Open Resource Centre

Be wary of giving tech support!

Mike Temple — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:13:19 +0000

All of us end up giving tech support (and receiving it) from time to time, but there will alwways be those times when the request is a little bit if a nuisance. But, being problem solvers, we go ahead and do just onme more fix or download and hope that’ll be the end of it. Not so.

Do read The Oatmeal comic view of doing this

Great solar system visualisation tool

Mike Temple — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:48:13 +0000

This is a great tool for looking at the different phases of the solar cycle and the planets that make up the system. It can also be used to forecast events as there’s a date tool.

Yolink – a better search?

Mike Temple — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:29:53 +0000

Thanks to Linda Gray @elemenous for this

Yolink

Adding RSS buttons to your site

Mike Temple — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:21:16 +0000

use Edublogs for a number of my sites and with certain themes, there’s no RSS feed buttons for easy subscribing. Now this may put off some of your readers and the anchor of an RSS button is a small addition that will keep them coming back.

Adding a series of different aggregators may help simplify the process form many people who are new to RSS, so you might like to try using RSS Button Maker

It’s extremely simple to use except the addition of the traditional RSS button which you are supposed to host yourself. I don’t understand this bit, so opted to use some of the others. You can decide which ones you want to add from the list on their page

How to publish an online quiz using Google docs

Mike Temple — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 11:17:22 +0000

Thanks to Free Technology for Teachers for this useful tip

1. Make sure the first question is “student name.” Otherwise you won’t know who submitted which answers.
2. You can mix question types (multiple choice, short answer, paragraph) but if you have too many types and too many students, the spreadsheet can become difficult to navigate.
3. When embedding the form into a blog, make sure you edit the width to fit within your blog’s main column. You can use the same principles of editing the size of a YouTube video for editing the width of a spreadsheet.

Using Google Forms (in Google docs) to collect data from staff

Mike Temple — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:42:45 +0000

If you work in ICT or Tech as it’s called elsewhere, you may wish to collect information, do an audit etc and this has traditionally been done by a paper return or with one member of staff roaming the school with a laptop tapping in info.

One key process is to audit equipment and its location. This can now be done by each member of staff, in their own location through Google Forms. They simply enter the data you wish to collect and then it turns up on a Google spreadsheet for you to see.

Take a look at this video and you’ll see just how easy it is to set up – getting people to fill it in, however, is a whole new ball game. Good luck with that!

Apple launch the iPad

Mike Temple — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:57:04 +0000

Well today could be a momentous day in the mobile computing world. Just as amazing as when the first iPod hit the streets and then the iPhone. Apple seem to be getting it righter and righter.

So the iPad – any good? Well read the whole presentation by Steve Jobs today here – select oldest first to get a chronological set of posts

Or watch the video here

Thumbnail View in Google Docs

Mike Temple — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:06:27 +0000

Instead of the old list view for your files, Google docs has just added thumbnails for the visual learners out there

Check out the post from @doxtrax Thumbnail View in Google Docs

Prezi – the new Powerpoint?

Mike Temple — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:00:57 +0000

Prezi is a new format presentation tool which significantly allows zooming and movement across the page – a much more flowing and interesting visually. Take a look at this video to get some idea

from @shareski on Twitter
Teacher and student licenses free – check them out

Using Tweetdeck for hashtag conversations

Mike Temple — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:51:42 +0000

@shellterrell on Twitter highlights the use of 3rd party app Tweetdeck for following hashtags on Twitter

450