It's so easy, even a caveman can do it.

Let's talk tools!

Techie Tidbit: A small, effective and free website or application that could assist school administrators or teachers to ease or enhance their work load.

OMG, why r u not txtin me?

It's the 21st century… time to step up!

Mobile to Desk to Home

All the cool kids are doing it!

FREEBIES, baby, FREEBIES!

It's a Google World

Google Docs

Collaboration with colleagues from any distance.

Several colleagues can work on the same document at the same time from any distance.

No need to worry about returning the drafts and compiling the drafts from various people into one master document.

The Real World

As a school administrator, our district uses Google Docs in a variety of ways. We complete our budget on Google Docs where every person fills in his/her part of the master budget on the spreadsheet. Recently we also used it to create a districtwide master student handbook.

Joe Oliphant - Principal

Google Calendar

Secretary can alter your calendar from anywhere there is internet access

You can check your calendar from any computer including your cell phone (with a data service)

Keeping various calendars is a benefit. When you overlay the calendars you can see free time and double bookings.

The Real World

I am a superintendent of a school district. I have all of my administrators keep a calendar. When I need one of them for a meeting or all of them for a group meeting, I simply look at their online calendar and look for the free time that everyone shares. I do not even have to call to see if they are free. I just simply add the new meeting to their calendar and it shows up as a new meeting. You can also add an audio alert to the new meeting time.

Mrs. Gregory- Superintendent

Google Books

This is a virtual bookshelf where you can share your shelf with others as well as add new books to your shelf. There are many

books in this Google virtual library that you can read. This includes works of research, handbooks, even magazines. You can choose, read and create a collection of readings you want to finish yourself or that you wish for your staff, students, or colleagues. Then share

your bookshelf with them.

You can create a body of research that you would want any number of groups to read.

Create a body of information that you would like your teachers to read as part of an in-service.

Google Translate

With a rise in English as a Second Language, students being able to work in a different language is critical.

Translate messages from students or parents sent to the school

Create a document in a different language for your non-English speaking students and parents

Google Scholar

This searches the scholarly literature only. This saves a significant amount of time not having to weed through the less important links.

Gives you automatic links to use for citations for your bibliography.

Google Sync

Link up your desktop at home, at work and your cell phone.

Gives you flexibility across hardware

On the Go!

Time Saving

Techie Tidbits

Even an Aardvark can help.

Easy to find someone who has some knowledge on a given topic.

Good starting point to further investigate a given topic.

Gives you the ability to share your own expertise.

Hallmark Smilebox

Fast and easy way to send out cards and postcards

Ability to save created cards

Saves on postage and purchasing of cards/postcards

Easy and effective way to send commendations

The Real World

Smilebox is a great tool for me. I have cards already designed with our school’s logo on it for just about any occasion. The teachers and students love to receive these e-cards from me and it has really helped to create a positive tone in the building.

Dr. Nairby-Principal

Wake up on Stand by

Lets the computer be activated before you arrive for work.

Have your favorite program up and running when you walk into the office.

4shared

Files can be retrieved from anywhere you have internet access

Files can be retrieved by anyone to whom you give the code for that particular file

File storage up to 10 g for free

No more need for flash drives and external hard drives

Organize Me

24@hitmelater.com

Organizes your email inbox

Gives you an opportunity to receive an email again when you may have more time to deal with that email.

The Real World

When I get to school in the morning I am already 30 emails behind. Some of them I want to check out, but just can't at the moment. Some I want to see that day and others I know I won't have time until tomorrow. I usually set the time for 4 hours to come back to the emails I want to get to that day, and the others I program for 24 hours. If I still can't get to it the next day, I just send it away once again.

Mr. Means - principal

E-Vite

Easily organized for tracking recipients

Easy to send mass invitations

Virtual map given to recipient for location of event.

Hassle Me

You can be sent a note regarding anything that you may need regular reminders.

Time can be altered for maximum or minimum amount of regular emails.

Things that make you go Ohh, Ahh.

Wiz IQ

Free virtual classroom

Desktop and screen sharing

Share PowerPoint, flash, pdf, word document files for group viewing.

All sessions are recorded and are able to be downloaded for archiving

OOVOO

Save time running from location to location for meetings.

Audio and face to face conferencing

Open Office

It’s comparable to Microsoft Office

It’s free

You can put it on as many computers in your district as you need.

If you send an open office file to someone who does not have Microsoft, he/she can download the software for free.

Our school district saved a ton of money going to the Open Office software. We have close to 1000 computers in our small district and upgrading to Microsoft Office was going to be very expensive. Now it’s free. We also put a link on our website to open office so parents could get the free software as well. Now practically our entire community has the same software. No more worries about having

the wrong program to open a document..Mr. Manny - principal

Guerrilla Mail

Anonymous

Great for battling spam

When you sign up for free trials that need authentication with an email, use this.

Teamviewer

Technical support made simple! Give the person your password and let them remotely work on your computer

Collaboration on projects and presentations

There are a lot of great uses for this but the way I use it most often is for tech support. I have my

friend who is a computer wiz on speed dial. When I go to a presentation and I'm using technology, it has come in handy more then once to let him just remotely set me up and make sure I'm ready to

go.

Dr. Monahan - superintendent

Webs.com

Free web presence

Many extra features for free

Use as a classroom supplement

Use for teacher in-service

Area for Collaboration

Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time.

Chinese Proverb

The need to know the capitol of Florida died when my phone learned the answer. Rather, the

students of tomorrow need to be able to think creatively: they will need to learn on their own, adapt to new challenges and be able to adapt

on-the-fly.

Anthony Chivetta

Missouri High School Student

Any teacher that can be replaced by a computer, deserves to be.

David Thornburg