Tech Talk
August 2003

Index

Amphi's New Website
Filtering Spam
Are You Blogging in Your Classroom?
Reading Conference Blog
Notes from the Director
Implementation of Enhanced 911 Services Will Begin
Graphics and Printing Has Been Busy This Summer!
Take a Safari!
Finding Educational Materials
Advanced Teacher Web Tips
Why Can't I Get to the Web?
Computer Price Sheets on the Web
Software Licensing Issues
Important Easy Grade Pro Saving Information
Compaq Hard Drive Replacement
Need SASIxp Training? SASIxp "Training Online" at SIS Office
New Discipline Data Entry Procedures
Care of Your Opscan Scanner
How to Quickly Input Student Information Into Your Easy Grade Pro Gradebook
How to See if Your MS Windows PC Needs a Tuneup
A Message from Claudiovisuals
Another Message from Claudiovisuals
The Hotline
Teachers and Staff Busy During Summer Training
Visual Representation Search Engine-KartOO
Learning Phone System Features
Passwords!
Computer Maintenance
The Importance of Saving your Data to the Server
File Formats
Virus Scanner Cleanup
Ready, Set, Troubleshoot
Phone and Voice Mail Information
Exciting Grant Opportunity for Teachers
Update Your Voice Mail
 

Amphi’s New Website

By Nicole Stephens
When you returned to school this year, you probably noticed that the Amphitheater website looks completely different.  To outline the changes made and how this affects you, the user, I will employ the journalistic style of writing which attempts to answer the 5 W's and an H (who, what, where, why, when, how).

Who decided we should have a new website?  The Technology Department formed a committee that decided on a new web page creation package called NovuSolutions that can be used to easily create District, departmental and teacher web pages.

What is the reason for the change?  NovuSolutions was primarily purchased to allow schools, teachers and departments who have no previous web page design experience the opportunity to easily create great looking, informational, and functional web pages.  The new design of these web pages is much more user-friendly, as well as aesthetically pleasing. The Amphitheater homepage, for instance, has become much easier to navigate.  You can now visit any school, department, or District web page directly from the homepage simply by using the menus provided.  Previously, you would have had to navigate through several different pages and links to get to the page for which you were looking.

Where can other examples of this new format be seen?  Many schools and departments are currently working on creating their new pages and a few have even completed them.  They include schools such as La Cima, Mesa Verde, Wilson, IRHS, AMS, and Painted Sky.  Departments that have new pages are Graphics and Printing and Benefits.

Why should teachers create a web page using NovuSolutions? Web pages are one of the easiest and most informative ways to communicate with your students and their parents.  Not only can you provide them with information about yourself and your classroom, you can also post homework schedules, class calendars, favorite Internet links and field trip information.  NovuSolutions provides you with the perfect opportunity to create your own web page because you don’t have to have any previous experience to create a completely functional and appealing web page.

When can you learn how to make pages using NovuSolutions?  The Technology Department will be offering introductory classes on how to use this new program throughout the fall semester.  Look for a printed schedule of classes in your mailbox toward the middle of August or visit techreg.amphi.com.

How do you get help with your web page if you have already taken an introductory class?  The Technology Department will also be offering various specialty classes such as uploading pictures and files to your web page, adding educational Internet links, and work sessions.  If you have a general inquiry please contact your school’s technology coach or Peggy Steffens (psteffen@amphi.com), Patti Greenleaf (pgreenle@amphi.com), or Nicole Stephens (nstephen@amphi.com).

Filtering Spam

By Will McCullen
“I don’t want ANY spam!” – Monty Python

I hate spam, I really do.  I am talking about junk email of course.  Well, we are trying to help combat the problem.  Recently, we installed a filtering system for the District.  We are removing around two thousand spam email messages a day, but other spam is still getting through.  There is hope though.  The new system learns as it filters spam.  It does not just learn what to stop; it also learns what to push through.  In computer speak it is separating the ham from the spam.  Yes, you read it right.  Proper mail is called ham.  The new system will hopefully become more and more effective over time.  We are still working on the system and hope to come up with a way for you to submit spam for automatic learning.  If you suspect that proper mail is not getting through please contact either Chris Bonhorst or me.  Hopefully over time, less and less spam will get through.  We are easing into it slowly to try and ensure delivery of the proper mail.

Are You Blogging in Your Classroom?

By Peggy Steffens
Do you know what blogging is?  Possibly not, but I bet your students do.  The word blog is short for weblog.  Jorn Barger coined the term weblog in December 1997.  Weblogs took off in 1999 when build-your-own weblogs became available for free.  Blogging is very popular today and you can find blogs on a variety of topics. A blog is an on-line journal where someone with a point of view and a desire to share it makes “postings” to his or her weblog with links to data to support the argument. A person who has an active blog is called a blogger.

So once again, you may be saying, “why do I care and what does this have to do with education?”  Well, recently blogs have been entering the realm of education in numerous ways.  Many teachers ask students to keep journals, and now you can do it electronically with ease.  One of the best examples I have seen was by Will Richardson from New Jersey Hunterdon Central Regional High School at the National Education Computing Conference.  Mr. Richardson provided blogging opportunities for his journalism and English Literature students.  In his Journalism blogs he provided students with articles and topics to discuss, and students responded to the teacher and their peers on the topics and provided links to sources that provided support for his/her beliefs.  In his English Literature class, he had the students read the book The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid.  The students had to post to the class blog about:

Mr. Richardson found that the online discussions were rich and that some of the quiet students in class shared openly in this environment and provided amazing in depth answers that he had not seen during traditional discussions.  Mr. Richardson provided a blog for the parents of his students so they could read along with their high school students and make comments on their own blog.  It was an exciting way to get parents involved.  The parents and students were encouraging each other to read and asked the competitive question, “what chapter are you on?”  The parents liked bouncing ideas about the book with their children and being involved in their student’s education. In addition, the teacher got the author involved in the blog. She read the student and parent comments and looked at the students’ artistic representation of the book and provided comments on the blog.  You can see this blog on the Internet at weblogs.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/bees.

