Technology Academy 2012

EM-S ISD Faculty and Staff are invited to the second annual Technology Academy.
June 5-6 @ Hollenstein Career & Technology Center

• Sign up in Eduphoria today.
• Don't miss Keynote Speakers Darrell Brown and Dr. Jim Chadwell! (Be sure to sign up for the Opening and Closing sessions too.)
• Smart phones and mobile devices are welcome, but not required.
• Door prizes ... really good ones!

See you then ... at the movies!

Keep Getting 25GB Free Storage Space in Skydrive now!

When our district transitioned to Windows Live last year for email, calendars, web apps, etc., we were excited about having 25GB of free storage in SkyDrive.

Microsoft has been making some pretty significant changes (including mobile apps and SkyDrive for Windows.) Recently, Microsoft reduced the size of most SkyDrives from 25GB to 7GB. Chances are, you were NOWHERE near reaching capacity, but if you act now, you can keep getting the 25GB free space by manually upgrading it. (If you already had more than 4GB of data in your SkyDrive, Microsoft already upgraded you to the 25GB plan.)

Upgrade from 7GB to 25GB Free Storage

1. Log in to SkyDrive (You can also get there by going to live.com, More > SkyDrive)
2. Click the link that says SkyDrive's free storage is changing - claim your free 25 GB
   If you do not see this link, look for the Manage storage link on the left
   
       OR
   
   
3. Click the Free upgrade! button for the SkyDrive Free option.
   
   

A Few of My Favorite Tips and Tricks

One of my favorite trainings to present is "Tech Tips." Today I will share a few of my favorite tips. There's nothing earth-shattering here, folks, but there might be something here you haven't used before!

• F11 (top of your keyboard) will maximize your web browser to full screen, eliminating all of the menu text, URL bar, toolbars, etc. Go ahead, try it now! Hit F11 again to return to the standard browser view.
• F6 (or ALT+D) will highlight the URL of a webpage. To enter a new address, simply type over it (you don't even need to erase the highlighted address!)
• Need help in an application or in your browser? F1 will bring up the Help menu for your current application.
• When completing online forms, use the tab key to move between fields instead of clicking them with your mouse.
• Just for TEXANS ... When filling in address information in an online form, type TT in the state field to bring up Texas. (One T brings up Tennessee, TT is for Texas!)
• On a webpage, hitting the Space bar will scroll down one screenful. This might be helpful for those wonderfully wordy blog posts full of tips and tricks! To move back up a screenful, try Shift+Space. Go ahead, try this one now too.
• CTRL+F will open a "Find" option in all web browsers (and many applications like Word, Excel, etc.) Looking for a specific word or name? Just type it in and it will highlight every place on the page where that term occurs. (In Office applications, the Find tool can also be accessed from the Editing group of the Home tab in the ribbon.)
• There's also a "Replace" feature in many applications (Office Applications for sure!). Enter the text you would like to find in the first field and enter the replacement text in the second field. Choose either Replace or Replace All. This is an easy way to update dates, names, etc. in previously used documents without having to retype the entire thing!

Of course, these old standby's may be the most important keyboard shortcuts of all ...

• CTRL+C = copy
• CTRL+X = cut
• CTRL+V = paste
• CTRL+Z = undo (oh, if only LIFE could have a CTRL+Z!)

If you're not exactly sure how to use Cut, Copy, and Paste, check out this thorough explanation from Simple K12:

These are just a few of my favorite tech tips ... leave a comment or email me back with your favorite tip!

"Learning Excel"

Whenever I ask a group of people what types of Technology Trainings they would like to have, one of the most popular requests is "Excel."

"I need to learn Excel."
"I just don't know where to start with Excel."
"Excel scares me, but I need to use it."

First, don't spend too much time beating yourself up over not "knowing a program". That's not what it's all about! Instead, if there are specific tasks you'd like to accomplish with Excel, you can tackle those! Generally speaking, Excel is an electronic spreadsheet program that can be used for storing, organizing, and manipulating data. There are some pretty powerful functions built into the program, but don't let that scare you.

If you have specific questions, please leave a comment below with your request. If I can't answer it, I'll find someone who can! =)

There are several "Excel" resources available online right now if you'd like to spend a little time getting more familiar with the program. Whether you prefer to learn by following written instructions (with screenshots), watching educational videos, or playing "games" that walk you through different tasks in the application, there are several options available to help you "learn Excel."

Written/Illustrated Instructions
Microsoft.com and many other sites offer easy-to-understand explanations (no Geek-Speak!) and images that walk you through all of the different functions of Excel.

• Basic Tasks in Excel 2010 (from Microsoft - they should know, they created the program!)
• Excel 2010 (from GCF Learnfree.org) - excellent resource! Walk through 21 different sections with clearly written description and great illustrations; This site also has several Interactive features!

Video Tutorials
Other sites like YouTube, host videos that will demonstrate basic, intermediate, and advanced tasks in Excel. (Warning: If you search YouTube for "Excel 2010", you will get more than 115,000 results! That's a tad bit overwhelming!) Here are a few of my favorite Excel 2010 videos:

• Excel 2010 Tutorial: Creating a Basic Worksheet (from TheWebucator) - this is a really good, general overview of Excel 2010
• Microsoft Excel Tutorial for Beginners (from MotionTraining)
• Excel 2010 Tutorial HD (from gcflearnfree) - be sure to view their other videos about Excel too - they are TOP quality!

