The correct web address for the video site that many folks are recommending to each other is Khanacademy.org not kaHnacademy.org
The incorrectly spelled Khan takes you to a SPAM site, which is why it's blocked by the Barracuda filter.
Just think of Ricardo Montalbán in the original Star Trek - Khan!
Les
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tech eNews 5-17-2011
Topics in this edition of WSD Tech eNews for May 17, 2011
1. WSD Tech Funds – what, where, when?
2. New computers in a lab near you
3. Nightly Computer Shutdown Scheduled for Energy Conservation
4. Tech Drop-in At Gause 5-19-2011 at 3:45 PM
5. Surplus that old unwanted/unused equipment
6. Tech Committee opening at Jemtegaard
7. LCD Projector/Bulb replacement
8. Creating a vacation message
1. WSD Tech Funds - what, where, when?
WSD Tech funds. What are they? Where do they come from? What do they pay for?
Voters approved a new Technology levy on February 9, 2010, which will collect $250,000 each year for four years, starting in 2011. The tech funds are spent on classroom and lab computers, and instructional technology equipment for teacher and student use in all buildings, K-12. Tech funds pay for “standard” software, including Microsoft Office, Inspiration, and Sophos Anti-virus. They also pay for Network infrastructure that allows network accounts for all staff, including the web server, e-mail server, and home-folder servers.
2. New computers in a lab near you
Money from the new tech funds was used to replace computers in labs at Jemtegaard, Hathaway, Canyon Creek, and Excelsior. Older computers from these labs will be migrated into student computer use in the K-8 schools, and will replace all computers more than 6 years old with ones that meet the WSD Tech Committee’s “standard” by grade level. To read more about the classroom standards, please see the WSD Tech page. Tech funds will be used this Summer to replace teacher computers at WHS.
3. Nightly Computer Shutdown Scheduled for Energy Conservation
As part of the district’s effort to conserve energy and cut utility costs, staff are expected to shut down computers at night. Computers left on will be shut down by the system around 7 PM. For PC users, if you are working late, you will get a pop-up message with a 60 second timer that warns you the PC is about to shut off, and can choose to defer shutdown. Mac computers will give the logged in user 120 seconds to defer shutdown.
While scheduling this shutdown will save about $3.50 per month per computer that gets turned off each night, it’s preferable for you to shut down your computer when you’re leaving, since it won’t be in use after you leave.
This scheduled shutdown will help ensure your files get backed up completely, too!
4. Tech Drop-in At Gause 5-19-2011 at 3:45 PM
Sean Elkinton and Les Brown will be in the Gause Library on Thursday May 19th from 3:45 to 4:45 PM to provide one on one help to staff who have technology questions. Teachers or other staff members interested in asking questions or getting help with specific problems are welcome to come. This is not a formal class or training, so there are no clock hours available.
5. Surplus that old unwanted/unused equipment
Do you have old, unwanted, or unused equipment in your classroom that you don’t want to keep? Mark it as “surplus” on your year-end inventory, and let your building administrator know you want to get rid of it. The deadline for identifying items as surplus is June 15.
6. Tech Committee Opening at Jemtegaard
If you teach at Jemtegaard, are interested in technology, and would consider serving on the Tech Committee, let Ron Carlson know. Committee members help create the classroom standards for technology, create a vision for technology use in classrooms, and guide the district’s selection of new technology equipment. The tech committee meets four times per year, for around 2 hours, and participating teachers get a half-day sub while they’re at the meeting.
7. LCD Projector and Bulb Replacement
WSD Tech funds will be purchasing new projectors for classrooms around the district as older projectors begin to fail. Let Sean or Anthony know if your projector’s image is darker than it used to be, has changed color, or is showing spots or dots in the image. In some cases, a new bulb is all that’s needed, and for most classrooms, the Tech staff has an extra bulb. If your projector’s problem can’t be fixed with a new bulb, we’ll put it on the list to get replaced.
8. Creating a Vacation Message
If you are going to be out of the office for an extended period of time, you can create a vacation message which automatically responds to your e-mail, letting folks know you’re gone.
Go to the district web page. http://www.washougal.k12.wa.us
Click on For District Employees
Click on the E-mail server link in the left-hand sidebar.
Log in as yourself (first.last) with your e-mail password.
Click Preferences in the left hand sidebar.
Click the brown tab for Vacation message.
Click the checkbox for Enable, then type in the text of what you would like your response to be in the box.
Make sure you click save (just below the district logo).
Click Logout.
When you get back, follow the same directions, and blank out whatever you typed in the box to remove the message.
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