One of the Instructional Technology Department's goals for this year is that all students will have the opportunity to use technology tools to creatively solve authentic based problems that transfer to real world work situations. It is imperative that students are able to transfer the knowledge they have learned in schools to the real world. Problem-based learning (PBL) and technology are great vehicles to help reach this goal. PBL is a learning system, which engages students in real-life problem situations where they have to come up with solutions to the problem. The problems are based on the classroom curriculum. The evaluation of students during these activities incorporates authentic assessment.
Problem-based learning can be incorporated into a school setting in number of ways. Westgate Elementary School in Arlington Heights, Illinois had 1st through 5th graders try to figure out a solution to their principal's problem of maintaining a healthy flower garden. They tested soil samples, researched the topic on the Internet, talked to experts, and conducted experiments. A popular middle and high school PBL activity has student investigate the Yellowstone Gray Wolf problem. They are exposed to research about wolves, the many sides of the problem, and then have to write a letter to a real-life person (i.e. Congressperson or environmentalist) with their solution to the problem.
Technology is a perfect tool to use with problem-based learning. Students can research the problem with the wealth of resources available on the Internet. They can use a variety of different software programs to help them create projects based on authentic real-world applications.
To find more information on PBL or to see classroom examples of PBL, visit my website http://www.amphi.com/~pgreenle/pbl/index.html. There is also a technology class this semester titled "PBL-The Best Thing Since PBJ", if you are interested in finding out more on how to incorporate problem-based learning in your classroom.
District Computers, the Internet and You
It's the start of a new school year and we have a number of new teachers and staff, so I thought I would review a few things related to users and computers. The District has provided most teachers and staff with a computer - a tool to use in their job. There are some people that view this computer as "theirs,"and they feel that they can do anything with this computer as they please. While users are encouraged to utilize the computer in varied and creative ways, the overriding rule is - within the parameters of their job. In addition, the computer in the classroom is for student and teacher use. The computer should be located in a place with easy access for students.
A school computer on a network is far more complicated and difficult to support than a home computer. Therefore, users need to be aware of software they load and the effects it may have on the computer and the network. Remember, you may install software that supports your job function if you have a software license to do that.
With regards to the Internet, we get a number of calls during the course of the year asking for access to Hotmail, Priceline, and places to purchase products and get stock quotes. It is quite a formidable task to protect our network from viruses and outside attacks. In order to do that, the network staff has implemented software and policies to protect us from most of these network issues by limiting the access to and from certain areas. It is for those reasons that non-educational areas are unavailable. I would remind you that our goal is to provide all users with access to web sites that relate to their job. Access to personal areas can be accessed on your home computer. I understand how this can sometimes be frustrating, but this allows us to provide a healthy network with minimal downtime. Your understanding and assistance is most appreciated.
Ideas for Daily Use of the Classroom Computer
Here are some ideas about how to keep the computer(s) in your classroom used effectively most
of the school day:
Site of the Week - Each week a teacher or students find "The Site of the Week" that pertains to
the main topic of learning for the week and everyone must go to the site by the end of the week
and write a synopsis. Students sign up for specific times during the week and have a limited
amount of time on the computer so that all students will have an opportunity to complete the
task.
Learning New Skills - Every few weeks, the students are taught to do something on the computer,
the students have the next two weeks to complete the task. You can have the first child or
group be responsible for teaching the next child or group and continue the pattern, or the
teacher can demonstrate and give the students a list of instructions to follow when it is their
turn at the computer. Each child has a scheduled time, plus there are open times available to
all students.
Open Word Processing Time - Leave the computer on with a word processor running, students are
allowed to come and type documents. The student disks are next to the computer so that they can
save their work to the disks.
Online Quizzes and Activities - Design Quia, Fun Brain Quizzes, or Online Puzzles that assess
what students are currently learning and have students complete them during the week. You could
also have the students create the puzzles for other students to complete. Come to the District
Technology Class Creating Puzzles and Activities on the Internet and learn how to make these.
PowerPoint Presentations - Have students develop one slide in a group presentation on the
current topic being learned. Show the entire presentation to the class.
Class Web Page - create a web page that students can use with resources that will enrich the
curriculum. Students can use this on the classroom computer, but if they have a computer at
home they can also use it at home. You can also put activities and assignments on the web
page, so students can do assignments at home if they are absent or fall behind. You can learn
how to make web pages at the District Technology classes.
Screen Saver with Vocabulary - use the scrolling screen saver to display vocabulary words,
definitions, rules, or other short phrases you want students to see. When the computer is
idle, the screen saver will display your information. To set this on a Windows machine, go to
Start, pull to Settings and click on Screen Saver. Double Click on Display. Click on the
Screen Saver tab. Under Screen Saver, pull to Scrolling Marquee. Click on Settings. At the
Text Box, type your definition, rule or information. You can Format the text, and when you are
done, click on OK (you may have to click on OK for several screens.)
CD-Books and Online Books - the Media Center has numerous Living Books and Discis Books that
can be checked out. These books read the stories out loud while highlighting the text, and
allow students to interact with the pictures, words and phrases. In addition there are many
online book sites that will read the stories out loud. A few examples are Alfy Storyville
(www.alfy.com/Storyville), Little Animals Activity Centre
(www.bbc.co.uk/education/laac/story/sbi.html), and Sesame Street Stories
(www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/stories/0,5835,,00.html). You can also see these links at
Steffens's Educational Resources Early Learning links (www.amphi.com/~psteffen/early.htm) The
students can follow along and interact with these online books.
Centers - make a computer center that students rotate through. Find web sites, software
simulations or programs that correlate to your curriculum. You can also use Kid Pix, Student
Writing Center, Word, PowerPoint or Excel and have students accomplish a curriculum-related
task. Connect the computer to an Averkey and then you can see what is occurring on the computer
from anywhere in the room.
Schedule blocks of time on the computer - develop a time schedule so that each child gets time
blocks during the week to complete tasks. Some teachers have the day blocked out in 15 or
20-minute time intervals and students names for each time period they are in the classroom.
Another teacher puts students names on a round circle, and has a clothes pin that says "At Bat"
for the student currently on the computer, another clothes pin for the next student in line
that says "On Deck" and another clothes pin that the teacher can add that says "Pinch Hitter"
if she needs to have a student get on the computer before his/her turn in the circle. The
computer should not be used only by students who finish their work early.
Keep that computer in your classroom used throughout the day with these ideas and yours!
Notes from the Director
Technology Staffing Changes
There have been a number of changes in the department since our last Tech Talk issue.
Kathy Sheppard has officially retired. After serving 30 years in various capacities across the
District, the last 14 in the Technology Department, she is making plans for a life after Amphi.
Her contributions to the District are many and significant. It would be impossible to name
them all, but her most recent accomplishment is her role with the implementation of
Pentamation. Without her technical expertise and tenacity, Pentamation wouldn't be what it is
today. I'm sure many of you will miss Kathy - but not quite yet. Kathy will be officially
here until September 11, at which time she will be working as a consultant to the Finance and
Accounting Department. Kathy and I have worked together for the last 20 years and I will
certainly miss her. Kathy, thank you for everything you have done - and for being a friend.
