Tag Archives: Microsoft Office

A.T.TIPSCAST Episode 75: Mouse Properties

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A.T.TIPSCAST spelled using a swiss cheese font

Episode Overview-

This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.

Read & Write Gold, TextHelp, and Fluency Tutor logos

Episode #75 features an exploration of the various settings to make adjustments to the way a user controls the mouse when working on Windows XP and Windows 7.

A.T.TIPS In This Episode-

A.T.TIP #200 – Mouse Properties of Windows XP and Windows 7

Tutorial of Mouse Properties

Guest Appearances on Other Podcasts-

I was recently the guest on two other ed tech podcasts.

Seedlings Episode 115 – We talk about the National Ed Tech Plan, UDL, and more!
http://edtechtalk.com/node/4968

Edceptional Episode 6 – We talk iOS devices and more!
http://edreach.us/2011/04/25/edceptional-show-6/

It was quite an honor to be a part of both of these shows! I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed participating!

Upcoming Presentations-

To view the entire presentation history check out the “Presentations” link at the top of the blog.

Contact Information-

Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.

Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:

Podcast Hosting

Thanks everyone and happy listening!

Image at the top of this post created using: http://www.searchfreefonts.com/free/accent-swiss-cheese.htm

A.T.TIPSCAST Episode #49: AutoCorrect in Word

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Episode Overview-

Hey everyone,

Episode #49 features a description of how to use the Autocorrect function of Microsoft Word as a way to practice errorless learning.

The episode features a bumper from Jeannette Van Houten, an assistive technology curriculum strategist from New Jersey. I was fortunate enough to meet Jeannette at ATIA 2010 in Orlando.

A.T.TIPS In This Episode-

A.T.TIP #75: Autocorrect in Microsoft Word

Step 1. Click on the Office Button

Step 2. Choose “Word Options”

Step 3. Select “Proofing” and then “AutoCorrect Options”

Step 4. Put the text you want to have replaced in the “Replace” box and the text you want to appear instead in the “With” box.

Screenshot of AutoCorrect Window in Word 2007

AutoCorrect in Word 2007

Or just watch this cool www.woopid.com tutorial I found on YouTube.com:

AutoCorrect in Word 07 Tutorial

Contact Information-

A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and Classroom 2.0

Facebook Fan Page

Twitter.com/attipscast

Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:

Podcast Hosting

Thanks everyone and happy listening!

A.T.TIPSCAST Episode #47: x2

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Episode Overview-

Hey everyone,

Episode #47 features an interview with Proby Patel, a fourth year medical student at Ross University.  Proby and I discuss strategies for managing the massive amounts of content students experience.  Specifically, we discuss the uses of speed controls of digital media players to help students experience content faster.

Headshot of Proby Patel

Proby Patel

The episode features a bumper from Brian Wojcik who is the special education/assistive technology center coordinator at Illinois State University.  For some reason the embed code isn’t working for the video of Brian’s bumper but you can watch it directly from here: Brian Wojcik Bumper.

A.T.TIPS In This Episode-

A.T.TIP #73: Variable Playback Speeds for Digital Media Players

In Windows Media Player, version 11, open the file you want to watch.  Click on the Now Playing tab, then Enhancements, and then Play Speed Settings to control the playback speed.

Screenshot of Windows Media Player

Screenshot of Windows Media Player

 

Additional Resources Mentioned-

1. http://iste.org/setsig – The Special Education Technology Special Interest Group from the International Society for Technology in Education (also known as ISTE).  The SETSIG’s website has a wiki with links to ongoing discussions about using technology for students in special education as well as a handy assistive technology primer.

2. Windows Media Player 11 Keyboard Shortcuts – Note: Shortcuts may vary based on the version of Windows Media Player you are using.

3. Quicktime 7 Keyboard Shortcuts – Note: Shortcuts may vary based on the version of Quicktime you are using.

4. Real Player Keyboard Shortcuts – Note: Shortcuts may vary based on the version of Real Player you are using.

Upcoming Presentations-

Alternative Professional Development – Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference 2010 – Orlando, Florida – January 28 – 2:45pm – 3:45pm EST

UDL 2.0 presented with Beth Poss – Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference 2010 – Orlando, Florida – January 29 – 9:15pm-10:15pm EST

Contact Information-

Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com/attipscast.

Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:

Podcast Hosting

Thanks everyone and happy listening!

A.T.TIPSCAST Episode #46: Wordtalk

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Episode Overview-

Hey everyone,

Episode #46 features another excerpt from the presentation for the Individual Differences in Learning Association in Howard County, Maryland.  This excerpt describes WordTalk; a free text-to-speech plug-in for Microsoft Word.

