A great tool that can be used on ever MLTI Macbook.
When on a web page that you would like to enlarge the text (i.e. new article or selection of text), go to your browsers top menu bar and click View > Zoom. Make sure Zoom Text Only is checked. When you are ready, you can either go back to View > Zoom and click Zoom In, or key stroke Command+ (plus). When you want to zoom out, Command- (minus).
Share with me your ideas and I will help you get there
Friday, March 25, 2011
Adding HTML to My Moodle Course
There are a few different ways to embed HTML in to your Moodle course. The process is pretty much the same every time.
When you create an activity, web page, label, etc there will be a full text editor as indicated below.
When you create an activity, web page, label, etc there will be a full text editor as indicated below.
Once you see this editor, you can be safe to say, "I can add HTML". In order to paste the code in the text box and have it be read properly, you must select Toggle HTML Source; this button - "<>". When the text box changes, simply paste (Command+V) into the text box. If you have never played around with HTML code, be careful not to mess with any other text associated with the text box. When you have finished pasting, click the <> button to return to your regular text mode. You may or may not instantly see your results; if not, it's ok. Just click Save and Display at the bottom of the configuration page and you will see your results.
How Do I Embed HTML Code?
For the most part embedding HTML code is easy and you don't have to know a lot or anything about HTML. Most sites or domains that offer gadgets, video, etc that have embedding HTML already done for you. What is HTML?
Here's how it works:
We will use You Tube as an example because most everyone knows You Tube and how to navigate through it (unfortunately, You Tube is not a reliable source for student use on Moodle because it is blocked for students. However, for the sake of learning how to embed code, we will use this source). Below every You Tube video you will notice a small menu allowing you to add the video to your favorites, share, download, like, dislike; you can also "Embed". Simply click the "Embed" button and copy the code below (Command+C). As show below.
Though each online application will have its own way or terminology for accepting HTML, if it accepts HTML code, it will have the option to add the code. When you are ready to add the HTML code, simply paste it in the appropriate spot (Command+V). If you have never played with HTML, you will need to be careful with how you paste the code. In most cases, however, it is as simple as pasting it at the top of the HTML text box. There are several gadgets available online from various places. Just look carefully for anything that allows you to get code, embed, etc. Check out life.com. You can embed any of their photos or albums right into your site; great for a discussion on current events or history.
For Moodle, if you want to add HTML, there are a few different ways. See Adding HTML to My Moodle Course.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sweet Search
Sweet Search is a search engine designed with students in mind. Sweet Search searches and evaluates material suitable for students from a variety of teacher, librarian, and expert approved websites.
Try it yourself. Search for something:
Here is what sweetsearch.com says about themselves:
It searches only the 35,000 Web sites that our staff of research experts and librarians and teachers have evaluated and approved when creating the content onfindingDulcinea. We constantly evaluate our search results and "fine-tune" them, by increasing the ranking of Web sites from organizations such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, PBS and university Web sites.
SweetSearch helps students find outstanding information, faster. It enables them to determine the most relevant results from a list of credible resources, and makes it much easier for them to find primary sources. We exclude not only the spam sites that many students could spot, but also the marginal sites that read well and authoritatively, but lack academic or journalistic rigor. As importantly, the very best Web sites that appear on the first page of SweetSearch results are often buried on other search engines.
What does Sweet Search offer:
There will be a bit of a learning curve for your students with navigating through Sweet Search's findings that you will want to educate your students before unleashing them into their own research. When launching a search on a topic Sweet Search highlights all of the words used in your search, making it easier to filter through the articles. For each site that is found, below it are text snippets from the website that contain the words used in your search. Click on the body of these snippets and a preview widow will pop up displaying what that snippet looks like in context to the actual site. Move your cursor down through the snippets and watch the preview widow change as well.
Sweet search also has checkboxes on each site snippet, allowing the searcher select the sections they want to review. But wait, there's more. Sweet Search offer a Firefox Add-on. Simply click on the "Add-on" button at the top.
Try it yourself. Search for something:
Here is what sweetsearch.com says about themselves:
It searches only the 35,000 Web sites that our staff of research experts and librarians and teachers have evaluated and approved when creating the content onfindingDulcinea. We constantly evaluate our search results and "fine-tune" them, by increasing the ranking of Web sites from organizations such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, PBS and university Web sites.
SweetSearch helps students find outstanding information, faster. It enables them to determine the most relevant results from a list of credible resources, and makes it much easier for them to find primary sources. We exclude not only the spam sites that many students could spot, but also the marginal sites that read well and authoritatively, but lack academic or journalistic rigor. As importantly, the very best Web sites that appear on the first page of SweetSearch results are often buried on other search engines.
