It's Tech Tuesday!
Feb. 2, 2016
Brought to you by the LISD Tech Junkies, dedicated to helping you improve your teching and teaching.
How to get your Chrome on...
So some of you are at that place where you're ready jump in the Chrome pool, but aren't quite sure how to go about your diving technique. Mrs. Brademan is just the lifeguard you need with this helpful tidbit from SurfNetKids!
What does it mean to sign in to Chrome?
Signing into Chrome with your Google account credentials is optional. But if you do, Chrome Sync saves your personalized browser features and allows you to access them from a Google Chrome browser on any computer.
Exactly which of you settings you want to sync across all your devices is optional. They look like this:
Preventative Computer Maintenance: Proper Ventilation
Over the next few issues of Tech Tuesday, Curtis Patschke will discuss some preventative maintenance techniques for your home computers.
No matter how clean your home is, your computer should never sit on the floor. Because of the possibility of static charge build-up, you could damage the CPU from a static discharge. Vacuuming carpet will stir up dust that the internal fans can and will draw into the computer. If you are mopping and have an accident, water in the system will cause several permanent failures.
At the minimum, the computer should be a 4 to 6 inches off the floor. Make sure to keep the air vents in the front and back of most computers clear, adequate air flow is essential to keeping the computer cool. A large number of computers made today have an extra fan that pulls air from the side of the computer to keep the processor cooler.
Monitors also have small vents to allow the heat to naturally flow out the top of the monitor. The vents should be kept clear and not covered.
Laptops are not exempt from their need to be properly ventilated. Many laptops have fans and special cooling vents located around the device. If your computer slows down or suddenly stops while you are using it, make sure the vents are open. If you, like many of us, use a throw pillow to prop-up the device, make sure the pillow is not blocking the vents. Some laptops now even vent through the keyboards.
Proper ventilation is just one thing to keep your computer performing at its best.
Google Forms: Not just for Surveys
By now, just about all of you have answered a Google Form, and many of you have used Forms in your classroom....but have you considered using them as a
rubric??
Follow this link to an extremely easy way to implement Forms in this way by TCEA's own Dianna Benner.