Two free sites where you can start your own blog are:
Nice Net - www.nicenet.org/
Blogger - new.blogger.com/home.pyra

If you would like to see more examples of blogs including a blog from a library, a corporation, journalists and other school examples go to www.amphi.com/teachers/psteffens/blogging.html. Blogging is a great way to get students, parents and the community involved in meaningful discussions on any topic.  We are also offering a District Technology Class on Blogging on October 16th from 4:00-6:00 p.m. so sign up and learn more. Blog On!

Reading Conference Blog

By Peggy Steffens
One of the great ways to use a blog is after a conference to share ideas and reflect on what you have learned.  Amphitheater’s Conference on Literacy in the 21st Century was a huge success.  Rachel Billmeyer, Debbie Ashmore, Vicki Benson, Chris Tovani, Laura Benson and Marilyn McGuire provided valuable information that will make a difference with our students. The ideas and practical reading strategies that were shared were outstanding.  There were so many excellent presentations it was hard to decide which one to attend, and we didn’t get to see and hear all of the great things from all the presenters.  So a blog is a perfect way to share what you learned, what you are trying in your classroom, and the successes that you are seeing after trying some of the new methodologies.

So we have created a blog on Literacy in the 21st Century.  Anyone can participate. Even if you didn’t attend the conference you can join the blog and read the comments of other people who attended and add your own ideas.  Mary Ann McClung is administering the blog.  To join:

Click on Conferencing on the left hand side.
Choose one of the categories to read the comments and add some yourself!

Click on Links on the left hand side. Add some of your favorite literacy links that others might use.

We hope to see you all in the Literacy in the 21st Century blog.

Notes from the Director

By David Fernandez
I hope everyone had a great time this summer.  I have used the summer to familiarize myself with the Technology Department and Amphitheater District.  I have enjoyed my short time with the District, and I thank everyone for the warm welcome I have received.  The Technology Department as always has been busy with new projects and with making sure the technology systems are ready for the start of the new school year.  I would like to share some of the projects that went on over the summer.

Network Support Staff have setup a SPAM filter file server.  Jamie Gurulé (Graphics and Printing Manager) installed software at the high schools and middle schools that makes it possible for the Print Shop to produce student report cards. The Student Information Systems group upgraded the District student management system, SASIxp.  There were many other items that happened over the summer.

The School Facilities Board (SFB) has finished cabling and network equipment installations.  This was the continuation of a project that started in 2001-2002 school year.  The project was suspended when expenditures had exceeded the original $100 million allocated.  The funding issues were resolved last school year.  From March through June, Qwest personnel upgraded network systems at schools throughout the District.  The majority of the work done was to add additional data cabling to classrooms.

For the past year the District had allowed two email systems, GroupWise and Netscape.  GroupWise is the District's newest email package.  In order to provide better communication services, the Technology Department will now only support the GroupWise mail system.  Department staff is currently installing the GroupWise software on administration, support staff, and teacher computers.  Since the current version of GroupWise does not work with Macintosh computers, Coronado school will still have the option to keep their Netscape email setup.

Currently there is only a test version of GroupWise for Macintosh.  The final version, or production version, of the software is not scheduled for delivery until sometime this fall.  Once the software is available, arrangements will be made to switch Coronado to GroupWise.

Some of the advantages offered by GroupWise are:

By January 2004, we hope to have Groupwise installed on all PCs. We strongly urge all employees to be using GroupWise by that time.

Implementation of Enhanced 911 Services Will Begin

By Tom Gill
The next phase in upgrading the District phone system is adding the enhanced 911-service (E911). The E911 services would identify the phone number, address, and the specific room number of the corresponding site to the Emergency Services 911 call center.

For example, if a person dialed
911 from room 132 at Keeling Elementary School the following would be displayed to Emergency Services:

(520) 696-6994
Keeling Elementary
2837 Los Altos Ave.
Rm 132

Then the call center would dispatch the appropriate emergency units (police, fire department, and EMT’s). Obviously, this would help in assuring safety by promoting a more precise response from Emergency Services. Furthermore, E911 would also limit the number of “accidental” calls and, therefore, limit false alarms.

The projected installation of E911 services will happen around late October, barring any unforeseen difficulties. So if anyone has any questions or concerns regarding E911 services, you can contact me, Tom Gill, at ext. 5220 or email me at tgill@amphi.com.

Graphics and Printing Has Been Busy This Summer!

By Jamie Gurulé
Graphics and Printing has been working 19 hour days to complete all the work submitted this summer.  Our copy numbers are up, up, up!  In June we ran 1,936,491 copies and 2,147,580 in July.  Although we have done a lot of work this summer, our busy season is just starting.  Here are some key things to remember when submitting an order: New Service This Year
This year the High Schools and Middle Schools have partnered with Graphics and Printing on grade reporting.  Through the help of software created by Lighthouse School Products we have implemented running all grades on 8 ½  x 11 white paper.  This not only will save substantial costs in carbon forms, but also in postage.  Lighthouse’s grade reporting program works with SASI.

