E-mail Search Doesn't Show Items from the Trash

If you search for a message, and don't see a result for it, you may have deleted it. By default, the search feature of the web-based e-mail doesn't show messages that match your criteria which are in the Trash.

You can override this after you perform a search by scrolling to the bottom of the results, and then click the link in "Deleted messages match your Search. Show them."

Here's a screen shot:

Finding a lost/deleted/archived e-mail

Ever wonder how to find a message that was lost/archived/deleted in your new web based e-mail?

If you want, you can find these messages.

Hover your mouse above the list of messages, and it will expand the list. Scroll to the bottom, and choose "More"

The "All Mail" folder will have messages you've archived or lost in other folders (you can search inside there to find a particular message)

The "Trash" folder will contain messages marked as deleted. They stay in there for around a month, then automatically get deleted.

Tech eNews for 3-21-2012 - Grants awarded, Google Sites Class, Spam folder, and more

Topics for this Tech eNews 3-21-2012

1. Innovation Grants awarded. Congrats to our grantees!

2. Google Sites Class 4/10/2012 4:00-7:00 PM

3. K-5 Progress Reports – How Do New Students Get Added?

4. Leaky Ceilings and Computers are a Bad Combination

5. Where to Find that SchoolDude Link?

6. Don't Forget to Check Your SPAM Folder in the New E-mail

7. Tech Blog Has Archive of eNews and other Tech Related Articles

1. Innovation Grants Awarded

Innovation grants have been awarded from district Tech Funds to the following teachers, who filled out a proposal for an innovative classroom technology they are interested in piloting. These teachers will get the technology they requested over the next few weeks, and begin trying it out in their classrooms. If you see them, ask them how it’s working! Congratulations to the recipients, and thanks for your willingness to try something new.

Pauline Rule/WHS

"Microscope Adapter for Doc Cam"

Project Cost: $135

Students involved: 400

Summary: Devices to connect microscopes in the science department at WHS to their document cameras, allowing whole group viewing on the projector of very small items.

Tom Hays, Jeff Condon, Susie Donnelly, Scott Rainey/JMS

"JMS Cliques"

Project Cost: $1250

Students involved: 450

Summary: Interactive Student Response System for use with JMS Social Studies students in all three grade levels

Penny Andrews/Cape

"Creating an interactive classroom through technology"

Project Cost: $1490

Students involved: 28

Summary: An interactive white board for use with her 3rd grade classroom. Penny will use this to create interactive lessons where students fully participate and are engaged.

Rochelle Aiton/WHS

Interactive Student Response System: "Clickers"

Project Cost: $1250

Students involved: 145

Summary: Interactive Student Response System for use with Spanish students in all of her classes at WHS, as well as finance class she teaches with Lisa Leonard.

Cindy Coons/Cape

Leaping into Reading (Changed to iPads from Leapfrog system)

Project cost $2500

Students involved: 59

iPads for use with 5-6 year old students in two sections of the Kindergarten program. iPads will be used as part of reading stations, to create high interest activities for students learning to read. Grant will include evaluation of apps which might be recommended for other Kindergarten classrooms in the district.

All mini-grants received this year were funded! The total for all of the grant applications is around $7,000, and grants are funded through the Tech Levy. Another round of innovation grants will likely be offered next school year.

2. Google Sites Class 4-10-2012 from 4-7 PM, EHS Lab

Back by popular demand! Google sites is a free way to create a website for your classroom, which you can use to post resources, a classroom calendar, homework tips, or other information for students and parents. The always fabulous Rochelle Aiton will be facilitating this class, which is designed for people new to Google sites, and will get you up and running with a website in 3 hours. Google sites is a great option for folks who want an easy-to-update website that offers lots of flexibility.

Please e-mail Les Brown to register, so we can plan for snacks. 3 Clock Hours are Approved through ESD 112. Teachers may pay themselves to attend this class, if it aligns with their professional development goal, they have PD funds available, and their principal signs off on it.

3. K-5 Progress Reports – How Do New Students Get Added?

Sean and Anthony noted that many K-5 teachers have questions about how new students get added to their class lists in the progress report system Edusoftdev. Simply put, an extract file is done about two weeks before the progress report window, which includes the current class list. This is imported into the system, which updates the list of students in each class.

If you have a student in your list with an asterisk in front of their name, it means that they were in your class at some point during the semester, and they remain on your list so that you and the students’ new teacher can work out who enters their grades. Similarly, students who have left the district are left in the system for the remainder of the term, so that a progress report can be printed and sent with the student if it is requested. The last update was performed on 3-20-2012. If you log in and are missing a student, let Les Brown know immediately. K-5 teachers have a deadline of Monday, March 26 at 8 AM to finish 2^nd Term grades.

4. Drip, Drip, Drip! Report That Leak, but Move Your Computer to Safety!!

A quick heads-up about leaking ceilings: If you notice a drip coming through the ceiling into your classroom anywhere near your computer, please move the computer to safety! Several leaking spots have claimed the lives of innocent computers, and your tech staff want to help you prevent this tragic occurrence. Sean or Anthony can help re-locate computers to a safer location, ensuring that you can still use them, while you wait for repairs. Make sure you report the leak to your building administrator so they can enter it into SchoolDude, too!

