Is your site "wired?" Do all of the people at your site have email accounts? Are you wondering what to do with this wonderful resource? Here are some ways to use email and save a few trees:

Lunch Counts

If there is a computer in your cafeteria, or a cafeteria worker has access to a computer someplace else, send your lunch count via email. It is simple if you use the subject line to report information. For instance, the subject could read "19 student lunches and 1 teacher salad." Then the cafeteria worker doesn't have to open all the messages. By viewing the inbox, the "from" column announces the classroom teacher's name and the subject line gives the count!

Piece of cake.

Newsletters

Do you publish a site newsletter for staff? Try sending an eletter instead. Set up a "list" in Netscape and send everyone the information that would go in your newsletter. You save time and resources by not using the copy machine and not having to pass out the printed newsletter to all the mailboxes! In addition, some teachers in our district send email newsletters to parents that keep them informed about what is happening in the classroom.

Committee Reports

Do you serve on a district committee? Are you supposed to report information back to your site? Try sending out that information on email instead of competing for precious staff meeting time with everyone else who is reporting on committee activities. This is especially helpful if you are not comfortable speaking to the whole staff at one time.

Speaking of meetings.

Are you tired of spending meeting time listening to a list of informational items? Would you rather spend your meeting time learning something new or dealing with important issues and projects -or cancel meetings if there is nothing significant to discuss? Are you the one in charge of some of these meetings? Try sending out the informational items via email. Save that precious meeting time for the REALLY important items.

And more on meetings.

Have you ever tried to lead a discussion on an important topic only to find out that the group members hadn't had time to think through the issues? Try sending out an email announcing the discussion topic in advance. This will give everyone time to think about the issue and maybe even bring relevant materials to the meeting.

The Northern Telecom Meridian District phone system has capabilities and limitations that may be different from conventional phone systems. As the phone administrator for the district, it is my responsibility to dispel any myths about how the system operates. These misconceptions can misinform, confuse, and frustrate the user. So here is a short list of the facts that dispel the phone system myths:

Fiction:

• Voicemail messages stay in your mailbox forever or until they are deleted.

Fact:

• The Meridian Mail does a system purge every 14 days to save memory. Any message left in the voicemail box after 14 days will be deleted.

Fiction:

• Phones can be moved to any phone outlet.

Fact:

• The phone jacks have to be wired into the system and programmed for a specific telephone line for it to work.

Fiction:

• The Meridian telephone and my home telephone work on the same type of line.

Fact:

• The Meridian telephones are digital and will not work on a conventional analog line (the type of line you would have at home). But fax lines and modem lines that work in the Meridian system are programmed for analog. This is to ensure compatibility with fax machines and modems.

Fiction:

• The programming of the telephone (features, numbers, etc.) is done on the phone.

Fact:

• The programming of each telephone is done on a port in the phone system and then wired to a specific jack. The phone is then labeled according to the programming of that port.

"Who wants to be a Millionaire" is a very popular television program with many people, including your students. Are you interested in using a PowerPoint presentation to play the game show in your classroom with your students? I have created a PowerPoint presentation replicating the game show, which you can download from the Internet. You can download the file and change the questions to be applicable to concepts you are studying in class. The presentation includes the lifelines; however, you must keep track of the lifelines used. The teachers who have used the PowerPoint presentation with students rave about how much the students enjoy the activity.

The URL address to download the PowerPoint file and instruction sheet for making changes to the presentation is www.amphi.com/~pgreenle/classmat.htm. Once at that page, click on the link that says "Who wants to be a Millionaire? Presentation." Save the file to your local computer then open it like you would any other PowerPoint presentation. To be able to use the instruction sheet you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader loaded on your computer. There is a link on the page to Adobe if you need to download the program. Once you have Adobe Acrobat Reader, click on the link on my Class Materials page that says "Millionaire Handout." The file will open in PDF format so you can print it to help you revise the presentation. The instruction sheet does not go into detail about how the links for the buttons were created. It just gives you pointers on how to change the question text, font, and the size of boxes. To get an idea of how to actually create a PowerPoint presentation using the features I incorporated in this file you would need to take an Advanced PowerPoint class.

Feel free to modify the presentation to meet your needs. If you come up with any great ideas you would like to share with me I would love to hear them. When you or your students are actually running the program you must stress to them to only click on the appropriate button areas, if they don't, it will just advance them through the slides like a normal PowerPoint presentation.