By formatting information from SASI, Lighthouse Grade Reporting allows quick and easy grade reporting.  All grades will be electronically submitted directly to the Docutech printer for fast printing.  What used to take 10 – 24 hours will now be completed in 15 – 45 minutes, depending on the size of the school.  Graphics and Printing will then fold and prepare all grades for distribution.  I would like to personally thank Steve Frost, Seth Butler, and the school registrars for all the time and effort that went into planning and implementing this program.

Take a Safari!

By Joshua Shoffner
Microsoft recently announced they would be discontinuing development of their Internet Explorer browser for Macintosh systems.  While some may be disappointed with this announcement, all should take heart, for there is a rapidly rising replacement—Safari.

Safari is a free web browser created by Apple for Mac OS X computers.  In many ways it is already superior to Internet Explorer, and many users have already switched over to it entirely.

Here are some of the benefits Safari provides to users:

Safari is faster.  Safari was developed to launch faster, load pages faster, and handle sophisticated web sites (such as those that utilize Java) faster than other Internet browsers in use today.  In most cases, Apple has been very successful at accomplishing this objective.

Safari can utilize “tabbed browsing.”  When browsing the Internet, many people like to connect to several web sites at one time.  With many browsers, you must open a new window for each site you go to.  Your desktop becomes quite cluttered in a short period of time, and finding the window that contains the web site you want can be confusing.  Safari offers you a technology called “tabbed browsing.” All windows are contained within a single browser window, but you are presented with “tabs” that represent each site.  You can easily switch back and forth between sites by selecting from these tabs.

Safari can block pop-up windows.  Pop-up windows containing ads are one of the most annoying things about surfing the Internet.  With Safari, you can block these windows from cluttering your desktop and interfering with your Internet experience.

Keep in mind, there is still room for improvement in Safari.  Occasionally you will run into a web site that will not display properly.  At this time, Apple has even accounted for this.  Safari users have access within the browser to report bugs and problem sites directly to Apple with just a few mouse-clicks.  Apple then takes the information you send them and improves the application for the next release.  This method has improved the capabilities of the browser at a rapid pace.

Should you have any questions, or would like further info, please browse to www.apple.com/safari, or email me at jshoffner@amphi.com.

Finding Educational Materials

By Peggy Steffens
Have you ever gone to your favorite search engine like Google looking for good web sites to use in your classroom? You type a topic like “civil war” and get over 2 million hits and you don’t have time to wade through them to find the best ones for your students.  A solution to this problem is to start with education portals instead of generic search engines.  Education portals are websites that often include a search engine, information, links to web sites, news, forums, and options for customization.  Some of the best education portals today are:

Teachers First - www.teachersfirst.org/matrix.htm

Marco Polo - www.marcopolo-education.org/

Education World - www.educationworld.com/

Blue Web’s - www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/

Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators - school.discovery.com/schrockguide/

Eduscapes - eduscapes.com/

Top 101 Sites for Educators - www.assortedstuff.com/top101

TrackStar - trackstar.scrtec.org/

Scholastic - teacher.scholastic.com/

Eduhound - www.eduhound.com/

Gateway to Education Materials - www.thegateway.org/

The Teacher’s Guide - www.theteachersguide.com/

Pro Teacher - www.proteacher.com

Try one of these portals the next time you are looking for educational sites to use with your students.

Advanced Teacher Web Tips

By Peggy Steffens
Each issue of Tech Talk we will share a few advanced user tips to spice up your Amphi Teacher Web page.

Bulleted List
Do you want to add a bulleted list to your Amphi Web Page? It’s easy with a little HTML code.  Add the following lines to your text box.
<ul>
<li> first item in list </li>
<li> next item in list </li>
<li> repeat as many times as you want.</li>
</ul>

An example of this might be:
To Be Successful in Class, you need to:
<ul>
<li> Pay Attention </li>
<li> Complete Homework Assignments </li>
<li> Work Well with Others</li>
</ul>

Your web page would look like this:
To Be Successful in Class, you need to:

Adding a Picture to a Text Box
There are times you want to add a picture to a web page and the template doesn’t have a picture box. In order to do this you need to have a picture in the private or public library.  Follow the steps below.
Click on Picture Management.
Click on Private or Public Library (depending on where the picture is located).
Click on the Down Arrow button and pull to the picture you want and click View.
Right Click on the picture and left click on Properties.
Highlight the URL address and right click and left click on Copy.  The URL address will look something like http://www.amphi.com/teachers/images/ FC88667570A246F998154073F1B7C295.gif

Now go to the place you want the image and type the command
<img src=“URLaddress”>, so for my example with the picture above, I would type
<img src=“http://www.amphi.com/teachers/images/FC88667570A24 F998154073F1B7C295.gif”>

Why Can’t I Get to the Web?

By Will McCullen
Welcome back everyone!  Just a reminder, don’t forget to make sure your browser settings are correct before you call Tech Support.  Your browser should be set to use a proxy server with proxy.amphi.com and port 8080.  This will give you the best performance.  If your browser is set to 206.210.134.9 it will work fine.  You might want to go ahead and change it to proxy.amphi.com.  If you can pull up www.amphi.com try going to the Technology Department home page and click on ‘Internet Configuration’ for a step-by-step guide.

Computer Price Sheets on the Web

By Sheri Sense
When was the last time you looked at the Technology Web Site?  It has a host of information that you may find helpful.  If you click on the Staff link, you can see what everyone does in our department and their extensions, so there’s no need to wonder, “. . . now WHO do I call?”  You can check out the Tech Class handouts, look at Internet Acceptable Use information, and see the Software Specifications & Categories – and much more!  But for now, I want to talk to you about the Computer Price Sheets pages.

