The power of TED talks

I recently got into TED talks on my iPad.  It's a cool way to get my mind on something positive and interesting before trying to go to sleep.  I started keeping a list of bookmarked talks to share with my staff.  Here's the first one:
- It's about how to tie your shoes.  It seems like an insult, but it's amazing how a 3 minute talk can have such a power message.  Making a small change can have a profound impact on what we do.

I bet you are tying your shoe wrong...

http://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_how_to_tie_your_shoes.html

Ukulelear: Xtranormal: Just to See if I Could

Ukulelear: Xtranormal: Just to See if I Could

This is a link to my buddy Kyle's blog.  He used Xtranormal to create an animated story about his Ukulele Club. Listen to figure out why the pink Uke's sound the best.

It's a great way to get students to interact and publish their writing.  It's also a great exercise in how difficult the English language is and how we can use phonemes to sound out words.

Using Twitter Professionally/Online PLC

I'm just wondering if anyone uses Twitter for professional connections... If you do, please respond below (or email me). I've just signed up for an account and need some good people to follow so I can better learn how to use it!

Essential e-tools for Administrators

I figured since we're about a month or so into the new school year I would share my current list of essential e-tools for administrators. Yes, I use most of these every single day and they make my life a WHOLE lot more efficient and productive.... And, for the record, these are all free (sorry, I'm cheap, so if it costs money - any money - I avoid it!)

1. My new favorite is Dropbox, and if you want a full write-up on what this can do for you read my previous post. The greatest thing about this is the ability to share files and folders with other members. For instance, we have configured a folder called "Shared Administrator Files" that we share between the three administrators at our school. Unlike the regular common drive on the network, we can all write and edit any file located in this folder. Today one of the other administrators was working on something and they wanted me to look at it, so I was able to pull it up on my system without them having to send it as an attachment in our email. In addition to this sharing ability, the other greatest thing about Dropbox is that you do not need to be connected to the Internet to use it. Files are stored locally on your computer and then uploaded to the cloud server once you have a connection. This is very useful for me at home where I don't always get a wifi connection, so I can edit files on the laptop and then when I get a connection they will be uploaded. Doing this with files located on Google Docs or Skydrive would not work since I have to be connected at all times to access those files.
2. The next tool I use daily is Evernote. Like Dropbox, the wonderful thing about this program is that notes I take are automatically synced across all my computers and my iPad. So, when I take notes at a district meeting off campus, or even a SIT meeting or team meeting on campus but out of my office, once I have an internet connection the notes are automatically uploaded to the cloud server and then downloaded onto my office computer. They're also available on the laptop and my personal computer at home - instantly. I found this to be invaluable when I'm doing informal (for now) observations/visits to classrooms. I can type a quick note to myself about things I see on my iPad (both positive and negative), and when I get back to my office it's already on my computer so I can compose the note or email to the teacher. As of now Evernote only has a very limited sharing ability (Web-based only), but hopefully they will fix that in the future because the ability to share notebooks with others would make this tool absolutely perfect. I don't even carry around a legal pad anymore, simply my iPad, and I take all notes on it.
3. Teachscape Classroom Walkthrough Tool for the iPad - If you're still doing walk throughs on your Palm or Blackberry you need to upgrade to this app! The interface is much easier to use on the iPad simply due to the larger size screen. I can also quickly exit the program, jump over to Evernote if I need to write a quick note, and then come back in and the data I had already recorded is still there. It is also available for iPod Touch, so if you don't have an iPad yet but do have an iPod Touch you can use the same tool. The biggest improvement I with this version over the previous one available for the iPad is that you do not need to be connected to the internet to use it; if you enter a room where your wifi connection is unavailable you can still use the program and it will automatically upload once you get back into range.
4. Google Reader is still an invaluable tool for keeping up-to-date on blog posts and news feeds, though I don't use the reader interface anymore (see #5 on my list).
5. FeedDemon is my RSS reader of choice. As with Dropbox and Evernote, it allows me to work offline (if I have to). It automatically syncs with my Google Reader account, which is why Google Reader is still on my list. I am able to arrange the feeds I follow into folders by topic and then read them at my leisure. It runs in the background on my desktop, so all I have to do is open it up when I have a few spare minutes and go through the new posts I haven't seen. Again, if you're using Google Reader I highly recommend checking out this "upgrade" (and, again, it's free!)
6. Google Docs is the only one on this list that I don't use every day (at least not yet). I still am partial to using Microsoft Office for all my work (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), but the forms feature in Google Docs is what keeps me coming back. It is quick and easy to send out surveys, get instant feedback, and then plan accordingly. After we did our new teacher evaluation training in August we sent out an evaluation form that afternoon for teachers to fill out, including a spot to ask questions, and all that information was automatically entered into a spreadsheet for us to review. Better yet, I was able to share it with the administrators at the other school we worked with so they could access the information as well. The other thing we're using it for is I setup a "form" so that teachers could submit anonymous questions to the administration in regards to the new teacher evaluation tool. Every time a question is submitted via the form a script automatically forwards the question to my email box, so I don't even need to open up the document to read the question. I can then work on either sending out the answer or finding it (if I don't know it). It's a quick and easy way for us to collect information from teachers in a non-threatening way and also get a feel for what the hot topics are in regards to the evaluation tool.
7. Firefox is still my browser of choice, for many reasons, but I'll just say that I don't like the feel of Chrome, and I absolutely abhor Internet Explorer (the only reason I use IE is because Fulcrum requires it!). To be honest, I was a Safari user for a couple of years (I am a Mac person at heart), but switched to Firefox since the early Windows version of Safari left much to be desired. And I've just never gone back.
   
