Mandarin Oaks Elementary School

Oncourse "Refresher"

2009-07-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Go to: https://dcps.oncoursesystems.com/login.aspx

To Take Attendance:
• Click on the “Attendance” tab at the top of the screen.
• Select the class you are taking attendance for.
• Use the drop down box to select the type of absence. The student will be marked as present until you change it.

To Use Gradebook:
• To add a category, such as “Math Classwork” or “Reading Tests”, click on “Add Category”. Add a category in the “Category Name” box. You can also add a description of what assignments the category will contain.
• To set a weight percentage to your categories, change the grading method at the top of the page to “Weight Based”. Make sure if you do weight based that your categories total 100%.
• To add an assignment, title the assignment, and choose which category it will go into. You can give a weight to an assignment or allow it to be averaged evenly with the other assignments in the category. You can also add it to other classes by putting a check next to the classes you want it to be added to.
• Be cautious of using the “Extra Credit” option, because it may elevate grades too much. You may want to add extra credit assignments to the category to which they pertain.

Why is Rebooting SO Effective?

2009-05-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, our Macs don't work exactly as we expect. Before you start to worry, the best course of action is to try rebooting. Rebooting fixes many problems , because it resets everything on your computer from your wireless connection to your applications. For example, sometimes your network connection may have timed out and rebooting simply restores it. This has always worked for me when my network connection stops working.

To reboot, you can quickly press the power button, which will caue a pop-up to appear that asks you if you would like to restart your computer. Also, you can click on the apple and choose "Restart". I hope this helps you to enjoy your Mac even more, and to beat those little hiccups along the way.

Teacher Lingo

2009-03-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying your Macs and have found many uses in your classroom. This post is about a website called "Teacher Lingo". It was mentioned in the latest issue of InTech Tips from Duval County, and it is a great website that allows teachers to connect and share ideas with peers. If you find yourself struggling to come up with an idea for a unit or you want to find other teachers who are in a similar teaching situation, this may be a great resource for you. As teachers, it is important to grow professionally, and this website may help give you ideas to make your classroom an even better learning community!

The website is: www.teacherlingo.com

Have fun in this safe and helpful community of teachers!

Editing Your Photos

2008-10-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

It’s time to take those good pictures and make them amazing!
Rotate a picture: To do this, click on the picture you want to rotate and click on the rotate key on the bottom of the screen. Continue to click it until it has the correct orientation.
To begin more dramatic editing, choose a picture and click “Edit”
• Rotate: The first icon allows you to rotate the picture
• Crop: The next icon “Crop” lets you crop till you drop! First, select the portion of the picture you want to keep by moving the boundary lines. Whatever is outside the rectangle will disappear. When you are done, click “Apply”.
• Straighten: Straightening your picture may be helpful if it was taken at an odd angle.
• Enhance: This automatically increases or decreases the color saturation to help with pictures that looked washed-out.
• Red-Eye: Click on the eyes that have red eye once.
• Retouch: …is a beautiful thing! ☺ You can smooth out lines, flecks, etc. – give it a try.
I hope you have learned a little about making your pictures even more wonderful.

P.S. If you would like to see an amazing example of how to use blogs effectively in your classroom, Mrs. Montemayor is doing a fabulous job. She uses hers as a way to keep in touch with parents, and this is really an excellent example of how to use technology to enhance parent communication.

Her blog is: www.lanimontemayor.blogspot.com

Organizing Your Photos...

2008-09-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

So, your pictures are now on your computer, but they are in no kind of order! Here are some tips from organizing your photos and making specific pictures easy to find.
To have your pictures successfully organized, the key is to use ALBUMS!
1. First, create a new album. You can either choose “File” and then “New Album”, or click no the plus sign in the left corner.
2. Type in the name for your new photo album. (Ex: End of the Year Party)
3. Click OK
4. Locate “Library” and then click on “Photos”. Click on any photo you would like in this album and drag it to the album title. You can also highlight more than one at a time and drag them into the album.
This way, you can have your photos organized by events, months, or place, depending on how you title your albums
You can also organize your photos using keywords. This is helpful, because you may want to find a particular picture, but you don’t know which album it falls under. iPhoto has some keywords available for you, such as favorite, family, vacation, etc. You can use words for school photos, such as science or project to make these photos easily accessible.
To add a keyword to your picture, click on “View” at the top of your toolbar, and then make sure Keywords is checked. Next, run your cursor under the picture’s name. It will prompt “add keywords”, then click. Add keywords to help you identify your pictures.
To find a picture with a particular keyword, type in the keyword in the spot available next to the magnifying glass and hit enter. It will pull up any picture with that word.
Good luck organizing all of those great shots!
Next time, we will talk about editing your photos…

