TFT Legislative Bulletin

by Nancy Vera

Special Interest Articles:  .pdf files – save files that everyone can view and that cannot be edited  New Google Feature – searching by reading level On Page 2 Helps for Your Classroom:  Playing DVD’s on Your Teacher computer  Professional Development on Demand  More from Google – Great for Science and Social Studies Teachers Created by: IT Chairperson – Libbie Payne ext. 20778 From time to time it is advisable to save documents you have created for others to view in a format others cannot edit and that you are certain everyone will be able to view. In 1993 Adobe Systems developed software for document exchange. They developed a universal file format (Portable Document Format -.pdf) that preserves the fonts, formatting, colors, and graphics of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it. PDF is the Google Searching by Reading Level Did you know that you can search Google by reading level? A new feature within the Google search engine -the ability to filter results by reading level will allow you to do just that. It is really quite simple to do, just follow these instructions. 1. Go to www.google.com 2. Click the “Advanced Search” link at the right of the search window. 3. Enter the desired Tiger Technology Tips February 8, 2011 Volume 1, Issue 3 .pdf (Portable Document Format) files document. You will be able to go back and edit the original document if that is necessary. To save the same document as a .pdf file, simply choose save as and select Adobe PDF. Your file will be converted and saved as a file viewable by anyone with Adobe Acrobat Reader, and your material cannot be altered. open de facto standard for distributing formatted documents over the Internet. Most individuals think that you must have the Adobe software to create .pdf files. But, did you know that you can create .pdf files directly from our newest version of Microsoft Office? This includes Word, Excel, and Power Point, and Publisher projects created in MS Office. When you prepare to save a document you have created, first save it as an office keyword(s). 4. Use the “Reading Level” pull-down menu to choose the reading level that suits your students: Basic (easy reading), Intermediate, and Advanced (more difficult reading levels) 5. Click the Advanced Search button at the bottom right. 6. The results page will show only pages with the desired reading level! 7. Click the links beside the bar graph at the top of the results page to switch to a different reading level. This can be very helpful if you have special ed students who are need modified reading assignments.

Page 2 Helps For Your Classroom Research has shown that student achievement is directly linked to teacher quality. Engaging in ongoing professional development throughout your career impacts your teacher quality. Teacher responses on the Carroll High School STAR Chart indicate that most Carroll teachers want and need educator preparation and development when it comes to technology. Check out these resources to expand your tech knowledge while improving your teacher quality. You may not need to reserve a DVD player from the library for the next DVD you will show to your classes. If you have an LCD projector, Smart Board or Smart TV, you can play DVD’s directly from your teacher computer once the necessary software is installed on your computer. In order to enable your computer to play DVD’s, you will need to request that the software be installed to your teacher computer that you will be using with your projection hardware. Playing DVD’s on Your Teacher Computer Just because you have a degree doesn’t mean that your learning has come to an end. A good teacher is continually learning, and technology makes it easy to extend your learning by offering professional development on demand. Professional development will keep your teaching fresh, current, and will remind you of what it is like Professional Development ON DEMAND Google continues to create tools that will address teachers’ classroom needs. Here are two great online tools from Google that will display your search results in a more organized and meaningful way. Google Squared and Wonder Wheel. Google Squared is a search tool that helps you quickly More from Google – Great for Science and Social Studies Teachers The Technology Service Center can install the software on your computer remotely; however, you must request it on a work order. To submit a request, simply send an email to helpdesk@ccisd.us. In the subject line, be sure to include 001 (Carroll’s school number) followed by room number. In the body of your email, you must ask for remote installation of the software. Please include the PC name and IP address. These can be found in the lower right hand corner of the desktop. Installation usually takes place in a week or less and is done remotely at night. For planning purposes, you can request to be notified by email when the installation has taken place. to learn something new. Teachers who are continually learning make empathetic teachers; they understand how frustrating it can be to learn something for the first time. These are great places to continue your learning while using technology: Learner.org– http://learner.org Thinkfinity-http://thinkfinity.org (From Verizon) Tutorials of all kinds: http://www.edzone.net/~mwestern/tutorials.html Teacher Tap-http://eduscapes.com/tap Tapped in-http://tappedin.org/tappedin/Investintech-resource guide of technology tips http://www.investintech.com/content/techtipsteachers/build a collection of facts from the Web, for any topic you specify. It will even allow you to build time lines. Google Wonder Wheel is a great feature from Google which allows you to see relevant search results to your query in a unique semantically relevant and graphically designed way, similar to a mind map. Want to learn more about these Google tools? Google has clear directions to get you started. Click here to access the directions for Google Squared. For step by step directions on the use of Wonder Wheel, click here. These tools can add a whole new dimension to your students’ research and can facilitate unique ways to organize information.