Good luck in your future endeavors. Come to Kathy's Retirement Good Bye Party at the Wetmore
Board Room on Friday, September 7, 2001
from 3:00-5:00 p.m.
As a result of Kathy's retirement, I am pleased to announce several other promotions within the
Department. Jim Davis has assumed the role of Computer Network Systems Coordinator II, with
the responsibility of supporting Pentamation and network users. Jim is working very hard to
learn all the aspects of the job and, I'm sure, will do very well.
As a result of Jim's promotion, Sheri Gimlin moved from the Computer Installer position to
Computer Repair Technician. Sheri has done a wonderful job as an Installer and will continue
on in her role as a Repair Technician. Her customer service skills and 'can do' attitude are
truly an asset to the Department and the District.
I'm please to introduce to you our new Computer Installer, Tony Garcia. Tony grew up in Los
Angeles and moved to Tucson about 7 years ago. Tony worked at DUCK Computers for 5 years.
Then, he moved to Computer Renaissance for the last 2 years. We feel most fortunate to have
someone with his technical skills and background working for us.
In his spare time, Tony loves to work on computers, hike, camp, and read. Tony is very much a
family man and loves to participate in his kids' sports activities.
Good Bye and Thanks
Well, I did retire as of June 30, 2001 after 30 years in the district and 14 terrific years in
Technology.
My own family has either been going to school or worked in Amphitheater since 1933 (my mom's
family built their home in the district in 1932 and my dad started working here around 1947) so
it has been very hard to think of not being part of Amphi on a daily basis. I'm hoping things
work out and I'll be able to continue to work on a part time basis doing special projects on
Pentamation.
I do want to express my gratitude to each of you. Thank you for being such a wonderful group of
people to work with. You are my Amphi family.
Thank you again,
Kathy (Ratajzcak/Bartley) Sheppard
How to Tell if You are Logged into the Network
Many network problems or application failures are caused by a failure to login properly or by a
loss of the connection after logging in. There is a quick way to check if you are still logged
in if you are experiencing problems with network programs. On the Windows 95 /98 desktop right
click on the Network Neighborhood icon and you will get a menu. Left click on NetWare
Connections (it has a red N in front of it). You will see a list of servers if you are logged
into them. Click on the close button at the lower right corner to close the box. If you
don't see any servers listed you are not connected; you should restart your computer.
SIS rejoins the Technology Department
and now enjoys many benefits of being under Technology's big umbrella! Meanwhile.
This has been a very busy summer for the SIS department. Chris Snyder has been slaving away all
summer compiling results from the Climate Surveys, RPPs and DRAs. Bryan Parks and Pam Kreiner
have been manning the phones and sharing SASIxp helpdesk duties, as well as running all the
summary reports that we routinely submit to State and Federal agencies at the end of the
academic year. Pam Kreiner also completed a four-week NCS SASIxp certification class in Mesa in
July.
My main focus since I joined the SIS team last April has been to consolidate all of the
individual SASIxp's that run on each schools server into an "integrated" database. The project
is called "District Integration" (or DI for short) and once completed, it will allow us to more
efficiently compile the information needed for the ADE's new AZSAIS (AZ Student Accountability
Information System) program. Prop 301 requires us to submit all our attendance and enrollment
information electronically now on a weekly basis, so this whole effort is directed toward that
end.
Converting to DI has been a major headache for all of us, I'm sure most of you will agree, but
in the long run I think you will be pleased with the results. The best part about DI is that it
uploads everyone's data overnight. That means that there will always be a current "mirror" copy
of every schools dataset which has been combined into one "District Dataset" on our SIS server
here at the Wetmore Center. This in turn, will allow us to transfer student records from any
school in the district to any other school in our district overnight - no more hand entering
data that already existed in SASIxp on another schools server!
Another goal of our department has been to bring all the previous year's data that was stored
in SASI III into SASIxp. SASI III was not Y2K compliant and indeed one of our biggest
challenges has been to reconcile immunization records which are very date oriented. All booster
shot dates defaulted to 99/99/99 if they occurred after Dec. 31, 1999! Naturally, it was also a
little vexing not to be able to show accurate Year of Graduation dates etc., either.
Finally, there is an ongoing effort in our department to create a new databank containing all
the district- wide assessments and test results for all students in the district. The ability
to map the progress of any given student over multiple years is our goal.
Need a SASIxp Account?
Please follow the steps below:
1.) User must have a Novell Account
A.) If the requesting user is a Teacher, please contact the Tech Specialist at your site to
set up the Novell Account.
B.) If the user is someone other than a Teacher, please have the head secretary at your site
fill out the User Network Account Form on the Technology homepage
(http://techreg.amphi.com/usernetaccount/ASP/account.asp).
2.) User must have an email account. Please refer to either Step A or B above.
3.) After your email and Novell accounts have been set up and are active, ask the head
secretary at your site to send the following information to bparks@amphi.com
A.) User full name
B.) User email address
C.) User phone extension number
D.) User position (i.e., Attendance Clerk, Registrar, Educational Assistant, Nurse)
E.) Is this a new position? If the position is new, what level (view only or update) and to
which files will the user need access. If not, who is the new user replacing?
F.) User will receive an email from Bryan Parks with their SASIxp login and password within
48hrs.
Problems with SASIxp?
Are you having problems with your SASIxp freezing up? Do you get the error, "You have
committed an illegal operation?" Maybe your computer does not meet the minimum hardware
requirements. Please ask the Tech Specialist at your site to check your computer to see if
your computer meets the minimum requirements.
Windowsƒ
Here are a variety of Internet sites that are useful for students and teachers. Check them out.
Teachers First - a rich collection of lessons and web resources for K-12 classroom teachers,
students, and families. Materials are arranged by subject area and grade level, making it easy
to locate lesson plans and associated web resources quickly.
www.teachersfirst.com/#
Teacher Vision - provides lesson plans, collections of materials, classroom management ideas,
ideas for enhancing relationships with parents, and more.
teachervision.com/
Survival Guide for New Teachers - provides ideas for surviving your first year and working with
veteran teachers, parents, and principals.
ed.gov/pubs/survivalguide/
Creative Classroom Online - provides ready-to-use ideas, time-saving tips, and practical advice
from experts to keep teachers current and inspired.
www.creativeclassroom.com/
We Read - provides activities for elementary students in math, science, social studies, and
science.
www.weread.com/
PowerPoint in the Classroom - provides information on creating PowerPoint presentations and
using them in the classroom.
www.actden.com/pp/
Buddy Project - provides resources, articles, and ideas for integrating the Internet into the
Classroom.
www.buddyproject.org/teach/default.asp
Random House for Teachers - provides teacher guides, thematic and interdisciplinary units,
reader's companions, biographies of authors and illustrators and more.
www.randomhouse.com/teachers/
OOPS: Our Overnight Planning System - provides useful links and information for students and
teachers.