We have received calls recently inquiring about what is and is not filtered on the firewall. Often this arises when folks are trying to reach a site that utilizes what is commonly known as Secure Sockets. Secure Sockets are used when you want to send information through your browser in an encrypted format. Sites that do banking, stock or subscriptions often will ask to use this service. The only way this works in our district is by configuring your browser to use the proxy. We have a step-by-step web page for this procedure at www.amphi.com/depts/technology/internet/proxyconfig.htm. Otherwise, if you get a "403 Forbidden error" then you are most likely being blocked by our Cyberpatrol filters. The criteria for these filters are listed on the Cyberpatrol web site at www.cyberpatrol.com/cybernot/criteria.htm. This is the best way for you to get a good handle on the basic concepts that determine why a particular site might be blocked. If you find a site that you feel should be blocked, go to the cyberpatrol site, www.cyberpatrol.com, and enter the URL of the inappropriate site. They will review your entry and include it into their list. Currently, we are blocking these categories: Violence/Profanity, Full Nudity, Sexual Acts/Text, Gross Depictions/Text, Racist/Ethnic Impropriety, Satanic/Cult and Militant/Extremist. These are the basic categories. Schools can elect to include more filters for their site if they so choose, but the categories listed above are blocked for the entire district. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a call at 5221.

Did you know that if you right click on the Back button in Netscape, it will display

recently visited sites so that you can go back several pages at one time. The items that appear are often different than the ones in your Go menu list.

We've already finished the first nine weeks and even enjoyed an intersession. One would think and/or hope that life would now settle back to a reasonable pace for the second nine weeks. Well, it isn't going to happen and that's good. The School Facilities Board has developed a program that will give the schools enough computers to make a student-to-computer ratio of 8 to 1. That means that in the next few months Amphitheater School District will receive 629 computers that will be distributed between the schools to equalize the ratio of multimedia computers. That means that we'll all be busy trying to get all those new Compaq and iMac computers set up.

Welcome Sheri Gimlin

I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our new Computer Installer, Sheri Gimlin. Sheri isn't actually new to the District. She was a Technology Specialist for La Cima Middle School for the last 3 years. She brings a wealth of experience on both the Macintosh and PC computer platforms. Most recently, she earned her Novell CNA certification that helps her troubleshoot all the new computers she is installing.

Sheri is a Tucson native with 2 children that attend AHS. She is an avid reader and wants to be a world traveler! We are most fortunate to have Sheri on the Technology Team. When you see her on your campus, please give her a big smile and make her feel welcome.

Slowly but surely the installation calls are being completed. It's great to be greeted with enthusiasm! There have been a few snags but overall the installations have gone well. I am working hard to get all the computers unboxed and installed with the core software as well as taking care of the other installation calls. I appreciate everyone's patience. Now that intersession is over here are a few things you can do to ensure minimal classroom disturbance.

1. Have the boxes readily available.

2. Attach a note on the boxes as to where you would like the computer installed. (Left corner of desk, back table etc.)

3. Keep in mind the computer should be set up as close to the network drop as possible. Standard network cables are 6" long. This may require rearranging on your part!

4. Have the table set up or a space cleared for the computer.

5. It is strongly recommended that you have a power strip with surge protection.

6. Write down any questions you might have. It might not be convenient for you to break away when I come in.

Lastly, please keep in mind that some of the new Gateways come pre-loaded with Office 2000. We are currently working with Microsoft to acquire a confirmation number to activate this piece of software.

I appreciate all the warm wishes I've received and your continued patience.

The 9th Annual Teaching and Technology Conference will be held on Saturday, January 20, 2001. The conference will be held at Tucson High. The cost is $25.00.

The conference will feature exhibitors and presentations on the Internet, multimedia, telecommunications, curriculum integration, and presentation graphics. The keynote speaker is Sara Armstrong, Director of Content at The George Lucas Educational Foundation and she will be speaking on Teaching in the Digital Age: New Visions for Teachers, Technology, and Community Involvement in Schools. Registration information may be obtained on the web at www.ed.arizona.edu/tc/ or by contacting your Technology Coach, Patti Greenleaf, or me.

We would like to introduce a new set of videotapes available from the Media Center for use in the classroom. Interactions: Real Math - Real Careers is a set of 12 Math programs designed for intermediate and middle school students. Each episode introduces different math topics and the episodes are:

V 1080 Solar Energy - Beth Richards, a senior mechanical engineer with Sandia National Laboratories, walks through a field of giant solar arrays, describing projects she heads that bring power to people in some of the most remote areas of the world. Miguel Contreras, an electrical engineer, takes students inside the ongoing development process of solar cells. Math topics include exponents, geometry, and percents.

