TechTipsbyTopic


 * HARDWARE AND EQUIPMENT**

Screen Resolution ~ November 4th, 2011 This week's tip shows how to change your screen resolution for projecting to different size screens.

Caring for Your Laptops ~ September 17, 2010 This episode offers some advice and best practices for caring for your classroom laptop cart.


 * EMPOWERED STUDENTS RULE**

Comic Strips with ToonDoo ~ October 28, 2011 This week's tip shows how to get started with ToonDoo, where your students can create their own comic strips in a few easy steps.

Worlde ~ October 14, 2011 This week's tech tip is on using Wordle to create word clouds that visually illustrate the key points and most frequently repeated words in any writing. We also used some quick and easy stop-motion video to demonstrate digital storytelling this week.

Dragon ~ October 15, 2010 This week's podcast demonstrates Dragon Dictation, a voice recognition application that allows users to turn their speech into text.

XtraNormal in the Classroom ~ November 23, 2010 Click to play this week's tech tip, which was created at [|www.xtranormal.com]. Enjoy & have a happy Thanksgiving!

Animated Avatars ~ September 10, 2010 2 Sites to Create Animated Avatars [|Voki] Blabberize


 * TRANSFORMING YOUR CLASSROOM**

Reducing Electronic Clutter ~ October 26, 2010 A quick podcast about the Inbox Zero movement, encouraging us to simplify and focus by reducing our electronic clutter.

I Dare Ya to... ~ December 3, 2010 This week's podcast challenges to teachers to think outside the box when it comes to teaching with technology. Click "Download" to open on your computer.

Social Bookmarking ~ September 22, 2010 Links all over the place? Can't find the one you need? Can't find your "favorites" when you switch computers or your classroom computer was reimaged? Maybe it's time you start social bookmarking! This podcast covers the basics of getting started with an account on [|www.delicious.com].


 * THE MULTIMEDIA CLASSROOM**

Prezi ~ November 18th, 2011 This week's special Thanksgiving Tech Tip introduces Prezi, a site to create dynamic, web-based presentations.

Behind the Tech Tips ~ November 11th, 2011 In our Tech Tip each week, we mention that everything you see can be done using district equipment. Many of our colleagues have asked us what specific equipment and programs we use to make our videos, and how to use them so this week, we take you "Behind the Tech Tips" to show how your students can make videos in the classroom using the equipment available in you building. Instead of listening to us this week, we figured it might be more fun to ask your students to show you how to make movies.

Podcasting ~ October 8, 2010 Click to view a podcast on podcasting, using just the equipment and programs we have at our disposal on North Penn computers.

Screen Capture Video ~ November 19, 2010 This week's tip is about making video recordings of your computer screen to record your voice and mouse clicks. This is a great tool if you need to show a process. In fact, this week's podcast on video capture was made by doing a video capture. Enjoy!


 * GOOGLE YOUR WORLD**

North Penn Google Docs ~ October 21, 2011 This week's tip shows how to access your account with North Penn's Google Docs and get started using this great tool for collaboration and sharing.

Get Your Google ~ January 21, 2011 This podcast demonstrates how to quickly set up your free google account if you do not have one. You must have a google account for the Google Your World flex session.

Google Forms ~ February 22, 2011 Can't get your hands on those CPS clickers soon enough? Use Google Forms for engaging and simple formative assessment.

Google Docs- Inside vs Outside NP ~ March 2, 2011 A video (created in Final Cut Pro for Mac) discussing the difference between North Penn's corner of Google Documents and the public Google Docs domain. Bear with me, as this is the first thing created by 100% Better Productions in Final Cut Pro.


 * MICROSOFT OFFICE**

Print Screen and Snipping Tool ~ December 2, 2011 This tip shows you how to use the print screen and snipping tool feature.

Outlook Distribution List ~ September 30, 2011 This week's tip shows how to use a Google Form to collect email addresses and import them into an Outlook e-mail distribution list. No more typing every parents' email address or adding them in one by one! :) WARNING: there is a more advanced tip in the middle of this week's podcast that shows how you can use Excel to sort the email addresses and remove duplicates before importing them into your distribution list.