www.oops.bizland.com/
Weekly Reader - provides information and articles from the magazine for students, teachers, and
parents.
www.weeklyreader.com/
Visual Fractions - provides visual examples to help students identify, rename, compare, add,
subtract, multiply, and divide fractions.
www.visualfractions.com/
Explore Math Multimedia Activities - provides Shockwave activities that create real-time
correlations between equations and graphs that help students visualize and experiment with many
of the major concepts from Elementary Algebra through Pre-Calculus.
www.exploremath.com/activities/index.cfm
Particle Adventure- allows students to explore the world of fundamental particles and forces
and allows them to investigate experimental evidence and techniques.
www.particleadventure.org/frameless/index.html
Web English Teacher - provides information, resources and activities, on advanced placement,
children's literature, critical thinking, drama, grammar, journalism, literature, prose,
speech, vocabulary, writing, and so much more.
www.webenglishteacher.com/framehome.html
Primary Teachers Nook - provides thematic units, balanced literacy, classroom management, and
lesson plans for the primary classroom teacher.
www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/7444/primary_teacher1.htm
Early Childhood Learning Education Network - provides activities for primary students
about colors, numbers, letters, shapes, words, and more. The activities are outstanding and do
not require the students to read information.
www.literacycenter.net/lessonview_en.htm
Craft Recipes - gives the recipes for creating bookbinding glue, bubble solution, classroom
paste, cloud dough, crystal gardens, a variety of different types of Playdough, and more.
www.melborponsti.com/crafts/index.shtml
Book Talks - provides over 1,000 short book talks for library personnel and teachers that
includes bibliographical information, grade interest level, and reading grade level.
nancykeane.com/booktalks/
Finding Information on the Internet - a tutorial to help you learn how to successfully search
for information on the Internet.
www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
Cyber Citizen - an awareness program to educate students and teachers about the danger and
consequences of cyber crime.
www.cybercitizenship.org/
How to Order a Computer?
Do you need to order a computer, laptop, or printer and are not sure where to go or what to
order? The technology web site is updated often with the latest and greatest prices and other
ordering information. However, you may also configure your own special computer by going to
www.mesc.org. This is a special Mohave website where we are guaranteed the best prices and we
don't need other quotes. For instance, if you want to go to Gateway, here are the steps to
take to find your own prices and exactly what you want!
You will basically go through the same steps if you want an Apple computer. After going to
Mohave's website above, go to Apple's main screen, then to the "Education," tab, and then the
"Apple Store for Education." Click on the "K-12 Education Institution," then click "Yes" to
Amphitheater Public Schools. This will bring you to the page that has been recommended for our
district and the prices.
This is a great way to get exactly what you want that still fits with the standards set by the
District. Hopefully, by the time you read this we will have a link right to Mohave's site on
our Technology Web page. Good Luck!
How to Get Rid of the Web Page in Email
Do you want to stop, or change the web page that opens every time you start Netscape
Messenger? Then this is for you!
You will need to follow these steps exactly:
First thing, make sure that Netscape browser and Messenger is not running, then
Make sure you do not make any changes other than the following
To stop the page entirely:
To change the page it starts with:
That's it! Now when you start Netscape Messenger you will either not have that web page or the
web page you want!
A message from Claudiovisuals
We would like to introduce some of the latest math videos available for checkout from the Media
Center.
Windows on Math: Videotape Investigations is a series of 16 video programs designed for
intermediate level students
V 2019 Batter Up
The Little League baseball championships are fast approaching. Who should lead the batting
order? "Batter Up" debates whether to favor a slumping player with a great overall batting
average over an unspectacular player on a spectacular hitting streak. In this investigation,
students first calculate each player's batting average. Then, they do a coin-flipping
experiment to test if a 6-out-of-10 hitting streak is out of the ordinary or a normal variation
for a player with a .250 batting average. Finally, students decide on a best-odds lineup for
the championship game.
V 2020 Best Route to the Playground
Five classmates race to the playground, each taking a different route. Lawn sprinklers, looking
for shortcuts, affectionate dogs and clotheslines are some of the obstacles and diversions they
encounter along the way. "Best Route to the Playground" focuses on timing each route using two
types of time measurement. In this investigation, students first estimate, then measure and
compare the time it took each child to get to the playground. As well as considering obstacles
and diversions, students use simple addition and subtraction strategies to determine which
route is best and why.
V 2021 Brownie Boxes
Selling brownie bites, miniature brownies in one-inch cubes, would be a far more profitable
endeavor if the bites were sold by the dozen. How can the River Road kids package a dozen
brownies to make the greatest profit? "Brownie Boxes" focuses on determining which box shape
would be least expensive based on a cost of 1 cent per square inch of surface area. In this
investigation, students create nets from inch grid paper for different arrangements of 12
brownie bites. They then consider which box shape would fit most efficiently on the shelf and
the cost of brownie materials. Finally, students evaluate all the criteria to determine the
most profitable brownie-bites packaging.
V 2022 Bug Juice
Several animals want to buy juice from a vendor who charges by the cup. The problem is that the
animals have only a four-cup and a five-cup container. The "Bug Juice" cartoon presents a
classic logic problem with a new twist. In this investigation, students experiment and record
ways of finding exact amounts using just two containers. By measuring and comparing capacities,
students are encouraged to progress from trial-and-error experimenting to an ability to work
through problems mentally or on paper.
V 2023 Dream Park
The River Road kids enter a contest to design an amusement park. "Dream Park" centers on the
excitement of planning a park that will appeal to kids of all ages. Rides, food concessions,
walkways and arcade games must be considered and place into the four-acre park. In this
investigation, students create a plan to organize their tasks and conduct a survey to help
determine which rides to include. Then, to conclude their exploration into area concepts,
students design custom dream parks on a grid by arranging cutouts that indicate the size and
shape of each feature.
V 2024 Family Vacation
Jackie would love to take his first airplane flight. "Family Vacation" focuses on comparing
costs to decide how Jackie and his parents should travel to their vacation destination. In this
investigation, students collect and organize data from the video about the different expenses
involved in flying and driving. Then, they use estimations and calculations to determine which
is the more economical mode of transportation.
V 2025 Family Reunion
Lucy Chen is assembling her family tree on a poster when a friend accidentally knocks it over,
scattering name tags in every direction. Now where did all those family members belong? "Family
Reunion" focuses on reconstructing the family tree of the descendents of Lucy's
great-grandparents, who emigrated from China. In this investigation, students analyze clues
about different family members, and apply logic to figure out how individuals are related and
where the fit on the tree. The fun continues as students apply addition and subtraction
strategies, as well as an understanding of patterns, to determine each family member's birth
year and corresponding Chinese zodiac sign.
V 2026 Food Power
How nutritious are Marty's and Gina's diets? How many calories do they need to consume daily?
