Table of Contents
(clicking on an item takes you
right to the feature)
| Training Opportunities | Password Changes | CTAP˛ Update |
| USB Devices | Squeezing Text | Outlook Keyboard Shortcuts |
| Did You Know?: Toolbars | Radio Lovers.Com | Protecting Your PC |
| Technology Assistance | ||
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What is a Webquest?: An exciting internet
activity for your students, |
Tuesday, Oct. 7 | 3:00 p.m. |
MS Lab |
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Grade Quick: Getting ready for interims. |
Wednesday, Oct 22 | 3:00 p.m. |
MS Lab |
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To reserve a place
in this classes, email |
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Announcements |
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October is upon us and that means it's time to change passwords. I hear the groans and have more news for you. This year, passwords will need to be at least 6-8 characters long AND include at least 1 (one) character (e.g., ! @ # $ % ^ & *) AND include 1 (one) number. An example of such a password would be cla$$1fy. The shortest password allowed will be six characters in length, and the longest will be eight. Why, you ask, are you doing this to me? Because St. Margaret's has more content-sensitive applications that are being used by many of you: Blackbaud, Raiser's Edge and Accounting Software (grades, reports, payroll, employee & student personal data); attendance; GradeQuick; division SharePoint pages; web pages (Front Page); personnel information; etc. These are all applications which require a log in. Previous network security articles have mentioned that the weakest link, and easiest portal into a network is the password. Technology is providing you with plenty of time to create a password that meets the above criteria. We will send out an email shortly before you are required to change your password, and we will make ourselves available in the US/MS/LS labs on the 15th in the event you experience any problems. As always, email your new passwords, including screensaver passwords, to the helpline as soon as you create it. You can do this before the change takes effect. Remember, if Technology doesn't know your password and/or screensaver password, we won't be able to respond to your calls for assistance in a timely manner. Upper School faculty – it is imperative that you send us your password so that changes can be made in Blackbaud for attendance entry. Dianne Bauer will be changing the passwords for the Registrar system; Wendy Romagnino will be changing them for Development (Raiser's Edge); and Melissa Norwood will be changing them for the Blackbaud accounting software. |
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Over the summer, all faculty and staff were to have taken an on-line assessment called CTAP˛ (California Technology Assistance Project/California Technology Assessment Profile). New personnel were asked to complete the assessment by the end of August. CTAP˛ is an online, self-assessment tool for educators that help people see what they need to learn to effectively leverage technology in the classroom. Although the focus is on teachers, the assessment includes staff and administrators. Out of approximately 185 employees, 124 people (64%) took the assessment as of 9/24/03. As might be expected, most everyone felt very comfortable with programs they use frequently: email and word processing. Teachers felt comfortable applying various applications to classrooms (Integration, Student Learning, and Classroom Management) while staff seemed more comfortable with word processing, spreadsheets or databases, depending upon their position. The tech staff will spend the next few weeks reviewing the data from this assessment which will help us determine appropriate training opportunities but generally, there still seems to be room for some improvement with Internet use (Ethics and Policies as well as the general topic itself). The legal and ethical issues of email also seems to be an area where many of us can benefit with more information. Getting more comfortable with spreadsheets seems to be an area that would benefit many of us. It has as much relevancy in the classroom and in our lives as it does in the Business Office. Finally, most people didn’t seem to know much about Instructional Technology (computer-based technology lesson plans, evaluating digital media, computer-based tech resources, student learning styles). |
Here is yet another way for you or your students to transport work to and from home and school. There are different names for it: USB Memory Sticks, USB memory drives, USB Flash drives, etc. It is more reliable than a floppy or Zip disk, and some models can be kept on a keychain.
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Tech Tips |
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Squeezing TextYou printed a 12-page document, and the last page has just two lines on it--hardly worth a whole page. If you hate it when the last page of your Word document contains only a small amount of text, you have a couple of options. You can widen your left and right margins to pull that small amount of text back up onto the previous page, or you can adjust the font size used. However, Word's Shrink To Fit feature can, in most cases, save both an extra sheet of paper as well as the time it takes to reformat. Word compacts the printout by reducing every font by a small amount, such as a half a point or a full point. To use the Shrink To Fit feature, go to File | Print Preview and then click the Shrink To Fit icon (the one that shows an image of two sheets with an arrow pointing to a single sheet) on the Print Preview toolbar. After printing, you may want to undo Shrink To Fit. To do this, in Print Preview mode, go to Edit | Undo. If you exit Print Preview mode, you can still undo Shrink To Fit changes if you haven't resaved the document. |
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One way you know you're improving your technology skills is when you rely less on your mouse and more on your keyboard. A true techie can do everything on a computer with just a keyboard. Every so often in this publication, you'll find tips on how to use keyboard shortcuts for various applications (January 2001, January 2003, ).Here are some keyboard shortcuts you can use in Outlook. If you print these tips out and put them in a convenient place, it's easy to practice on a daily basis! Ctrl-M: Send and receive mail
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Did You Know? |
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Toolbars Block More Than Popups!
Downloading toolbars from the Internet can cause problems with your computer. Last year, a product called Hotbar was very popular as it allowed the user to insert cute smiley faces, pretty pictures or backgrounds in emails. This year, several of us are intrigued with the new Google toolbar which stops popup windows and helps to streamline an Internet search. The problem with these toolbars is that they interfere with various software applications, as well as access to Internet Explorer, and can also load spyware into your computer without your knowledge. This results in multiple calls to the Helpline, production down time, and frustration. It is also one of the reasons Technology does not allow .exe downloads. The unknown factor(s) caused by executable files can create more problems than solutions! |
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For those of you who've only heard about old time radio shows and for a few of you who may have actually listened to one or two, I find this website to be an absolutely delight. Radio Lovers provides you with free access to some of the classics of yesteryear including Abbott and Costello, Buck Rogers, Gunsmoke, and Authors Playhouse. Here's what the
website says about itself: "We offer hundreds
of vintage radio shows for you to listen to online in mp3 format, all
for free. Before the The only drawback I found is that the website creators haven't yet completed their task of archiving shows, so the list stops midway through the alphabet. I was really looking forward to listening to a show I'd heard about - The Shadow! Guess I'd better be patient and wait for more shows to be added. http://www.radiolovers.com/
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Technology
Assistance |
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ow more about how to
do this. Microsoft has
an easy step-by-step webpage to help you with
this process. Just to go the following website and select your computer's Operating
System (XP, Windows 98, etc.) at Get
Start.
If you need
help with
technology, call the
helpline at ext. 697 or email