well connected! november 2010

4
Inside this issue: Taking Photos for your Presentation 1 Just for Fun Websites 2 GroupWise Tips 2 Online Children’s Dictionary 2 Critiquing Advertising 2 Create a Desktop Shortcut 2 SMART ideas 3 Creating Flashcards for iPod 4 Mac User Group Special Event 4 Holland Patent Central School’s Technology Newsletter WELL CONNECTED! WELL CONNECTED! WELL CONNECTED! WELL CONNECTED! VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 NOVEMBER 2010 NOVEMBER 2010 NOVEMBER 2010 NOVEMBER 2010 In 21st Century Classrooms, Students Produce Information, Rather Than Just Consume It. “In the world of technology, you don’t hold back the tides.” ~Mayor Michael Bloomberg Some Tips for Getting the Best Possible Photos for your Presentation Variety. Take an assortment of photos from your event; having more than one image will ensure that there are enough to choose from. Candid photos are usually best. The goal is to capture the climate of the project or activity, so images of individuals engaged in the activity are best. Avoid photos that look too posed– unless it’s for an award or recognition. Camera angle. To facilitate obtaining a variety of images, consider a variety of camera angles and loca- tions – walk around the participants while they’re work- ing. It often takes many shots for at least one great image to stand out. Check your backgrounds. Scan the area, look for clutter or distraction and change the framing or loca- tion of the shot if the background interferes with your focal point. Lighting. Maximum natural lighting is best. If tak- ing photos outside, a slightly overcast sky is best as it diffuses the light. Avoid lighting that casts hard shad- ows across faces; use a flash to fill in the shadows. For many cameras the flash range is only about ten feet. If lighting is limited, get closer to your subject. Get closer. Don’t rely on zoom, physically move closer. In many group shots, the people get swallowed up by the background. Take a step closer so the people fill the frame. The more clarity for faces the better; but don’t cut off anyone’s head, arms, or feet. Avoid cropping images too tight. While close up images are great, it’s sometimes best to provide some space around the central image depending on where you’re going to use the photo. Often interesting shots are taken with the subject slightly off-center. Focus. At the very least, make sure the main sub- ject is in focus. Having background or nonessential in- dividuals out of focus can be an effective tool for an image as long as the central subject is sharp. Eyes open. On your camera, look at the photo just taken – are all of the people’s eyes open? If not, keep the group in place and reshoot. A hint to avoid this is to tell your subjects to close their eyes as you start counting, and open them when you get to 3. Quality. It’s most important to set the camera to use the highest resolution possible (your camera may call this best quality, most pixels, or largest file size) to get the pictures to look good in the printed magazine. But, remember, large photos take up a lot of space on your com- puter. Once you’ve used the photo, if you still need to save it, you can resize the file. Scanning. If you prefer to scan a printed photo, please be sure to set your scanner for a minimum of 300 ppi for any im- ages scanned. This will eliminate the grainy effect of a scanned photo. Saving. Be sure to change the file name to represent the content of the photo-this will make it eas- ier to locate later on.

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Holland Patent Technology Newsletter

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Well Connected! November 2010

Inside this issue:

Taking Photos for your Presentation 1

Just for Fun Websites 2

GroupWise Tips 2

Online Children’s Dictionary 2

Critiquing Advertising 2

Create a Desktop Shortcut 2

SMART ideas 3

Creating Flashcards for iPod 4

Mac User Group Special Event 4

Holland Patent Central School’s Technology Newsletter

WELL CONNECTED!WELL CONNECTED!WELL CONNECTED!WELL CONNECTED!

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2

NOVEMBER 2010NOVEMBER 2010NOVEMBER 2010NOVEMBER 2010

In 21st Century Classrooms, Students Produce Information, Rather Than Just Consume It.

“In the world of technology, you don’t hold back the tides.”

~Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Some Tips for Getting the Best Possible Photos

for your Presentation

• Variety. Take an assortment of photos from your

event; having more than one image will ensure that there are enough to choose from.

• Candid photos are usually best. The goal is to

capture the climate of the project or activity, so images of individuals engaged in the activity are best. Avoid photos that look too posed– unless it’s for an award or recognition.

• Camera angle. To facilitate obtaining a variety of

images, consider a variety of camera angles and loca-tions – walk around the participants while they’re work-ing. It often takes many shots for at least one great image to stand out.

• Check your backgrounds. Scan the area, look for

clutter or distraction and change the framing or loca-tion of the shot if the background interferes with your focal point.

• Lighting. Maximum natural lighting is best. If tak-

ing photos outside, a slightly overcast sky is best as it diffuses the light. Avoid lighting that casts hard shad-ows across faces; use a flash to fill in the shadows. For many cameras the flash range is only about ten feet. If lighting is limited, get closer to your subject.

• Get closer. Don’t rely on zoom, physically move

closer. In many group shots, the people get swallowed up by the background. Take a step closer so the people fill the frame. The more clarity for faces the better; but don’t cut off anyone’s head, arms, or feet.

• Avoid cropping images too tight. While close up

images are great, it’s sometimes best to provide some space around the central image depending on where you’re going to use the photo. Often interesting shots are taken with the subject slightly off-center.

• Focus. At the very least, make sure the main sub-

ject is in focus. Having background or nonessential in-dividuals out of focus can be an effective tool for an image as long as the central subject is sharp.

• Eyes open. On your camera, look at the photo just

taken – are all of the people’s eyes open? If not, keep the group in place and reshoot. A hint to avoid this is to tell your subjects to close their eyes as you start counting, and open them when you get to 3.

Quality. It’s most important to set the camera to use

the highest resolution possible (your camera may call this best quality, most pixels, or largest file size) to get the pictures to look good in the printed magazine. But, remember, large photos take up a lot of space on your com-puter. Once you’ve used the photo, if you still need to save it, you can resize the file.

• Scanning. If you prefer to

scan a printed photo, please be sure to set your scanner for a minimum of 300 ppi for any im-ages scanned. This will eliminate the grainy effect of a scanned photo.

• Saving. Be sure to change the

file name to represent the content of the photo-this will make it eas-ier to locate later on.

Page 2: Well Connected! November 2010

WELL CONNECTED! Page 2

GroupWise Tip:

Want to share due dates for a project with

your project team without publishing your whole

calendar? Here’s how:

1. Create a calendar for all your project’s due dates.

2. Right-click the newly-created calendar and select Sharing from

the menu.

3. Select the Shared with option.

4. Either type in the names of the colleagues you want to share the

calendar with or click the Address Selector button to select

them from your address books.

5. Click on the names you selected in the Share list and select the

permissions levels for each person.

6. Click OK.

7. Type a message for the Shared Folder Notification, if desired.

Click OK.

Just for fun…

Subscribe to podcasts: http://www.onlinedegrees.org/top-40-podcasts-for-teachers/ Holiday Shopping-Black Friday ads! http://bfads.net/ Broadcast from your phone to the Internet: http://www.ipadio.com/ The best tech toys: http://www.ipevo.com/

http://www.admongo.gov/

“The Admongo campaign will help kids learn to

ask three key "critical thinking" questions when

they encounter advertising:

Who is responsible for the ad?

What is the ad actually saying?

What does the ad want me to do?

The campaign has four components: a game-based

website at Admongo.gov; sample ads that can be

used in the classroom; free lesson plans, developed

with the assistance of Scholastic, Inc.; and teacher

videos. Together, these tools will help you build ad

literacy skills."

http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/

dictionary.html

Technology is the campfire around

which we tell our stories.

~Laurie Anderson, author

Create a Desktop Shortcut to a

Website

Go to the website you want to

make a shortcut to. Right Click

somewhere on the website and

select "Make a Shortcut" from

the menu that appears:

Page 3: Well Connected! November 2010

Page 3 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2

Come share your “SMART” ideas!