And what proportion of those calories should be fat, carbohydrate and protein? "Food Power"
challenges students to analyze nutritional data and evaluate meal plans. In this investigation,
students first calculate the number of grams of fat, protein and carbohydrate each child should
eat daily. Then, students analyze the meals and snacks Marty and Gina ate in one day and
evaluate them using guidelines for a nutritionally balanced diet. Finally, students recommend
changes in Marty's and Gina's meal plans to make them more nutritionally balanced.
V 2027 Hurricane Watch
A hurricane is brewing and threatens to strike the Atlantic Coast while Gina and Darryl are
vacationing in Florida. Should they change their departure plans? "Hurricane Watch" focuses on
tracking the hurricane's path at 24-hour intervals using latitude and longitude points. In this
investigation, students use a map to plot data gathered from storm updates in the movie. Like
meteorologists, students measure the distance the storm center has moved during the past day,
calculate its average speed and predict when and where it might hit land.
V 2028 Penelope's Present
Penelope the rabbit got a birthday present from an animal friend, but the card was simply
signed "Guess Who." "Penelope's Present" opens with a park ranger inviting children to help her
unravel the mystery and identify "Guess Who." Using clues gathered from other animals in the
video about the size, color, number of legs and markings of "Guess Who," students narrow the
possibilities until just one candidate remains. The fun continues as children use logic to
create their own "Guess Who" games.
V 2029 Shrinking Pyramids
The River Road kids are making an action-adventure movie set in Giza, Egypt, at the site of the
ancient pyramids. Can their movie seem realistic using action figures and model pyramids?
"Shrinking Pyramids" focuses on the proportional relationships of the action figures and the
pyramids. In this investigation, in which the hero looks too big compared to the pyramids, and
the villain isn't big enough to look scary, students are challenged to find the correct scale
for all the models. The fun continues as they explore and model the distinction between the
height of one of the pyramids and the height of a triangular wall of that pyramid. Finally,
students suggest practical solutions to the movie-making problems.
V 2030 Special Edition: Earth Day
The River Road kids decide to publish a special Earth Day edition of their newspaper. "Special
Edition: Earth Day" takes students on location to a fund-raising kite festival and a beach
cleanup to gather information about these events for their own articles. In this investigation,
the process of reporting and writing presents opportunities for students to solve mathematical
problems and focus on whether to use estimates or exact amounts when conveying information.
Then students organize their notes and use them as the basis for their own news articles.
V 2031 The Garden Plot
Bettina dreams of growing a garden. "The Garden Plot" focuses on her chance to plan an
8-foot-by-12-foot plot at the Helping Hand Community Garden. During a visit to the garden
center, Bettina learns that different plants take up different amounts of space. In this
investigation, students plan their own garden plots by arranging scale representations of
plants on and 8-inch-by-12-inch grid. Then, they create a shopping list of the plants they
intend to buy and calculate how much money they will need to purchase the plants.
V 2032 The Scheduling Dilemma
Music lessons, baseball practice, school and dance classes contribute to the dilemma of six
children trying to schedule four meetings to work together on a poster project. "The Scheduling
Dilemma" focuses on each child's weekly activities and the challenge in meeting as a group. In
this investigation, students collect and interpret data about the schedules of the six
children. Students then apply time measurement concepts to create a master schedule showing
when the six children can meet.
V 2033 Treasure Hunt
A note dated 1967 discovered in a library book sends Gina and her friends on a treasure hunt in
their school. Could the treasure still be there after so many years? "Treasure Hunt" presents
mathematical clues that, once solved, direct searchers to the next clue. In this investigation,
students first decipher a number pattern to find a locker that houses the next clue. Then,
using a floor map to follow complex directions, they determine which school entrance is the
starting point for the hunt. Arriving at the final clue involves finding the average (mean) of
the numbers from the previous clues. Once all the clues are found, students discover that the
treasure is indeed still there after so many years, and surprisingly is "hidden" in plain view!
V 2034 World's Record
The group record for setting up and toppling dominoes is 1,382,101 dominoes. Can the River Road
kids break that record? What would the dominoes cost? How much space would they need to set up?
How long would it take to set up the dominoes? "World Record" centers on the research data
needed to determine whether the undertaking of breaking the group record is practical. In this
investigation, students first create a plan for solving the problem. The fun continues as they
determine the cost, space and time required to beat the record.
Another message from Claudiovisuals
Now we want to introduce a series of Chemistry videos also available for checkout from the
Media Center.
Chemistry in Action is a series of ten 20-minute video programs designed to relate basic
concepts of chemistry to commercial chemical process technologies.
V 1101 Aluminum
This program explains how aluminum is extracted and purified from clays and rocks at a British
plant by purifying bauxite ore to aluminum oxide and reducing this oxide to molten metal. It
also shows how in the United States, plants are located close to the power source rather than
to ore deposits. Various desirable properties of the product aluminum and its alloys are shown,
as well as the link between specific properties of each alloy and its end use.
V 1102 Iron and Steel
Iron ore is reduced and manufactured into steel in a modern plant where, in a continuous
process, ore is crushed and mixed with coke and then fed into the top of a blast furnace.
Molten iron flows off from the bottom; slag is skimmed off; and iron is converted to steel by
blowing oxygen through it to remove residual carbon, adding lime and magnesium powder to remove
other trace solid impurities. Alloying metals are then added to the steel. The molten metal is
cast into molds which are later rolled into required shapes.
V 1103 Chemicals from NaCI: 1
Because of its wide availability, NaCI is the starting material for many inorganic chemicals.
In this program, salt is seen being pumped to the surface from deposits of 10 tons in salt
fields as a brine solution, and into a chemical plant where chlorine and sodium hydroxide are
produced by electrolysis. Three types of cells used to separate the products at the anode and
cathode, diaphragm, and membrane - are shown and the commercial advantages and disadvantages of
each are presented for discussion.
V 1104 Chemicals for NaCI: 2
A second product made from sodium chloride, sodium metal, is also produced at the chemical
plant shown in this program. It is formed by electrolysis of a sodium chloride, calcium
chloride molten mixture, and is isolated at the cathode of the cell as a liquid. The second
major use of sodium metal is to displace titanium and zirconium from their chlorides to produce
the pure metals required for high-technology aerospace applications. The program also
demonstrates the reactivity of fluorine.
V 1105 Fit to Drink
This program traces the water cycle, beginning with the collection of rainwater in rivers and
lakes, in great detail through a water treatment plant, to some of the places where water is
used, and finally back into the atmosphere.
V 1106 Limestone
Limestone, or calcium carbonate - made of the skeletons of billions of sea creatures - is mined
in large quantities. This program shows how limestone is blasted out of the ground and crushed
to eliminate large boulders and then passed through a series of sieves to separate large chunks
for further crushing. When sufficiently small, it is washed to remove clay, dust, and sand. The
grades are separated: some for road building, others for processing into sodium carbonate for
glass making. The sand from the wash is separated out and can be made into quicklime and
subsequently into slacked lime; the remainder is processed to make cement powder.