We want ordering technology equipment to be as simple as it can be for you.  That’s why we have tried to standardize as much as possible what we will be buying as a District.  If you click on www.amphi.com/~technology/prices.htm, you will see several categories:  Computers, Printers & Peripherals, Cameras & Scanners, Telephone Equipment and Video Equipment.  By clicking on any one of these links, you will see the specifics of equipment that we are recommending.  We try to keep it as current as possible.

If you click on Computers, for instance, you will see that we changed the computer manufacturer from Gateway to Hewlett Packard/Compaq.  There are three computer choices right now.  They all have a CDRW (CD burner), but one has a regular 17” monitor, one has a flat screen display, and one has a DVD-CDRW.  There is also information for a 17” flat screen display (no computer), for those of you who want to upgrade your monitor.  The prices are slightly better than the old computer prices.  You will see the ordering information on the left hand side, along with a link to the quote itself.  The quote needs to be sent along with the requisition to Purchasing.  These quotes are all using the WSCA contract, so there’s no need for any additional quotes.

Please give me a call or email me if you have any ordering questions – I will be happy to help.  Happy Ordering!

Software Licensing Issues

By Raul Bejarano
The reason for this article is to help  you, the user, understand software licensing.   Many of us know that every District computer comes with core software on the machine.  This software list is located on the District Technology Web page.  This software is what the District has available licenses to set up on District-wide machines.

There are other levels of software that each site has purchased. Each site is then responsible for keeping track of the amount of purchased licenses for each piece of software and how many machines it can be used on at one time.  Each site should have information on hand at all times so that they can provide proof of license if requested.

All software manufacturers have a Software License Agreement or EULA known as “End User License Agreement.” When you purchase a piece of software that license will tell you what you can and cannot do!   These companies make it a habit to prosecute those who do not follow their agreement.  If you purchase and install software for your personal home computer, you may be breaking the law by installing the software on your District computer or by sharing that software with others around you.  Please read your agreement before installing any software to a District machine.  If you should have any question please feel free to contact the Technology Department for help.

Important Easy Grade Pro Saving Information

By Patti Greenleaf
Probably the most important file a teacher utilizes during the school year is their Easy Grade Pro grade book.  That is why it is imperative for teachers to keep a couple of things in mind when saving their grade book file. First, save the grade book file that you open and work on to your hard drive not on a floppy or your server. Grade book files constantly save information as you are working, and because of this some corruption errors have occured when a person saves his/her main file to a floppy or server.

Second, it is crucial for teachers to make both electronic and hard copy backups of their grade book regularly. Easy Grade Pro makes it pretty easy to make a backup. Every time you close a grade book it will ask you if you want to make a backup.

You can make a backup to:

An important thing to keep in mind when making backups is what are you going to name it. If you say yes you want to make a backup, the default filename is Copy of filename.egp. I would suggest that you do not use this name because every time you make a backup it will overwrite your existing backup. I would suggest instead that you give it a name with the date that you made the backup (i.e. grades8-12 for the grade book you saved on August 12th and grades8-30 for the grades you saved on August 30th) this way if one of your backups becomes corrupt you could access a prior date’s backup.

You will want to also make a hardcopy backup of your grade book quite often. Go to the Print Reports section, click on the Charts tab and print out at least the Score Chart. You might also want to print the attendance chart if you think you will need it.

Compaq Hard Drive Replacement

 By Sheri Gimlin
Many of you are returning to familiar classrooms, seeing all the old familiar faces but there are many new faces around the district too.  Whether you are a new or returning employee -we all have the same goal - Educate the students.

While educating students is our primary goal, we in the Technology Department believe that supporting, educating and empowering the technology users in the District is equally important.  As the new school year starts out it is important to be reminded of District standards and guidelines.

Compaq deskpro computers were purchased with Student First money and are for student use. These computers cannot be in an area of the classroom that is deemed a “teacher only” area.  A “teacher only” area might be a teacher’s desk, the area directly behind the teacher’s desk or any other area of the room that a student might not normally have access to. Students must have access to these computers. Compaq computers were purchased to equalize the student to computer ratio across the state.

Most of these computers were installed by early 2001.  Compaq has now notified us that many of these may have defective drives. Some of these computers were shipped with Fujitsu drives.  Fujitsu has confirmed that there are issues with these drives that cause them to fail. IKON Solutions is working closely with the Technology Department to replace the drives in any Compaq that has a Fujitsu drive. We are trying to identify all Compaq computers, determine if the drive is Fujitsu and set up a time to have the drive replaced.  If you have a Compaq computer in your classroom the chances are good that you will have the drive replaced.  We are working hard to minimize any inconvenience this many cause. Please remember to save any important files to the server.  Whether you have a Compaq or not, saving important files to the server will ensure that your files are safe in the event of any hard drive failure.

Need SASIxp Training? SASIxp “Training Online” is Available at the SIS Office

By Jean Scott
SIS (Student Information Systems) subscribes to a comprehensive, web-based SASIxp tutorial package. (Hint: New SASIxp users are very strongly encouraged to take the Basic Applications course as soon as possible!)

SASIxp training is now available for:
1. Basic Applications (The Basics, Enrollment, Emergency/Health, Discipline, etc).
2. Query (Everybody needs to know how to query data!).
3. Attendance (Period or Daily).
4. Scheduling (Basic and Mass).

Advantages over traditional classroom/lab training environments:

Every course includes:
New Discipline Data Entry Procedures
By Pamela Kreiner
With the SASIxp upgrade, there are a few changes in discipline data entry:

1. When entering dispositions please put most severe action first.   The upgraded version will display and keep them this way.  You no longer need to enter MD: in comment section.

