Take the Wireless Plunge

I occasionally help out friends of mine who take the wireless plunge with their home computers. Now don't get any ideas. I do this sort of thing all day long, so don't think I like to do it every night, too. It's not too difficult. I use a Linksys wireless router with TKIP encryption. It's pretty easy to set up. A friend of mine has a Motorola that works really well, too. Sometimes the encryption part can be a little intimidating for the average user, but many times your ISP will help you set up your router. You can find plenty of info online on how to do it. I would highly recommend DSL Reports. I learned how to do this by reading their help files. For example, if Bellsouth is your ISP, just type "Bellsouth set up" in the search area.

(Image from http://www.linksys.com)

The iPod Nano

Well, just as I buy an iPod Apple comes out with a new one. I wish I had known about this one. Thin, small, and color screen. I like my iPod just fine. It sounds great. The ear buds really get on my nerves because my left ear must be deformed or something. The bud just will NOT stay in my left ear! I need to get some different headgear I guess. iTunes is pretty easy to use and has a decent selection. Beware. Not all Internet-downloaded music will play on an iPod. WMA protected files will not work, at least that I know of.

(Image from www.apple.com)

Sorry, It's Been Awhile

I've been out of touch for a few weeks now. Lots of things going on. We've watched another hurricane go through. I wonder what is up with all of these storms. Is global warming really happening? I think I read a viewpoint about this a few days ago on a weather channel blog. You can check out the Weather Channel blog here. The satellite pictures of Rita are incredible. (Image credit NASA/Jeff Schmaltz)

I Got an iPod!

Well, I got a new toy. I bought an iPod mini. It's a nice little gadget. I've downloaded a few songs from iTunes. It has a really nice sound. The little ear buds kinda get on my nerves, but the speakers are not bad. I want to get into podcasting. There is a class in one of my schools that received a wireless laptop lab through a grant that was written. The teacher is very excited, and I'd love to see the kids do a podcast about what they're learning. I'll try to introduce it to them if I get a chance, and I'll let them post here. I've got a lot of teacher training to do this year, so it may not get done till next year, but we'll see!!

Pictures of Destruction

(Photo found on Yahoo! and taken by Marc Serota/Reuters)
It is totally unbelievable the destruction that Hurricane Katrina caused. So many people left without anything but the clothes on their backs. If you'd like to help you can donate to the Red Cross.


(Photo by Phil Coale/AP taken from Yahoo!)
So many families displaced. Reports are that one university has canceled classes for the semester. What will happen to the K-12 students? I feel this disaster will cause a lot of organizations including school districts to think about disaster planning.

Hurricane Katrina

All I can say is "Wow!"

An incredible storm. I couldn't believe all the images of New Orleans under water! I hope everyone is safe.

Some of our software support folks are in Mobile. I hope they're ok!

Image from http://www.weather.com

Geocaching with Kids

Geocaching is a fun activity for all ages. It involves the use of a GPS (Global Positioning System) unit to find "hidden" treasures. There are many types of geocaches available online or you can devise one of your own. Take a waterproof box and place some items in it such as a pencil, a school spirit badge, something your class has made, artwork, key chains, a book, etc. Hide this box somewhere that you can make a short trip to in order to show your students how a GPS device works. The idea is to set the coordinates on your GPS device and show the students how it works when traveling to the hidden treasures.
(image from Garmin)
Some ideas could be a nature walk, collecting flowers or rocks, observing the different types of trees, looking for animal habitats, collecting different soil samples as well as leaves, etc. Take a camera with you and allow the students to take pictures of what they see. If you don't have a digital camera a disposable one will work fine. GPS units cost anywhere from $100-$300. You don't need anything elaborate when working with kids. You could also take sketch pads so the kids can draw the different things they see.

If you set up the geocaching adventure with several classes you can leave something in your container for each class to trade out. One item could be a disposable camera so each class can take pictures of themselves and leave it in the container. At the end of the school year take the camera and have the pictures developed and show what the students did during the lesson.

Cool Satellite Images

This is really cool. If you've not seen Google Earth yet you need to go and download it and try it. I was looking at it the other day, and I can even make out my white vehicle in my driveway! One caution though, if you live in the country you may not be able to see things clearly as the pixels are not quite as focused as city and town areas.

Outlook Web Access Email

Our teachers use Outlook Web Access for e-mail. We have an Exchange 2003 server that offers quite a few add ons to other versions of Outlook. For example, if you'd like to create a signature in your e-mail just click on Options, and choose the button that says Edit Signatures. Here you can compose information that will accompany every e-mail you send. One important note: You must choose Save and Close for your signature to show on your next message!

Welcome

Welcome to Tech Bits ~n~ Bytes!

I will be updating this blog to offer tips, reviews, how-to's, and just generally information concerning computers and technology for teachers. I will also offer advice for integrating technology in the classroom.

Hope you enjoy!