V 1107 Out of the Air: 1
Air, an important industrial raw material, is first filtered to remove any solid matter. Then
its constituent gases - nitrogen, oxygen, and other trace gases - can be separated by
compressing air, cooling it, and then allowing it to expand, which cools it further. As the air
expands, it is used to drive turbines, which generate electricity; the cold air is also used to
freeze carbon dioxide and water vapor. The liquid nitrogen and oxygen, stored and transported
in well-insulated tanks, have many industrial uses, from steel making to packaging potato
chips.
V 1108 Out of the Air: 2
Two very important products derived from air are ammonia and nitric acid. Ammonia is produced
when hydrogen gas is extracted from natural gas and steam, mixed with nitrogen from air, and
heated. The resulting ammonia gas is condensed into liquid form, to be made into other
chemicals. Ammonia is also used to make nitric acid, basic in the production of fertilizers,
detergents, and many other products. The program also discusses the role of chemical and
mechanical engineers in industry.
V 1109 Polyethelene
Polyethelene is one of many commercially important organic compounds derived from crude oil.
This program demonstrates the polymerization of ethylene at different pressures and in the
presence of different catalysts, depending on the intended end use of the polyethelene. The
program also shows the molding of polyethelene into commercial products and the testing and
analytical techniques used to determine their properties.
V 1110 Ways With Coal
Major research has been devoted to making the process of coal combustion more efficient and
reducing pollution more efficiently. Coke, the first smokeless fuel made from coal, has
important industrial uses which depend on the grade and strength of the coke. Coke can be
carbonized to remove volatile matter which is in turn processed to provide a wide range of
industrial materials: pitch, creosote, road tar, and concentrated ammonia solution are some
examples. Coal can be gasified and converted into a type of crude oil, which can be
fractionally distilled into diesel fuel, gasoline, and chemical raw minerals.
Programming The Samsung TXK2767
CTV/Monitor
This article will give instructions for programming the Samsung TXK2767 color TV/monitor that
is currently installed at Ironwood Ridge H.S. The April 2001 issue of Tech Talk mistakenly
indicated that the instructions for the TXJ2767 also applied to the TXK2767. This is not the
case. The assumption is made that the TV is hooked up properly to the cable jack on the wall or
through a VCR to the cable jack.
Adding or Erasing Channels
Check to make sure that the inputs (TV, AV 1, AV 2 or S-VIDEO) are available by either pushing
the TV/VIDEO button on the remote or by selecting TV/AV in the Channel menu and pushing VOL+
repeatedly until the proper input is selected. Save by pushing MENU.
If you need to make any other changes, refer to the operators' manual. If you need further
assistance, you can contact me at 6200 or e-mail at glarsen@amphi.com.
How to Speed Up SASIxp and Other Windows Programs
There is a way to increase access speed to specific programs that you have in Windows. Each
Win95 and Win98 PC has a temporary directory that can be cleaned up by an advanced user. The
directory "c:\windows\temp" should only be used by the Windows and Windows compatible software
to create files for repeated use. However what happens quite often is the files remain here
after a system crash or if the program has closed abnormally. The files in this directory can
be deleted thus increasing the speed of your computer noticeably if there are over 10 megabytes
sitting in there.
Here are the steps to delete the temp files:
If you are unsure how to do this, please contact the tech specialist at your School.
Web Accessibility
With each passing year, technology and the effects of it become more of an integral part of our
daily lives. The Internet is quickly becoming the best means for communicating everything. What
once started out as a source of communication for small research purposes, now has billions of
users on it daily. However, even with all the advancements made toward the Internet, it is
still ancient in some aspects.
There are 750 million people worldwide who have a disability that prevents them from using the
Internet to its fullest. Some web sites display movies or play voice clips with data that is
inaccessible by anyone with a disability. Some web pages are built using languages or code that
text-readers or other similar multimedia programs cannot understand. Recently the U.S.
government stepped in and amended the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal agencies to
make their technology accessible to the disabled and soon it will take affect on a statewide
level.
It is a wonderful idea to be sure that any web site that is displayed on the Internet is
available for everyone to use.
Now for all of those who are saying, how do I make sure that my web site is accessible? There
are guidelines on the Internet, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, that specify some of
the things that can help with your web site. Also, there are wonderful programs available on
the Internet that can help you determine whether your web site is compliant. A program called
Bobby is a wonderful example of one. Visit http://www.cast.org/bobby/ and you can simply enter
in the URL of one of your web pages and it will evaluate it for you. Or you can download the
program and it will look at all the web pages in your entire site. It provides explanations as
to what is wrong and how to change it without ruining any of your cool designing.
The simple things to remember are that if you have pictures or movie clips, be sure to provide
a text version or description of the picture. And if your site has sounds on it that are
important to the information you are providing, be sure to indicate it somewhere on your page
or provide a text version of the dialog.
It isn't difficult to insure that your web site is available for everyone to use and is a
wonderful addition to the Internet.
First Line of Defense with Computer Problems: RESTART!
"Oh no, I was able to print on my computer just a few minutes ago" or, "Something must be wrong
with the network because I can't get to Disney.com and I could a few minutes ago." Sound
familiar? Many times your computer or printer will start to act a little funny for what appears
to be no reason. You place a call to your Tech Specialist or someone in the Technology
Department thinking that something major has happened to your computer or printer. While many
times this is not the case, a RESTART of your computer or turning your printer off, then on
again, will cause those little quirks to go away.
To restart your computer, click on the Start button on the Task Bar. When the menu appears
slide up and select Shut Down. Select Restart and then OK. You would be amazed how many times
I have people call me and I tell them this solution and IT WORKS.
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) Software Installation
Scholastic Reading Inventory is an interactive reading test designed to give consistancy in
reporting reading scores. This software uses Lexile as the unit of measurement. Lexile
measures the reader against an invariant standard text instead of against other readers. You
can find out more about Lexile at http://www.lexile.com/.
Getting Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) software installed and ready to use has been
challenging to say the least. The program is being used by all nine of our district-wide Title
I schools. The software for Walker was ordered last and has yet to be received. AHS, Coronado,
Holaway, Keeling, La Cima, Rio Vista, Nash, and Wilson received their software over the
summer. I installed SRI for these schools to the network for Windows 95/98 computers. Most
workstations were unplugged and covered with plastic so the daunting task of installing the
icon to the workstations fell to Tech Specialists or Tech Coaches. Many problems were
encountered while trying to install SRI from a Macintosh computer to the network. After
exhausting all of our resources, SRI techs were called. It has been determined that SRI
software will not work on our Macintosh computers in the network environment. Their tech
support suggested a Mac network setup with 5 computers using the sharing that Macintosh offers.
Another suggestion would be to use Windows 95/98 computers if possible until a better solution
is reached. Our network department is exploring other avenues to find the quickest and best
solution.
Microsoft Office
Quick Tips
This year in every Tech Talk there will be an article giving some tips about the Microsoft
Office Programs.
New In Office 2000-Office Clipboard Toolbar
The Clipboard Toolbar allows you to copy 12 items (from various programs) at a time to the
Office Clipboard and then allows you to paste those items in an Office program. To do this the
Clipboard Toolbar must be turned on. On the Main Menu, select View, select Toolbars, and slide
over and select the Clipboard Toolbar.