8. Google Toolbar for Firefox just makes navigating some of my Google tools easier by having it installed - instant access to Google Maps, Docs, Mail, Calendar, etc. without having to type in the address.
9. Google Bookmarks allows me to sync my bookmarks across all my computers (home, office, laptop, etc) and have access to them regardless of what computer I'm using. And if I'm not at my computer I can always login to the web-based server and get them if I need them away from home. The biggest problem with Google Bookmarks is that while I have the ability to sort the bookmarks into categories by using labels, I can not have nested folders (sub folders), making it difficult to navigate if you have a lot of bookmarks. Hence, #10 on my list...
   
10. GMarks is the add-on I use to access my Google Bookmarks via Firefox. It allows me to create both folders and subfolders of my bookmarks. This way when I add a bookmark on one computer it shows up on all the other computers as well - in the exact same spot! This is actually one of the biggest reasons I use Firefox over Chrome - I can not stand the bookmarking system used in Chrome, so this allows me to use Google Bookmarks in a way that makes sense to me (and not the creators of Google). I've looked at some of the social bookmarking sites, but none of them do what Google Bookmarks and GMarks allow me to do. Perhaps one day I'll switch over, but for now I'm staying with this combination.
11. Thunderbird is what I use to access my GMail account from my desktop. If you can't tell, I hate using web-based applications, so this allows me to access GMail from the desktop, so I have it running next to Groupwise. Here's a tip for you: if you're accessing GMail from more than one computer or location I suggest setting up Thunderbird to access it as an IMAP account instead of a POP3, that way when you read a message on one computer it shows up as read on all of them....
    

Okay, so there's my top eleven (for now). Again, all of these are free, and if you're not using them I highly recommend you check them out. What are you guys using?

Cloud Storage

(cross posted on Success for Every Child)

I've been playing around with several cloud storage options over the past several months and I've found another one I've decided I like. And this one is DropBox. Here's what I like about it:

1) I do not have to be connected to the Internet to access my files - they are stored locally on my system and uploaded only when I'm connected (great for working at home on the laptop, which doesn't always get a connection)

2) Allows for syncing of files between multiple computers

3) Extremely easy to use and quick to upload/download files

4) Works on both Macs and PCs seamlessly (I have a Mac at home and put up with a PC for work!)