Logging in at the Computer Lab

2008-09-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

There have been some questions as to how to log on to the computers in the computer lab. Your students each have a log-in that they can use. It is as follows:

Log-in: Student number
Password: Last 4 numbers of their Social Security Number

You may want to consider making cards with your students' information on it, laminate them, and use these whenever you go to the lab.

Good luck and have fun! :)

How to Import Photos into iPhoto

2008-09-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

For the next entries, I will be giving you a few helpful hints for importing, organizing, and editing your photos. These can be pictures you take with your digital camera or ones that you take using photo booth.
First, we need to get these beginning of the year shots off of your camera and onto your computer. Follow these easy steps to import your pictures.
1. Connect you digital camera to your laptop.
2. Launch iPhoto (This should happen automatically, but just in case…)
3. Type in a name for this set of pictures.
4. Add a description for the roll if you would like. This can help you find images later on.
5. Click the Import Button
It may prompt you to delete items from the camera. Only do this if you do not want to add these images to another device and you no longer want them on your memory card.
If you have images on a CD, you can insert your CD, wait for the CD image to appear on your desktop, and then drag the CD to the iPhoto icon in your dock.
If you have taken pictures in Photo Booth and you wish to add them to your iPhoto library, open Photo Booth and select the picture you would like to move. Next, click on the second icon from the left which is labeled “iPhoto”. Your Apple will then send it to your iPhoto Library.
Have fun snapping those pictures!

Using Spotlight Like a Pro!

2008-08-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

This is a great tool, especially when you cannot remember a document’s name after a long and relaxing summer. Simply click on the blue magnifying glass in the top right corner of your screen. In the box next to the word “Spotlight”, type in a word that appears in this document. It does not even have to be in the title!!

This feature will automatically divide your data into different categories, such as documents, PDF files, images, and even bookmarks. If you know the piece you are looking for in a word document, check under “Documents”. If you are looking for a folder, look under “Folders” and so on. This is such a great way to find those resources that you cannot find by looking through all your folders.

A different way to use spotlight is to find answers to your questions about Macs! First, click on the blue apple in the upper left-hand corner and select “System Preferences”. Then, type what you are curious about in the blank next to the spotlight. Your computer will then highlight areas in “System Preferences” that may help you to accomplish your goal. For example, if you type in “Change Background”, your computer will put a spotlight on “Desktop and Screen Saver”.

Try this out by typing in a word that appears in your documents, and see this amazing tool at work! You’ll never have to search through folder after folder again!

Software Updates

2008-08-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Making updates on your computer is important, but can take a good bit of time. I like to do this when I do not need my computer, because it can take up to a few hours.
Click on the blue apple in the top left corner of your screen.
Choose “Software Update…”
Your computer will search for new updates and alert you to what needs to be updated.
Click on the blue key that says “Install ___ Items”

iMovie for FCTM

2008-08-13T17:47:00.001-07:00

I asked Zak Champagne to send me a link for his iMovie focusing on the Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference, because I wanted to share it with all of you. He created this using iMovie, and it is a neat way to get information across not only to other teachers, but can be used to teach your students, as well. Some of you participated in an iMovie workshop last year, so don't forget about this great tool as we start a new school year. The video also provides information about the FCTM conference that will take place in Jacksonville this year, which sounds great. Thanks, Zak!

Go to the FCTM website: http://www.fctm.net/
Click on the TV in the 56th FCTM Conference block

Making a Faculty Distribution List

2008-08-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Now that we are back from summer, this is a great time to update your Faculty Distribution List. Distribution lists are great tools for sending out e-mails to the whole faculty, your grade level, math teachers, etc. This posting will focus on our faculty distribution list, but please check the earlier postings for how to make a different distribution list, such as for your grade level.
To make a distribution list for the faculty:
• Open up your e-mail
• Click on “Contacts” on the left side of your window.
• Under the web address, you will see the word “New”. Click on the arrow on the right-side of the word "Contact", and change this word to “Distribution List”.
• Next to “List Name”, type in MOE Faculty.
• Click on “Find Names”
• Next to “Office”, type in “Mandarin Oaks” and click “Find”. This will pull up anyone whose e-mail shows that they are employed by Mandarin Oaks.
• Put a check next to the teacher’s name, and then when you reach the bottom click on “Add recipient to Distribution List”.
To send an e-mail to this distribution list, click on "Contacts", select "MOE Faculty", and then click on the third icon from the left that looks like a letter and envelope.