5. SchoolDude Link on “For District Employees Page

Speaking of SchoolDudes, if you forget how to get there, you can always find the link via the Washougal School District website. Click on the “for district employees” link in the upper right, and then use the Technology/Maintenance Requests link, which will take you to the SchoolDude site. It’ll ask for your e-mail address (your oldk12.wa.us one) and you can log in. See directions on the Tech blog for updating your SchoolDude login if you want. Contact Sean, Anthony or Les for the password.

6. Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam Lovely Spam, Wonderful Spam....

If an outside patron or contact says they've e-mailed you, but you haven't received it, please remember to check your SPAM folder.

To find your SPAM folder, do this:

Hover your mouse above the list of Labels, below the word “Inbox” in the left column of your e-mail.

Choose “More” from the bottom of the list. It’ll drop down, and show you the SPAM folder.

Click on it, and you’ll see the list of messages that the e-mail system thinks are junk e-mail.

If there’s a legitimate message in there, click it once, then click the Not SPAM button.

This will teach the e-mail system that this is not a message that should have been flagged.

While you're in there, you can select all the messages that ARE spam by checking the checkbox to the left of the sender name, and then choose "Delete Forever" to clear it out.

Firefox won't let you save a bookmark

After upgrading a user from a very old Firefox to a much newer one, she had a problem develop where she could no longer save any new bookmarks.  After a second day, the bookmarks all disappeared. 

It turns out that the places.sqlite database in her ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/random ID/ folder was damaged or corrupt.  Changing the extension to .bak after quiting Firefox let it recreate one from the backups, which was not corrupt.

Interestingly, the corrupt file was about 80 MB, vs the one day old backup that was 10 MB.

Solution adapted from instructions on the mozillaline.org website here.

WESPaC not printing content when using Internet Explorer 9 on Windows 7

We found a setting that seems to solve a problem that Mr. O was having with printing from WESPaC's Educator Access Plus.

The symptom was that when logging in from a Windows 7 computer using Internet Explorer 9, he would print a student list or other info, and then would only get the header/footer info, with no page content. A print preview of the page showed the same lack of actual content.

The Internet Explorer 9 setting for "Enable Protected Mode" seems to be causing this.

It's under Internet Options, then Security, and in the mddle of the page. Unchecking the box turns it off, and allows printing from WESPaC. Attached is a handout showing how to turn it off, you may want to send this out to users on Windows Internet Explorer 9 who regularly need to print from WESPaC.

Handout with screenshot

Updating School Dude to use New E-mail addresses

Some staff have asked about School Dudes still using the "old" washougal e-mail addresses.

There isn't a way for us to mass-change all of the addresses, but if you want, you can update it for your account.

Get into school dudes using the normal link, on the WSD "For District Employees" page, using your and click the "settings tab" at the top (in the blue bar).

Click on either Maintenance or IT (it will update both)

Enter your new e-mail address in the box where it says E-mail address, then put in the submittal password and click submit.

You can contact Sean or Anthony if you don't know the password to submit.

Useful Mac Keyboard Commands

Command + H - Hide the current application (but leave it’s windows open, and be able to return to it without re-opening it)

Command + Options & Click App’s icon in Dock - Hide All applications but one

Command + Tab - Cycle between open windows

Command + A – Select All (works in most applications and in the Finder)

Command + C – Copy to the clipboard

Command + X – Cut text or items to the clipboard

Command + V – Paste items or text from the clipboard

Command + Z – Undo

Command + S – Save

Command + Q – Quit

Command + W – Close the current window

Command + Option + W – Close all open windows in the application that is open

Shift + Command + Q – Log out of the computer

Command + Delete – Send an item to the Trash (in the finder)

Command + Delete – Backspace an entire word at a time (in applications like Word)

Function + Delete – Deletes from in front of the cursor instead of backspace (for Mac laptops, function key is in lower left corner)

Function + up and down arrow – Page up & Down on a Mac laptop

Shift + Return – Non-breaking carriage return – useful for creating a gap in bulleted lists or in paragraphs, without adjusting line spacing.

Option + F1 (or F2) – Open display preferences

Option + F5 (or F6) – Open Keyboard preferences

Option + F10 (or F11 & F12) – Open Sound preferences

Tech eNews 3-6-2012

Topics for this Tech eNews 3-6-2012

1. Innovation Grants $2,500 Due 3/9/2012

2. Still Space in the Document Camera “refresher” 3/7/2012 4-5:30 PM

3. Online survey for Strategic Planning – Please Give Your Input

4. OSPI Required Survey for Certificated Teachers and Administrators due 3/15/2012

5. Need a Video Camera? Check One Out From Les Brown

6. Have an Idea for a Tech Integration Class for Next Year?

7. Long Lost Cousin Stuck in a Hotel in London? Sounds Phishy.

1. Innovation Grants $2,500 Deadline 3/9/2012

The Washougal School District Technology Committee is interested in having teachers pilot new and innovative technology that might be adopted into wider use as part of the standard classroom model. To further this goal, the technology committee is seeking proposals from staff for technology they are interested in piloting.