The episode features a bumper from Karen Janowski who is an assistive technology consultant, an assistive technology specialist for a school district in Massachusetts, adjunct faculty member at Simmons College, and school board member in her town.  She is also one of the innovators behind the UDLTechToolKit wiki, which contains a plethora of resources useful for differentiating instruction.

A.T.TIPS In This Episode-

A.T.TIP #72: WordTalk

WordTalk is a free text-to-speech add-in for Microsoft Word. You can find all the details about which versions of Word it works with along with other frequently asked questions, installation instructions and more over at the WordTalk download page.

1. WordTalk SlideShare Tutorial –  This tutorial, created by Paul Hamilton, describes everything you need to know about WordTalk.

 

Additional Resources Mentioned-

1. www.iste.org/chewat – Select “Notify Me” to sign up to get an e-mail reminder when the book comes out.

2. Eight is Enough Presentation – This is the slideshow I used during the presentation for IDL.

3. 2009 Edublog Award Winners – Congratulations to all of the winners!  Let me recommend you head over there to check out all of the nominations and winners. The A.T.TIPSCAST placed seventh out of 26 in the category of “Best Educational Use of Audio“.

4. CliCk, Speak – A free, open source text-to-speech extension for the Firefox web browser.

5. Text-to-Speech in OpenOffice – Open Office is a free suite of programs including a word processing program.  OO Text To Speech is a free download for this program.

6. Word Magnets – Type or paste text (words or letters) into a box that then makes each word (or letter) a separate moveable object.  Perfect for word scrambles or sentence generation on an interactive whiteboard.

Screenshot of Word Magnets

Drag words to make sentences

screen shot of word magnets

Drag letters to make words

Upcoming Presentations-

Alternative Professional Development – Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference 2010 – Orlando, Florida – January 28 – 2:45pm – 3:45pm EST

UDL 2.0 presented with Beth Poss – Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference 2010 – Orlando, Florida – January 29 – 9:15pm-10:15pm EST

Contact Information-

Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com/attipscast.

Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:

Podcast Hosting

Thanks everyone and happy listening!

A.T.TIPSCAST Episode #39: Photo Album in PowerPoint

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Episode Overview-

Hey everyone,
Episode #39 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #39 describes different ways to utilize the Photo Album feature of Microsoft PowerPoint to facilitate digital storytelling.  The episode features a discussion with the newly-improved, fan favorite, B-Bot!

A.T. TIPS In This Episode-

A.T.TIP #57: Photo Album Feature of PowerPoint
In PowerPoint 07 Photo Album can be found in the “Insert” tab.  It is built right into this version.
PAscreenshot1
Although there may be slight variations based on the version of PowerPoint you are using, the Photo Album feature of PowerPoint looks like this:
PhotoalbumScreenshot2
Step-by-step directions for Photo Album Feature of PowerPoint 07
Photo Album in other versions of PowerPoint can be downloaded from the following websites:
PowerPoint 2003
PowerPoint 2000 (requires a free download and install)

Upcoming Conference Presentations-

I’ll be presenting at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)- June 28th – July 1st in Washington, D.C. (Poster Session: Chew the P.H.A.T-Policies and How-to’s in Assistive Technology with Sally Norton-Darr).

Contact Information-

If I don’t get to see you at NECC we can still connect virtually. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Podcast Hosting
Podcast Hosting at CyberEars.com
Thanks everyone and happy listening!

A.T.TIPSCAST SPECIAL EPISODE: Big Announcement #1 – Professional Development

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Hey everyone,

I’ve put together a professional development packet for you to download and use within your school or school district.  Here is how it works.

The Problem:

Educators don’t have time to stay after school for staff development, but most, drive to work.  Some educators may be reluctant to utilize new technologies, but most know how to operate a CD player.  Educators are being asked to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of every learner every day.

The Solution:

The A.T.TIPSCAST is a free podcast that provides strategies to help educators differentiate instruction.  As someone who organizes staff development workshops for your school or school district, download the episodes in each volume and burn them to a CD.  Download the question booklet for that volume, print it out, and put it with your newly burned CD.  Devise a method for distribution and then distribute to staff.  E-mail me to get a copy of the answer booklet with all the answers in it.  You’re done!

With minimal effort you’ve introduced three awareness level staff development workshops that educators can take without ever leaving their car!  That’s over 3 and a half hours worth of professional development content at your fingertips with more to come as additional volumes of the A.T.TIPSCAST are completed (Volume #4 isin production now)!