Inbox Management in Outlook ~ September 23, 2011 This week's tech tip looks at ways to keep your inbox under control, including creating folders and moving messages directly into events on your calendar for later action.

Add a Signature to E-Mail ~ September 9, 2011 This week's tip is on adding a sighttp://nptechtools.wikispaces.com/TechTipsbyTopic

Format Paintbrush ~ March 16, 2011 This week's tech tep shows you how to use the format paintbrush to copy formatting and apply it to text throughout Office 07 programs such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook.

Outlook Desktop Notification ~ October 7, 2011 This week's tip shows how to turn off / turn on / change the new e-mail desktop notification from Outlook 2007.


 * WIKISPACES / BLOGS / MOODLE**

Blogging Part II ~ December 16, 2011 This second part of a two part series takes a close look at how blogging is being used by five different teachers here at North Penn. Specific objectives are discussed as well as sites to get started.

Blogging ~ December 9, 2011 We cannot stress enough the importance of blogging. This week's tip serves as an introduction to the concept, and showcases a few blogging sites your students can use to get started.

New Year, Blog Clear ~ January 14, 2011 Happy New Year! This first podcast of the new year tells you how to clear posts and comments from your blog so you can start the new year fresh.

Wiki User Creator ~ December 10, 2010 Learn how to export a class spreadsheet from your gradebook, enter a user name and password for each student, then create Wikispaces accounts for each student. Pre-populating your wiki with student accounts saves valuable class time and allows you to have control of student account names. Click "download" to watch.


 * SCHOOLWIRES TEACHER WEB PAGES**

Using Hierarchy in Web Pages ~ February 10, 2012 This week's tip shows how to use hierarchy to sort links in the left-hand navigation bar of your Schoolwires Teacher Web Page. This will help your page appear less cluttered and more organized.

Put Photo Gallery in Your Webpage ~ April 28, 2011 A step-by-step guide to putting a photo gallery into your Schoolwires Teacher Webpage.


 * COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL NETWORKING**

Twitter as a PLN ~ January 13, 2012 This week's tip is about using Twitter as a professional learning network. We'll show you some tips for finding the right people to follow.

Edmodo for Classes and Clubs ~ February 4, 2011 This week's podcast helps teachers or club advisors get started with Edmodo, a safe and effective means of communicating with student groups through the website that will send them text updates on their phones or email.

Skype ~ September 29, 2010 This week's Tech Tips podcast focuses on classroom uses for Skype, a free application that allows users to make voice calls and video conferences over the Internet.


 * FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT AND PROJECT-BASED LEARNING**

CPS Clickers ~ April 12, 2011 This week's podcast shows how to do some of the basics with the CPS software, including creating class lists, creating fast, student-paced, and teacher-led assessments, and working with the data.

5 minute Formative Assessment ~ November 5, 2010 How to do FA in an efficient way. Click here for the[| tech tip on 5 minute formative assessment].


 * OTHER TOPICS**

What Coaches Do ~ January 27, 2012 This short podcast goes over some of the ways the Academic Integration Coach can help your students.

Gradebook Exam Weighting ~ January 20, 2012 This week's tip walks through the steps to set weights for your semester courses' final exams in your Gradebook.

Shortcuts and Pinning ~ September 16, 2011 This week's tech tip is on creating shortcuts to programs and files by sending or pinning them to the start menu, desktop, or task bar.

Welcome Back! ~ September 1, 2010 Hello & welcome to a new school year! This episode explains how to contact an Academic Integration Coach, as well as how to put a link to our site on your main Intranet homepage.

October Tech In-Service ~ October 20, 2010 This podcast is comprised of teacher responses to our October 11 tech integration in-service day at Bridle Path Elementary School. The theme of the day was, "It's not about the technology; it's about learning... powered by technology."

Thanks for Your Feedback ~ May 10, 2011 We asked our colleages to take a few minutes to share their experiences working with Academic Integration Coaches, and their feelings about our position. We received nearly 100 responses within the first day! We would like to thank our colleages for their kind words, and share their feedback with you. Download this week's podcast to see what they wrote.