V 1081 Water Resources - In the control room at the California Department of Water and Power, Keith Watkins, chief of urban water conservation for the State of California, and his staff meet the daily challenge of supplying water to a growing population of millions, much of which lives in the desert. Math topics include patterns, functions, and measurement.

V 1082 Endangered Species - Robert Mesta with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leads students deep into the forest, recording numbers of nests and hatchlings, and recounting how he combined scientific training and traditional Indian values to help bring the bald eagle off the "endangered species" list in Arizona. Math topics include ratios and patterns.

V 1083 Recycling - Ray Hoffman, supervisor for strategic planning at the Seattle Solid Waste Utility, worked with engineers and city planners to create a recycling program that has become a model for the rest of the nation. In this episode, students travel from beginning to end of the recycling process as specialists show what it takes to get the job done. Math topics include percents and fractions.

V 1084 Digital Communication - Erik Phelps, telecommunications engineer at GTE, and Donna Auguste, technical director of multimedia services and development at US West, provide a clear introduction to the basic concepts of the digital communications revolution. Math topics include exponents, patterns, functions, and powers of 10.

V 1084 Making Music - Composer/performer Patrice Rushen takes students behind the scenes as she creates music for HBO's Comic Relief, while renowned percussionist Ndgu Chancler demonstrates the rhythmic patterns used in jazz, rock, hip-hop and other popular music styles. Math topics include ratios, proportions, and fractions.

V 1085 The Fashion Business - Jill Lynch, senior marketing specialist for Levi Strauss and Company, and others in the design, marketing and sales teams reveal how they meet the demand for America's favorite clothing. Math topics include decimals, percents, and statistics

V 1087 Coaching an Athlete - Ed Liddie, head judo coach for the US Olympic Training Team, uses math to create training programs that put athletes at the peak of physical ability. Students also visit with coaches from the US Bike and Swimming teams at the Olympic Village in Colorado Springs. Math topics include percents and statistics.

V 1088 Designing a Product - Mark Flannagan, senior product designer for sunglasses at Bausch and Lomb, takes students into the design studios and factories as a new style of Ray Bans are created and produced. Math topics include statistics, percents, and geometry.

V 1089 Building a Rover -

At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's testing ground, a team of scientists demonstrate their vehicle, Rocky 2. Donna Shirley, rover development manager, says Rocky, will one day wander over the Martian landscape snapping pictures, maneuvering to avoid falling into holes or getting stuck in soft sand. Math topics include geometry, patterns and functions.

V 1090 Voyage to Mars -

At NASA headquarters, students follow Astronauts Sidney Gutierrez and Bonnie Dunbar inside their spacecraft to discover what's needed to make the journey.

Math topics include geometry

and decimals.

V 1091 Deep Sea Missions - James McFarlane, chief R.O.V. pilot for the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and Dr. Mary Silver, a professor of marine biology, pilot the Ventana, a deep sea remotely operated vehicle, filming the ocean floor and collecting fragile marine samples. Math topics include geometry, ratios, patterns, and functions.

Here are some sites that you and your students can use in your curriculum.

4 2 Explore - a great site to use when you are looking for quality educational sites on a topic. On each page you'll find definitions, activities, four good starting points, and many more links and resources for each thematic topic.

eduscapes.com/42explore/

Billy Bear's Playground - a site designed for primary students that has games, activities, storybooks, and more.

www.billybear4kids.com/

CNN NR Newsroom - a site that provides daily classroom guides designed by educators to supplement CNN Newsroom.

turnerlearning.com/newsroom/

CNN FYI - a news and information site for students and teachers with no advertising or subscriptions requirement. The stories are written with students in mind and are age and content appropriate.

fyi.cnn.com/fyi/

Tammy's Technology Tips for Teachers - provides instructions for using applications in the classroom, online resources, PowerPoint presentations teachers can use in the classroom, and more.

www.essdack.org/tips/

Anne Frank Online - provides information about her life and times, her diary, the Anne Frank Center USA, and more.

www.annefrank.com/

Science Fair Home Page - provides ideas and information about science fair projects.