Microsoft Word
Readability Scores
After Word finishes checking spelling and grammar, it will give you readability scores if the
feature is turned on. It will give word counts and averages, Flesch Reading Ease score and a
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score.
To make sure Readability Scores is turned on:
On the Menu Bar, select Tools, slide down and select Options.
In the Options Window, click on the tab that says Spelling and Grammar.
Make sure Show Readability Scores is checked.
To check the readability:
Click the Spelling Icon (has abc and a check mark) on the Standard Toolbar.
Or.
On the Menu Bar, select Tools, slide down and select Spelling and Grammar.
Word will first check the spelling and grammar and then give you a window with the Readability
Statistics.
Office 2000
Click and Type
Allows you to click with the mouse to insert text, graphics, or tables to the blank area of a
document.
Make sure that you are in the Print Layout View.
Go to a blank area of your document where you want to insert text, graphics or a table. Double
click with your mouse and your text cursor automatically moves to that area without you having
to press enter or tab or anything.
Microsoft Excel
Using AutoFill
As you may know, using AutoFill (the black plus that appears when you place your mouse cursor
on the bottom right-hand side of a cell) is a quick way to copy formulas down or to the
right. You can use AutoFill to complete a series of numbers, common series names (days,
months, dates, or linear regression) based on the trend line.
To complete a Series of Values
Type the first number of the series in the first cell, then the second number in either the
cell below or to the right of the first cell.
Highlight the series.
Use the fill handle (bottom right-hand corner of the cell) to complete the range.
To complete a Common Series (days, months, dates)
Type the first name or date in the series.
Use the fill handle to complete the range.
To AutoFill a series of words that are not a Common Series
Type the group of words in the series.
Highlight the series.
Use the fill handle to complete the range.
To Select an AutoFill Option
Drag the fill handle with the right mouse button instead of the left. One thing this will do
is to allow you to use just weekdays instead of all dates.
Ready, Set, Troubleshoot
Now that all district schools are back and in session, it may be time to troubleshoot some
problems with your computers that have been on summer break. 1) Please make sure your computer
power cords, cables and network cable are all plugged into the computer as well as your surge
protector/power strip. Some computers are moved during the summer for cleaning or relocation.
2) Make sure you have power to the computer evidenced by the power light indicator on the
computer as well as the monitor. 3) When you turn on your computer, you will get several
different boot up windows followed by your network login screen. If you successfully login,
you should see your desktop with icons. If you have a freezing problem at this or any screen
up to this point, please reboot the computer. You may go the Start button and select Shut
Down, press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice, or depress the power button on the computer. After the
rebooting process you may find yourself running scan disk. When scan disk is complete, your
computer should boot as normal. Sometimes the rebooting process is all that is necessary to
get you up and running; however, if you have the same or similar problem, you may need to try
the reboot process once again. Hopefully, these steps will rectify the problem, but if not,
contact your site Tech Specialist for assistance.
Butterflies, Magnets, Anne Frank and More
Numerous teachers in our district have been integrating technology into the curriculum using
web tools like TrackStar, Filamentality, and Web Worksheet Wizard. These sites allow you to
simply and easily create activities for your students. The teacher finds web sites that
correlate to the curriculum or unit they are doing. They enter the web site address and
information into the web tool, and it creates a web page for students to use.
You can use web tools that have been created by other teachers and then learn to create your
own. Here are some of the highlighted sites created in the past year during Technology
Classes:
Butterflies
Lisa LaFaye from Wilson used Web Worksheet Wizard to create a center on butterflies that her
students will use. Using this unit, students will discover the amazing world of butterflies
and moths. Students will learn interesting facts about butterflies, read about the life cycle
and study information about moths and monarch butterflies. You can view this magnificent lesson
at http://wizard.hprtec.org/builder/worksheet.php3?ID=7923
Interactive Anne Frank
Debbie Webber from AHS created a unit on Anne Frank for her special education students using
TrackStar. Students will gain a better understanding of who Anne Frank was through an
interactive slide show of her life; by viewing pictures of the Anne Frank House, her diary, the
Anne Frank Library; and by understanding its importance and how it relates to our lives today.
You can view her outstanding lesson at
http://trackstar.hprtec.org:80/main/display.php3?track_id=71595.
Magnets
Jan Horetski from Wilson created a TrackStar on Magnets. The purpose of her unit is to help
students understand what magnets are, that magnets attract and repel, what poles are and how
magnets are used in our daily lives. Jan lists the Arizona science standards that are met when
using this TrackStar. You can use her tremendous unit by going to
http://trackstar.hprtec.org:80/main/display.php3?track_id=71749
Bees Bees Bees
Jan Horetski made another activity she will use as a center for her students on bees. The study
of bees is an interesting way to meet several Arizona State Standards for Primary grades in
Life Sciences. The students will learn about the life cycle of the bee, why bees are
important, the body parts and more. Check out this excellent unit at
http://trackstar.hprtec.org:80/main/display.php3?track_id=71974
Tucson Water
Niki Tilicki from Wilson K-8 School created a TrackStar called, "What's in My Water." This
track will help students understand more about what pollutants are in their water. They will
explore various charts and graphs as well as read articles pertaining to the water in Tucson,
AZ. This is fun and challenging and the unit provides students with higher-level thinking
opportunities. Mrs. Tilicki's students just love it. Check out her exceptional lesson at
http://trackstar.hprtec.org:80/main/display.php3?track_id=57453
What is a Function?
Ann Faulkner from Amphitheater High School created a TrackStar about functions. Ann wrote it
for Algebra I students; however, it could be used as a review for higher math courses. Students
will learn the definitions of function, domain, and range. They will see the difference between
one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-one relations. They will use the "vertical line test" to
see if graphs are functions by graphing equations on a graphing calculator within a link.
Check out this wonderful interactive math unit at
http://trackstar.scrtec.org/main/display.php3?trackid=73155.
Causes of the Civil War
Phil Tilicki from La Cima Middle School developed a TrackStar on Causes of the Civil War. This
track will help students define some of the causes of the Civil War. Students will also get the
opportunity to learn about some of the key figures of the war. The track features higher-level
questions for the students to answer and resources to find the information. View this superb
lesson at http://trackstar.hprtec.org:80/main/display.php3?track_id=57435.
These are just a few of the exciting lessons Amphitheater teachers are developing to use with
their students. If you are interested in learning to create these lessons sign up for the
District Technology Academy Class called Integrating the Internet into the Curriculum.
Want to Create a Web Page for Your Class, School, or Department?
Have you been out searching the Internet and thought, "Wow, I wish that I could make something
like this for my class." Well you can without too much difficulty. We offer a class called
Creating Educational Web Pages that allows you to explore other teacher and school pages, learn
to create pages using Netscape Composer, and time to create your own page. By the time you
leave the last class you have your own page completed.
