Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Tech eNews 5-1-2012



Topics for this Tech eNews 5-1-2012
1. Farewell to Anthony
2. Have a suggestion for a Tech Class in 2012-2013?
3. Filtering data in Excel
4. Prep for End of Year Surplus
5. Finding a message you deleted in e-mail
6. Google Sites Handout/Follow up steps


1. Farewell to Anthony
Tech Support Assistant Anthony Collver is taking a new job at ESD 112, as a Network Support Specialist, which is an amazing opportunity for him.  Anthony has worked in the Tech department at Washougal Schools for almost 6 years, and has grown considerably as a professional.  His contributions to the schools will be missed. Anthony will still be in the area, working for Kalama school district and several smaller districts as a contracted employee. Anthony’s last day will be Friday, May 11.  Please wish him well in his new journey when you see him!

2. Have a Suggestion for a Tech Class for 2012-2013?
We will be collecting teacher feedback about tech class ideas for the 2012-13 school year, and want to know what you’re interested in.  If you have a suggestion on a class or technology topic you’d like to see offered, e-mail Les Brown to let him know, and he’ll include it in the list that goes out to teachers.  If you’re interested in co-facilitating or co-teaching a class, let him know that as well!


3. Filtering Data in Excel
The auto-filter tool in Excel is a really handy way to find specific sets of data when you’re working with a large list.  To use it, click the Select all option from the Edit menu, then click the Data menu, then Auto-Filter.  This will turn the top row of your spreadsheet, which should contain your column headings, into drop down menus.  On each of them, you’ll see sort options, a listing of the entries in that particular column, and an option to match criterion either using a range or a specific value you’re looking for. 

One easy use of this would be to find students who have scores below a certain value, for example. 
An example of how to use this feature can be found here:

4. Prep for End of Year Surplus 
If you have old, unwanted equipment in your classroom that you no longer have a use for, you can use the surplus process to get rid of it.  Your building’s inventory designee (Deana Degrande at CCMS, Deborah Mansfield at Cape, Marlene Leifsen at Gause, Kathy Stanton at Hathaway, Debbie Leifsen at Jemtegaard, and Misty Young at WHS) can help you process paperwork to dispose of the item appropriately, and remove it from your classroom’s inventory.  There will be a surplus run in June, near the end of school, so work with your inventory person now to get rid of items before summer.
You can read more about the inventory and surplus process here, including finding forms to dispose of equipment.

5. Finding an E-mail You’ve Deleted or Archived
Deleting an e-mail sends it to the Trash folder in the new web-based e-mail system. Messages are kept in there for around 30 days before they are automatically purged.  If you want to look at the deleted messages, hover your mouse above the e-mail folder list in the left sidebar, then click “more” at the bottom.  The Trash folder will be listed toward the bottom of the list.

The same process will reveal the “All mail” folder, where items go when you archive them.  Archived messages are kept indefinitely, and can be found by searching, as well.

6. Google Sites Handout
Several teachers who took the Google Sites class asked about a handout to help with getting back in and updating the webpages that were created.  WHS Teacher Rochelle Aiton, who taught several of the sections of the class, created a handout that will help you remember what you learned, so you can keep your page up-to-date!  Click here to download the guide.

As a reminder, when your page is ready, you need to do a couple things to make it easy for people to find.  First, set your website to a “public” page using these directions:

- Go to your website by clicking Sites in the black bar at the top of your e-mail
- On your main page, click the More button
- Choose Sharing and Permissions
- In the "who has access" section, click the Change button, and set it so anyone on the Internet can find and view the page. 
- Click the radio button next to “Public on the web”
- Click the green “Save” button to save the changes

Next, click on your main page, copy the page address from the URL, and e-mail it to Les Brown.  In your e-mail, ask him to add a link to your school’s department page for your grade level or subject area.  Make sure you let him know which building, and which grade/subject area your page belongs on!


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