www.stemnet.nf.ca/sciencefairs/

American Memory - the Library of Congress provides digital collections. Check out the Learning page that contains learning activities, research tools, and lessons plans. A great source for providing primary source images, maps, and sound.

memory.loc.gov/ammem/

First Gov - the official United States government web site with information on agriculture and food, arts and culture, business and economy, environment and energy, Federal Grants, taxes, science, technology, and more.

www.firstgov.gov/

White House for Kids - a site to provide elementary students with information about the White House and the first family.

www.whitehouse.gov/WH/kids/html/home.html

Vocabulary University - a site with vocabulary activities for students in grades 4-12. They provide vocabulary puzzles to enhance vocabulary mastery and have exercises to help prepare for GED, SAT, and ACT tests.

www.vocabulary.com

National Portait Gallery: Hall of Presidents - the Smithsonian Institution provides information about each of the presidents of the United States and the presidential portrait.

www.npg.si.edu/col/pres/index.htm

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - provides information, history, location, maps and more about the Seven Wonders of the World.

ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/

Lesson Title: The Skeletal System http://trackstar. scrtec.org:80/main/display.php3?option=frames &track_id=15761

Liesl Mitchell, a 4th grade teacher at Coronado, created the highlighted TLCF lesson for this issue. Liesl used an Internet site called TrackStar to create her lesson. TrackStar allows teachers to create Internet web lessons with links to different Internet sites and directions or annotations for each link. The Skeletal System lesson exposes students to the skeletal system and has them explore what it would be like to go through life without bones.

Standards for the Lesson:

Science 4SC-E4: Identify the systems involved in such vital functions as digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, control, and coordination.

Technology 5T-E1: Locate information from electronic resources.

Lesson Objectives

Academic Students will be able to identify the major components of the skeletal system.

Students will be able to identify the 3 major purposes served by the skeletal system.

Students will propose what their life would be like without a skeleton.

Technological Students will be able to navigate a web page in frames.

Systems Modeling Software

By Dean Packard

So your students have created spreadsheets, and they have even ventured into databases. Well, have I got a software tool for you! System Modeling Software such as STELLA, PowerSim, and Model-It can help your students use computers as "Mindtools." "Complex learning requires that students solve complex and ill-structured problems and develop complex mental models of the world in order to do so." (Jonassen, 1996) If your students are modeling phenomena, or doing simulations by hand, then Systems Modeling Software is for you. You can create a model by representing a real world situation, make connections to the important aspects of the model, and analyze the model for its representation of the world. For example, in a social science class you could use a model to look at the immigration patterns in border towns or in a chemistry class to look at Le Chatelier's Principal and reversible reactions. Models can be created by the teacher and worked through by the students, or the students can design the models themselves.

The most popular system-modeling tool called STELLA is made by High Performance Systems. You can download a non-save demo from www.hps-inc.com/new.htm. STELLA simplifies model building via a three-step method in which equations that formulate simulations are automatically generated. In the first stage, called mapping, building block icons construct a graphical representation of input parameters. In the second phase, called the model phase, the software automatically creates equations that are needed to simulate a model. The simulation, or third step, can be viewed as graphs, tables, or animation.

David H. Jonassen has developed a coaching model to teach students how to use this kind of software. The steps are:

1. Students run and test an existing model.

2. Students manipulate an existing model.

3. Students create a group model.

4. Students make a plan for their own models.

5. Students create their own model.

6. Students demonstrate their model to the class.

7. Students create their own theories.

8. Students reflect on the activity.

Modeling software can lead to creative and complex thinking and allows for multiple simulations in a short amount of time. If you would like to see some examples of how Systems Modeling can be used in your classroom try the following sites:

• A high school model using the Kinematics of Tailgating mvhs1.mbhs.edu/mvhsproj/pbs/tailgate/tailgate.html.

• Curricular Design for a Seventh Grade Science Class: The Biological Significance of Surface and Volume effects on Respiration and Absorption as Understood Through Physical and Computational Computer-Based Models. www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/People/raulz/html/model_it.html.

• Modeling in the secondary science curriculum: (lots of good stuff here including spreadsheet lessons) www.pwcs.edu/newmod/Goralhom.htm.

If you are on a web page in Netscape Navigator you can add a page to your bookmark list quickly, simply right click on the page and left click on Add Bookmark.

Did you know that you can add a bookmark from a link; you don't need to go to the Web page to bookmark it. Just right click on the link and left click on Add Bookmark.

