July 9, 2015
If you work with computers and computer files on a regular basis, the most important thing you can do is backup your files. The odds are that at some point you will experience a hard drive crash or a virus/malware infection that could possibly destroy all of your files.
This tip is unique in that, we are not going to talk about how to backup your files, instead we will be discussing how to prepare for a successful backup. These tips will make your backup thorough, complete, and trouble free.
David's 5 Tips for Preparing for a Successful Backup
1. Before you start a backup, you need to clean up your file folders.
2. Make a backup of all of your Browser Bookmarks.
3. make sure all of your files are located in a specific location.
4. Determine the size of your files.
5. Determine your backup medium.
Important stuff:
- 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.
Great advice to take to heart!
So what are you waiting for?
Time to prepare for that backup!
Length: 16:00
July 1, 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
May 28, 2015
Snipping Tool is a software app that allows you to take a snapshot of your desktop screen, a window on your desktop or the contents of your entire desktop.
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:
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
