Foley1112

Annarose Foley’s Work as a Technology Mentor at Fall Creek Elementary School

September/October: Created and distributed to students, staff, and parents a document detailing the names of and login information for the online databases to which Fall Creek Elementary School has access Found a work-around for a teacher attempting to use the full-functionality of SchoolTool Directed a teacher to the information she needed to sign up for Raz-Kids Created and administered a survey to staff regarding the technology mentor program at Fall Creek Elementary School: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SFCFSHW

November: Answered a staff member’s technical questions regarding modifying a scanned document Found a work-around for a staff member attempting to print a document in a specific way Introduced a teacher to the address book function of our district’s email client Worked with a teacher to create and administer a survey to staff regarding technology use at Fall Creek Elementary School: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6VRPVTS Assembled a new document camera Gave a teacher a brief introduction to the document camera Gave advice to the nurse regarding which online calendar application would best suit her personal and professional needs Assisted a teacher in using My Learning Plan to sign up for a technology mentor workshop

Workshops: TMB Fall Creek Google: An Introduction 11/28/11 AF Whether you plan to use Google as a tool to organize your personal and/or professional life or in the classroom with your students, this workshop will provide you with the background knowledge you need to get started. Setting up a Google account, an overview of the more commonly used Google Apps (including Gmail and Calendar -- Documents will be covered at a later workshop) and how to sync them with your Apple product(s), and a few pointers on the advanced search techniques you can use with Google Web and Google Images will be my focus. Open to all Fall Creek Elementary School staff.

December: Explained the concept of an external hard drive to a teacher Promoted Dropbox to a teacher Aided a teacher in creating certificates for her students using Microsoft Word for a Mac Investigated the source of a teacher’s problem using her document camera Researched ways for a teacher to print at school from her iPad Remedied a file incompatibility issue for a parent presenter Resolved a Gmail issue for a teacher Gave technical support advice to a teacher Produced and made possible the presentation of a video recording of Project 4 Troubleshot a video recording playback issue for a teacher

Workshops: TMB12 Fall Creek Google: Documents 12/19/11 AF “Google Docs is a suite of products that lets you create different kinds of documents, work on them in real time with other people, and store your documents and your other files -- all online, and all for free. With an Internet connection, you can access your documents and files from any computer, anywhere in the world” (Google 2011). This workshop will provide you with an overview of the various features associated with Google Docs (including access with your mobile device) and a few ideas of ways to use this Web 2.0 technology in your personal and/or professional life. Guided exploration time will be provided. Open to all Fall Creek Elementary School staff. You should come prepared with a laptop computer (you may borrow one from the library if you do not have a district-issued laptop) and your Google account username and password.

January: Researched and placed an order for flash drives Attempted to rectify a copier jam Answered a teacher’s questions regarding Google Docs Troubleshot building-wide connectivity issues Attempted to fix a printer problem for a teacher Provided individual support to teachers who received new technology

Workshops: TMB12 Fall Creek: Google Documents 01/25/12 AF “Google Docs is a suite of products that lets you create different kinds of documents, work on them in real time with other people, and store your documents and your other files -- all online, and all for free. With an Internet connection, you can access your documents and files from any computer, anywhere in the world” (Google 2011). This workshop will provide you with an overview of the various features associated with Google Docs (including access with your mobile device) and a few ideas of ways to use this Web 2.0 technology in your personal and/or professional life. Guided exploration time will be provided. Open to all Fall Creek Elementary School staff. You should come prepared with a laptop computer (you may borrow one from the library if you do not have a district-issued laptop) and your Google account username and password.

February: Dealt with malfunctioning laptop Replaced toner in copier Showed a teacher where to locate and how to use Self Service on his laptop Gave advice to a teacher regarding which Internet browser best meets the needs of SchoolTool users Taught several teachers about the basic functionalities of an iPad (including, but not limited to, how to connect the iPad with their ICSD email account) Assisted a teacher in migrating her data from one computer to another Helped a couple of teachers re-enroll their iPads

Workshops: TMB12 Fall Creek Your New iPad, Part 1 02/08/12 AF This workshop will cover the content of Chapters 1, 2, and 3 in the iPad User Guide for iOS 5.0 Software (At a Glance, Getting Started, and Basics, respectively). This includes, but is not limited to, setting up mail and other accounts, syncing with iTunes, connecting iPad to your computer, customizing the home screen, and notifications. Guided exploration time will be provided. Open to all Fall Creek Elementary School staff. You should come prepared with your iPad (ICSD-issued or personal), laptop computer (ICSD-issued or personal), Apple dock connector to USB cable (i.e., the cable that connects your iPad to your computer), and ICSD network login information.