You would not believe the number of panic calls we receive in the Technology Department from people who are giving presentations in the next few minutes and the computer projector won't work. My first piece of advice is that before you plan to do a presentation like this, test the equipment and make sure your computer will work with the projector. Some laptops or computers don't have a port to connect a monitor cable. I always test the equipment, and then I give myself plenty of time before the presentation to make sure everything works. You are working with technology and problems can and do happen! The next piece of advice I have is to have a backup plan in case you never get the projector to work. I gave a presentation in California and the technicians finally got the equipment to work with 5 minutes left in my presentation. Luckily, I had planned for this and had made overheads of my presentation. Look at your audience and your presentation and decide what would constitute a good backup plan in case the technology doesn't work. It is better to be prepared than panicking at the last minute.

All projectors, computers, and laptops are different; that is why it is important to test everything prior to your presentation date. I know many people who test the equipment days and weeks before the presentation to make sure the sound works, and to make sure everything is visible on the screen. They write down any special steps that they need to remember. It is good to note that some projectors will only display the presentation on the large screen and will not display it on the computer screen. If this is the case, it is good to practice before your presentation because it can be awkward not being able to see your computer screen. In addition, it is good to see if all of your colors will show. Some PowerPoint presentations use lovely gradient colors, however, if your projector doesn't show enough colors then your background will have blocks of colors that will not be appealing. Also, check out the room that you will be using and see what the lighting conditions are. Once, I was in a room that was very light, the room didn't have window coverings, the projector was older and not very bright and it was impossible to read the words on my presentation, so I had to use my backup overheads. So, learn from my mistakes and ask about your room before you arrive.

Here are some of the most common things to check when you are having problems with your laptop computer and projector.

Check the Basics - Are the cables from the computer to the monitor and the monitor to the computer connected tightly? Is the power plugged in? Is the power strip on? Did you turn on the projector and computer? Sometimes when we are anxious, we forget the little things.

Display - Some projectors need to have a different display setting. Go to Start, pull to Settings, and Click on Control Panel. Double Click on Display. Click on the Settings Tab. Try changing the screen area to 640 X 480 pixels. Also, you can try changing the colors to 256 colors. Click OK. See if these changes make any difference.

Laptop - many laptop computers need you to hold the function key down while pressing the monitor function key (it varies from laptop to laptop, but the key usually has an icon of a monitor). This usually toggles you through displaying on the laptop, the projector and both; so try pressing it several times.

Restarting the projector and computer - sometimes all of the changes we make don't take effect immediately; so before I panic too much, I try shutting down everything and restarting the projector and computer. I also read any troubleshooting hints the manuals suggest.

Projection devices make impressive presentations, but it is very important to be prepared before the big event. Plan ahead, test things out, and give yourself plenty of time before your presentation to make sure all the components work.

What's happening in the southeast corner of the AMS library? Come on over and visit the newest lab on the Amphitheater Middle School campus. This new lab of 20 computers is designed to help support students in reading and math using new programs such as Scholastic READ 180 and CompassLearning math.

Speaking of the Scholastic READ 180 program, all students in the school were assessed using the Scholastic Reading Inventory software in September. This assessment gives teachers information about the approximate grade level students read, a score that correlates to the Stanford 9, and creates a list of books that students can enjoy reading independently. Teachers loved getting all the information and students immediately wanted to try and improve their score by retaking the test. A very successful use of technology in the classroom!

Have you wondered how people create links to their Microsoft Office files on their web pages? The process is really quite simple. You create a link to the file just like you would any file you have created to be linked to your page and then use an FTP program to place that file on the server. The exact steps are listed below.

1. Create the file in one of the Microsoft Office programs.

2. Save the file. If it is a Word file you will want to tell the computer to save the file in "Word 6.0/95" format so that people with Office 95 will be able to open it. Also, you will want to save it to your local web page folder so the file structure is correct when you create the link.

3. Open the HTML file where you will place the link.

4. Create the link to the Microsoft file like you would a link to a local html file that you have created. An example in HTML code would be

a href="worksheet.doc"> History Worksheet</a>

5. Save the HTML file. Again, you probably will want to save it to your local web page folder so the file structure is correct when you create the link.

6. Open an FTP program (i.e. WS_FTP or Fetch) and send the Microsoft Office file and the revised HTML file to the web server.

