T3 - Tech Tip Tuesdays
Tech Tip Tuesdays
Each Tuesday we will highlight a technology tip of the week brought to you courtesy of the LTC-1S. You can also get these great technology tips by following us on Facebook. If you have a great technology tip that you would like to share send them to Joel and maybe you can be featured in our Tech Tip Tuesdays. Enjoy!
February 21, 2012
Screenshots of your computer
Here is a tip that comes in handy, screenshots. Sometimes it is nice to show an example of what you are explaining on a webpage or within a program. There are actually several ways to do that on both Windows and Macs. In Windows you can use the Print Screen(sometimes abbreviated prt sc) button. This takes a screen shot of your entire desktop. Very useful but what if I want to just capture the program I am working in and not all the icons on my desktop? Never fear the Tech Guy is here! You can actually use Alt+Print Screen to capture just the active program. Now after trying this out you are probably thinking I am crazy, nothing happens when I do these combinations. It quietly copies it to your clipboard where you can then paste it into a photo editing program, Word, PowerPoint, etc. Remember you can edit those pictures as well to get just the right portion showing. Starting with Windows Vista and now 7 you can also take screenshots using the snipping tool. I personally think the keyboard shortcuts for this are a little easier and quicker to use. Check them both out and you can decide which one you like better. I don't want to leave our Mac users out so yes you can do screenshots on a Mac. In Mac OS X or later to copy a screen shot to a clipboard you would do Command-control-shift-3. There are lots of other screen shot options for the Mac which can be seen more in depth here.
February 14, 2012
Why are text messages 160 characters
Have you ever been typing a text message and wondered why it is only 160 characters? You can thank Friedhelm Hillebrand for setting the standard at 160 characters. He came up with this number after counting the number of characters and spaces of many random sentences and questions he typed. Most all of them were less then 160 characters. Twitter messages which are 140 characters is based off of text messages. The 20 character difference allows for the users unique address. If you would like to read the whole article about text messages click here.
February 7, 2012
Scolling through open programs
I have all these programs open in my task bar I just wish I could see what they are without clicking on each one. Ah ha, I can see what they are! You can use Alt+Tab to toggle through all the open programs you have in your taskbar. This feature does work in Windows 7 as well. For you Windows 7 users I will give you one more. Use the Windows Key+Tab and you get to toggle through all the open programs with a 3D view of the Window. Give it a try it is a nice way to quickly move between open programs.
February 1, 2012 (Special Digital Learning Day)
Create your own text conversations
I know, I know, you are thinking we have our days off. This is a special bonus to mark the first-ever Digital Learning Day.
To mark Digital Learning Day we are telling you about a tool you can use in your classroom. You can create your own text messages and save the picture at ifaketext.com. You could create your own text message to start a discussion on a topic or answer a question in your new unit. What a great way to get your students excited about what they are learning. Check out these examples below. Click on each image for a larger view.
January 31, 2012
Double and triple clicking on a word
Click, Click, Click, Click. Most of you probably already know that you can click and drag right or left to select a word to copy, paste, delete, etc. Did you know that you can double click on a word to quickly select it. If you triple (yes I said triple) click on a word you can quickly select an entire paragraph. Both of these work in programs as well as in web browsers. However, if you are clicking on a link online it will follow the link not select the word.
January 24, 2012
Zooming in a web browser
Have you ever wanted to zoom in on text or pictures in your web browser? You actually can do this. If you hold down Ctrl and use the '+' and '-' keys you can zoom in and out in your web browser. On Macs, it's the Command key and plus or minus. Happy zooming!
January 17, 2012
QR codes
QR (Quick Response) codes are two dimensional barcodes that have become popular since many people now have cameras on their phones. They can be used to share text, links to websites, marketing material, etc. They could also be a great way to incorporate technology into your own classroom. What a great way to get your kids excited about a set of questions. These codes can be scanned with free apps available on many smartphones. There are many websites available online to generate your own QR codes. Two that we have used are www.qrstuff.com and i-nigma.com. I-nigma also has an app available that can be used to scan QR codes. We hope you enjoy playing with this fun new technology as much as we have.
January 10, 2012
Select vertical text in Word
Normally in Microsoft Word you select text horizontally (a word, paragraphs, etc.) from left to right or right to left. What if you have a column of text in a paragraph that you want to select? For example maybe you want to select the beginning headings of an outline. To make vertical selections, hold down [Alt] as you drag through the text you want to highlight. Click on the pictures below to see an example.
January 3, 2012
Ctrl+F to find info on web pages
Here is a simple but very useful one. Are you looking to find information on a web page? Hit Ctrl+F, this will bring up a find box that allows you to search the page.
