ISS International School August 2011
ICT News
Welcome The start of the academic year has been hectic, but I am sure things are starting to get organised in terms of ICT across each campus. With numerous issues to deal with Jane and her IT support team have worked hard over the summer trying to get the year off to a smooth start. Over the last few weeks I have visited classes and spoken with many staff members. I am impressed with the enthusiasm staff have in all aspects of their teaching, and their desire to integrate ICT into their curriculums. The ICT teachers (Colin, Rob & Adam) on the various campuses have been generous with their time and input into the issues classroom teachers and students are facing. We have met on a number of occasions and this will continue in the future.
Where is the ICT Integrator?
I have tried a few different timelines with each of the campuses. What I would like to do is have set days, to begin with and gauge later its effectiveness
Mon & Tues
Preston Campus
Office next to IT support
Wed
ES Paterson Campus
Staff Room
Thurs & Fri
MS Paterson Campus
Office (between Rooms 1 & 2)
So if you need some help in any ICT, feel free to email me and organise a time slot when you are free.
Changes with Email Addresses
A few minor changes to some of the staff email addresses since the start of the year. If you have ‘bounced’ emails from Sandra or Marilu this is why! Any edits must be done manually on your notebook, there is no central address book that is being used. Marilu: mburden@iss.edu.sg Sandra: sclarkguillotel@iss.edu.sg Also Kaye Parker’s email address is now kparker@iss.edu.sg
Introduction to the Mac Environment
A great presentation from Nelson from Epicentre was held last Wednesday. If you couldn’t make it, and would like to go through what was covered, email me to sort out an alternative time. Keep in mind the days and locations above. I can be contacted via email and phone 9183 9706.
Vic Gecas
Yammer...a Closed Social Network Site for ISS Social networking sites have increasingly become popular. This is one that you may wish to join. It is closed site, so if you do not have an iss.edu.sg email address, you can’t join. It looks much like Facebook.
It is easy to create groups, two have been setup already; Marketplace (for selling, swapping etc) and Hawker Centres. Ideal for any collaborative work. If you would like to join, just email me (vgecas@iss.edu.sg) and I will add you. You don’t have to add the desktop application (but I have) as it works directly off the web as well. The social committee could use it as a method of advertising their activities and it would avoid the school email being used for social activities and drinks etc after school.
Smartboards Looking for lesson plans and activities? Engaging Learners the SMARTboard Way SMART Exchange Smartboard Templates Teachers Love Smartboards
Last Week’s Tip You can import the clipart that comes with Office all you need to do is to find it. (I am using Office 2011 so the solution may be different for different versions.) Go to Applications > Microsoft Office 2011 > Office > Media - locate the Clipart folder and drag it to the iPhoto icon in the Dock. iPhoto will open, import all of the clipart and arrange it in Events based on the folder name the images have been stored in.
Your work on your notebook needs to be backed up (copied to another storage device) on a regular basis. The school networks do not do this. You need to do this yourself. Dropbox is an example of one way fo doing it. Another method is using Time Machine.
Simple reasons why you should use Time Machine 1. Painless way to back up your files 2. It’ll save you when your Mac crashes (seamless migration to a new Mac) 3. Ability to access your files via another Mac when you don’t have your own (say you lost it/it died/ it got stolen) So do develop the habit of regularly backing your Mac up! Not sure how, see Vic.