7. Open your Netscape and navigate to the HTML page you created the link on.

8. Click on the link, it will ask you if you want to open or save the Microsoft Office file. (Macs will automatically make you save the file.) If you select open the file, the Microsoft file will open the appropriate program and open the file. If you select to save the file, the computer will ask you where you want to save the file and what you would like to call the file. Once it has been saved, you open it like you would any other file and you can make changes.

The reason for this article is to clear up some of the misconceptions about printers and which ones can be networked. The most common printers in the district are HP, Lexmark and older Panasonics.

The most common question we have come across is how to network these printers?

The first thing you must know is what type of printer do you have. Is it a DeskJet or laser printer? The reason for the question is to determine whether it is network capable. All DeskJet HP, Lexmark DeskJet and Panasonic printers do not have network connection to enable them to be seen on the network. You must have an HP Laser, a Lexmark Optra T614NL, or a Lexmark Optra M412N and a network card to be seen on the network. When calling the Hotline to have a printer networked please make sure that the model of printer you have is network capable.

All schools have TV and Video cabling installed. TV cabling carries the signal from Comcast or Cox cable companies and any other signals (such as from a VCR, video laserdisc player, Peoples Choice receiver, satellite receiver or from a cable converter box) from the Library headend or other distribution center to your classroom TV. Video/Camera cabling has the potential of carrying a live signal from a portable video camera station (from any location with a Video/Camera jack) back to the Library headend or distribution center for distribution throughout the school.

All schools have the TV cabling system completed and operational except AHS, CDO and Keeling which are partially operational.

The following schools have the Video/Camera cabling system completed and operational and do live telecasts: AMS/Prince/Rillito, Coronado, Donaldson, Harelson, La Cima, Mesa Verde, Painted Sky and Wilson. The remaining schools require additional equipment (including a modulator, distribution amplifier, splitters and/or taps and other equipment needed in a headend system) to make this feature usable.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, you may contact me at extension 6200, by email glarsen@amphi.com or send me a note at Donaldson.

Due to the limited storage space available on our network servers, each of you has been assigned a certain amount of storage space. When you reach the limit of your storage space (of course, it's usually just as you are saving a document) you will receive this message:

Network Status Client 32: Out of disk space writing file to server. Try deleting some files before continuing. Warning you will lose data if you hit 'Cancel.'

You will also see a Retry and Cancel button.

You really have no choice but to select the Cancel button. A secondary message may pop up that says, "Destination disk drive is full." Select OK.

You should be returned to the document you were trying to save. The best thing to do, at this point, is to save this document to your hard drive. Go to File, pull to Save As. Go to the Save in: drop down menu and use your scroll bar to find Desk Top (usually at the top of the list). Click on Desk Top, so it appears in the text box, then click on Save. This should save your document to your hard drive and put an Icon on your desk top for that document.

Note: You can save the file anywhere on your hard drive,

I recommended the Desk Top to make it easier to find the document later.

It is always a good idea to delete old files from your server subdirectory. You can use Windows Explorer to look at and delete outdated documents. This will free up room for more documents. If you absolutely can't delete any files, you'll need to give me a call at 5219 if you are Admin and or Support staff, or contact your Tech Specialist if you are a teacher or instructional staff.

If you want to keep an "preventative" eye on your disk usage you can do so by opening Windows Explorer, look at the drive listings under My Computer, right click on a drive letter pointed to Users (usually M), go to Properties, select the Netware Volume Information tab and look at Disk Space Restriction, Disk Space Used and Disk Space Remaining under restriction. The space remaining will indicate how much space you have left on the server. Good Luck!

Introducing students to the use of Power Point can be easily integrated with your classroom curriculum. Students can learn the skills necessary to create diagrams that can be used to meet the Research Paper requirements and the State Standards for Technology.

One activity that the 5th grade at Copper Creek uses in the lab is utilizing Power Point to label the skeletal system. We import a skeleton from clip art and then use the diagram labeling tools to label the various bones. This can be done by partnering computers and students. One student uses Grolier's Encyclopedia to access the information on the Skeletal System on his computer. The other student uses his computer to label a PowerPoint slide with the appropriate labels. The two students can take turns accessing the information and labeling.

This activity could be used in other grade levels as well, for example to label counties on a map of Arizona or the planets in the solar system.

