Ever been to an inservice, seminar, professional development session, yada-yada-yada where you sit with folks at a table, make a bullet list of summaries on a GIANT piece of paper, then stick it on a wall for all to see?
How about this variation: The wall is bare and your table has a deck of Post-It notes. Each of you write something on a Post-It note, then stick it on a "Parking Lot" (typically on a wall for all to see)?
You get the idea...
Here's a virtual alternative:
http://wallwisher.com/wall/cpitrolo
Check it out, leave a note. Give it a try at your next session. I'll bet some of you might even use it an a virtual wall for posting "exit passes" at the conclusion of a lesson (hint)!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Why Buy?
I just downloaded and tried the most recent release of OpenOffice (Version 3.2.0). Great balls of fire! This version is FAST! It loads so much faster than its predecessor.
I sometimes wonder: With productivity suites such as OpenOffice, Google Apps, and ZOHO, why is it even necessary for cash-strapped customers to buy software of this genre?
As a side-note: I read recently that in 2009 alone, 25 million malware strains were released. I can't say this often enough: Back up your data (documents, presentations,pictures, etc.)!
An antivirus program alone isn't enough to protect you. Neither is the same used in conjunction with a firewall. Seriously consider adding two more layers of protection
I sometimes wonder: With productivity suites such as OpenOffice, Google Apps, and ZOHO, why is it even necessary for cash-strapped customers to buy software of this genre?
As a side-note: I read recently that in 2009 alone, 25 million malware strains were released. I can't say this often enough: Back up your data (documents, presentations,pictures, etc.)!
An antivirus program alone isn't enough to protect you. Neither is the same used in conjunction with a firewall. Seriously consider adding two more layers of protection
- Antimalware from Malwarebytes.org
- SUPERAntispyware
Update your antivirus program, update Windows, and update these latter two free applications regularly and conduct full system scans.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Synch Your Calendars...and More!
Google and Outlook calendars can be synched with relative ease using many applications, some free and others for a nominal cost.
The GoogleCalendarSynch application (free) does so very simply and eloquently. The application can be downloaded from here.
Another application (14 day trial) is called iCal4OL. It does the same as the above, but also synchronizes your contacts. Read about iCal4OL here.
I've used both, and while the former is free, the latter is much more powerful. Give them a try and decide for yourself which best fits your needs.
Happy computing!
The GoogleCalendarSynch application (free) does so very simply and eloquently. The application can be downloaded from here.
Another application (14 day trial) is called iCal4OL. It does the same as the above, but also synchronizes your contacts. Read about iCal4OL here.
I've used both, and while the former is free, the latter is much more powerful. Give them a try and decide for yourself which best fits your needs.
Happy computing!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
FireShot - Screen Capture Simplified
A recently released Add-On for the Firefox web browser makes capturing, editing, and annotating web pages a snap!
FireShot is the name of the Add-On. Once downloaded and installed, it places an unobtrusive icon in the upper right corner of the browser. When you happen upon a website/page that you'd like to capture and save, simply click on the icon. The image can be saved in either .jpeg or .bmp (bit map) format.
FireShot then allows you to manipulate the image in a numbers of ways, the most useful of which I've found to be cropping and adding annotations. It gets even better...
The image can then be uploaded and stored along with other screen captures and placed in an album. The album can then be viewed as a slide show. How cool is that?
Images and albums are stored online and may be shared. Not only that, but they can be made public or kept private.
Take a look at the end-result of a sample I've created (in under 30 seconds). It's located at http://easycaptures.com/9562647720. This is the perfect answer to creating tutorials. I'm, sure you'll think of other ways this Add-On can be used. It's simple, easy, and elegant in what it does.
Give FireShot a try!
FireShot is the name of the Add-On. Once downloaded and installed, it places an unobtrusive icon in the upper right corner of the browser. When you happen upon a website/page that you'd like to capture and save, simply click on the icon. The image can be saved in either .jpeg or .bmp (bit map) format.
FireShot then allows you to manipulate the image in a numbers of ways, the most useful of which I've found to be cropping and adding annotations. It gets even better...
The image can then be uploaded and stored along with other screen captures and placed in an album. The album can then be viewed as a slide show. How cool is that?
Images and albums are stored online and may be shared. Not only that, but they can be made public or kept private.
Take a look at the end-result of a sample I've created (in under 30 seconds). It's located at http://easycaptures.com/9562647720. This is the perfect answer to creating tutorials. I'm, sure you'll think of other ways this Add-On can be used. It's simple, easy, and elegant in what it does.
Give FireShot a try!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Google Apps (Forms/Spreadsheets)
I've had purpose recently to create a spreadsheet and chose to forego software in lieu of a Google spreadsheet. The task itself was mundane, but what I discovered as I wrapped up the project and decided to "explore" was like a breath of fresh air!
What I discovered was that forms could be generated from Google spreadsheets. The respondents can choose from check boxes, multiple choice, drop-down menus, brief text-entry, or longer text-entry. The respondents' data is then imported into the spreadsheet.
The data can then be analyzed and represented graphically in the form of bar or pie graphs. Can you see where I'm going with this? Surveys, polls, assessments...the applications are endless.
I then thought of a way to create a form for administrator classroom walkthroughs using these capabilities. In this day and age of shrinking budgets, my end-product has the potential to save a significant amount of taxpayer's money! Amazing! Free! I'll be sure to pass along a portion of my bonus (he said tongue-in-cheek) to the fine folks at Google for the savings realized by this discovery and application.
What I discovered was that forms could be generated from Google spreadsheets. The respondents can choose from check boxes, multiple choice, drop-down menus, brief text-entry, or longer text-entry. The respondents' data is then imported into the spreadsheet.
The data can then be analyzed and represented graphically in the form of bar or pie graphs. Can you see where I'm going with this? Surveys, polls, assessments...the applications are endless.
I then thought of a way to create a form for administrator classroom walkthroughs using these capabilities. In this day and age of shrinking budgets, my end-product has the potential to save a significant amount of taxpayer's money! Amazing! Free! I'll be sure to pass along a portion of my bonus (he said tongue-in-cheek) to the fine folks at Google for the savings realized by this discovery and application.
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