Interactive Resources
If you learn best when you're clicking around or "playing a game", check out the following:

• Excel 2010 (from GCF Learnfree.org) - click on the Interactives button to access these really cool resources
• Ribbon Hero - download this free add-on and you'll be playing (and learning) in no time!

If you have specific questions, please leave a comment below with your request. If I can't answer it, I'll find someone who can! =)

Tech Tip Tuesday ... Outlook 2010

Outlook 2010 is an outstanding email management and calendaring program that gives you so many more options than using the web version at live.com. If you are already using Outlook to access your email, skip down a bit to learn some tips and tricks that can make your life even easier!

EM-S ISD Peeps: If you still access your email in district by opening an internet browser and going to www.live.com (or by going to the district site, clicking Employees, clicking the Live@edu Sign-In link), please follow the simple directions at the EM-S ISD Tech Tips blog to set up Outlook on your computer and begin using this application as your email program. If you need assistance with this, please contact your CTI, IT, or turn in a Technology request in Helpdesk.

Be sure to check out this great Introductory Video about Outlook 2010. I've been using Outlook for more than a year now and I still learned a few new things!

My Favorite Outlook Tips & Tricks

• When entering a contact's name in your email, begin typing the first few letters of the first name. Hit Control + K on your keyboard to see all the possible contacts from the district address book.
• Need help? Hit F1 (a function key at the top of your keyboard) and easily search through Outlook's Help information.
• Did someone send you an email (instead of a meeting request?) with details about a meeting or appointment? Just click and drag the email over to the correct date on your calendar and it will turn into a meeting!
• Easily create an Email Signature! On the Message tab, in the Include Group, click Signature, then click Signatures. Click New and enter your signature information. You can include colors, images, and more. (If you have a blog or webpage, be sure to include that address!)

Even more Outlook help ...

• Outlook 2010 Quick Reference Card - this 2-page PDF file includes basic and advanced mail tips, calendar how-to's, keyboard shortcuts, and more. If you're new to Outlook or looking for new things you can do, be sure to check it out!
• Basic Tasks in Outlook 2010 - this article explains (in very simple terms and screenshots) basics like creating emails, forwarding/replying to emails, working with attachments, email signatures, calendar appointments, contacts, tasks, and more
• Outlook Skills Builder - from using tasks and reminders to customizing your inbox view, get the most out of Outlook with this video training series. 

Office 911: Keyboard Shortcuts

This fun little video is a good reminder that there are lots of keyboard shortcuts available in Office applications (and others!)



I read about this video on The Microsoft Office Blog. I recommend you check it out!

Format Painter: The Most Helpful Tool You've Never Used

The Format Painter may be one of my favorite tools in Microsoft Office applications. Simply stated, it copies the formatting of text or an image, and allows you to paste that formatting onto other text or images.

When working in a document, you should spend the majority of your time working on the content. When the content is complete, go back and decide the font, font size, font color, and any other styles you want apply. If there are headings in your document, you may want them to be a little larger than the rest of the text or you may want to make them bold. Do this on the first heading, but then you can use the Format Painter to copy that style onto the other headings in your document or even into a different document.

This video demonstrates how the Format Painter works.

Tech Tip Tuesday ... Screen Shots/Clippings in Word 2010

There are lots of ways to take a screenshot of your computer screen. There are many third-party programs that you can download to use and there's even a button on your keyboard that will do it! However, Microsoft has added a super easy way to take and insert screen captures into a document.

In Word 2010 (or even PowerPoint or Excel!), click Insert Screenshot from the Insert tab.

You will see a preview of any open windows on your computer. If you want to insert a full screenshot, just click on the one you want. If you'd rather take a smaller "clip" of something, then select Screen Clipping. The document you are working on will immediately minimize, and the computer screen will fade a bit. With the new cursor, draw a box around the part of the screen you want to use. When you release it, that image will be inserted in your document. 

It's really easy ... give it a try!

Tech Tip Tuesday ... Email Siggies in Outlook 2010

I've had lots of requests to share how to set up an Email Signature in our new email program, Outlook. (This is the application loaded on your computer, not the Outlook WebApp at www.live.com)
Just follow the steps below to create a text or imaged-based signature.

• File > Options
• Choose Mail from the left column, Click Signatures
• Click New

• Name your signature
• Enter the desired information in the Edit Signature box, OK
  Be sure to use the standard fonts. (Fancy fonts will look cute on your computer, but will now show up for your recipients unless they also have that font installed.)
• To insert an image, click the Image icon on the toolbar of the Edit Signature box.

Are you interested in creating a cute signature? I blogged about it last year - check it out!

Microsoft Products for less than Ten Bucks???

Yes ... it's true!

You may have heard about this in a summer inservice or from your CTI, but it's so exciting that I wanted to share it here too! Because of our partnership with Microsoft, EM-S ISD staff will be able to purchase Office 2010 for PC, Office 2011 for Mac and Windows 7 (Operating System) for home use for $9.75 each!

(I know it's almost too good to believe, but I've tried it and it works!)

To take advantage of this fabulous deal, go to ems.onthehub.com. You will need to register with your EM-S ISD email address and your email password. After you verify your account information (via email), you will be ready to buy!