Password access for Norton’s Anti-Virus
scanning was corrected and new virus definitions were downloaded.
Rangers were asked to share one positive comment and a concern. Positive comments included the benefits of having access to personal files at all times, not having to tote work between home and school on floppy disks, being able to work anywhere, an increased efficiency in time management, organization, timely communicating, grade reporting and collaborating with fellow Rangers. Other benefits mentioned: reliability, less “cross platform issues” for those with Windows computers at home, Internet access, increased confidence levels in working with the computer, and having a mentor and Charlene as resources.
Among the “concerns” repeatedly mentioned were frustrations when unable to wake from sleep (2000 Rangers) and the inability to consistently and successfully display from the computer to the TV in the classroom, which limits spontaneity in teaching. Other concerns mentioned: lack of knowledge relating to laptop computing, becoming “dependent” on the computer and having it “run” our lives, a lack of vision or ideas on how to best use the technology in the curriculum, the semester “training” requirement, and feeling pressure from colleagues “that I am not doing enough” with the computer, or that expectations will be higher from “Power Rangers.”
Sam’s comments addressing the concerns
--
Regarding the sleep and projection issues:
An Apple technician has been assigned
to help us find a solution to these two known issues. A conflict between
the Apple operating system and the Novell software has been identified,
resulting in the laptop not waking up after a connection to Novell has
been active and disabled. For projecting in the classroom, two portable
projectors are available (contact Todd in AV) which always seem to work.
The likelihood of success when projecting on the classroom TV using a FOCUS
presenter may be increased using new S-video “Monster cables” which we
will be testing.
Regarding the training requirement:
Sam reviewed the information that was
included in the mentor letter sent to PowerRangers in October:
In addition to collaborating with your mentor, your obligations as a PowerRanger are:
Regarding Pilots ? none are planned as
yet.
Mentor/mentee relationships:
Hopefully mentors have contacted their
mentees by now. If this is not the case, 2000
Rangers are asked to advise Sam or Charlene. This relationship
can help new Rangers explore new ideas, as well as assist in managing frustrations.
Mentees are to schedule a classroom observation of one their mentor’s lessons
that incorporates technology in the instruction. Rangers should not be
concerned if their mentor does not teach the same class, as the content
is not as important as the process. Sam will cover the cost of substitutes.
Shared folder access:
A shared folder has been set up for all
Rangers. A Power Rangers folder is now accessible from the SHS folder
(login to Novell), in the Shared folder. The contents include Printing
extensions, the Norton Anti-Virus updaters which will be revised each month,
the new Making the Grade 8.3, Sherlock plugins and Stuffit Expander 5.5
(for 99 Rangers). Please read the “READ ME FIRST” files located in each
folder for instructions. Contact Charlene if there are additional items
you would like made available to you.
Printing Problems:
Some 2000 Rangers have reported problems
when printing to an HP color DeskJet printer. They receive an error message
about “Color Sync Profiles” not installed. After choosing a color inkjet
printer, select the “Revert to defaults” button on the Print screen. This
will correct the error.
Making the Grade 8.3
This version of the Making the Grade program
should fix an error that randomly appears when closing a class which states,
"The Name of the class has been changed. Do you wish to use the old name
or a new one?" - offering 3 choices: Cancel, Use Old, or Create New. If
you click the button that says "Use Old," the file is saved in an undetermined
location, which you may not notice until you revisit that file and discover
that the grades and assignments you entered are gone. Actually, the “saved”
file is on the hard drive somewhere and can be located using the Find File
command in Sherlock. Please install this new version of Making the Grade
(which is located in the SHS -> Shared -> PowerRanger folder.
Also new in Making the Grade 8.3 is a “Web E-publisher” feature that can create progress reports for your students that can be emailed as an attachment and viewed by the recipient using Netscape or Internet Explorer. An entire class can be generated with a few clicks of the mouse, and posted to the Internet. Students are assigned PINs and can then check their grades by entering their student ID and PIN. Pat O’Donnell and Larry Scalzitti have begun providing these for their students. Charlene will set up a workshop day for those interested in this feature.
This update of Making the Grade is not version specific. This means, that if you work on your grades with the 8.3 version of MtG, you can still open your grade files in an older version of the software.
What should be on the desktop?
Rangers are reminded to keep their computer
desktop screens tidy by NOT saving files directly to the desktop, but rather
save all files to the General Folder and create “aliases” or shortcuts
to the files and folders you need to use most often. Charlene will help
you clean up your desktops and create aliases if needed.
As always, Ranger Mom asks: “Have you backed
up your files lately? If not, you should!”