2. Only use ”day” and “hour” fields when it pertains to out-of-school suspensions.  Due to District and State reporting, we only need to see out-of-school suspensions in these fields.

3. When entering notes you no longer have to expand the window.

4. There is a new report called DIS04 which gives you, in detail, a monthly breakdown of each offense type.

5. When entering referred by, please be consistent with how you enter names.  This is very important when we are gathering data for district reports.

Care of Your Opscan Scanner

By Steve Frost
Keeping your scanner clean is absolutely necessary. Whether or not your scanner gives you good accurate service depends mainly on what kind of care you take to keep it clean.

The general rule of thumb is to clean your scanner once a month.
If you scan an extremely large number of sheets, scan sheets that are in poor condition, or receive poor results from your scanner, you may need to clean the scanner more often. In general, remember to clean the scanner once a month. There are three main areas of the scanner that need cleaning, and they are.

1. Transport bed:  Unlatch the read head and carefully lift it back until it “catches,” then spray canned air directly on the transport bed area. This removes large amounts of dust and other types of debris. You may then use a dampened lint- free cloth and wipe along the transport bed.

2. Drive Rollers: There are generally three drive rollers that must be cleaned, two drive rollers and one pick roller. Lightly dampen a clean lint-free cloth, with soapy water and wipe the rollers free of debris while slowly turning them.

3. Read Head: Lightly dampen a lint-free cloth with glass cleaner, and gently clean the surface of the read head. Do not use a general-purpose cleaner or soapy water to clean the read head.

How to Quickly Input Student Information Into Your Easy Grade Pro Gradebook

By Patti Greenleaf
With the hectic pace of the start of a new school year wouldn’t it be nice if there were an easy way to enter student information into Easy Grade Pro?  Well guess what -- there is! Easy Grade Pro allows for people to import information from other sources, for instance, SASIxp and Excel. It just takes a teacher and the SASIxp administrator at his/her school working together.

The first step is for the SASI administrator at your school to create a query and to save it as tab delimited information. The SASI steps would be to set the Query’s output as “export” then type in the following query:  ASTU ACLS AMST PermNum LastName FirstName CrsTitle SectionID BY SectionID IF TchNum = XXX  (the XXX is the teacher’s Number as shown in the Teacher file and shown in the section for each class that teacher teaches). Save the information to a floppy disk and give it to the teacher, or you could email the file to the teacher.

The next step would be for the teacher to convert that file to a tab-delimited file in Excel.  Follow these steps:
Open Excel.
Be in a new workbook.
On the Menu bar, click on File, select Open.
In the Open Dialog Box, indicate the location of the file, and in the File of Type box in the bottom left, select All Files.
Double click on the SASI file.
Select Delimited fields, click Next.
If the delimiter is different than Tab (if you can see information in the columns in the window, leave it as is) select it, otherwise click Next.
Indicate data format for each column; if it is a date field make sure you enter the correct date format, click Finish.
Save the file in Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt) format. Select File, Save As, in the Save As Dialog window where it says “Save as type” select Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt).  Decide the location to save the file to and the filename and click Save.

The final step would be to import that file into Easy Grade Pro. Please follow these steps:
Open Easy Grade Pro.
If it opens into a grade book file, close that file. Don’t make a back up of it.
In the window that appears select Create a New Gradebook.
Give the grade book a name and save it.
In the next window that appears select Import Classes.
Select ‘Easy Import’ of Students. Click Next.
Give new class a name and indicate the term.
Locate the text file that has that class information. Click Open.
In the next window give a Format Name (can be anything, for instance, Class Import) and then on the left you will see the information to be imported. In the right column, you would indicate the label for the information you want to import by clicking on the triangle and selecting the label for that field. You would not have to use all the information on the left side if you don’t want to. Click Next.
The next window will show you what the information will look like. If correct click Import Records.
It will ask you if you want to import again, if you do click Yes or No. (For instance if you want to import another class.)
This time instead of selecting ‘Easy Import’ of Students you can select the Other Formats tab and then find the Format Name you gave (i.e. Class Import) Click Next.
Decide if you want to import to current class or new class.
Give new class a name and indicate the term.
Locate the text file that has that class information. Click Open.
The next window will show you what the information will look like. If correct, click Import Records.
Continue process until you have imported your entire class list.

Hopefully, this will help you with the entering of student records into your grade book. From that point forward you would finish creating your grade book as in the past. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 696-5218.

How to See if Your MS Windows PC Needs a Tune Up

By Seth Butler
Steps to follow:
1. Double Click on the “My Computer” icon.
2. Right click on the (c:) drive icon and choose properties with the left click from the menu that appears.
3. Click on the tab that says “tools” and check for how long since you have had error checking status and defragmentation status.
4. If either of these items is over 150 days, you are due for a tune-up.
5. You can call this in to your Tech Specialist.

A Message From Claudiovisuals

By Claudio Araya
The following Assignment Discovery videos are now available for checkout from the media center.

V 2245  Bioethics-Genes and Environment: Is it nature or nurture, genes or environment? What can we change and what is genetic? What makes someone smart or slow, aggressive or passive? This fascinating look at the study of identical twins may give us insight into these controversial questions and the implications of finding answers we may not want to learn.

V 2246 Bioethics-Genes and Body Type: do genes determine being overweight? If so, then how important are exercise and diet? Case studies in England and the United States take a look at the genetics of body type and shed some light on the scientific and social implications of being overweight.

V 2247  Bioethics-Genes and Personality: How much of our personality is built into our genes? Separate identical twins at birth, then bring them back together years later, and what do you get? Some wild and scary similarities. This video looks at the controversial results of twins research on personality, which casts serious doubt on how much our upbringing influences our likes, dislikes, and habits.

