| Tonight's
class started with an announcement that both Ann and Scott made
dinner. Ann, however, realized that her dinner is for next week,
so she left her meal at home and we'll have it next week. (I hope
it's something that will keep for a week!)
Tony handed
out a list of our completed assignments to date so we could see
if our results match his.
Questions
were asked about the lesson plan.
Tony explained that it's not necessary to devise a lesson plan
for an entire class; it can be a lesson set up for a center, to
benefit small groups of kids.
Tony responded
to questions about blogs. Our weekly blogs
do not need to include every aspect of class. Class members can
blog about those things that have the most impact on them personally.
Only the Roving Reporter is responsible
for reporting on all class details.
He explained
that shareware is software that one can sample before purchasing.
Some shareware expires after a certain amount of time and will
no longer work. Software demos will also expire after a certain
time period.
When typing
in HTML, there are certain
codes for underlining and for making an item bold. To underline
a book title, for example, write <i>Book Title</i>.
David
Warlick has a set of tools
on his sight. One is a form
letter for getting permission to use web material. Follow
the directions and you can email the letter immediately.
Tony showed
us his handheld
which also doubles as a phone. It has wireless connect to the
internet. You must first purchase a card and install software
on your handheld. You then have email and internet capabilities,
in addition to a phone and a handheld, all in one small Palm!
If you don't
want to spend the $130 for the card, try FlingIt!
from the company called GoKnow.
It's free! By "flinging" a website to your handheld
(text only is best), you can access all of the information and
then beam it to your students.
Tony shared
examples of "Interactive
Stories" which have multiple twists and turns from which
the reader can choose. It's a great way to use FlingIt! You must
also have ZLib. Tony beamed both applications to class members.
He then beamed "Interactive
Stories" to everyone.
We viewed
the template for writing "Interactive Stories." The
graph outlines various choices that can be made in the story line,
so that the story has multiple twists, turns, and endings. Use
Wordsmith or Documents To Go to create the story. Tony has the
template so that, as students make their choices the next link
is automatic.
For dinner
Scott brought one of Tony's favorites, Godfather's
Pizza. (I confess it's one of my favorites as well.) He also
supplied Monkey Bread. Carol and Mindy brought Elaine's Cookies,
so it was a carbohydrate lover's dream! Thanks, Scott!
After dinner,
we watched a fabulous animated video called Live
at the Teacher's Lounge.
Tony demonstrated
a couple of math programs - "Simplify"
and "Mixed
Up" - that help with fractions. Another program, "Divisible,"
also provides math practice.
We looked
at some websites which include discussion
forums. Tony's favorite is the Brighthand
Education Forum. Another is the
Handheld Learning Forum. Both provide opportunities for educators
to ask questions of other teachers. The Handheld Learning Forum
is more technical than Brighthand. Additional sights can be found
on Tony's website, under the Web
Links-Discussions section. We were then given time to search
the forums to find something new and interesting to share with
the class.
Amy and Melissa
told about a watch palm called "GeekBling."
Mindy
shared information on the Blackberry
system.
Check out
this sight K12Handhelds.
It has lots of information for educators - some freeware, applications,
and so on.
We then discussed
some troubleshooting tricks:
Soft
Reset - like rebooting a computer - there's a reset hole on
the back of the handheld
Hard Reset - if you forget your security password, or if a soft
reset doesn't solve your problem. Poke the hole while holding
down the power button. When the Palm icon appears on the screen,
release both. The handheld will erase data and restore the device
as it came out of the box. Should not be a problem if you're
regularly remembering to sync!
HotSync
is not successfully completed - Open HotSync Manager; select
setup; adjust your speed to a lower setting; check to see if
a certain conduit is causing the problem - if so, change the
setting to "do nothing"
Device won't sync - make sure HotSync is enabled and that the
cradle is plugged into the computer. Be sure the device is correctly
seated. Try restarting your desktop. You can also check Palm's
website for some tips on syncing problems.
Handheld doesn't do what you tap - your screen may need to be
recalibrated to your stylus and how you tap
- Go to the "Prefs" Application
- Click on digitizer and follow the directions
Lots of Fatal Errors?
- could be the result of an application you downloaded
- check with the developer of an application to see if there's
been an upgrade
- do not give two Palms the same user name!
Applications
- try a soft reset
- delete the application and reload it
- close the application (tap home) and go back to it
Warm Reset
- You may need to do this so you can boot your device to delete
the application causing the problem
- Hold down the Page Up button and poke the handheld
- Release the button when the Palm logo appears
Sketchy
- don't insert slides
- don't beam animations
- if anything strange happens in an animation, try deleting
the first slide
Beaming Problems
- Make sure beam receive is on
- Palm requires at least twice the memory available as the data
you're receiving
Don't
forget to check your owner's manual. Go to palmOne's
Supoprt page. Try a Google
search. Post your question in a discussion
forum.
To close the
evening, Tony beamed a new game - Xr0w
It's like Tic tac toe - but not really.
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