What makes a page effective for an educational setting? First and foremost, according to our
district Web Page Guidelines the page should be to educate, inform, and communicate. You want
it to be eye catching, easy to navigate, and interesting enough to get people to continue to
use it. Consider the content; try to make it a page that your students and their parents will
use on a regular basis. Also, try to make the page age appropriate for your audience.
To view some of the pages created by district employees in our class, check out the links
below.
Lisa LaFaye's 3rd Grade Class
http://www.amphi.com/~llafaye/
Lisa did a great job finding graphics for her page. She has informational links for her
students and parents. Plus she has links to sites that she plans to use with her students this
year.
Jan Horetski's MAP Class
http://www.amphi.com/~jhoretsk/
Jan's page is informative about her program and provides useful information for her parents and
their children.
Anne Faulkner's High School Math
http://www.amphi.com/~afaulkne/
Ann's page focuses on information for her students. She has the assignments for her classes,
Internet lessons they will complete this year, and also the grading policy.
Changing the default Font in Word and Excel
Do you want Word or Excel to open with a different font, style, or size than it currently does;
you can change it to meet your needs. For example, if you are a first grade teacher and you
want all of the documents to open and start typing in an 18 or 24 point size font, you can do
it. Or if you want all of your Excel documents to start in Arial 12 point you can change that
as well.
Here are the steps:
Word
Who you Gonna Call?
Yes, it is that time again! Time for blowing off the dust from your computer, monitor and
keyboard and to begin using this technological work of art to accomplish the desperately needed
processing that you must do during the course of the year. For many of us, we will just flip
the circuit breaker switch, log-on and begin to do our work. But for some of us, for some
unknown reason, maybe because it has been sitting idle for a while, or because it was moved in
an inappropriate manner, or for whatever reason, your computer just does not want to cooperate.
If this rare but unfortunate circumstance should happen to you, do not despair! For there is
hope!
The Technology Team is ready and awaiting to serve you so that you can be up and running as
soon as possible. You should contact the Tech Specialist at your school for help first to see
if he/she can solve the problem. If the problem needs the Technology Team they will call it in
for you.
To reach the Technology Department to report any inconsistency in regards to your computer,
please dial (520) 696-5078 or just x5078 from within the district: follow the prompts within
the recorded message. Also as a reminder to those of you who are already familiar with the
procedure for calling the "Hot Line," please do not call direct phone extensions for Technology
Service personnel to report a computer problem. Call the Hot Line. If you are experiencing an
emergency situation please call the main Technology Department at extensions x5214 or x5212.
You will then reach a real live Technology person or will be guided through the procedure of
getting a hold of one. The Technology Department will send you a pink sheet; be sure to put
the pink sheet the machine!
Happy Computing!
Web Shots Causes Computers to Freeze
This downloaded program is responsible for many different computer freezing problems during the
login procedure. The program goes to the net and updates the wallpaper at the same time the
computer is trying to authenticate to the server. The program itself is labor intensive and
pulls resources that are needed at the startup of the computer.
The solution is to remove the program from the Start menu.
Web Shots can still be run from the desktop icon once the system has completed its boot and is
at the desktop.
On the Horizon
I just wanted to give you a small glimpse of a product out there that is starting to cause a
big stir. It is the Linux operating system. You may have heard about Linux. It is gaining
more and more press everyday. An operating system is the software that allows you to operate
your computer hardware and run programs. Windows is a prime example of an operating system.
It is the first thing to come up and it presents you with opportunities to manage your disk
drive, launch programs and select between these running applications. Well, for all of you
that have only known Windows, there is another alternative, Linux. Linux is an operating
system that was developed by a gentleman named Linus Torvaldus and is more like Unix than
anything else. It started off as being almost exclusively a toy for computer nerds because it
was nowhere near to what we would define as "user friendly." However, it has since come a long
way. It has a nice interface and is finally getting to the point where it could be a viable
desktop alternative.
One of the biggest advantages Linux provides is savings. The operating system is free. It is
part of a growing class of software that is known as GPL software. GPL stands for General
Public Licensing. It basically states that the software code must always remain free and
everyone who makes enhancements does so under the GPL licensing as well. This means that
nobody can buy out Linux or make it proprietary. What has been happening is that folks from
all over the globe have been improving and adding on to Linux. It keeps getting better and
better. It is very stable (does not crash) and is well written. It is small enough that it
will even run on many of the older PCs that are being made obsolete by the newer versions of
Windows. There are office suites available that can open and manipulate MS Office documents
and are also free under GPL.
Performance and cost savings are only a couple of the reasons that we are forced to start
taking a serious look at what Linux is developing into and how it might benefit us in the
future. There is a growing interest in the education community in this product resulting in
powerful free software. There was an article recently in Wired Magazine that can give you an
example. http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,45862,00.html. Linux is definitely worth
watching very closely.
New High School,
New Phone Prefix
Ironwood Ridge High School (IRHS) is up and running and is equipped with one of the most
extensive voice, video, and data systems in our district. There are thousands of cables
installed throughout the campus to support these systems. Needless to say, we_ the Technology
Department_ had many challenges to overcome in designing a network infrastructure of this
magnitude. One challenge, for example, was obtaining more phone numbers from Qwest that would
be in sequence with the district's numbering plan. We had to do this because we ran out of the
696 prefixes due to the large quantity of phone numbers IRHS needed. If we were not able to
obtain the 4-digit extensions (the digits after the 3-digit prefix) that were next in the
sequence, the district would have lost the capability of 4-digit dialing to IRHS.
This obviously would have led to confusion and just be a downright inconvenience. As a result
of good planning in advance, we found another prefix with 4-digit extensions that fit into our
district's dialing plan. This new prefix is 407. IRHS prefixes are split as follows: (1) the
administration office has phone numbers 696-3900 to 696-4020 and (2) the rest of the campus has
407-4100 to 407-4299. Anyone who dials to IRHS from out of the district just simply needs to
remember if they are calling the administration or the rest of the campus to know what prefix
to dial. For further convenience, the outside caller can call the main 696-3900 number and
dial the 4-digit extension of the party they are trying to reach. This way they don't even
have to know the 407 prefix. When calling from within the District, you can reach anyone at
IRHS using the 4-digit dialing number.
Online Courses for Free
The School Facilities Board for the State of Arizona has teamed with ASSET to help teachers
learn to use and integrate technology into the curriculum. ASSET has developed courses with
PBS TeacherLine and Classroom Connect, and the good news is that they are FREE to Arizona
educators for this school year. Classes were offered in June and August, and courses will be
available in October. Most classes take 4 to 6 weeks to complete. You will earn 15 hours of
recertification credit for completing the requirements for each course. You can also earn
credit from ASU West by completing these courses and paying a fee.
Examples of some of the courses offered in October include Introduction to the One-Computer
Classroom, Teaching and Using Graphic Organizers (Inspiration), Integrating Spreadsheets Across
the Curriculum, Real Time Data, Searching and Researching, Designing Webquests, The Classroom
Computer as a Learning Station, Data Analysis and Probability for Grades K-5, and many more.