V 2248  Body Story, Fighting Disease-Allergies: It hurts when a wasp stings you, but it’s dangerous if you happen to be allergic to them. Learn why a sting may be just a pain to one person but cause an extreme histaminic response-and possibly death in another.

V 2249  Body Story, Fighting Disease-Germs: You may know that handling raw chicken is not a good idea, but do you really know how a person gets salmonella food poisoning? Watch as we follow the actual symptoms of this infection and learn the science behind how our bodies respond to it.

V 2250  Body Story, Fighting Disease-The Flu: Travel inside the body of Holly Jones, a 25-year-old motorcycle courier who becomes a victim of the cellular war between her immune system and the influenza virus. Watch her immune system-an army of cells-fight to protect her body from unfriendly invaders, and see the toll the battle takes on Holly.

V 2251  Body Story, Trauma-Broken Bones: Meet 11-year-old Lisa Mason. After she accidentally crashes her bike and breaks an arm, we travel inside her bones and see how these tough honeycombed structures of calcium, phosphate, and flexible collagen withstand pressure and heal themselves when necessary. This is not for funny bones. It’s a serious matter.

V2252  Body Story, Trauma-Heart Attack: An intricate system of vessels, arteries, muscles and electrical impulses, the cardiovascular system keeps oxygen-rich blood pumping through our bodies. But what happens when that system is challenged by fatty cholesterol plaque? Journey inside 45-year-old John Palmer’s body to experience a heart attack up close.

V 2253  Body Story, Trauma-Trauma: The human body is an amazing machine, able to repair itself under most circumstances. What if those injuries are severe or go undetected by medical  professionals? Learn how healing becomes a team effort on the parts of the patients and doctors.

V 2254  Body Story, Growth and Development-Infancy: They may look like miniature versions of adults, but babies have a lot of physical and intellectual changes to go through before they so much as cry. Discover how their brains, as well as their bodies, begin growing from day one so they can meet some of their own basic needs.

V 2255  Body Story, Growth and Development-Puberty: Is it love, or is it just raging hormones? Those teen crushes are the result of a major renovation of the human endocrine system that takes place as children become adults who are ready to reproduce. Watch as Darren and Natalie experience firsthand this upheaval called puberty.

V 2256  Body Story, Growth and Development-Metabolism: Is starving yourself the best way to lose that extra weight? Although it may seem like a quick fix, it’s actually better to alter your metabolic rate by balancing your fuel intake and caloric burning. In other words, eat right and exercise!

Another Message From Claudiovisuals
Language Arts Videos

By Claudio Araya
The media center has available for checkout some new language arts videos to supplement novel reading.

V 2196  To Kill a Mockingbird starring legendary actor Gregory Peck and based on Harper Lee’s 1960 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Brock Peters is Tom Robinson, a field hand on trial for the rape of a white woman. Prejudice reigns supreme in the backwoods town where this trial takes place. And as an intolerant 1930’s society rebels, Atticus prepares his defense while trying to raise his children.

V 2197  Treasure Island Charlton Heston is the infamous pirate Long John Silver in this Robert Louis Stevenson classic story about a young cabin boy, Jim Hawkins, who despite his youth proves a courageous adversary. A secret treasure map, snatched by Jim from the dying captain Billy Bones and the terrifying Blind Pew becomes the prize in a swashbuckling battle on land and sea.

V 2198 Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry This is a powerful drama starring Morgan Freeman of a Mississippi black family’s struggle to keep their land and their dignity during the depression. This is all seen through the eyes of a young black girl named Cassie Logan. Cassie experiences the conflicting mysteries of kindness and cruelty, tenderness and anger with one shelter she can trust – her family – when her world seems to be falling apart.

V 2199  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings based on the best-selling autobiography by Maya Angelou, an all-star cast adapts I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Her life began in vicious, racist, Depression-era Arkansas with the sensitive Maya being shunted between her grandmother’s house and her mother’s – where she was raped…and withdraws into total silence. Finally, she speaks again and, in her valedictory address, shares her realization.

V 2200  The House of Dies Drear based on the book by Virginia Hamilton this eerie ghost story with a twist reaches back to the days of slavery and underground railroads. Spooky antics begin when a modern-day black family moves into a historic old house that seems to be haunted by murdered abolitionist Dies Drear. Dramatic special effects help build suspense as Walter Small and his son Thomas seek to discover the secrets of the legendary haunted house.

V 2201  Inherit the Wind  The famed “Scopes Monkey Trial” is the focus of this blistering courtroom drama about a Tennessee high school teacher on trial for daring to teach Darwinism to his students. The controversial subject of evolution versus creation causes two polar opposites to engage in one explosive battle of beliefs: Spencer Tracy portrays a crafty defense attorney to Frederic March’s pompous, bible-thumping prosecutor.

V 2202  The Call of the Wild  Richard Dreyfuss narrates this adventure based on Jack London’s best-selling novel about a dog and a miner who explore the Great North.

The Hotline

By Richard Coca
As another academic school year begins, I would like to take the time to remind those of you who have been here in the District and to inform the new District staff, the proper procedures to initiate service calls on computers. If you are experiencing problems with your computer, please first inform your on-site Tech Specialist of your problem(s). Your Tech Specialist will then evaluate the problem and, if possible, resolve the issue. If the problem requires further attention, your Tech Specialist will then place a trouble call on the “Hotline” at 5078. These calls are then addressed by the Technology Department on a first-in first-out basis. If your computer problem is an administrative emergency type, then please have the Tech Specialists place a call to the Technology Department dispatcher at 5214. These types of calls are then prioritized and addressed.