March: Prepared the projection cart for use by other school personnel Added (or assisted teachers in adding) printers to their classroom desktop and/or laptop computers Investigated the procurement of a laptop computer for a child with special needs Weeded and organized the entire library inventory of technology-related equipment Worked with the library clerk to process twenty-five new laptop computers for student use Taught a grade level team how to use GarageBand so they could be more actively involved in assisting their students with a public service announcement audio production Updated the Library Media Center wiki with the online resources I bookmarked for a research project Worked with a teacher to learn and teach her students how to use the newest version of Kidspiration

Workshops: TMB12 Fall Creek Getting Started with Dropbox 03/28/12 AF “Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere. This means that any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website. Dropbox works hard to make sure that all your files are the same no matter where you’re working from. This means that you can start working on a computer at school or the office, and finish from your home computer. Never email yourself a file again! Download Dropbox for your phone to simplify your life even more — flip through all your photos or review that spreadsheet even while on the road. Dropbox lets you work from any computer or phone with the confidence that you’ll always have everything you need. Dropbox makes sharing so easy that you’ll be amazed at the things you can do. Invite your friends, family and teammates to any folder in your Dropbox, and it’ll be as if you saved that folder straight to their computers. You can send people links to specific files in your Dropbox too. This makes Dropbox perfect for team projects, sharing party photos with friends, or recording your band’s new album. Even if your computer has a meltdown, your stuff is always safe in Dropbox and can be restored in a snap. Dropbox is like a time machine that lets you undo mistakes and even undelete files you accidentally trash. Your Dropbox is always ready for action from the Dropbox website too! People around the world rely on Dropbox to help them design buildings, compose music, run businesses, write books and even coordinate disaster relief. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a teacher, a photographer or an astronomer, an artist or an activist, Dropbox simplifies your life.” This workshop will help participants get started with Dropbox. Guided exploration time will be provided. Open to all Fall Creek Elementary School staff. You should come prepared with your district-issued laptop computer.

April: Initiated a clean-up of the Fall Creek Elementary School public folder Began the process of updating all of the building laptop and library desktop computers Entered numerous Track IT work orders for a variety of technological problems (most having to do with the printers) Managed the interface of all building laptop and library desktop computers (including maintaining consistency in the appearance of the desktop, screensaver, dock, and Internet browser homepages) Provided technological support for the duration of an audio production project that involved students using GarageBand Taught students about keyboard shortcuts Provided technological support for the duration of a research project that involved students using Kidspiration Discovered and shared with a classroom teacher a solution to network connectivity issues on the laptop computers Located appropriate videos for a 1st grade shadow puppet exploration, downloaded them from YouTube in order to prevent them from pausing while playing due to Internet connectivity issues, and uploaded them to the Fall Creek Elementary School public folder

May: Continued the process of updating all of the building laptop and library desktop computers Managed the interface of all building laptop and library desktop computers (including maintaining consistency in the appearance of the desktop, screensaver, dock, and Internet browser homepages) Entered numerous Track IT work orders for a variety of technological problems (most having to do with the printers) Provided support for a teacher attempting to access the Fall Creek Elementary School public folder Downloaded and installed the SMART device drivers on a staff laptop Photographed grade-level music concerts sharing the photos using Flickr Gave a tutorial on accessing files on a flash drive Verified that Skype could be used for an administrative meeting at our school Helped two students open their PowerPoint presentations on machines different from the ones they used to create the files Showed the school nurse how to save her files on the H drive Saved and tagged a variety of information technology-related URLs on Diigo Began monitoring several groups of 1st grade students while they used Raz-Kids for the first time Provided technological support for the duration of a research project that involved students using Kidspiration Updated the Library Media Center wiki with the online resources I bookmarked for a research project Provided cyberbullying instruction to 3rd and 5th grade students Administered an online assessment of information literacy skills

Workshops: TMB12 Fall Creek Introduction to Kidspiration 05/23/12 AF “Using visual thinking methodologies, Kidspiration provides a cross-curricular visual workspace for K-5 learners. Students combine pictures, text, numbers and spoken words to develop vocabulary, word recognition, reading for comprehension, writing and critical thinking skills.” This workshop will provide participants with an introduction to Kidspiration and examples of its use in the classroom. Guided exploration time will be provided. Open to all Fall Creek Elementary School staff.

TMB12 Fall Creek Using the Flip Video Cameras Available for Checkout from the Library 05/31/12 AF If you’re looking for an easy-to-use point and shoot camcorder, then the 2 hour, 8GB Flip Video UltraHD Video Camera is one for you. The UltraHD model now available for checkout from the library features a super-slim design and image stabilization. With ten cameras at your disposal, integrating a simple video production project into your curriculum has never been easier. This workshop will provide participants with an overview of how to use the camera, transfer the video recorded on it to a computer, and publish it. Guided exploration time will be provided. Open to all Fall Creek Elementary School staff. You should come prepared with your district-issued laptop computer.

June: Entered numerous Track IT work orders for a variety of technological problems Saved and tagged a variety of information technology-related URLs on Diigo Prepared the projection cart for use by other school personnel Assisted numerous teachers with backing up their personal data in preparation for the reimaging of their classroom desktop and district-issued laptop computers Continued to monitor several groups of 1st grade students while they used Raz-Kids Provided technological support for the duration of a research project that involved students using Kidspiration Provided cyberbullying instruction to 3rd and 5th grade students

Workshops: TMD12 Fall Creek How to Get the Most Out of Destiny 06/04/12 AF This workshop will help participants become more independent users of Destiny, the library’s online public access catalog (OPAC). Searching by Fountas and Pinnell guided reading level and subject will be the focus. Guided exploration time will be provided. Open to all Ithaca City School District staff. You should come prepared with your district-issued laptop computer.

TMB12 Fall Creek iPad Applications to Support the Curriculum 06/13/12 AF This workshop will introduce participants to a sample of free educational iPad apps. Specific app selection for this workshop will be based on the individuals who register, so please sign up early! Guided exploration time will be provided. Open to all Fall Creek Elementary School staff. You should come prepared with your iPad (ICSD-issued or personal).