Technology Medley

The absolute easiest way to add a hyperlink to a Notebook file is to copy the URL from your browser and then paste it into a Notebook page.  It’s also simple to add a hyperlink as a attachment to your file by clicking on the attachments tab, clicking Insert, selecting Insert Hyperlink, and filling in the required information. Either of these methods work great when you want your hyperlink to be easily available while using a Notebook file.

To add a hyperlink to any object, first select the object by clicking on it. Make sure you are in mouse mode (Click on the arrow tool. If you are in text mode, you won’t be able to create a link until you switch to mouse mode.)

Select link from the dropdown menu.

Your options are Web page, Page in this file, File on this computer, and Current attachments. Don’t use the “file on this computer” option unless you’re positive that the Notebook file will never be used on a different computer or on a computer that is not attached to the network server.

You may also select how you want to activate the link.  Selecting Launch by clicking Corner Icon will add a small blue icon to the corner of the object. Selecting Launch by clicking Object will open the link just by clicking on the words or shape. If you later need to edit this object, you can get back to the dropdown menu by right clicking.

I’m often asked to explain this thing called Twitter. After all, CNN is doing it, Oprah is doing it, seems everyone is doing it. Just what is Twitter anyway? It’s simply a website in which you can tell the world what you’re doing at any given moment. If you use Facebook, it’s very similar to the status updates. You set up a free account, fill out your profile, and start entering text. You’re limited to 140 characters per post. 

At first glance, it really does seem a bit silly to post what you’re doing for all the world to read. Twitter asks you to answer a very simple question: “What are you doing?” For most people, the answer would be “Who really cares?” After all, do we really need to know what everyone is having for dinner or what they’re watching on television?

However, Twitter has become almost a mainstream tool in the past several months. Why are so many people signing up for a Twitter account? Why should you consider it?

When you first begin adding your own status updates, it may seem as if you’re “tweeting” to the wind, especially if you have not built up your network. You can type and tweet to your heart’s content, but if nobody is following you, you probably won’t see a lot of use for this tool. So, you’ll want to find some people with common interests to follow, and most likely, they will follow you in return. That’s how you build up your Personal or Professional Learning Network (PLN.)

Go to Twitter4Teachers, select your area of interest, and click on names of people who have something in common with you. Take a look at their Twitter page, and if it looks as if they are posting items of interest to you, click on the Follow button. I’ve been told that you actually need to build up a network of 40-50 people before you begin to see the true benefits of Twitter, but it all depends on the quality of folks you choose to follow and how you choose to use your  network.

Twitter is an awesome source for discovering new resources on the web. Chances are excellent that when something new and interesting is released, someone on Twitter will broadcast it. It has become a tremendous source of professional development for many of us who are using it.

It’s also a great source of quick information. Have a technical question or need some opinions? Tweet it! If your followers are online, someone may just have the perfect solution for you.

Here is a great handbook with lots of ideas for using Twitter in education as well as for tips and tricks for your personal use. I strongly recommend that you check this out if you are interested in learning more about Twitter. There is also a simpler guide written for K-3 Teachers that could easily be adapted by educators at any level.

If you set up an account, be sure to complete your profile with as much information as you’re comfortable with. At the very least, let folks know that you are involved with education.

After you’ve set up your network, you might want to use a third party tool for checking your timeline instead of the Twitter site itself. A couple of the most widely used ones are iTweet and TweetDeck.

Below are a few usernames of Salem folks who you might add to your network, but be sure to expand your network to include people with similar interests throughout the world. That’s when you’ll truly discover the value of Twitter.

elemtech
mthumphrey0
kristynshepherd
southreading1
rieflin
haseibert
scotthabeeb
dewayneharrell

(I’m sure there are others I’m not aware of, so you’d like to be added to the Salem list, please leave a comment. Also, if you go to these pages and notice that it’s been a while since the person has tweeted, that doesn’t mean they’re not using Twitter. They’re probably still checking their timelines to see what useful information they might learn from other users.)