Some exceptions to these call-in procedures are the high school service requests. The on-site Technician must first address high school calls. For CDO, this is Bill Maginnis. For Amphi High, this is Phillip Boucher. And for Ironwood Ridge, this is Randy Boren. The on-site Technicians are usually able to address most of the computer- related problems. If they require further assistance, the on-site Technicians will initiate a service call on the “Hotline.” Hopefully, by following these guidelines, we will all be on our way to future happy computing.

By the way, please remember to back up your work daily and save to your school’s local server.

Teachers and Staff Busy During Summer Training

By Patti Greenleaf
The Instructional Technology Department had a busy summer training District teachers and staff.  We had 272 people register for 83 classes.  A variety of classes were offered ranging from introductory courses to creating web pages.

One of the most popular classes this summer focused on the new web page solution the District has called Amphi Teacher Web that allows people to create pages without knowing HTML. You can check out examples of some of the pages created at www.amphi.com/teachers/psteffens/amphiweb.html. Many of our classes focused on information that teachers could take back and utilize in their classes.  Teachers were excited about all the hands-on activities they were able to make to take back to their classes. Also popular this summer were GroupWise Email Basics, Advanced Email, and GroupWise Calendar as people prepare for the District switch to GroupWise from Netscape Messenger.

The Fall schedule should be online August 12th and in your mailboxes sometime that week.  Look for the old standard classes to be offered and some exciting new choices like Manipulating and Creating Pictures Using Microsoft Photo Editor, Blogging in the Classroom, Enhancing Reading Through Technology, and Outlines in Word and PowerPoint. We will be offering quite a few GroupWise email and calendaring as well as Amphi Teacher Web classes.

The best way to register for classes is through our online site at http://techreg.amphi.com/ after August 12th.  If you haven’t registered for classes recently and have forgotten your ID#, give Nicole a call at 5215 or at the web site click “Forgot Member ID# Click Here!” To register for classes, click on the Register link and click either Register or New Registrant so that you have an opportunity to update your information like phone number, etc.

Visual Representation Search Engine – KartOO

By Peggy Steffens
Have you seen the meta search engine KartOO? If you have not, you should check it out at www.kartoo.com.

KartOO is programmed in Flash and has a simple first screen for entering information.  However, once you enter a search term and click on OK, KartOO launches a query to a collection of search engines, compiles the results and places them in a series of interactive maps. The graphic presentation shows the 10 first results as balls with the size being proportional to the relative relevance. When you hover on top of the ball, a short description is shown. If you want to see more results, another map appears just by clicking on the appropriate link.  The educational value to this search engine is that it helps organize topics in way students might not have previously considered.  The site is excellent for visual learners because they identify relevant results based on size, lines, and color. The links have plus (+) and minus (–) signs to allow you to quickly add or delete words to your search. Consider trying KartOO for your next search.

Learning Phone System Features

By Tom Gill
The District phone system is packed with features that make it easier to communicate information to whereever we need to. From the simple phone features to the multi-faceted voicemail services, there is something to aid everyone. You do not have to be a power-user to benefit from these features, just a little knowledgeable. “How do I become knowledgeable?” you ask? By asking for training in the Technology Department that’s how. I offer support via the telephone and, depending on demand, teach phone and voicemail classes. I will also go to your site and help with any specific training or problem. I also welcome any suggestions that will improve the quality in the training. I just need some feedback from you--the people that make this District function.

You can reach me, Tom Gill, at extension 5220 or email me at tgill@amphi.com.

Passwords!

By Chris Bonhorst
Passwords have become an everyday part of life for most people.  They are used in everything from email, web page access, student records, to financial accounting.  Many of the passwords in use are probably too hard to remember and that is when they get written down.  The purpose of a password is to provide security, much like a key to your car or an alarm code to your house.  As I’ve traveled around the District I have noticed that passwords can be found just about everywhere.  I have seen them written on desks, saved under the keyboard and even on sticky notes attached to the monitor.   Can you imagine anyone taping his or her car key to the top of the hood or writing his or her alarm code on the front door?

So what’s the solution to this problem?  Make sure your password is hard to guess and easy to remember.  The best way to do this is using mnemonics.  Here are a few suggestions:

Use the first letter of each word in your favorite tunes/poem:
“Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light” = oscysbtdel
Use a sentence that you can remember with a date:
“Mike was born 1/15/89” = mwb11589

How to change your email password

If you are using GroupWise…
Go to Tools and pull to Options.
Double click on Security.
Click on the Password Tab.
Type your Old (current) password.
Press Tab.

Type your New Password in both New Password and Confirm Password boxes.

Click OK.
Click Close.

If you are using Webmail
Go to http://www.amphi.com/~technology/email/passwords/passwordchange.html and follow the instructions on the web page.

Computer Maintenance

By Antonio Garcia
As the new year begins, there will certainly be some problems with many computers that need to be fixed as soon as possible. It is the responsibility of the user to advise the Technology Department about the problem after all logical things have been tried first. Below are some things you can do before you call for help: After all of the above possibilities have been attempted, and the problem still exists, then users should ask the Tech Specialist to call the ‘Hotline’ for technical support. A technician will come to work on the problem as soon as possible. Patience, please! The beginning of the year is the busiest time of the year, we will get to you as soon as we can!

