Getting Organized – Kids need help – some Adults as well!

I think today more than any other time, being able to organize is a key life skill that we all have to MASTER! 

Technology has given us some great advancements and I improved a lives in certain ways.  The same technology that has improved our lives has also given us an always on life style – there is very little down time and way too much information for anyone to manage.

There are books and seminars that you as an adult can attend or read, but what about our kids.  How are we going to help them master this very difficult process.  For some it can be really easy, but I think for most it is something that has to be learned and our kids need our help.

Ten Ways to Help Your Child Get Organized

by Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities

Developing good organizational skills is a key ingredient for success in school and in life. Although some people are by nature more organized than others, anyone can put routines and systems in place to help a child “get it together.” The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities has compiled a list of strategies that you can use to help your child get — and keep — her life under control.

1. Use checklists.
Help your child get into the habit of keeping a “to-do” list. Use checklists to post assignments, household chores, and reminders about what materials to bring to class. Your child should keep a small pad or notebook dedicated to listing homework assignments. Crossing completed items off the list will give him a sense of accomplishment.

Read more on FamilyEducation

Manage your Schedule – Adults & Students

No matter who and what you do we all have TASKS and we all have to manager our time.  Today the only way you will succeed is being able to manage your tasks and time effectively including students.  I am still trying to teach my teenager how to manage her time better when it comes to assignments, studying and exams.

An interesting post on Microsoft Office Blog – Take a read!

The author is using OneNote – I don’t have access at the office so I am using Evernote and there are several others available as well.

NOTEBOOKS – in the CLOUD – It’s more then just NOTES

I have a few times talked about Notebooks in the cloud and I have really only used the WEB application to quickly put something down so I could view and review later at home or the office.  I recently installed the desktop application for Evernote and started doing a little more research and found out just how powerful this tool really is.  If nothing else you need remember that these documents you create are FULLY SEARCHABLE – even notes that you scan or take a picture of!  Yes you can scan a document, put it in Evernote and your able to search that document.  Two other great features if you have the application or plugins working you can mark anything and add it as a note, you can also send an email to your account and it becomes a note.  Sorting is based on Notebook name and/or tags, plus search.

Evernote posted a great little article for STUDENTS – this is more for University students, but HS kids with Notebook in the classroom should be able to benefit as well.

For sure this can apply to anyone sitting at home or in an office.  With most business computers being locked down so you can’t install software, but that is OK because whatever you do at home on your desktop is SYNC‘d with the WEB and you can access the WEB version of your notes anywhere.

10 Evernote Tips For School – Education Series

10 Great Ways Students Can Use Evernote to Study Smarter, Not Harder.

BookMarks – WEB Favorites – Access anywhere!

I am always surprised when I see  people keying in www.websites name when they get on their own computer for locations that they go to all the time.  Others I hear them saying I wish I could remember that website, I have it as a favorite at home.  Then there is me, who bookmarks everything and was a happy user of Google bookmarks till my current position doesn’t allow me to add any software to my office PC, so access to my bookmarks has gone away.  You can access your bookmarks on google web, but they are not organized at all.

I have been looking for something that could replace Google Bookmarks, be easy to use and not blocked by my employer.  Well my in-depth search is over, but not completely.  I have found a website that comes with a bunch of pre-loaded addresses which you can change or modify, plus add your own.  This is a manual process, so not automated from your own favorites list, which I would have liked.  It works well, but takes time to get it right – you organize them in groups which can be moved around etc.  Limited modification – your list is public or not, you don’t have the option of picking certain addresses going either way.  You can also use this for you RSS feeds based on the WEBSITES you add to the list.

Overall it is a nice product and I will continue to use it till I find something else that can modified a little more automate the process of importing your favorites.

43MARK Beta

Security – AVG Update could be Dangerous – Windows Vista & Windows 7 Users

If you pay for or use the FREE version of AVG anti-virus – they have had issues with the current upgrade with systems running Vista and WIN7.   The upgrade deletes a very important file and your systems go into a Blue Screen – re-boot loop.

They (AVG) seems this is not the first time they have had issues with upgrades – A company this size with so many users should not be releasing upgrades which shut down  your systems.  Once burned OK, twice burned – I believe it’s time to move on and find another product.

If you have followed this BLOG you will have noticed that I am a user of Microsoft Security Essentials – this is another FREE anti-virus software that is light and works really well.  This would be great alternative to AVG or any paid service your using.  You can find the LINK to Microsoft product and others utilities @ my DOWNLOAD PAGE.

If you have been one of the unlucky people who did the upgrade and have not been able to fix your system yet, there are methods to do this which you can find in an article that ran this morning in DAILY TECH – AVG Update Cripples Users’ Windows 7, Vista Computers

Writing Mistakes – Tips for kids & Resources to improve Writing!

I saw this posted on another BLOG and just wanted to share with you.