The Resources:

Download these files to make your own staff development workshop out of the A.T.TIPSCAST!

All Files For Volumes 1 – 3:

1. This file contains everything in one download: volumes123everythingincluded (PDF)

Volume 1 Separately (Episodes 1 – 9, Total Running Time  1:12:42)-

1. Question Booklet for Volume 1: volume1package (PDF)

2. CD Label for Volume 1: vol1cdlabels (PDF)

Volume 2 Separately (Episodes 10 – 18, Total Running Time 1:13:21)-

1. Question Booklet for Volume 2: volume2package (PDF)

2. CD Label for Volume 2: vol2cdlabels (PDF)

Volume 3 Separately (Episodes 19 – 26, Total Running Time 1:12:38)-

1. Question Booklet for Volume 3: volume3package (PDF)

2. CD Label for Volume 3: vol3cdlabels (PDF)

This is what it will look like when it is put together:

ATTIPSCAST CD and Booklet

ATTIPSCAST CD and Booklet

If you have any trouble with any of these files, contact me at attipscast@gmail.com and I’ll work with you to get it working!

Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com as @attipscast.

Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:

Podcast Hosting
Podcast Hosting at CyberEars.com

Thanks everyone and happy listening!

A.T.TIPSCAST Episode #11: Autosummarize in MS Word

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Hey everyone,
Episode #11 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #11 describes the autosummarize feature of MS Word.  I realize that the episode is just a quick rundown of how the feature works and I didn’t really get into what you’d use it for.  I’m trying to keep the tips quick.  So, I invite you to tell me how you might use this feature or tell me how you have already used the feature.  Your story might just inspire someone else in how they could use it.  Please send me an e-mail, record a message and send it to me or post a comment here.

You can find whole tutorials on autosummarize for your version of MS Word here:

Word 2002 : http://www.microsoft.com/education/autosummarize.mspx

Word 2003: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HP051896801033.aspx

Here is a helpful dialogue about the Autosummarize feature in MS 2007: http://help.lockergnome.com/office/Word-2007-Autosummarize-Feature-ftopict901799.html but here is that same basic principle and a brief tutorial:

http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2007/09/10/create-a-summary-of-a-document-in-word-2007/

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:

Podcast Hosting
Podcast Hosting at CyberEars.com

Thanks everyone and happy listening!

A.T.TIPScast Episode #10: Talking Calculator

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Hey everyone,

Sorry this post is up about 24 hours late, but here it is!
Episode #10 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #10 describes the free software Talking Calculator.  You can access a link for the free download from www.premierathome.com/products/TalkingCalculator.php.

Here is a screenshot of what it looks like once it is installed:

talk-c.jpg

 

I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:

Podcast Hosting
Podcast Hosting at CyberEars.com

Thanks everyone and happy listening!

A.T.TIPScast Episode #8: VSTE 2008 (Top 5)- Part 2

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Hey everyone,
Episode #8 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #8 is the second of a two part episode where I rank the Top 5 things I learned at the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) Conference 2008. This episode includes:

Number 3- www.emilychang.com/go/ehub–

This website is the personal website of a web designer named, Emily Change, out of San Francisco.  There is so much out there and so many new web applications updating every day, this site can keep you up to date on the latest Web 2.0 applications.

Number 2- www.soundsnap.com

This is a great resource to find free sounds.  I think one under utilized activity for students with difficulties following directions or auditory processing difficulties is listening to and discriminating between sounds.  Sounds can be used as story starters as opposed to the traditional text-based or picture based story starter.  Sound effects can be used to enhance digital storytelling activities, movie making activities, or student produced podcasts.   Adding these sounds might allow the students to feel like their production has a polished and fun quality.

Number 1- Mail Merge functions of Publisher to create Picture Dictionaries and Identification Cards

A teacher from Norfolk public schools named Jennifer Durkin presented on different ways she uses Publisher.  One strategy she showed what how you could take lists of items in Excel and Merge them with templates created in Publisher to easily make picture dictionaries and identification cards.  Picture dictionaries are a great way for students to review difficult spelling words, review vocabulary from any content area, or maintain their own “difficult for me to remember” list of words.  Identification cards are also a useful tool for students with communication difficulties.  The ID card might have saying on them like “My name is… and I am lost” or “Can you call my mom for me?  My phone number is …”.  I wrote Jennifer and she gave me permission to post her hand-outs here. vste-presentation-handout.pdf

I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:

Podcast Hosting
Podcast Hosting at CyberEars.com

Thanks everyone and happy listening!