What does Sweet Search offer:
There will be a bit of a learning curve for your students with navigating through Sweet Search's findings that you will want to educate your students before unleashing them into their own research. When launching a search on a topic Sweet Search highlights all of the words used in your search, making it easier to filter through the articles. For each site that is found, below it are text snippets from the website that contain the words used in your search. Click on the body of these snippets and a preview widow will pop up displaying what that snippet looks like in context to the actual site. Move your cursor down through the snippets and watch the preview widow change as well.
Sweet search also has checkboxes on each site snippet, allowing the searcher select the sections they want to review. But wait, there's more. Sweet Search offer a Firefox Add-on. Simply click on the "Add-on" button at the top.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Power of a PDF
Our MLTI MacBook offers a PDF reader called Preview. A PDF isn't just an electronic document. There are many features that make using PDFs very practical and time saving.As an electronic document, not only can you save paper when exchanging documents from colleague to colleague or when students hand in homework, but PDFs have annotating abilities. When you click on "Annotate" at the top of the PFD document a tool bar opens at the bottom of your document window. From here you have tools that help you annotate your document. Check out the tools available - highlighter, place arrows, boxes and circles; tag a personalized note that fits in the margins; strike-out words or sentences you do not want; underline certain passages; even link words or passages to another page on the document or a web link.
Teach students to convert all of your Word/Pages (Mac) or PowerPoint/Keynote (Mac) documents into PDF format. Not only does it open faster, but has a much cleaner presentation.
Now you are ready to send back your student's essay or report with your notes and corrections for them to fix. Also, use the annotating tools for your own notes.
You, also, can search for particular words in the search box and Preview will highlight your searched word or phrase.
What is a PDF?
Review the below definitions. However, simply put, a PDF is an electronically printed document with annotation capabilities. To find out what you can do with a PDF, read The Power of a PDF.
Wikipedia
Portable Document Format (PDF) is an open standard for document exchange. The file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 is used for representing documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system.[2] Each PDF file encapsulates a complete description of a fixed-layout 2D document that includes the text, fonts, images, and 2D vector graphics which compose the documents. Today, 3D drawings can be embedded in PDF documents with Acrobat 3D using U3D or PRC and various other data formats.[3][4]
Indiana University
PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format developed by Adobe as a means of distributing compact, platform-independent documents. It is superficially similar to HTML; a PDF document may contain images and text, as well as hyperlinks. However, as PDF is based on a variant of PostScript, each document is self-contained, packing text, graphics, and fonts into a single file.
Wikipedia
Portable Document Format (PDF) is an open standard for document exchange. The file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 is used for representing documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system.[2] Each PDF file encapsulates a complete description of a fixed-layout 2D document that includes the text, fonts, images, and 2D vector graphics which compose the documents. Today, 3D drawings can be embedded in PDF documents with Acrobat 3D using U3D or PRC and various other data formats.[3][4]
Indiana University
PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file format developed by Adobe as a means of distributing compact, platform-independent documents. It is superficially similar to HTML; a PDF document may contain images and text, as well as hyperlinks. However, as PDF is based on a variant of PostScript, each document is self-contained, packing text, graphics, and fonts into a single file.
How Do I Convert a Document to PDF?
This is a very simple process. Most documents - word/number processing, presentation applications, etc. - that allow you to print will allow you to Save to PDF. Not familiar with what a PDF is click here.
When you are ready to convert your document to a digital print, PDF, select Print. When the Printing dialog box opens, there will be a PDF button at the bottom. Click the button, select Save As PDF. You will then be directed to save the PFD to a location on your computer. It's that easy.
When you are ready to convert your document to a digital print, PDF, select Print. When the Printing dialog box opens, there will be a PDF button at the bottom. Click the button, select Save As PDF. You will then be directed to save the PFD to a location on your computer. It's that easy.
Firefox Add-on Feature - Readability
Readability.com is a powerful tool that pulls online news articles and cleans them up. In other words, gets rid of any other content on that web page - i.e. advertisements, other headlines, comment posts, or links - and displays a "clean" article with any images that pertain to it. Readability.com, also, allows you to print, share on social networks, and customize appearance. You, now, have the ability to save your chosen articles as PDF, add annotations for your students; or have your students add annotations. The document below covers more detail.
This Add-on tool will be embedded right into your Firefox browser for easy use. No Admin needed.
The document is very easy to read and user-friendly. I have the web link in the document, however simply go to readability.com
This Add-on tool will be embedded right into your Firefox browser for easy use. No Admin needed.
The document is very easy to read and user-friendly. I have the web link in the document, however simply go to readability.com
Did you know you have an instant Dictionary on your MLTI Macbooks available anytime?
In any MLTI application you are working on (including your web browser) you, or your 1to1 students, can access an Apple Dictionary with Thesaurus and Wikipedia simply by highlighting the word, or phrase, and Control+Click. You will notice in the drop down contextual menu the option to Look Up in Dictionary. Apple's Dictionary will automatically launch displaying your selected word's definition.
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