Dr. Diane Hamilton wrote:

The Top 10 Most Common Writing Mistakes

 Ask Dr Diane: What are the most common mistakes you see students make when writing papers?

While it is not unusual to see spelling and grammar issues, I’ll assume that readers realize that they should check for such things and just list the top 10 most common other issues I see here. I hope this posting will give some insight into how to set up your papers so that you can avoid making these common mistakes.

1. Papers not set up with double-spacing – To set your paper to be double-spaced, be sure you are on the home tab in Word and go to the paragraph section of the tool bar.  There is an up and down arrow icon that you can click on.  When you do this, it will give you choices of how to set up your spacing. Pick 2.0 to set double-spacing. 
2. Papers should not have an extra space between paragraphs – Remember that papers must be double-spaced throughout in APA.  Word sometimes default with an extra space between paragraphs.  To change this, click here.
3. Papers must have headers/numbers set up correctly through the header/number function in Word – To learn how to do this, click here.
4. Papers must be set up with an introduction/body/conclusion – Your introduction and conclusion need to be strong summaries of what the paper will or has included.  For more about how to write an essay, click here.
5. Papers should not be written in first person – Remove the “I” or “Me” from your writing. For an explanation of the meaning of first person, click  here.
6. Citing and References confusion – Citing is the act of quoting a source.  For example:  “Citing is the act of quoting a source.” (Hamilton, 2010)  This is not to be confused with references.  References are included on a separate page with the title References at the top.  You must include references whenever you cite.  The reference explains who deserves credit for the citation.  Many students list references but no citations.  That is not correct.  You need both. 
7. Paragraph length confusion – Students often either write in overly short or overly long paragraphs.  A good size paragraph is at least 3-4 sentences but should not be so long that it takes up an entire page or more.
8. Papers should be left justified and not blocked – Students sometimes write in blocked format.  That is not correct.  Papers need to be left justified.  The setting for this is on the home tab under the paragraph part of the toolbar.
9. Over citing – I see a lot of students who tend to write entire paragraphs of citing and forget to include their own writing in their work.  Although citing is important, it is also important to have your own points and statements.  Remember to make your point and then follow that up with citations to back up what you have written.  As a professor, I am looking to see that you have learned the subject and are not simply restating what others have said.
10. Forgetting title page – Students often forget to include a title page.  It is very important that all papers include a title page that is correctly formatted in APA format. For helpful examples of APA formatting, click here.

For more help, see the following articles:

15 Ways to Improve Writing Skills for Students and Everyone Else

Removing Extra Spaces Between Paragraphs

How to Add Headers and Page Numbers in Word

APA Style:  5 Essential Tips for APA Style Headings

Citing Long Quotations in APA 6th Edition

Sample APA Paper – 6th Edition

Adding 2 Spaces After A Period to Meet APA 6th Edition Requirements

Facebook – Security – Kids & Parents – What you need to know and DO!

 We all know Facebook can be a great resource, lots of fun and a great method to stay in touch with friends, family and classmates from years ago.  The truth is Facebook can be a very dangerous place for not only kids, but everyone!  This is a social community and there are good and bad in all communities.

Every teacher and parent have to educate our young and make sure they are not on the wrong side of the street or are the one’s being taken advantage of in any way.  There has been many stories of all sorts of negative stuff happening on Facebook concerning the young.

For teachers and Parents to educate kids, they have to understand what it is all about. They need to know how kids are using this tool, how they may be taken advantage of and all the other dangers they are exposed to online.

I will dedicate a page on my BLOG with resources and information around this very important topic – A great start is the following article.

TODAY – a great paper was released called – A Parents Guide to Facebook

What are the risks involved in social networking?

Youth-risk research has recently made five important findings:

1. Young people who behave aggressively online are more than twice as likely to be victimized online, so children’s own behavior in Facebook or any social site is key to their well-being on the social Web.
2. The most common risk young people face online is peer harassment or aggression – in other words hurtful, harassing, or defamatory behavior.
3. A child’s psychosocial makeup and environment (for example, home and school) are better predictors of risk than any technology that the child uses, so…
4. Not all children are equally at risk online, and the children who are most at risk online are those who are most at risk in “real life,” or offline. 
5. Although, for the vast majority of youth, online social networking is largely a reflection of offline life, it can also amplify, perpetuate and widely distribute real-life problems or conflicts – very rapidly. Something posted in anger or on impulse is extremely difficult to take back, so it has never been more important for users (of any age) to think before they “speak,” post, or send a text message.