You can sign up for a course by going to the ASSET web page (www.asset.asu.edu) and looking for
TeacherLine and clicking on the link that says Register for October Modules. Registration
closes on September 14, 2001.
If you are interested in learning how to take an online course sign up for the District
Technology Class How to Take An Online Course on September 18th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. We'll
learn about Discussion Boards, Chat rooms and what you need to have on your computer to
participate in an online course.
Network Cables are Sensitive: Problems with Freezing and Locking Up
Recently, there has been some network cable problems that have caused computers to freeze or
not allow them to get onto the network at all. We have learned that the cables were pinched or
mangled in such a way as not to get a good connection or work at all. Cables are fragile;
please make sure your chair does not run over your network cable, that the file cabinet does
not smash your cable or that the cable is not stressed in any unusual manner. Having a
damaged cable is like trying to surf the Internet from the beach.
Translating Web Pages
There are times you may want to see an Internet page in another language. If a site appears in
another language, you can translate it to English, or if you need to translate an English page
to Spanish, French, German or a variety of other languages you can.
Translate with Babel Fish is a site that allows you to enter text or a web page and have it
translated. You must understand that the translation is literal, so it will not be a perfect
translation. Hint, this is not the site to use to translate a letter home to parents.
However, if you go to http://world.altavista.com/ you will see a place to enter text or a Web
site address. Simply type the address in, select the language you want it translated from and
to and press Translate. The nice thing about the translation is that if there are additional
links, they will be translated as well when you click on them.
Problem-Based Learning and Technology
By Patti Greenleaf
By Ron Shannon
By Peggy Steffens
By Ron Shannon
By Kathy Sheppard
By Matt Weber
By Jean Scott, Manager, SIS
By Bryan Parks
By Bryan Parks
Minimum
Pentiumƒ 166 MHz
32MB RAM
250MB Hard Disk Drive
Color Display
Microsoftƒ Windowsƒ 95, Windowsƒ 98, Windows NTƒ Workstation 4.0, or Windowsƒ 2000
Network Interface Card
CD_ROM Drive
Internet Update
By Peggy Steffens
By Sheri Sense
1. After getting onto the website, click Contract Summary.
2. Click on the G then scroll to Gateway 2000 Major Accounts 98-GATE-0306
3. Go to Place Orders
4. Find the Gateway E Series and select the E-3400 SE (this is the computer that Technology
is currently recommending)
5. Press Configure.
6. The next page has your selections. You need to change to Intel Pentium III Processor
1000 MHz with a memory of 128MB 133 MHz. You should also get the MS Windows 98 operating
system and Office 2000 software.
7. Make sure to get at least the 17" color monitor.
8. After you've made all your selections, click the Calculate Price button.
9. When you've reviewed your selections and prices given, click on the "Generate a Quote"
button.
10. You will get a Quote that you will want to print and send to Purchasing along with a copy
of your requisition.
By Jim Davis
To rename or remove the web site:
Double click My Computer
Double click the (C:) hard drive. (It may have a different name, but it will have (C:) after
the name)
Double click the folder called Program Files
Double click the folder called Netscape
Double click the folder called Users
Double click the folder that is either called Default or is your user name (i.e. "jdavis")
Find a file called prefs.js and RIGHT click (with the right mouse button) that file
From the pop-up menu, left click on Edit
Scroll to the bottom of the file and add, at the bottom:
user_pref("mailnews.start_page.enabled", false);
Click on File on the menu at the top, and choose Save
Scroll to the bottom of the file and add, at the bottom:
user_pref("mailnews.start_page.enabled", true);
user_pref("mailnews.start_page.url", "http://my.netscape.com");
the text after http:// can be whatever web page you want like http://www.amphi.com
Click on File on the menu at the top, and choose Save
By Claudio Araya
By Claudio Araya
By Gordon Larsen
1. Turn on the CTV by pressing the Power button (if using a remote control that has a TV, VCR
or CABLE button, press the TV button first - if necessary).
2. Press the MENU button once. The on-screen display will give a choice of menus for Picture
(outlined in YELLOW), Sound (outlined in RED), CHannel (outlined in BLUE) or Function (outlined
in GREEN). These will be in the form of icons in a column on the left side of the screen.
3. Press the CH up or down button repeatedly until the CHannel icon is outlined in BLUE. The
on-screen display will list the Channel sub-menus of ANT/CATV, Auto Program, TV/AV, Fine tune,
Add/Erase, and Labeling.
4. Press the VOL+ button repeatedly until ANT/CATV video signal source is highlighted and STD
is chosen from the choices of ANT, STD, HRC, IRC.
5. Press MENU to save the video signal source.
6. Press the VOL+ button once.
7. Press the CH up or down button repeatedly until Auto Program is highlighted.
8. Press the VOL+ button once. The CTV will begin memorizing all the available channels. This
process may take about 1-2 minutes for completion.
9. Press the MENU button twice until the screen returns to normal viewing.
1. Repeat steps 1-3 above.
2. Press the VOL+ button once.
3. Press the CH up or down button repeatedly until Add/Erase is highlighted.
4. Press the VOL+ button once. The Add/Erase sub-menu is displayed, showing the current channel
number and whether it is presently added or erased.
5. Press VOL+ button once to highlight Channel number.
6. Press the CH up or down button (or punch in channel # on the remote control) to go to the
next channel you wish to change in memory.
7. Press MENU button to save the channel choice.
8. Press the CH up or down button repeatedly until Select is highlighted.
9. Press VOL+ button to select Added or Erased.
10. Press MENU to save your choice.
11. Repeat steps 5 thru 10 until finished.
12. Press the MENU button twice until the screen returns to normal viewing.
By Seth Butler
1. Close all applications.
2. Click on "Start" and go to "Find" then pick "Files or Folders."
3. In the "Named:" field type ~*.tmp (this will select all files that start with a tilde and
end with a .tmp). The problem temp files start with a tilde. You can find the tilde by
holding down the shift key while pressing the key next to the number 1.
4. In the "Look in:" field click on the triangle and choose c:
5. Click "Find now."
6. Once it is done and the files are displayed click once on one of the files and hold down
the "Ctrl" key and hit the "a" key. This will select all of the files.
7. Hit delete on the keyboard and when done empty the recycle bin.
By Chris Cox
By Patti Greenleaf
By: Sheri Gimlin
By Patti Greenleaf
By Sue Sledge
By Peggy Steffens
By Patti Greenleaf
By Peggy Steffens
Click on Format
Click on Font
Select your Font, Style and Size
At the bottom left corner click on Default
You will get a window asking if you want to change all documents
Say yes if you want to change all future documents in Word.
Excel
Click on Tools
Click on Options
Click the General tab
Select your Font and Size
Click OK.
By Richard Coca
By Raul Bejarano
1. Go to Programs
2. Go to Windows explorer
3. Go to Windows
4. Go to Start menu
5. Go to Programs
6. Go to StartUp
7. Delete WebShots in the StartUp folder and be sure to empty the trash.
By Will McCullen
By Tom Gill
By Peggy Steffens
By Seth Butler
By Peggy Steffens