The Importance of Saving your Data to the Server

By Matthew Weber
The data that is saved to your local hard drive is not backed up to tape every night.  In the event of a hard drive failure it is extremely likely that all of your data will be lost.  Some of the things that you should be saving to the server are documents, backup of grades, and archived email. Remember to save your grades to your hard drive and make a backup copy on the server.  If you are saving items to the My Documents folder on the desktop they are not being saved to the server.  If you need to have this setup done or if you are unsure where your files are being saved, contact your Tech Specialist and have them check the settings for you.

File Formats

By Peggy Steffens
Have you ever looked at the file format names at the end of your documents?  Common ones you may have seen are:

.doc Microsoft Word Document
.xls Microsoft Excel Document
.ppt Microsoft PowerPoint Document
.pub Microsoft Publisher
 Document
.exe Executable File (program)
.kid Kidspiration document
.ins Inspiration document

If you would like to see a list with the most common file formats go to www.ace.net.nz/tech/TechFile Format.html.  This list might help you if you see a document on your computer or someone sends you a document as an attachment and you need to know what program is required to open it.

Virus Scanner Cleanup

By Seth Butler
Throughout the District we have a virus scanner that protects us from various types of computer viruses.  If you should happen to receive a warning about a virus, you should take the following steps.

1. Confirm that the virus message says either “Cleaned” or “Quarantined.”
2. If it says “Quarantined” then you must do some more work to completely delete the virus from your system.

Below is a step-by-step procedure to clean a quarantined virus:

1. Click on your Start button in Windows.
2. Highlight the Programs menu with your mouse pointer and next to it a list appears, select Symantec or Norton Antivirus Corporate edition and then select the same name again that appears to go into the controls of this program.
3. On the left hand side you should see a “View,” selection with a “+” next to it, click on this plus sign.
4. You will now see a number of selections, choose the one that says quarantine by clicking on it.
5. From here right click on the file that is displayed and choose delete permanently.
6. Now select Start Delete.  This should give a successful message.
7. Close out of these windows and you have now removed this virus from your PC.

Note:  Very seldom is there ever a time you will need to recover a quarantined file, but be aware if the Virus attaches itself to a file you use, you may want to have your Tech Specialist call the Technology Hotline at 5078.

Ready, Set, Troubleshoot

By Sue Sledge
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 key 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.

Phone and Voice Mail Information

The Amphitheater District has a voicemail system that allows you to call any number in the School District by using only the last four digits.  It is a good idea to forward your phone to voicemail if you are teaching or away from your desk.

To call another phone on the new system:
1.  Press your extension button or pick up the phone.
2.  Type the 4 digit number (you do not need to dial 9 or the 696 prefix)
For example, to call:
Cross dial 5920
La Cima dial 6730
Coronado dial 6610

To Forward your phone to Voice Mail:
1.  Press the Forward Button
2.  Type 5100
3.  Press the Forward Button

To get to your Voice Mail Box  on-site quickly do the following:
1.  Pick up Your Phone
2.  Press the Message Button
3.  Press the Pound sign (this enters your extension number automatically)
4.  Type your password and press the pound sign

Voice Mail Hints
When you are in Voice Mail and listening to your messages you can press the following:
2 - lets you skip the introductory remarks of who the message is from and when they sent it
6 - skips to the next message, you can press this any time during the message
1 - moves you back a little in the message
3 -  moves you a little forward in the message
76- deletes the message

Exciting Grant Opportunity for Teachers

By Patti Greenleaf
The Amphitheater Instructional Technology Department offers teachers an excellent way to learn ways to incorporate technology into their curriculum through the Ed Tech Grant. The participants will have to complete 45 hours of professional development, complete lesson plans, and conduct Net Buddy Nights. The grant has two components that participants can sign up for.

The Literacy Engagement Collaborative participants will be involved in staff development and lesson planning and creation that helps them become more familiar with technology and find effective and innovative ways to incorporate technology in reading and writing curriculum. The Literacy Engagement Collaborative meets on various Thursdays throughout the year. After completing the requirements these participants will receive a digital camera and scanner or a computer projection panel for your classroom and a $500 stipend.

The Integrated Curriculum Collaborative participants should have a fairly strong foundation with regards to integrating technology into their curriculum and will be involved in staff development and lesson planning and creation that incorporates higher-level thinking and authentic assessment with the state standards and using the NWEA Learning Continuum and technology to enhance learning. The Integrated Curriculum Collaborative meets on various Wednesdays throughout the year. After completing the requirements these participants will receive a computer with a CD-ROM RW or a computer projection panel for your classroom and a $500 stipend.
Any Amphitheater teacher can apply for either group but people applying for The Integrated Curriculum Collaborative will have to demonstrate what they have previously done in regards to integrating technology into the curriculum and writing lesson plans.

Contact Patti Greenleaf at 5218 or Peggy Steffens at 5213 for an application or informational pamphlet.  The application can also be found at http://www.amphi.com/~edtech, click on Training Materials, click on General Materials and then click on Ed Tech 2003-04 Application.  Please submit completed applications to Patti Greenleaf in the Technology Department.

Update Your Voice Mail

It is important every year to update your Name and Greeting in the voicemail part of our phone system. The steps are listed below.
Entering Your Name into the System
1. Connect to the Voice mail system with your password
2. Press 89
3. Press 5 to record - wait for the tone and state your first and last name and extension.
4. Press the # key to end the recording.
5. It will repeat what you have said, if you like it press 83 to log out, or repeat steps 2-4 again until you are happy.

Recording your Greeting
1.  Connect to the Voice mail system with your password.
2.  Press 821
3.  Press 5 to Record
4.  Say your Greeting
5.  Press the # key to end the recording.
6.  To review the greeting press 2, to add more to it press 5, to delete it press 76 and then follow steps 2-4 to record again,
7.  Press 83 to log out.