Be sure to check in for the next posting focusing on how to use "Spotlight" on your Apple. You will be glad you did!

A few of your E-mail Questions Answered...

2008-05-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a few questions we have been asked over the last few weeks. We thought it would be helpful to share these answers with all of you and please post any discoveries you make using the comments feature of this blog.

Q: How do I recover deleted items?
A: First, click on “Options” on the left side of your e-mail window. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. There is a heading for recovering deleted items.Underneath this, there is a button that says “View items”. This will allow you to view recently deleted items and choose the e-mail you wish to recover.

Q: How do I create a folder to store e-mails?
A: Click on “Folders” on the left side of the e-mail window. At the top of your window, there should be the word “New” with a drop down box that reads “Message”. Click on the down arrow of the box and choose “Folder”. It will then ask you to title your new folders. One way that I use folders on my e-mail is to save any e-mails from parents in a particular folder. If this is a major form of parents communication for you, you can even go as far as to make a folder for each student.

Q: How do I add e-mails to my folders?
A: Check the e-mails you wish to move to a particular folder. Click on the icon that looks like a sheet of paper with an arrow pointing to a folder. These icons are very small, so it is the first icon after the drop-down box that says “Message”. After you click on this, your folders will appear. Choose the folder you wish to move them to, and click on “Apply”.

Q: Why does my e-mail account keep saying I am over my size limit even though I am deleting old e-mails?
A: If you are having this issue, there are two suggestions I have for solving this. First, check to make sure you have deleted any old e-mails. You have to clear these e-mails from your deleted folder as well. To find any of these e-mails, select “Folders” and then choose “Deleted Items”. If this box has too many items, your e-mail account will close. To prevent this from happening, click on the trash can icon near the top of the window. This will empty any deleted items and keep your mailbox from becoming too full.

If you have been emptying your deleted items, your sent items might be the culprit. Click on “Folders” and choose “Sent Items”. If you have too many e-mails in your sent folder, your mailbox might close, as well. Especially if you have been sending pictures or other large files, delete these from your sent folder to eliminate the chance of exceeding your size limit. After you delete the oldest e-mails that you no longer need for your records or have already printed and filed, you must also delete these from the “Deleted Items” section. Simply click on the trash can to permanently erase these messages.

Q: Do I need to move or delete e-mails individually?
A: Nope. Just click on the box to the left of the message, and select all of the e-mails you wish to delete or move to a particular file. You do not have to choose one at a time. To delete, click on the “X” near the top of the window. To move to a folder, use the directions from the previous question.

Stickies: A Great Application!

2008-05-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

“Stickies” is a helpful tool for so many reasons. You can use “Stickies” to keep track of deadlines, to remind yourself of necessary supplies for an upcoming project, or even to keep track of information for a topic you are researching.

To get started you will need to open this program. Since it is probably not on your dock, click on the desktop icon that says “Macintosh HD”. Then, click on “Applications”, and scroll down until you see “Stickies”. If you would like to add to this to your dock (which I definitely recommend), click on the icon and drag it to your dock. Otherwise, just click on the icon.

Once you open this application, different colored post-its will appear. If you only need one, simply click on the left corner of the note. To add a note, click on “File” and then “New Note”. You can make the note translucent by clicking on “Note” and then “Translucent Window”. To make the note float on top of all of your documents no matter what application you open, choose “Note” and then “Floating Window”. This is best for research on various websites and maybe not as helpful for reminders and conferences.

One way that I have used “Stickies” is to make my notes different colors depending on if they are for school or home. I have two notes open, then I change the note’s color by choosing “Color” and then selecting my color of choice. I personally made my “Work” note green and my “Home” note blue. This way, any reminders I need to jot down for home or school I can add to the particular note. Anytime you open the application, these reminders reappear. For research, I open a new note, make it floating, and copy information that I want to use (Apple + C), and paste it onto the note (Apple + V). Don’t forget to record where you get your information, though!