HP has a SMARTBoard Users’ Group! Once a month we get together to share ideas

and help new users. Everyone is welcome. Join us and check out the amazing things you can do with this exciting technology.

In the meantime, check out the resources assembled on the HP SMARTBoard web-

page (www.hpschools.org, click on Technol-ogy in our Schools. Feel free to leave share your own ideas and tips on our blog!)

Questions? Email Krista DiCesare or

Margaret McNamara.

Online learning adventures for young

students to use with your SMARTBoard!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/magickey/

http://flashcarddb.com/

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/clf/index.htm

50+ computer lab ac-

tivities for grades 3-5

that can be completed

in less than 30 min-

utes-with no prep!

To Remove white border around pictures:

Right click on the picture. Choose “set picture transparency”. Point the ink dropper at the areas that you want to disappear and click.

Click OK.

To Use the Split Screen View:

Go to View, Zoom, Dual Page Display. Now two pages are seen. You can an-notate on either page or drop and drag clipart, phrases or other pictures be-

tween the two pages as well.

Page 4: Well Connected! November 2010

Page 4 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2

How To Create Flash Cards for an iPod

You can create a set of content specific flash cards beginning with creating a PowerPoint of Keynote (Mac) presenta-tion. These flash cards can be used on most mobile devices such as iPods or MP3 players with picture viewing capabili-

ties.

When creating your PowerPoint of Keynote presentation, there are several elements of slide preparation to be consid-

ered. These points are critical to ensuring your flash cards are easy to read.

∗ Use a basic font, such as New Times Roman. These fonts will be more readable on the mobile device.

∗ Use a large font size - 48 to 60 - for better viewing when the letters are reduced to fit on the mobile device. ∗ Keep backgrounds simple with light colors.

∗ Limit the amount of information on each slide.

Converting PowerPoint slides into flash cards:

Once your presentation is complete, follow these steps to create your flash cards -

1. Create a new folder in the location you’d like to save your file. Give it an appropriate name.

2. Choose File. Save As...select JPEG format..be sure to choose “every slide” in the save option. 3. Each image is numbered Slide 1, Slide 2, etc. To keep the images in the proper sequence, renumber

the slides to Slide 01, Slide 01, etc.

Converting Keynote slides into flash cards:

1. Create a new folder in the location you’d like to save your file. Give it an appropriate name.

2. Select File Export. Then select the “Images” icon in the next window and select “All.” 3. Select JPG variable quality, then “Next.”

4. Save the set of slides in the new folder.

Creating a Downloadable file of all flash cards: Create a zip file containing all the flash cards for a specific topic so students do not have to download each card sepa-

rately. Do this by:

* PC - right click on the flash card folder and select “Send to-Compressed (zipped) Folder” * Mac - click on the flash card folder and select “Create Archive of (folder name)”

After creating a zip file, upload the zipped file to your website. Students can now download the zipped flash cards to

their computer. Students will need to follow these steps to view the flash cards: 1. Unzip the file containing the flash cards and save them to their computer.

2. Use iTunes to select the folder - choose “Select All”

3. Click on the sync option and iTunes will optimize the flash cards for viewing in the mobile device and then upload them to the iPod.

Optional idea - Have students create flash cards as an assignment!

Join us on December 2nd in the middle school for an iLife presentation

by Dave Marra. As a Senior Systems Engineer for Apple, Dave Marra

has conducted thousands of technology presentations, keynote

addresses and workshops for schools, Mac and PC user groups, busi-

nesses and other professional organizations across the United States

and Canada. Certified as both an Apple Certified Technical Coordina-

tor and an Apple Certified Systems Administrator, his specialty areas

include digital multimedia, internet technologies, accessibility and

Mac/PC integration. For more information about Dave, please visit his

web site at www.marrathon.com.