Optimizing the image on your Smartboard

Attention to: Teachers spoiled with smartboards

Whenever you need to adjust the brightness of your projector (might make a huge difference in your room, especially a this time of the year), you will notice that the remote is not always working. It's usually due to a weak battery. Ask for a new one at the Media Center.
Also, if you are not totally happy with the quality of the picture, try the following settings:
right-click on your desktop
>properties
>settings:
in settings, use your cursor to slide to 1152x864


Jude

How to install AVG 2010-11

This posting is for Profile teachers and students. See here how to install and set up AVG

Jude

Wiki on educational technology and the life of the mind

I will be presenting a session on educational technology and the life of the mind at the 2010 Christa McAuliffe Conference along with colleague Deb Boisvert. This is the wiki where we are storing our material and ideas. Suggestions welcome.
Jude

PowerDirector 7 and 8 tutorials

A great resource to get further into videoediting using Powerdirector, including the ever popular chroma-key effect (aka the weatherman effect), good tips for organizing your media library (essential for large projects), PIP, audio mixing and much more: The PowerDirector Director Zone . Jude

How to set up AVG for automatic scanning and computer shut down

Profile Teachers:
You may set your AVG antivirus and antispyware so that updates and scanning take place after school hours and your computer shuts down automatically afterwards. Follow these simple instruction (the slide show goes left to right). If you use the free version of AVG at home, you can also use these settings.
Jude

Smartboard updates for Teachers

4/14/10 Profile Technology Moment: A few Smartboard updates for Teachers

1. Don’t forget your Smartboard updates: set them up for once a month. Select what you need.

2. Before Notebook, discover the Other Smart Tools:
a. Screen Shade
b. Spotlight
c. Magnifier
d. Pointer
e. Digital Ink layer: think of it as digital transparency that you can save and edit.
f. Ink Aware: word, Excel, ppt. ( Open Office Write: expect short delays)

3. Here are some essential resources websites:
a. Educators Resources: This is the official educators exchange platform developed by the makers of Smartboard. It keeps growing and growing. http://www.education.smarttech.com/ste/en-US/Ed+Resource/
b. See especially the Smart Exchange, where you can search lesson plans and activity ideas in notebook format, download, and adapt them to your class. Search or browse by subject and state standards : http://exchange.smarttech.com/index.html
c. Smart technologies also has it own Youtube Channel, worth exploring: http://www.youtube.com/smartclassrooms#p/a
d. This website is the Aussie version of the Smart Exchange. You’ll be surprised at the amount of resources you can get from down there: http://www.interactivewhiteboard.net.au/
e. Did you know that you can create and edit Notebook files even without Notebook installed on your computer? Just go to the web site of Smart Notebook Express. This is a light version of Notebook, more than enough to get you going.
f. Smart Amanda: Amanda Myton is a professional Smartboard trainer who maintains a list of sites on classroom activities which is easy to search. http://delicious.com/smartamanda
Remember to bookmark these links
PS: subscribe to Edcompass, the interactive classroom newsletter, a good way to stay in the loop.
Jude

Troubleshoot 101

Profile Faculty:

We will have a Technology Questions & Troubleshoot 101 session during our Summer Technology Institute.

Please enter below the topics you would like to see addressed, using the comments.

The following topics are already scheduled during the other sessions:

- Notebook use 101
- 1:1 student/computer best practises
- Engaging Student Writing with 1:1 student/computer
- Advanced Notebook for Smartboard
- Video editing, formatting, and uploading
- Web 2.0 tools: podcasting, Google Apps,social networks for education, Skype

Downloading Open Office for Windows and Macintosh

You can download the latest version of Open Office (3.2) for Windows here
You can download the latest version of Open Office (3.2) for Macintosh here
Remember to register to get announcements about updates.
It is also definitely worthwhile checking out the downloadable extensions page.
Jude

File exchange in a diverse digital environment

- I have created a text document or a presentation with Open Office, and I need to work on it with Microsoft Office. OMG!How do I do that????

- I have this cool Powerpoint created with the latest version of Microsoft Office, can I open it with Open Office without corrupting it beyond recognition?????

- I Just opened my file created at home with a school computer, and there are all these funky signs which are not supposed to be there? What can I do about it?

See this file exchange chart. Download the whole presentation here.
Jude

Math Teachers: Try the SMART Math notebook software

Try for 30 days these SMART presentation and teaching tools for math on your Smartboard and let me know if you'd like to keep them.

I suggest starting by watching the 4 minutes demo video (click on Product Demo, top right of the page)

Then explore the main page for this product

You can download the 30-day trial version here

Please send me your feedback within the next four weeks
Jude

How to burn a DVD with various video file formats

See the simple tutorial here.
Jude

Downloading streaming videos like Youtube

Several people have asked me how to download videos and I referred them to zamzar.com and keepvid.com.

The process with Keepvid is very simple but there is one trick to remember: do not use the large red download button. Instead, use the the small grey one just after the url address you need to enter.

If you hit the red button, your computer will not self-destroy and WWIII will not start but you will be redirected to another site for file conversion (AVS). In this case, just go back to keepvids and use the grey button to start you download.

I do not recommend installing AVS. If you need file conversion, The Profile Media Center is equipped with Powerdirector, a versatile, user friendly and reliable program.

Zamzar is more versatile as far as the format of the file you want to save, but you will receive the file by email, and AV files are pretty big; unless you agree to pay for online management of your files for a monthly fee.

Jude