 Specific social networking risks include…

● Posting information about themselves that: a) could help strangers determine their physical location; b) could be used to manipulate them; or c) whether posted by them or others, could cause psychological harm or jeopardize reputations and future prospects

● Harassment or online bullying (“cyberbullying”) on the part of your children or others’

● Spending too much time online, losing a sense of balance in their activities (“too much” is subjective, which is why parents need to be engaged)

● Exposure to inappropriate content (this too is subjective), although typically worse content can be found out on the Web at large than in Facebook or other responsible social networking sites

● Potential for inappropriate contact with adults (parents need to ensure that social networking does not lead to offline contact unapproved by them and other caring adults in their children’s lives)

● Damage to reputation or future prospects because of young people’s own behavior or that of their peers – unkind or angry posts, compromising photos or videos, or group conflict depicted in text and imagery.

FULL Document – PARENTS GUIDE TO FACEBOOK

Text Books – Surprise – Surprise – Students want Paper!

Reading the following article from the New York Times I was surprised so many kids are not looking at E-books, but would rather carry 10lbs book around the campus.  It is for sure a change in mind-set and study habits even for kids who use technology all day long.  Some of the comments made did surprise me a little.

Similarly I started listening to audio books a few years ago and I love it today.  I started to do this not because of the technology, but because I just couldn’t find the time to read a paperback.  This allowed me to continue doing something I loved, it was something I had to get used to and it is a different experience.  My daughter who has grown up with technology love’s to read and wants to have the physical book in her hand, she don’t want to listen to or use an E-reader – though she has not tried either and at this point she doesn’t want to even try it.

According to the National Association of College Stores, digital books make up just under 3 percent of textbook sales, although the association expects that share to grow to 10 percent to 15 percent by 2012 as more titles are made available as e-books.

In two recent studies — one by the association and another by the Student Public Interest Research Groups, a national advocacy network — three-quarters of the students surveyed said they still preferred a bound book to a digital version.

Many students are reluctant to give up the ability to flip quickly between chapters, write in the margins and highlight passages, although new software applications are beginning to allow students to use e-textbooks that way.

FULL ARTICLE

Dead Sea Scrolls – Soon to be available on the WEB – thx to Google, Nasa & Israeli Antiquities Authority!

The Dead See Scrolls which contains original biblical text is coming to the internet.  This is great news for anyone interested in history and wants to see some first hand.  I can see this being used in many history classes, it being  better than viewing them in a text.  It will be sometime before you see them as this was just announced and the details of the project will be fully disclosed and online within months.

At a press briefing in Israel, the IAA’s Pnina Shor talked about how the Google deal will help preserve the scrolls. “From the minute all of this will go online there will be no need to expose the scrolls anymore, and anyone in his office or (on) his couch will be able to see it,” she said—though we do have to wonder how many couch potatoes are really itching to read The War Scroll off its actual parchment.

The 900 biblical and other manuscripts, comprising some 30,000 fragments, were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in the Qumran caves above the Dead Sea and photographed in their entirety with infra-red technology in the 1950s.

READ ENTIRE Press Release

I for one can’t wait to see this online.

Windows PAGE FILE SIZE – Should you change?

I have also wondered what the best setting should be or when to change these settings, but I have never found any good information so I have always just let Windows do it thing.  I found this article today and thought it explained “PAGE FILE SIZE” in easy to understand manner.  I will be trying to increase my own as I do play a few games that are not all that smooth!

 

I guess in the K12 market place, you might want to look at this for heavy graphics and animation type systems if you have the resources on the machines.

Do you need to increase your Page file size in Windows? – This is the most important of the questions to answer.

Most people never have to modify the Windows page file because they simply don’t have any real need to do so. On my desktop PC, I always use the automatic method. However there are a few instances where I would modify it if I needed to:

High-End Gaming PC

If I were a hardcore gamer playing games that had massive requirements for pretty much.. well.. everything, yes I would bump up my page file. This would in turn make my high-end games run smoother and launch slightly faster. Maybe not by a large margin, but any advantage helps in gaming.

Home File Server

File servers do nothing but sit there and serve files, obviously. What happens however is that these are computers that stay on for weeks or months at a time unattended. Giving Windows more page file space allows me to reboot less because it will take a lot longer for Windows to run out of virtual memory – if ever.

If I had a box with Windows being used as a file server and it locked up every few weeks for apparently no reason at all, and I had already ruled out everything else that would cause it (such as brownouts, wonky network connectivity, etc.), I would bump up the page file – but again only after ruling out everything else.

I should note that the chance of a Windows-based server lockup being due to a virtual memory file problem is slim at best. But if you’ve already troubleshoot everything you can possibly think of, replaced RAM sticks with new and the problem is still there, bumping up the page file may fix it.

Bad RAM

In rare instances a RAM stick will go bad, and it will most likely be the case that only one out of a set doesn’t work. If for example there were two 1GB sticks, the bad one is taken out and then the box runs on 1 until replacements are acquired and installed. Were I placed in that situation I would bump up the page file to compensate for the fact my physical RAM is only half of what it normally is. This would be a temporary solution, and while it wouldn’t run nearly as well as with 2GB, it at least makes the computing experience tolerable until replacement memory was installed – after which I would set the page file setting back to where it was.

Take a read of the entire document