Monday, September 29, 2014

iOS 8: Fixing what Apple has done to your device

If you've already updated your devices to the new Apple operating system and you're not a fan of some of the changes, there are some actions you can take to return to a somewhat familiar format.

A great resource for changing the "annoying" options is found here.

10 settings (good and bad) for the new iOS 8 are here (including info on battery usage)

And 7 Privacy Settings that you should check are here.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Online Graphic Calculator!

If your students are in need of a graphing calculator that you just don't have, try Desmos! It's an online graphing calculator that's free!



Monday, March 3, 2014

iPad Apps for the Classroom

Lately, I've begun downloading free Apps that seem interesting and/or useful for students of various levels and in all sorts of classes. I'll be showcasing them here and updating when I find something new and fabulous. 

Leave a comment if there's a lesson you think an App would help with. I'll do my best to find something that works!


Reading:
  • Edmodo (free)
    • create groups and post comments, assignments, and quizzes
  • SubText (free)
    • within Edmodo groups, add articles and books and create analysis assignments and discussions
  • Overdrive (free)
    • access online books checked out from the SBISD libraries


Writing:
  • Dragon Dictation (free)
    • Voice recognition app that allows students to have their spoken word translated into writing. This app is a bit glitchy; sometimes it cannot understand students and types the wrong words.

Study Skills:
  • Evernote (free)
    • keep track of notes and lists
  • Peek (free)
    • works with your notes from Evernote to create flip screen quizzes
  • Penultimate (free)
    • "the experience of pen on paper with the power of Evernote"
Science:
  • Leafsnap HD (free)
    • leaf and plant identifier 

At last...


Tuesday, February 4, 2014

How to RESPONSIBLY Search for Images on Google

Sometimes, www.morguefile.com doesn't give you the copyright-free photo you're looking for.

To do a Google Image search for a photo that isn't bound by copyright, here's what you do:


First, go to www.google.com and click the Images link at the top.




Next, search for your topic. I'm searching for the lead actor in the series Sherlock.


Click Search tools


Click the drop-down menu called Usage Rights


Click "labeled for reuse"


You should now have a notification that the images you have searched for are "labeled for reuse," and should be okay for you to use.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Laptop Tidy-Up: Saving Data to Servers

Since we're getting new teacher laptops that are ever so much faster, it's time to clean up the old laptops! 

The reasoning is this: the migration of all the information (not the programs!) from the old laptops to the new should go more smoothly and much more quickly if there is less information to shift. 



SAVING DATA TO YOUR TEACHER SAN FOLDER:



You will want to save your information to your teacher SAN folder (the Alaska files):


Paste \\Alaska\ into a browser window address and click Enter/Return.


Then open the folder containing the letter of your last name. Next, open your folder.


To create a new folder inside your Alaska folder, click 
File --> New --> Folder
You can name it what you like to organize your information however it suits you.


Once you have located the folder where you would like to store the information, you can drag and drop files and folders from your desktop into Alaska. 

They will be saved on the server, and you can access them from any computer with Internet access. (You need to be connected to the SBISD VPN to do this from home, but that's another lesson...)


ACCESS TO SERVERS IN SBISD: 


Teachers have a number of servers on which to find information and store information. On our PCs, you can find them by copying these addresses and pasting them into a browser window:

To locate your school SAN folder (the Share files):


\\sbcds1\share\

Then click the folder with your school. This folder is for information that can be shared with the entire school.


To locate your Poland folder, where students and teachers can drop off or pick up files from you:


J:\

Then click your school folder then your name.