Most of the computers we buy, even the old HP's, have a three-year warranty on them. This includes the monitor, the keyboard, mouse, and the computer itself. The way most companies work the warranties is we call them and tell them it's broken. They ship us out a replacement unit. We drop the broken one in the box the replacement came in and ship it back. They then will repair that unit and when the next person calls and says they have a broken whatsit, they ship that one to them. That is why is it very important that you do not permanently mark your computer equipment with ink, paint or engraving. The company will not accept equipment in that condition for warranty replacement.

Do you or your students have questions you would like to ask Japanese students or educators? Do you want me to come to your class and discuss information about Japanese people, the culture, or the educational system?

I am very fortunate to have been selected to participate in the Fulbright Memorial Fund program. Again this year, 600 American educators will to travel to Japan for 3 weeks to learn about the education system, culture, and people. I will be going to Japan in November 2000 and returning in early December. There are 200 educators traveling in this group; we will start out in Tokyo and then split into groups of 20 and visit different prefectures (states) in Japan. I will be visiting Hamamatsu and part of my visit will include visiting schools and staying with a family. I would really like to take questions that you and your students would like answered. I will try and email the responses to your class while I am in Japan. Please send me your questions by email to psteffen@amphi.com or call them in to me at 5213. I need your questions by November 6, 2000. In addition, if you would like to become keypals with students in Japan, I will be trying to find teachers who would like to participate in a keypal learning exchange. Again, please contact me by November 6th with information about your class and what you might like to do with a classroom in Japan.

Next spring, I would like to come and share my experience in classrooms across Amphitheater school district. I am taking a digital camera and will be creating PowerPoint presentations and information on the Internet. If my experience would fit into your curricular needs, please contact me and tell me what you would like me to share and some possible times to come.

The Japanese government is continuing the program in 2001; you can obtain information at www.iie.org/pgms/fmf or by calling 1-888-527-2636.

Here are the steps for adding a network printer to your computer. If you need help with this ask your school Tech Specialist to assist you.

1. Click on the Start Button.

2. Click on Settings.

3. Click on Printers.

4. Double click on the Add Printer icon.

5. Click Next.

6. Click on the Network Printer circle and click Next.

7. Click Browse.

8. Double Click on Root.

9. Double Click on Amphi.

10. Double Click on your Site or School (e.g. Painted Sky, FSS, Wetmore, etc.)

11. Click on the printer queue name (e.g. the ASD barcode number on the printer followed by the letter "Q").

12. Click OK.

13. Click Next.

14. Click on the Manufacturer and the Model (e.g. HP on the left and HP 5M on the right).

15. Click Next.

16. The Printer name will be requested, put in the area where the printer is located,

(e.g. Front Desk Laser, Computer Lab North).

17. Click on the Yes circle on this screen if you want this to be your full time printer.

18. Click Next and you will be asked to print a test page, Yes should be selected already.

19. Click Finish.

20. You may now be asked for the CD ROM disk for Windows 95.

21. Click OK, type in the input window C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS

22. Click OK and continue, this will show a progress meter and you will be finished when the message about the printer test page appears.

23. Click Yes if it printed OK and you are finished.

In recent weeks we have experienced numerous problems with our Qwest (formally US West) provided data links, as has the University of Arizona, our Internet provider. An easy way to check if your link to Wetmore center is working is to go to the Amphi home page. If you can reach this, your link here is working. The next thing you can check is www.arizona.edu. If you can reach the U of A home page our link to the U of A is working. Frequently, in the last few weeks we have been able to get to the U of A but no further due to the problems the U of A is having with their Qwest lines. Problems at the U of A and beyond are out of our control. You should still inform us about them so we can pass them on to the U of A. Your assistance in providing information and how far you can get will greatly speed our ability to diagnose the location of the problem and to start fixing it.

Have you ever gotten an email like that from a co-worker, a friend, or family member? They send you a little program that has a spinning disc, or allows you to throw bowling balls at elves, or any number of things. These little programs can be cute and funny. They can also be viruses. There are other problems with these cute little applications; they are small by nature and often written in a hurry (My guess is most of them came as a result of a class project), often times with little to no debugging. The bottom line is, we have no idea what they might do to your computer.

The District has set some policies concerning software loaded on District computers. We have three levels of support. You can find information in more detail on the Internet at: www.amphi.com/depts/technology/software.htm.

Category I - Full Support

"Software Committees representing District personnel needs established a "core" set of

software that will be loaded on all new hardware." This is software that the Technology Department buys, installs, and maintains.

