Upgrading to Office 2013 10/14

When you are ready to upgrade to Office 2013, be aware of the following important notes:

1. You cannot upgrade to Office 2013 if you have Windows XP.  (You can check by right clicking My Computer and left clicking Properties)
2. Before installing, close all Office products on your computer (including Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.)
3. Be prepared for the install to take anywhere from 10-20 minutes.
4. DO NOT turn off your computer in the middle of the install.  
5. Instructions for install -http://p4cdn1static.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_80688/File/Departments/Instructional%20Technology/Office2013/Office%202013%20Install%20Instructions.pdf
6. If you have trouble after the install (unlikely), contact Help Desk at x-70260.

Websites of the Week! Halloween Fun! 10/10

Websites of the Week - HALLOWEEN FUN!

http://edu.symbaloo.com/home/mix/halloween4

Thanks to Holly Montemayor for these sites.

Important Note:

• You will want to check these out to make sure they work under the generic campus and/or student login to make sure they aren't blocked.
• And we haven't checked them all out to verify their accuracy and/or appropriate content.  
• Check them out before letting your students use them please!

Troubleshooting ActivBoard Connection Issues 10/10

Here is my “go to” checklist for pen/board connections that aren't working:

1. Look at the ActivManager icon on the Task Tray across the bottom of the screen
1. If it is an orange icon on a white square, then it is connected
2. If it is a red X on a white square, then it is not properly connecting
3. Your goal is to make sure the orange icon appears (not the red X)
4. After each step here, check to see if the Red X disappears
   
2. Update ActivDriver - \\pisdcifs02\pisdshare\Promethean\ActivBoard_Install_Items\ActivInspire\Drivers_and_Updates
1. The one to open is almost always - ActivDriver_x64+v5.9.27+setup
2. To find out for sure, you can right click on My Computer, choose Properties and look at System Type to determine the number
   
   
3. If updating the driver doesn’t work, reseat/replug (find a different USB plug) the Promethean Board USB plug in the back of the computer (this serves as a chance for the promethean board to “reacquaint” itself with this newly updated driver)
   
   
4. If that doesn’t work, unplug and replug the Promethean Board into the electrical outlet (this might be necessary if there was a power outage or power surge recently at the campus).
   
   
5. If that doesn’t work, you might see if the board is connected to the computer via a network cable and make sure it is securely connected.  And not a bad idea to check all other cables to make sure they are securely connected.
   
   
6. If the board connects (red X on task tray turns to an orange promethean symbol) and the lights are on from the promethean board BUT the pen still doesn’t work, you might consider getting a pen from a neighboring teacher that works and testing to see if it works on the board.  This will narrow down whether the pen is good or not.
   
   
7. And one final thing is to check the “nib” on the end of the pen and make sure it is still in reasonably good shape.  If not, you might see about changing it out to see if that helps.

After all that, give up and turn the work order over to tech services.  It could be a firmware (hardware) problem…..and they have to address this.

Where in the World is Microsoft Office Picture Manager? 10/10

Where in the World is Microsoft Office Picture Manager?

When you upgrade to Office 2013, Microsoft Picture Manager is no longer visible in the Programs Menu.

Apparently, the Microsoft Office Picture Manager is “hiding” within the Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010 application.  Soooooo, in several cases I have found that the user can do the following to make it work:

Go to this folder:

\\pisdshare01\public\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Office\Microsoft Office 2010\Microsoft Office 2010 Tools

Copy and paste the Microsoft Office Picture Manager shortcut onto their desktop

Double click the shortcut……and all the world is a good place for them.

Istation: Lexile Level Chart Update 09/30

Lexile Level Chart in Istation has changed.  

Here is the updated information:

The Lexile level can be found either of these reports: 

• Classroom Summary Report (distinct from the regular Summary) 
• Student Summary Handout

The Reading Level Correlation Chart can be found here: https://secure.istation.com/ReportToolbox/tool_ReadingLevel

NOTE: This chart does not contain the Lexile Level anymore because those are included directly on the reports.

Learning.com Training Resources 09/29

Now that our Learning.com classes are auto-uploaded, we can rethink how we training our teachers. Here are some resources you can use for not only your class, but for teaching teachers and/or sharing resources with them so they can investigate on their own.

FYI: Learning.com eCourse will be available by the end of November.


Printing Student Login Cards (start at :40 seconds to the end)
http://vimeo.com/channels/563834/85869052


Learning.com Curriculum Icons: What Do They Mean?
http://www.learning.com/resources/pdf/products/all-products/Curriculum-Item-Types.pdf


Assigning Curriculum to My Class (Handout)
http://www.learning.com/resources/pdf/products/platform/Assign-Curriculum.pdf


Assigning Curriculum to My Class (Video)
http://vimeo.com/channels/563834/70881961


Assigning Spanish Curriculum to My Class (Handout)
http://www.learning.com/resources/pdf/products/platform/Assigning-Spanish.pdf


Resetting or Returning Lessons to Students Using the Gradebook (Handout)
https://docs.pasadenaisd.org/Curriculum/InstructionalTechnology/Handouts/Learning.com/Teachers/02CreatingClasses/13Resetting_or_Returning_Lessons_to_Students.pdf'


Working with the Gradebook in Learning.com (Handouts)

• https://docs.pasadenaisd.org/Curriculum/InstructionalTechnology/Handouts/Learning.com/Teachers/02CreatingClasses/10PrintingLoginCards.pdf
• http://www.learning.com/resources/pdf/products/platform/Transferring-Scores.pdf 

Think Central: Adding/Updating Resources on the Dashboard 09/29

Adding or Deleting Resources from Teacher Think Central Dashboard

In order to update/change a teacher’s products on the Dashboard in ThinkCentral:

1. Click Settings and select Manage Account from the drop-down list
2. Hover over the My Account tab and click Manage Products on the far left
3. Select the Grade, Subject, Language that you want and click Find
4. Products that can be displayed on the Resources Dashboard are marked with a dashboard icon. Select the ones you want
5. Click Save