Screen Sharing

I have been looking for a way for a teacher to share his screen with his students and have students reflect up onto the Smartboard.  My first thought was an Apple TV, however his class is comprised of PC and Apple users with varying Operating Systems.   Next years freshman will be coming in with Mountain Lion and beyond so we will be fine in the classroom and for the others we could purchase  Air Parrot, 5 seat licenses for $39.99.   The other option I tossed about was just a simple remote desktop login.   I tried several but by far the easiest was ScreenLeap  no downloads, no installs, no sign ups. So, if your classroom doesn't have an Apple TV and you are interested in reflecting student screens up to the Smartboard try using ScreanLeap.  Simply use ScreenLeap to login to the student laptop and project your laptop screen to the Smartboard.

Edcamp

There is an upcoming Edcamp event on April 27th in Chicago for those of you looking for some nearby professional development opportunities.   I have yet to attend an Edcamp session but they sound like a great experience if you are looking to get some new creative ideas.  Below is a summary of what to expect from an Edcamp session.  If you are interested in participating in an event check out the calendar .

Vision: Promoting organic, participant-driven professional development for K-12 educators worldwide.

Mission:  To support free edcamp unconferences for educators to exchange ideas and learn together. Edcamps are:

• free
• non-commercial and conducted with a vendor-free presence
• hosted by any organization interested in furthering the edcamp mission
• made up of sessions that are determined on the day of the event
• events where anyone who attends can be a presenter
• reliant on the “law of two feet” that encourages participants to find a session that meets their needs

Online Dictation

I have noticed recently many students are using Google Chrome.  I have not put it on the US image but may add it to the browser selection next year.  In the meantime, I decided to install Chrome on my desktop and see what all the buzz was about.  I am still getting accustomed to the simplicity of it, but I did find a great use for it with an Online Dictation website.  The site allows you to record with the microphone and then the information is transcribed into text for you. I already recommended this to a teacher who has been temporarily unable to type.  I think it is a handy tool for those times where you might not be in a position to type.

Trouble with PDFs and Firefox

Have you noticed when you link while using your Firefox browser a blank page pulls up?  Are you trying to open a PDF?  I have seen this happen several times and most of the time the problem is with the faulty plugin.  You can fix the problem by using a different PDF viewer plugin or you can just follow these directions and tell Firefox to, once again, use Adobe Reader as the default program for PDFs.

Adobe Flash Plugin Crash

A teacher came to see me this morning with a few problems he was having with his Firefox browser.  If you have a crash and see the Flash plugin has crashed follow these directions to fix the problem.

 

If you have a crash and see the plugin has security vulnerabilities follow these directions to fix the problem.

Google Reader announcement

All my newsletters had a Google section to let you know about a Google tool or capability that you might find useful.  Google has ample uses in education and is everywhere.  Recently, I mentioned the Google advanced search capabilities that makes searching for public domain pictures really simple.  Despite the wide array of Google capabilities one thing I have found troubling about Google products is they shelf their products despite their success.  Google has so many products out there but you never really know if they will continue to be around and who wants to invest in a product that will be closed in the next year.  Thanks to Richard Byrne, I found out that Google announced it was closing Google Reader.  I was surprised to learn of the news as I thought Google Reader was a mainstay.  I don't really use Google reader but I do use iGoogle which will be discontinued this November and I am still looking for a suitable alternative.  I have resorted to using both iGoogle and Yahoo.  I prefer the iGoogle layout so until November comes I will continue to use iGoogle.  However, I do save RSS feeds to my Yahoo account when I remember so I can transition when the time comes.  Nonetheless it is time to look ahead and here are some options that might be suitable for replacing your iGoogle or Google Reader account:  Symbaloo, backstitch, Feedly, Netvibes, newsblur or myLinkCloud.  I think RSS feeds are such an easy and effective way to stay abreast of educational topics.  It is a great way to create a PLN.  If you need help getting started let me know and we can schedule a time.

Block ads on your You Tube videos

A teacher asked me today about blocking some ads on the You Tube videos that she shows.  I have been using a Cleaner Internet and it works wonderfully.  I posted this tid in a newsletter last year and thought I should mention it since it has worked so well for me I almost forgot about those annoying ads.  Although I have never used it, Adblock Plus has been recommended to me in the past.  It is an Open Source browser extension and works with Firefox and Chrome. 

Professional Development Conference

The Innovations for Learning (IFL) Conference

The Innovations for Learning (IFL) Conference is a one day conference produced by the Office of Instructional Technology at Fayette County Schools. The conference focus is on innovative instructional strategies that engage students to improve learning.

IFL is open to all teachers, technology specialists (TRTs, TISs), administrators, and anyone else interested in how to use technology to improve student learning. This year’s conference will be held at Bryan Station High School, 201 Eastin Road, Lexington, KY 40505, and is once again free for all participants. The date of the conference is June 4, 2013.

Screen Capture Tools

This afternoon two students wanted to know how they could capture their Minecraft project so they could present it to their classmates in language class.  I hope to see the students' final project, in the meantime, I wanted to put out the resources for faculty interested in flipping or creating sub plans. My favorite resource is



 screencast-o-matic.  I tried to launch it today and it took a long time, if it is taking too long simply download the app and try it that way. The other resource I shared with the students was the simple recorder in your collection of Smart Tools.  The quickest way to find your recorder is through Spotlight.  Launch the recorder, set up your desktop screen as you want it to look, and hit the red button to start recording.  Once you are finished press the blue square button.  Both options provide quick and simple ways to record your work.