This is a neat application that you can use for any reminders, notes, research, to-do lists....who knows! Please share any uses that you discover using the comments feature of this blog.

Apple Shortcuts

2008-05-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some shortcuts for your Apple that may come in handy...

Apple + Option + Escape = Force Quit (Control Alt Delete)
Apple Key + A = Select All
Apple + W = Closes Windows
Apple + Q = Quits Program
Apple + S = Save
Apple + T = Opens a new tab (For example, if you are in Firefox, you can press this key to open a new tab)
Apple + C = Copy
Apple + X = Cut
Apple + V = Paste
Control + Click = Right Click on PC

Also, if you want to minimize a window, double click on the gray title bar or use the yellow button on the left side of the window if you prefer.

These are jut a few ways to accomplish the things you want just a little quicker :)

Making a Distribution List

2008-04-29T16:03:00.001-07:00

While we have had trainings on creating a distribution list using your PC, it is a little different using your Mac. This makes it a lot easier to send out e-mails to your grade level, the faculty, etc.

To start, open your email. On the top of your screen where it reads "New", there is a drop down box. Click on this drop down box, and select "Distribution List".
Next to List Name, write the name of the list you wish to create. For example, if it is for your grade level, you can title it "Third Grade Teachers".
To add DCPS faculty members, click on the "Find Names" button.
When the pop-up screen appears, enter the person's last name and first name in the appropriate boxes.
Check the box of the name you wish to add, and find "Add recipient to" and click on "Distribution List". The pop-up box will not disappear, but just look at your main screen to make sure it has added your recipient. You can continue to search for and add names to this distribution list using the same pop-up screen.

Congratulations! You have just created a distribution list using your Mac! To access, send e-mails or make changes to this list, click on "Contacts" on the left side of your webmail screen. Click on the distribution list you wish to send an email to, and click on the third button from the left that looks like an open piece of mail. This will allow you to send an e-mail to this list. To make changes, simply open the list and select "Find Names".

Changing your Homepage and Adding Bookmarks

2008-04-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

So, as you start to use your Apple more and more, you will need to build your favorites. On your Mac, these are called Bookmarks. As you know, we have two Internet Browsers, Firefox and Safari. I recommend choosing one browser and sticking with it. This is because your bookmarks will not transfer between the two. So, in order to not get confused, I stick to using Firefox. That way, all of my bookmarks are readily available. Try each browser and see which one you prefer.

To change your home page in Safari, click under the "Safari" menu at the top of the browser window and click on "Preferences". Make sure you are on the "General" tab and then type in the address(URL) of your choice in the Home Page cell.

To change your home page in Firefox, click under the "Firefox" menu at the top of the browser window and then click on "Preferences". Make sure you are the "Main" tab and then type in the address(URL) of your choice in the Home Page cell.

To change or update addresses in your Bookmarks Bar in Safari, click on the Bookmarks menu at the top of your browser window and then click "Show All Bookmarks". On the left side, make sure Bookmarks Bar is selected and then on the right hand side type/change the address to the new updated URL.

You can do the same in Firefox by clicking on the Bookmarks menu and then click on "Organize Bookmarks." Choose a particular bookmark address and then click on the "Rename" button at the top and then correct the address (URL). You can also bookmark a page you are currently on by clicking on "Bookmarks" and then clicking on "Bookmark This Page". It will ask to confirm, so press "Add" to finish the process.

Adding an Attachment

2008-04-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

So, you have crafted a beautifully written newsletter using Pages on your Mac. But, the question is "How do I send it?" Fear not. Follow these quick and simple directions to send it as an attachment.

1. Write your note
2. Click "File"
3. Click "Export"
4. Save as "Word". It is the second picture in this window.
5. Name your file (at top)
6. Save to your desktop by clicking on bar under your document's title and select "Desktop".
7. Click "Export"
8. Go to your email: https://webmail.duvalschools.org and log in
9. Write your e-mail
10. Click "Attachment"
11. Browse in your desktop
12. Find your document.
13. Click "Attach"

If this doesn't work, you can change step 4 from saving as a "Word" document to "PDF". However, people will not be able to change this document.

