Training Opportunities

October

*To attend this lunch training, please RSVP Londa  for space and lunch at

         londa.posvistak@smes.org        

Announcement: Streaming Video for Your Classroom

Do you want to have video available on any topic for any age at anytime with just an Internet connection?  Stop by the Tech Tips training on Tuesday, March 15 (see Training Opportunities above for details)  and take a look at the variety of streaming videos available for your classroom.

Tech Tips: Personalizing Your Desktop

[Thanks to Shellie Kenney, Jennifer Cuda's substitute, for this tip!]

Do you ever get bored staring at your desktop whether it's plain blue or an XP-supplied graphic (like that grassy mound that never needs mowing or watering)? How would you like to put a picture that your child made for you, or a great photo you took on a recent trip, or a picture you found that's simply irresistible onto your desktop instead? Well, you can and it's easy. Here's how:

1. If it's a picture or homemade card, you'll need to scan and save it to your computer.
2. Open the image on your computer, right-click and select "set as background".

Ta da! That image is now your desktop background. Now, doesn't that make your work day just a little nicer?

Did You Know?: Internet Searching 101

Boolean Searching

A simple lesson in Boolean searching is available and advisable to those who are unfamiliar with this method. It is possible to compose some complex search expressions using Boolean logic on this search system. To do so, use the following terms:

'AND' (Boolean AND)
'OR' (Boolean OR)
'AND NOT' (Boolean NOT)

Parentheses can also be used when conducting an advanced search. For example: art AND (school OR college) - this expresses a search for records containing information about art schools or colleges.

Simple Boolean

Boolean logic is essentially very simple. When used in constructing a search expression, it can be very useful in specifying exactly what information you want. The basis of Boolean logic can be illustrated by the following diagrams:

Boolean 'AND'

This is expressed as 'blue AND yellow' in a search.

When using AND in this search expression, results retrieved will contain both blue and yellow information. The results will not include those documents containing only blue or only yellow information. In the diagram the documents retrieved by using this search expression are contained within the green area.

EXAMPLE: art AND schools
This will retrieve all records containing both keywords art and schools.

Boolean 'OR'

This is expressed as 'blue OR yellow' in a search.
 

When using OR in this search expression, results retrieved will contain either blue information, or yellow information, or blue and yellow information together. Such a search will not merely retrieve documents containing only blue information or only yellow information. In the diagram the documents retrieved by using this search expression are contained within all the colour areas.

EXAMPLE: ceramics OR pottery
This will retrieve all records containing the keywords ceramics or pottery, as well as those containing both.

Boolean 'NOT'

This is expressed as 'blue NOT yellow' in a search.
 

When using NOT in this search expression, results will contain only blue. The NOT operator will exclude yellow completely and thus any green information will be excluded also. It is important, therefore, to be careful when using this operator in order to avoid hindering your search. In this diagram the documents retrieved by using this search expression are contained within the blue area.

EXAMPLE: film NOT photography
This will retrieve all records containing the keyword film but not the keyword photography.

http://adam.ac.uk/info/boolean.html

Innovative Teachers

Technology in and of itself is merely a tool. What, when and how it is used can make a huge difference in your classroom or office. At St. Margaret's, we use a variety of Microsoft products. Microsoft offer educators a wealth of free knowledge and free on-line training on how to use their products and creative ways in which to use them.

If you sign up to receive Microsoft's Innovative Teacher's newsletter, you can take advantage of a whole host of services available at no charge to you. Take a peek at this website to see how you can use Outlook to communicate with your students or parents. Did you know you can create your own distribution list, e.g., a class roster? Are you interested in being able to offer ideas to your students on ways they can create more effective posters or PowerPoint presentations for their projects? If you like what you see, sign up to receive newsletters which will continue to offer you innovative ideas and step-by-step methods to carry them out!  Here are some ideas from the current newsletter:

Teach Writing and Language Skills with Word   <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=2177643>

Take an Essay from Draft to Finish using the Word Revision Marks Tool <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=2177644>

Academic Writing Made Easier with the Research Task Pane  <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=2177645>

Tutorial: Word 2002 and the Writing Process <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=2177646>

Create a Document Outline - online training with self-paced lessons <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=2177647>

Step Away From the Spell Checker   <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=2177648>

Proofreading Power Tools:  Tips for Polishing Your Writing <http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=2177649>
                                  

 http://www.microsoft.com/education/InnovativeTeachers.aspx

Technology Assistance
If you need help with technology, call the helpline at ext. 697 or email help@smes.org .
               Provide as detailed description of the problem as you can, and include the best times for someone to come by.