Wired on Wednesday
May 21st, 2014
Thank you for reading our monthly tech newsletters this year! Before we leave for summer break (with our new laptops in tow), we want to share a few things with you...
I have a touchscreen laptop...now what?
Not really sure how to take advantage of a touchscreen display yet? There are many pros, but admittedly, some cons as well.
- Pro - Touchscreen displays make workflow easier and faster.
- Con - Some program and web buttons are too small for fingers. Solution - the 'magnifier' and 'zoom' features are your new best friends.
- Pro - When reading websites, you can simply swipe up & down!
- Con - Fingerprints! Ok...this is more of a nuisance than a 'con'. Solution - wipe a microfiber cloth over your screen every now and then.
- Pro - FHSD will upgrade to Windows 8 at some point. Windows 8 was created for the touchscreen display world. Trying to use it without a touchscreen display isn't fun.
I (will) have a touchscreen tablet/laptop...now what?
Make sure you read the advantages of the touchscreen laptop above...but there are even more advantages with this flippy model!
- 1st...the obvious. When collaborating, showing your screen to others couldn't be simpler!
- 2nd...OneNote is probably the best Microsoft product you never knew existed. In OneNote you have the ability to search handwritten notes! Grab a stylus (they're cheap) & handwrite notes on your laptop in 'tablet mode'. No more notebooks needed! You can share notes and even convert handwritten notes to text!
I have a built in webcam...so what?
There are many advantages to having a built in microphone and video camera. Here are a few...
- Mastery Connect - no more twisty turny tricks to get your camera to correctly focus when scanning your assessments
- Lync, Skype, or Hangout with experts in your curricular area (https://education.skype.com/ - great place to find free Skype experiences*), you can also connect with your PLC or PLN this way