Take a BYTE out of your Mac! :)

2008-04-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

So, we hope that you have enjoyed getting to know your Mac. But, how well do you know each other? Here is a short little quiz you can use to ensure you have all of the background knowledge you need for the workshops coming up at the end of the month.

1. ___ Can you log in and out of your computer?
2. ___ Can you get onto the internet?
3. ___ Can you locate the dock on your desktop and move it?
4. ___ Can you open your dashboard and use your widgets?
5. ___ Can you use photo booth and take a goofy picture of yourself?
6. ___ Can you locate Pages, Keynote, and Numbers on your dock?
7. ___ Can you add Firefox to your dock by going through your applications?
8. ___ Have you created a document in Pages by choosing a template, writing a document, and saving?
9. ___ Have you located and used your trash can?
10. ___ Have you tried the different function keys at the top of your keyboard to do such tasks like raise and lower volume and pull up your dashboard?
11. ___ Can you make a window minimize to fit in your dock?

If you passed with flying colors, congratulations!!! If not, don't worry. Here are some helpful hints to help you along your way.

1. Type in your login as you normally would on your IBM or your e-mail. Your password will be the same.
2. To get onto the internet, locate your dock and find the Safari or Firefox icon. Safari looks like a compass, and Firefox looks like an earth with fire around it. Click on either icon and your internet window will pop up.
3. Your dock is the bar that contains all the icons for your various applications. To change your dock, click on the apple in the top left corner, click on Dock, and then click on Dock Preferences. From here, you can set your dock's position, size, magnification, and cause the icons to be animated when you open them.
4. To open your dashboard, click on F12. This is on the row of function keys at the top of your keyboard. Your widgets are the different tools that pop up, like a calculator, post-its, and a weather forecast. To add more widgets, pull up your dashboard (F12) and click on the plus sign in the bottom left corner of your screen.
5. To open photo booth, locate your dock and click on the red photo booth. You can choose from different effects by selecting 1 or 2, and each choice will pull up a variety of options. To take a picture, click on the red camera button. Enjoy! These can be a lot of fun!
6. Locate your dock. The Pages icon is silver and has an inkwell, and this is comparable to Word. The Numbers icon is a bar graph, and this is comparable to Excel. Lastly, the Keynote icon is a podium, and can be used for creating slide shows like Powerpoint.
7. To add Firefox:
-click on your Macintosh HD on your desktop
- click on Applications
- Find Firefox (the world with fire around it)
- Click on it and drag it down into your dock
- Drop it wherever you would like it to appear from now on. You can follow these steps to add any applications to your dock.
8. Click on Pages. When it opens, select the kind of document you would like to create by looking at the templates. Click on one to select it. To change type that already appears on the template, highlight the text you want to change and begin typing. To save, click on File at the top of your screen and select Save. Create a name, and click Save.
9. Your trash can is located in your dock on the right hand side. To use this, find what you wish to get throw away, click on it, drag it to the trashcan and wait for the trashcan to get darker. Once this happens, drag and drop your item into the trash can.
10. F1: Makes your screen darker
F2: Makes your screen brighter
F3: Mutes the volume
F4: Lowers the volume
F5: Raises the volume
F7: Allows you to project using your LCD projector. You will need to use your dongle to connect your LCD projector and your Mac.
F9-F12: You can set these to do what you want by clicking on your apple, going to System Preferences and selecting Dashboard and Expose.
F9: Shows you all of the windows you have open.
F10: Shows your application windows.
F11: Clears your desktop so all of your open windows go away. Just click it again to make them reappear.
F12: Pulls up your dashboard with your widgets.
11. To make a window smaller and move off of your desktop, double click on the top bar of your window. It will make it shrink to fit in your dock. Just click on the window you want in your dock to have it reappear.

Congratulations! You and your Mac are well on your way to becoming fast friends.

Utilizing your resources...

2008-03-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Visit the Apple Store St. Johns Town Center and check out the Calendar of Events.They offer some free workshops and also offer One to One training.

Also visit apple.com and click on either the search box or the support icon in the top right corner to find answers to your mac questions.

Welcome to our school's BLOG!

2008-03-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Mandarin Oaks Elementary is in the middle of switching over from IBM to Apple. We as a faculty are trying to adapt the exciting new technology that we have just received. Please visit our site soon to see how we are slowly but surely improving not only our blogging skills, as well as newly acquired MAC skills.