Applications must meet these criterion:

Technology funded through this mini-grant must lend itself to Tier 3 teaching. (for a definition of Tier 3 teaching, please visit the OSPI Tech website at http://www.k12.wa.us/EdTech/ ) The Technology should have an impact on student learning. Technology funded through this mini-grant should have applications for several curriculum areas and grade levels.

The technology should have reasonable support and system requirements. Technology should be inexpensive enough that it could be made part of the district standard. Applications should cost less than $2,500, and cannot be for software or subscriptions to online services.

Grant seekers should be interested in piloting the technology, and also willing to share their experiences with the committee, and to co-teach a class on utilizing the technology if it were adopted in wider use.

If you are interested in learning more, or would like to fill out the application, you can find the application on the District webpage under Business/Operations then Technology.

If you have any questions, please contact your building's tech committee representative or Les Brown at ext. 3310.

2. Online Survey for Strategic Planning – Please Give Your Input

The Strategic Planning Steering Committee is collecting input via a voluntary online survey on the state of and use of the district’s facilities. WSD Staff are invited to share their thoughts via an online survey. You can find a link to the survey on the main WSD webpage, or click this link:

http://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/survey

3. OSPI Required Teacher & Administrator Survey Deadline 3-15-2012

Certificated Teachers and Administrators are required to take the annual technology integration survey, or PILOT survey. Classified staff do NOT need to take this.

Go to http://www.edtech.wednet.edu/pilot/

Click on the "Login" button, and enter your NEW Washougalsd.org e-mail address in the Username box (I have updated the PILOT site to use the new ones instead of the old e-mail addresses). Enter the password you selected previously in the next box, and click login.

If you can't remember your username/password combo, you can have it automatically e-mailed to you using the "Forgot Username/Password" link. The PILOT site will e-mail you your login and password.

Once you get in, please choose the "Technology Integration and Proficiency Self-Assessment". After clicking this link, it'll ask you for your grade level, please choose either Grades K-4, or Grades 5-12 as appropriate.

When you're done, make sure to click "Submit Answers" at the bottom, and your scores are saved. You can view your results from the main menu, and see how you've improved over the past year.

Teachers must complete the survey by 3/15/2012.

4. Document Camera Refresher Class – 3-7-2012 at Hathaway

Space is available in the rescheduled "Document Camera Refresher" course that Philicia Weaver is facilitating TOMORROW! The class will be on March 7, 2012, from 4-5:30 PM, in Philicia's classroom at Hathaway (Room 126). Please let Les know if you're interested in attending. Philicia will show how to hook up the document camera, some neat tricks on using it that you may not have discovered, and will talk about curriculum applications. There will also be lots of times for questions or hands-on instruction if people have specific things they'd like to learn. Teachers who attend the class can pay themselves to attend, if the class aligns with their professional growth plan, they have professional growth funds available, and their principal signs off on the timecard. Classified staff are also welcome to register/attend this class, but there is not a mechanism for them to pay themselves to do so.

5. Need a Video Camera? Check One Out From Les Brown

WSD Tech has a set of 5 HD video cameras for use by teachers. You can check out one, or the entire set if you’re doing a movie-making project with your students. Contact Les Brown to make arrangements. There are tripods available for all of the cameras, too.

6. Have an idea for a Tech integration class for 2012-2013?

WSD Tech staff have started planning for the tech integration classes for 2012-2013, and we are looking for ideas! If you have a topic or class idea you’d like to see offered, please let Les Brown know, and he’ll include it in the survey that’ll go out in April. Course offerings will be based on the interest as expressed in the teacher survey. Teachers who participate in the Technology Committee will also be helping seed the topics for the survey. If there’s a Tech class you’re interested in co-teaching, contact Les, and he’ll add it as a proposal. If enough other teachers are interested, Les will work with you to plan and facilitate the class, and you’ll get paid both for planning time and the time you teach the class.

7. Long Lost Cousin Stuck in a London Hotel? Sounds Phishy!

Or, how about Millions from the Nigerian Lottery for me? I didn’t even buy a ticket!
An Esteemed Gentleman who wishes to make you part of his estate?

Keep in mind the saying that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is! When looking through your e-mail, you may find messages from people claiming that you’ve won the lottery in another country, even though you didn’t enter it. All you have to do is send them a “down payment” and you could have millions! There are many, many schemes going on to try to get access to your bank account, e-mail accounts, and your hard earned cash. This type of activity is called “phishing” for information. Be a wary web surfer, and keep an eye out for offers that sound unbelievable; they probably are!

Another tactic is to hack into accounts of people you may know, and use those to e-mail you. It might be from a cousin, and would usually say that they’re traveling abroad, lost their belongings, and need you to wire them funds to pay for a hotel or return trip.

Lastly, also watch out for fraudulent messages from banking or other financial sources, many of these are from identity thieves trying to get you to click links in e-mail to get your username/password so they can empty out your bank account! It is far safer to type in the address for your bank or other financial sites (into the address bar) than to click links in e-mail to get there.