Category II - Limited Support

"When a school or department determines the need for a piece of software that is not part

of the Core software they can request it be added to a machine/network." This is software that the site or department needs to do their job, but is not part of the Core package. The site is responsible for purchasing, installing, and supporting the product.

Category III - NO SUPPORT

"When a School or Department has a piece of software that is not approved by the Technology Department, they can load the software; however the Technology

department will no longer support the software or computer in terms of repair, maintenance, and technical support. The main items in Category III software are screen savers and games that are not tied to your curriculum; these need to be removed from your computer.

If you have Category III software on your computer, it cannot be connected to the site Local Area Network and the District Wide Area Network."

"Elf bowling" and other such "cute" programs fall into this category of software.

Please be aware that if you call the Technology Department because you are having problems with your computer locking up or giving you errors, and we see little cats, dogs, or sheep running around your desktop, that is the first thing we are going to delete. Please save these items for your computer at home.

We are here to help you, but there are lots of you and a few of us. In order to give you the best possible service we need to stick with these policies. Thanks!

From time to time you may see a slow Internet connection. Hopefully it is local to your PC and not the entire district, but that does happen from time to time. Here is a suggestion that might just put the wind back into your Internet sail when things seem to be a bit slow.

Step #1: Start Netscape Communicator and click on the Edit Menu.

Step #2: Click on Preferences.

Step #3: Click on the plus sign next to Advanced.

Step#4: Click on Cache.

Step#5: Click on Clear Disk Cache. Click OK.

Step#6: Click OK and you should be able to navigate more quickly.

To provide the best possible service to employees requiring computer repair it would be helpful ifyou remember the following when calling the repair hotline at 5078:

1) Teachers should ask the site Tech Specialists to look at the problem and have them call in the repair if they can't solve the problem.

2) Be as specific as possible regarding machine type and brand - this assures that the technician has the correct repair/replacement parts and avoids a second trip and additional downtime.

3) Please speak slowly and clearly when leaving messages (we don't know shorthand).

4) Completely describe the problem you are experiencing including any error message(s) displayed.

5) Place the pink repair ticket on equipment after you receive it.

6) Do not move the computer or monitor after calling it in.

7) If you find the repair ticket information to be incorrect, call the hotline with the necessary changes and reference the ticket number.

If you have any questions about the Service call procedure(s) or the hotline, please contact Sue Sledge at 5214.

In 8th grade science labs at La Cima, the students use various forms of technology in the

production of work. For example, in our next lab students must sort and analyze data to determine the best dosage of growth hormone in chickens. We will use Excel to organize the data and utlitize the computational formula aspect of Excel to calculate averages and percentages of death caused. In the follow-up lab, the students will use an Online Simulation through Tom Snyder's Decisions Decisions web page to debate the issue of animal rights in laboratory testing.

After the debate, students will write persuasive letters about animal rights on Dream Writers to local congressman, and will create political cartoons to accompany the letters.

In the last issue of Tech Talk we had a contest to give away an Alpha Smart and we ended up giving away several Alpha Smarts and Dream Writers. The teachers who entered wrote compelling reasons why they needed the devices in the classroom. The teachers put forth a great deal of effort in describing how they would use this technology with the students. One teacher even had her students provide rationale for why they needed the technology.

Congratulations to the Winners:

Gerri Beth Borga - AMS/AHS

Carole Celaya - Wilson

Barb Kober - AHS

Katya Suryadevara - AHS

Elizabeth Nelson - La Cima

By Will McCullen

Each issue we will try and highlight the top technology problems that you, the user, encounter along with what happens, why, how to fix it, and how to avoid it in the future.

What happens: You have been emailed an attachment and can't open it.

Why: Windows matches files with applications based solely upon the three letter extension. The extention consists of the three letters that come after the period, e.g. "My word file.doc" This matching is called an association. Your machine may be configured not to show the three letter extension, but if the file has an icon, it is there. If that extension is different or missing, or if the association on that machine is incorrect, then you will not be able to open it by double clicking. For example, if you rename a Word document from "My word file.doc" to "My word file" you will see the Word icon disappear. If you add the ".doc" back on the end of the file name, the Word icon will reappear.

How to fix: Probably the easiest method is to open the application you think it should use and go to File on the menu of that application and select Open. If the open window has a "Files of type" option then you may have to change it to "All Files" or *.* to see the document you want to open. If you do not have an application that will open the type of document you saved, then you may need to ask the sender to send it in a different format.

How to avoid: Ask the sender to tell you what application they used to create the document.