Here's what I don't like about it - and there's only one thing: the free storage capacity is set to 2GB (I could purchase additional but I'm too cheap for that).

Here's how I'm using it - and why I'm already close to my storage limit. The past six months I've been working to combine all my accounts and settings into one area, and I have three key accounts: my personal ones for home, my work ones for school, and my church ones for my church job. So in my dropbox I have three main folders: one for home, one for school, and one for church, and I can access any or all of them at any time. It's the (for now) cloud storage answer for files that is similar to my use of Google Bookmarks with the GMarks-add-on for Firefox that keeps all my bookmarks synced together on all my computers.

Think of it this way - DropBox is like having a flash drive with you at all times without having to keep a flash drive with you. Unlike Windows SkyDrive or Google Docs, I do not have to be connected to the internet to access the files, but like those two services I do have the ability to share folders with other users so they can access them. (Now if DropBox would just up their storage limit I would be a much happier person).

For those who are considering installing it on their computers, just know that once it's installed it saves all the files in a folder called "My DropBox" under the "My Documents" folder on your desktop. By saving files directly into the "My DropBox" folder - or any subfolder within it - (from Word or Excel or any other program) your files will automatically be uploaded and stored on the cloud server. Here's three examples from this past week where I used it:

1) I was working on a new faculty handbook for my new staff. I saved the file to DropBox when I left work and then accessed it from home that evening to review and edit it. When I got back to work the next day all the changes were already there.

2) Sunday afternoon I created a new worship set for my church service and put together the slide show for the congregation to follow along (something I do every Sunday) - I saved it to my DropBox folder and then when I arrived at church I accessed DropBox via the web side and downloaded the file onto the A/V computer in my church so the slide show was there.

3) I planned to use some new musical arrangements for a worship service this past Sunday that required print-outs of new sheet music. I uploaded them to my share folder on DropBox and the other musicians were able to access them and download the files they needed for their individual parts.

If you don't currently use some sort of Cloud Storage consider giving DropBox If you click on this link you should get a free 250MB after you join!

Pushing Groupwise Calendar to Your iPad

If you're like me you've found the iPad is a fantastic device, and if you don't have a Blackberry that can access your Groupwise Calendar at any time, having access to the Groupwise Calendar when you're off campus and without an internet connection is very difficult.  While there are some options available in the App Store, there is also a free option, if you're willing to take a few minutes to setup some filters and rules in both Groupwise and Google.

The first thing you will need is a Google Calendar account, and if you have Gmail you already have Google Calendar.

• While in Gmail click "Calendar" at the top and setup your account
• Choose "Calendar settings" from the left-side of the screen and then click the "General" tab
• Scroll down to "Automatically add invitations to my calendar" and click "Yes"

The next thing you need to do is setup your iPad to sync with your Google Calendar.  Go to Settings and then create an account for your calendar:

1. Create New Account and Choose "Microsoft Exchange"
2. The server for the account is "m.google.com" (without quotation marks)
3. Domain is the same as the server
4. Username is your FULL gmail address (ie, thomasrfellerjr@gmail.com) and your password is your gmail password
5. Select "SSL" as "On"
6. Only choose "Calendar" for your exchange account - do not activate Mail or Contacts

This will now allow you to have full syncronization between your Google Calendar and your iPad calendar.  Configuring Groupwise to publish your appointments to Google takes several more steps.  In short, you'll create a rule in Groupwise to automatically forward all appointments to Google, and then you'll create a rule in Google to automatically accept all appointments.  Please note that this is a one-way option - only appointments in Groupwise will show up on your Google Calendar; appointments you make on your iPad or in Google will NOT show up in Groupwise (if anyone has figured out a way to do this let me know, because I'm coming up empty).

Sounds simple enough, so let's walk through it.

