Feedback Regarding Connected Learning

[Sean Nash]

Use the thread below to make daily updates (during the first week for sure) of your work on the MacBook, the SJSD network, and your home network, etc. The feedback you provide throughout the remainder of this first semester will go a long way toward helping your school district best meet your mobile and connected learning needs well into the future. These updates need not be lengthy, nor in a great deal of depth. However, of course, the more detail you are able to provide-  the better we're able to help. And remember, every little thing that helps your workflow, likely also impacts hundreds of other students in a positive way later on this year.

 

Thanks so much...

 

 

[Miles Redman]

 

We need to go deeper.

But there is an annoying bug when importing calendars from an .ics file into iCal whereby an alert message pops up asking to "Remove unsafe alerts" or something similar, warning that if you do it may damage the computer. But to successfully import you are required to, as the only other option is cancel. 

[Sean Nash]

I'm glad someone had fun with the screenshot features. I'm still not sure what's up with that alert message. That might be a permission thing. We'll have to check it out.  Thanks.

[Bric Elaine Davis]

Today in class we got our computers! yay!! But some things don't work on it. When i got onto iCloud it asked for an administers password, when i canceled it, it let me into it and it worked. When i added the calendar that Nash had emailed us. I had to remove the alerts to be able to download it. I'm really glad that we got our computers because i think that it will help me with my school work and studying.

[Sean Nash]

That certainly is an odd quirk. And I agree, we will want you to have access to iCloud.

[Lauren Johnson]

It was a collaborative effort to figure out how to download Skype- it took quite a long time. I also tried to set up an iTunes account without a credit card; it is possible, but it's a confusing process. I couldn't find where the animations were in Keynote, but I'm sure that if I was willing to put the time in to explore, I could figure it out. I put my email address into the mail app on my computer dock, it will be faster but now I'm weirded out that anyone can pick up my computer and read my emails. I really like the tap search thinga-ma-jig (where I can tap a word with three fingers and see its definition, synonyms, and a snippet of it from Wikipedia. I'm glad we can still get on Facebook. Despite what some people say, there ARE educational uses for it. For instance, in my zoology class, my teacher made a group for the class, and sends out status updates from that group to remind us of upcoming tests and homework due dates. 

[Sean Nash]

Thanks for the reminder on setting up an Apple account. Here is the link for future reference for others.

 

In Keynote, you first need to activate the "inspector" (in the upper-right hand corner of the window like so:

Then, in the inspector window, you'll find the "animations" in the following two menus:

 

With regard to email...   remember, this is not a shared laptop. It should definitely not be that. Now, activating some sort of password to enter to gain access...  perhaps that is something we can look at. I'm not sure how to do that off the top of my head. I'm also glad you guys found the tap-search thing. Very cool. However, for some reason it is not activating on my laptop. Strange. 

 

Facebook. That's a different issue altogether. Technically, we can't "get on Facebook" on the district network without accessing a trick or two. Under our user agreements, that really isn't something that we're supposed to do. That said, I do think this policy is something that needs to be reviewed by students, parents, and teachers. I agree that when used effectively it can be a valuable tool. By the way, don't fall for everything your Zoology teacher tells you. She's trouble. I know. 

 

Thanks so much for being thorough. Keep it up!

 

[Jill Oswald]

I'm just going to add to your comment Lauren and tell how I figured out how to work Skype. While learning how to use the computers and get them updated to Mr. Nash's level, I tried to download Skype. When I downloaded Skype it won't automatically show up that it was downloaded. You have to go to downloads and double click on it. You cannot download Skype into Applications but you can put it on the desktop and it is saved.

Small note: Most of the new computers have an application where you put three fingers on a word and it pops up with the definition and other information about the word. To get it off you have to go to system preferences and click on the trackpad and go to point and click. That's just to either turn it on or off. 

I'm just going to add to your comment Lauren and tell how I figured out how to work Skype. While learning how to use the computers and get them updated to Mr. Nash's level, I tried to download Skype. When I downloaded Skype it won't automatically show up that it was downloaded. You have to go to downloads and double click on it. You cannot download Skype into Applications but you can put it on the desktop and it is saved.

Small note: Most of the new computers have an application where you put three fingers on a word and it pops up with the definition and other information about the word. To get it off you have to go to system preferences and click on the trackpad and go to point and click. That's just to either turn it on or off. 

[Cassandra Peek]

whoooooooooooo hooooooooo computers!!!!!! It was kind of confusing going throughout this thing because i have a dell laptop at home and this thing is fancy fancy fancy compared to that. There are many apps in this computer that i didn't know about like the sticky notes, scratch, mail, ect. I went through all of them. I also updated the system preferences. Spotlights pretty awesome too!

[Sean Nash]

Excellent. I fully agree that knowing those little "finer points" of the operating system and the included apps will certainly make things way more effective and efficient for you. I look forward to seeing what else you've explored...   Thanks.

[NaKeisha Ekpe]

Some sites are blocked at first, then later i could get into them like twitter or Facebook. In the calendars Mr. Nash sent a copy of a schedule it asked if we wanted to block alerts or to cancel choosing block alerts all the alerts show choosing.

 

[Sean Nash]

Twitter wasn't really blocked was it?  It shouldn't be. Try again. I'm betting that was just a little glitch. And so Facebook worked from home...   or were you referring to accessing it at school like Lauren above?

[NaKeisha Ekpe]

Yes from school, should have read her reply :)