Episodes
Friday Jul 10, 2015
Episode 61: Preparing For Backup
Friday Jul 10, 2015
Friday Jul 10, 2015
- If you don't know how to backup files, find a youtube video, instructional web page, ask a friend or pay someone to set up and show you how. It's that important!
- Even if you work in an environment that does backups, make your own! Remember, it is your data, you are responsible for it, and you will be the one crying if everything is lost!
- Test your backups. A backup isn't any good if you can't use it.
- Periodically review your backup policies. You might need/want to tweak them. Update your bookmark backups, etc. You might have old files that can be archived on CD/DVD and deleted from the hard drive.
Wednesday Jul 01, 2015
Episode 60: Vicki Davis-The Cool Cat Teacher
Wednesday Jul 01, 2015
Wednesday Jul 01, 2015
Vicki is a teacher and an IT Director in a small school system in Camilla, Georgia, but she is connected through her writing, speaking, podcast, and social media content throughout the world!
This is her 13th year teaching.
She writes regularly for the website Edutopia and Vicki can frequently be found as a national keynote speaker presenting on a multitude of topics.
She is a published author and has her own podcast on the BAM Radio Network called Every Classroom Matters
I subscribe to her podcast on iTunes and look forward to every episode.
Her books are Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds: Move to Global Collaboration One Step At A Time and Reinventing Writing: The 9 Tools that are Changing Writing, Teaching, and Learning Forever
She has an amazing blog, http://www.coolcatteacher.com/, where she expresses her thoughts about many different areas associated with teaching from technology to classroom management and many topics in between. She also connects the readers to many resources for helping with better teaching and school leading.
She also is very active on social media, especially Twitter, where her handle is @coolcatteacher
https://www.pinterest.com/coolcatteacher/
https://www.facebook.com/coolcatteacher
https://www.youtube.com/coolcatteacher
Vicki is engaging and overflowing with incredible ideas for making the classroom experience unforgettable.
After talking with Vicki, I couldn't stop talking to my team members about her inspiring words!
I think that you will get just as energized.
Enjoy!
Length:
40:45
Thursday May 28, 2015
Episode 56: Snipping Tool with David Rogers
Thursday May 28, 2015
Thursday May 28, 2015
Snipping tool is a free utility application that comes with standard installations of Windows 7 and Windows 8. In Windows 7 click: Start > All Programs > Accessories > Snipping Tool.
(With Windows 8, press the Win Key and type Snipping Tool)
What is so great about Snipping Tool? Many people have a need for taking a “snapshot” of any number of things on their computer. Especially if you are creating a “howto” document.
Windows Snipping Tool has the following options:
Free Form snip
Rectangular snip (default)
Window snip
Full-Screen snip
If you are going to use snipping tool a lot, I suggest you pin it to the Windows Taskbar, that way it is always available and a one click execute.
When you get ready to take a screenshot, just click on Snipping Tool. The snipping tool window will pop up and your cursor will become an active selection cursor depending on which mode you are in. You then select or choose the portion of the screen you would like to capture.
Once you have snipped all or a portion of your screen (or Window), the Snipping Tool Window opens. In the snipping tool window, you have a pen, a highlighter and an eraser to use to edit the image. The pen is a free form drawing tool as is the highlighter. These tools, although simple, allow you to circle, underline, highlight & markup the file as you see fit. You do not have a lot of editing features. Snipping Tool is a simple tool, but it is very effective.
After you have edited the file, you have the option of saving it. The file can be saved in three popular graphic file formats:
PNG (Portable Network Graphic)
GIF (Graphic Interchange Format)
JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
Or as a single HTML file (MHT file to be opened in a web browser) (This is not an easily edited format. Used mostly for archive purposes).
After you save the file, it is ready to be used as is any graphic file.
Review:
Snipping Tool is a free, quick and easy tool for Microsoft OS users to create graphic images of anything on their desktop.
It comes as a standard installed utility in Windows 7 and later OSs.
It is found in the Accessories menu under the Start Menu.
It saves “snips” in three popular graphic file formats (& MHT format).
It has a pen and highlighter for basic editing (highlighting).
Target audience: Anyone that creates “howto” documents, technical documents or reference material.
Follow David on his Technology Blog
Length: 10:29
Thursday May 07, 2015
Episode 54: The 50 States Album and Engaging Kids with Dr. Lodge McCammon
Thursday May 07, 2015
Thursday May 07, 2015
Dr. Lodge McCammon is focused on improving teacher quality and helping teachers create learning environments that are highly collaborative, differentiated, and engaging.
Lodge is a professional musician who plays numerous instruments and creates educational songs for each of the academic core areas. Recently, he has been working on his 50 States Album as well as teaching teachers and kids how to use paper slide videos. He is an expert at flipping the classroom, a concept that he sees as making the teacher more efficient at using time. Lodge shows teachers how to flip so that more classroom time can be spent on learning instead of listening. (Check out Lodge’s original talk with me on Episode 10 and Episode 11)
If anyone has ever visited with Lodge they would probably talk about his creativity, his sense of humor, and his ability to make learning fun and engaging! You will hear all of this loud and clear throughout the interview…
By the way…my favorite state songs are Illinois and Colorado… Find out which ones you like the best…
He is a former public high school teacher (Civics and AP Economics) who earned his PhD at NC State and has worked with that same university to emphasize efficiency and engagement in the classroom with new and veteran teachers.
Lodge is an amazing keynote speaker, consultant, musician, and educator. In today’s interview I get him to talk about everything from what music he likes to his latest on using time more efficiently…Flip the Phone Meetings… and Walk and Talks.
You can find out more information about Dr. McCammon at
https://twitter.com/pocketlodge
http://www.youtube.com/pocketlodge
http://www.youtube.com/flippedtraining
https://www.facebook.com/fizz.education
Length – 01:30:42
Thursday Apr 23, 2015
Episode 52: Avoiding Junkware with David Rogers
Thursday Apr 23, 2015
Thursday Apr 23, 2015
Today on Quick Tech Tip David and I talk about… How to Avoid Junkware…
Does junkware drive you nuts?!
It does me!
You know what I’m talking about …as David says, “…the 3rd party software offers…click and suddenly you have any number of unwanted stuff on your computer.”
David notes, “You go to install legitimate software and then…the installation by default adds something unwanted!”
I think we have all had issues with this headache…especially me…
Listen as David gives you his …
5 Steps to Avoiding Junkware
1. Download from a reliable source
2. Beware of fake download buttons
3. Be alert during the software installation
4. De-select any options to install additional software
5. When in doubt don’t do it!
Enjoy!
And just say no to clicking on those download buttons!
Length: 12:20