First, go into Groupwise and click on "Tools" and then "Rules";  create a new rule and call it "To Google"

1. "When Event is" (the first line of the screen after the rule name) is "New Item" and click "Received" and "Posted"
2. "Item type" is "Appointment"
3. Click on "Add action" and choose "Delegate"
4. In the "To" field type your gmail address (ie, thomasrfellerjr@gmail.com"
5. In comments type "GWAppointment"
6. Save the rule

Next, create a second rule to auto-accept all appointments from yourself (more on the reason for this below)

1. Click "Tools" and then "Rules"; create a new rule and call it "Auto-Accept My Appointments"
2. "When Event is" is "New Item" and click "Received"
3. "Item type" is "Appointment"
4. Click on "Add action" and choose "Accept"
5. Save the rule

Now, you need to go over to Google and create an Accept rule... Login to Gmail and hit the "Create a Filter" link (up at the top of the page next to "Search the web" box)

1. From is your Groupwise email (ie, fellert.wms@pitt.k12.nc.us)
2. Enter "GWAppointment" in the field for "Has the words"
3. Hit "Next Step"
4. Click the options "Skip the Inbox" and "Delete it"

And that's it.  Here are a few things you'll need to remember:

• This only works ONE way - Appointments in Groupwise will be sent to Google but Google can not sent to Groupwise
• This will only work for ORIGINAL appointments; if you change an appointment, delete an appointment, or edit it in Groupwise those changes, deletions, or edits will NOT show up in Google (so if you delete it in GW you'll need to manually delete it in Google)
• It only works for "New Appointments" and not "Posted Appointments" (more on this in a minute) - that means you need to hit the "New Appointment" button in Groupwise if you want appointments to appear in both, if you just double-click on your calendar and do a posted appointment it will NOT show up in Google

So here's how to use all this...  When you want to post a meeting or appointment click on the "New Appointment" button; address the appointment to yourself (which it defaults to) and fill in all other information as your normally would (Date, time, location, category, etc) and then hit "Send".  The appointment request will now be sent to you, your auto-accept rule will accept it for you, and then forward it on to Google.  Once it gets to Google your filters in Google will auto-accept it and then delete the mail that sent it to keep your mailbox clean.  It's really that simple.

One thing you should be aware of is that Groupwise defaults to sending you a reply every time an appointment is accepted (or declined) to inform you of what happened.  These will show up in your inbox.  If you do not want to see these everytime you post an appointment (I don't want to see them!) then just create one more rule in Groupwise to delete the messages.  You already know how to create rules in GW (go to Tools and Rules), so I'll just put the parameters here:

1. Rule name is "Delete Auto-Accept Messages"
2. New Item is "Received"
3. Item type is "Mail"
4. Click "Define Conditions" and selected "Subject" from the pull-down menu and enter "[Your Groupwise Name] Accepted" (ie, "Thomas Feller Accepted" - replace "Thomas Feller" with whatever name shows up when you send emails out)
5. Add action is "Delete/Decline"
6. Save Rule

So, that's it - kinda a pain in the neck to setup but once you get it going everything works very smoothly!

Google Reader

As we have already discussed previously on this Blog, Google has a wealth of resources for educators. Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader) is a tool that can help you, both professionally and personally. Reader is available to you FREE with your Google Account (Gmail). It allows you to "subscribe" and follow content on a variety of webpages at one time. For example, when I log into Google Reader each morning, I am able to quickly skim headlines from a variety of newspapers (Daily Reflector, News and Observer, etc.) and other news websites (CNN, ESPN, or whatever else interests me).

There are also sites that Reader can collect content. For example, it can load Twitter postings (I follow NCPAPA and NCASA through Reader) and even your Facebook postings. Reader can be easily set up by logging in and following a simple tutorial.

One other aspect of Reader is the ability to "share" information with others. I have set up my Google Reader account where I publicly post education related articles that I find for others (my staff or colleagues) to view. Here's my shared address in case you want to check it out: http://www.google.com/reader/shared/kevtsmith01

Here's also a "Getting Started Guide" in case you need specific instructions on how to get started with Google Reader: http://www.google.com/support/reader/bin/answer.py?answer=113517