails for easy reference throughout the year. If you are interested in receiving e-mail notifications of your paystub info, please contact Judy Kelley at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Tech Tip #11
Each week, more staff and students are becoming aware of the abundant # of videos/resources available at www.unitedstreaming.com. You can search the site for content and/or grade specific clips. To access the site you will need to create a user account. You will also need the corresponding building passcode from below to create that account. If you teach in multiple buildings, pick one. It will work anywhere. The site has several thousand video clips and much, much, more. This is a great resource! Kristie Hughes from NWOCA is happy to help you learn how to use the site. Click here to see when she is visiting your school for her next Resource Visit. After you login and search for video clips, click on “Teacher Center” to see what else they have to offer, including: Assignment Builder Quiz Builder Writing Prompt Builder Calendar (Ties historical events and clips together) Lesson Plan Library United Streaming Directions and Passcodes Go to www.unitedstreaming.com Step 1. Enter your corresponding eight-character passcode from below in the New User section Step 2. Create your own username and password Step 3. Log in with your new username and password Step 4. Search for videos, images, animations, audio files and more!

Tech Tip #10
As part of our cost savings measures, the board has directed everyone in the district to make 2-sided copies. Furthermore, if you are printing more that 1 printout on a laser printer in the district, you should instead print 1 copy, and then make 2-sided copies on a Xerox. The cost per page is much lower on a Xerox machine than on the laser printer. Any savings realized through these types of measures will help save resources/programming in the long run.

Tech Tip #9
I got a large response in regards to last week’s tip so I created a step-by-step instruction sheet for setting up a Thunderbird e-mail account on your computer. Remember, if you teach at an elementary school or Clay HS, it is already installed. If you teach at a middle school or if you are an administrator or secretary throughout the district, it might be installed. Check for Mozilla Thunderbird under All Programs in the Start menu. If you don’t have it installed, you will need to before setting up the account; simply submit a request to your building contact. Kristie Hughes (NWOCA) can help you setup your account on her Resource Visit Day at your building (Dates and online sign up posted here: http://empower.nwoca.org/pls/htmldb/f?p=206:11:1301317692494055505). IF YOU DON”T WANT TO WAIT for Kristie, I am attaching a very simple set of instructions to setup your account yourself.

Tech Tip #8
Many of you are already using Thunderbird for your e-mail. It is a great, easy-to-use program that I recommend to everyone who is currently using NWOCA WebMail. It is much easier to use than WebMail. If you teach at an elementary school or Clay HS, it is already installed. If you teach at the middle school, you will need to have Thunderbird installed; simply submit a request to your building contact. Kristie Hughes (NWOCA) can help you setup your account on her Resource Visit Day at your building (Dates and online sign up posted here: http://empower.nwoca.org/pls/htmldb/f?p=206:11:1301317692494055505). IF YOU ARE ALREADY USING THUNDERBIRD, I have attached the Oregon City Schools directory for you to import into your address book in Thunderbird. Simply follow these directions: 1. Save this attachment (Oregon Schools Directory.csv) 2. Open Thunderbird 3. Tools Menu - Click Import 4. Click "Address Books" and click Next 5. Click on "Text File (LDIF, .tab., .csv, .txt)" and click Next 6. Under “Files of Type” (located at bottom of window), change drop-down to “Comma Seperated” 7. Locate attached file you just saved (Oregon Schools Directory.csv) and click open 8. Click OK 9. Click Finish You are done. To access directory, click on “Address Book” button, then click on Oregon School Directory (located on top left).

Tech Tip #7
Attached is a quick reference sheet for using your school telephone. With all of the moving this year, we have had to reset/move many phones. This has caused me to learn the phones better and realize there are many easy to use capabilities most of us do not use (i.e. transferring calls, leaving messages for another caller without dialing into their room, change your personal greeting, etc.) The sheet is specifically designed for the NORSTAR 7100 (the phone in most classrooms…the one without all of the extra buttons). However, the commands will work on most other phones in the district as well. You might want to cut out the bottom corner of the sheet and place it near your phone directory.

Tech Tip #6
This week’s tip does not pertain to classroom use. It will only affect your home TV viewing. As many of you are already aware, in February, 2009 (still 1 year away), all television stations in the United States will switch to 100% digital broadcasts. This may have major implications for you. If you have any non HD TV’s in your house that are NOT connected to cable or satellite TV, you will need to purchase a converter box to convert your antenna reception to analog to continue using your analog TV. These boxes are expected to cost $50 – 70. If you visit the website below, you can apply for a $40 coupon from the government to be used towards the purchase of eligible converter boxes. There are a limited # of coupons and they are available for a limited time only. To learn everything you need to know, visit www.dtv2009.com.

Tech Tip #5
How to print portions of a web page or e-mail without printing all of it. You could highlight the text (drag across the text), then go to file - print and select the "selection" radio button under "page range". This will only print what you have highlighted/selected.

Tech Tip #4
If you are getting error messages when trying to use GOOGLE stating that your search has been blocked because it has been identified as potential spyware, don’t be alarmed. To the best of our knowledge, this is a result of how NWOCA converts private addresses to real word addresses along with Google implementing a bot detector to cut down on spam on their end. At this point there is nothing we can do as far as Google is concerned. A good solution is to switch to Yahoo as a search engine. If this affects enough schools and similar organizations using private IP addressing and enough people abandon Google for Yahoo, or another super search engine, Google may get the hint and remove this. Until then, Doug and I have switched to Yahoo and recommend that you should also.

Tech Tip #3
Save ALL documents in your My Documents because they are backed up on the server daily. If you save documents on your C: and your computer crashes, your files will be lost forever.

Tech Tip #2
Don't log onto multiple computers at the same time

Tech Tip #1
Remember to log off of your machine every day. This synchronizes everything in your MY DOCUMENTS to the server. We keep back ups for 1 week so we can restore your files in the event that they are lost/damaged. If you don’t log off, they don’t get backed up. Tech Tip #1A: Do NOT store files on your desktop. They are not backed up with your My Documents.