Saturday, May 14, 2011

Thing #15 - Productivity Tools

Changing File Formats


The first file that I converted to a new format was a Microsoft Word document. I used Zamzar to change the document to .pdf format as is demonstrated in the screen shot below. I was not aware that there were tools for so easily changing the format of files. This is very useful for publishing items on the Internet such as on my "Face of the Classroom" website. Often parents have difficulty opening document files or when they do open, they may not open exactly as I intended because the parent may being using a different version of Word. Files in .pdf format are much more ideal for publishing or emailing.



Media Converter


 
 Media Converter is a tool for converting audio and video files. The free version only allows you to perform five file conversions per day but this should be more than sufficient. Each file size that you are converting can be up 100 MB. Below is a screen shot showing the available output file types to which you can change your media.




(Note: Since Media-Convert.com was unresponsive, I was not able to upload a document file within this program and list the available output file types.)


Google Calendar

Google Calendar is both a useful tool for keeping yourself organized and for informing others about upcoming events. Although my school currently uses Google Calendar for communication among staff members, I don't think any of our teachers use it for communicating directly with parents and students regarding specific events that relate to their specific classes. Below is a screen shot of a sample calendar that I made for my 6th grade classroom. By making my calendar public and putting the calendar address on my "Face of the Classroom" website, I could effectively notify parents and students of upcoming field trips, tests, quizzes, memory work, or other important events. Although I didn't add details or color code the various events on my screen shot, these options could further add to the effectiveness of this communication tool. I'm excited about the possibility of using Google Calendar in this way to communicate with parents and students perhaps the Lord willing in the upcoming school year.






Content Standards:

Aligned to the NETS-T: 1.b, 1.c, 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 3.a, 3.c, 3.d, 4.b

Connections to Marzano Strategies: Summarizing and Note-taking; Homework and Practice; Cues, questions, and advance organizers

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