pinkcardsv5

Summercore USA
July 2000

I would love to learn some HTML or XML. (CK)

I would love to pull apart a computer. (CK)

I would like to know about webwhacker and its implications. When is it ok and when isn't it, any tips, etc. (BC)

I have been talking with our tech. department who has tried IMovie and says it does not seem to work real well with still pictures. This summer I am hoping to learn how my 7th grades students can put together a "multi-media" presentation of their memoirs- with pictures and music accompanying them as they read their memoirs and have it all digitized. Since these are 12 year olds, I'd rather have the pictures be still shots that they can scan in rather than ask them to be video buffs! My school has both IMovie as well as Final Cut Pro. Are you aware of these programs? Do you have any suggestions of what might work best for me? (NW)

Two weeks ago I asked about learning more about Final Cut Pro. Did it make it to a pink card?I was told that Final Cut Pro is not covered but another video editing program will be.We are doing a lot of iMovie. We love it and read to move on to the next level. (PP)

'd like to know what "re-imaging" a network computer is. Our technician uses that word all the time and I'd like to know what's going on. (NW)

I heard the term "slurping" at a laptop conference, and it seemed to be important in maintaining the laptops. I got the impression it's related to re-imaging.... SLURPING? (GC) Hi All, I've been slurping up a CSV (Comma-delimited text file) into an array, and then getting each piece of data into a scalar variable so that I can use arsCreateEntrylike to input the data into a schema. Here's how I've been doing it: for each (@csvdata) { ($configid,$serialnum,$assettag,$maincat) = /(.*),(.*),(.*),(.*)/; } This has worked rather well, but now I have a CSV file with 30 fields get into scalars, and it's going *really* slowly. Can anyone suggest a faster way to get this data into scalars so that I can then get them into my schema? TIA, David
I don't have a specific question yet but a more general one. I will need to know how to set up a web page and definitely I will need to know how to maintain it, make weekly changes to it, etc. Will you use Microsoft Front Page for that or another program? If another, which one? (BW)
I would like to know some good strategies for teaching computer to K and first grade. What is really appropriate for those ages, especially K. (RG)
I'm not sure whether this is a pink card question or not, but I'd really like to know more about teaching using a laptop (when all the students have laptops as well). Our school is going laptop (grades 6-12) within a year, and I need to get up to speed. So, this message is actually two-fold.....could I get a head start on this at summercore session I this summer and could the summercore session that you are doing for our school in 2001 include a teaching with laptops component (hoping that this is enough advance notice)? (JB)
Still working on the pink cards, but I have a question that I need answered pretty quick, if you can. Is it permissible to have a computer in the same classroom as a chalkboard? (I'm thinking of the dust issue.) (MV) ... here are my thoughts .. I make no pretense at being even a possible authority on this one ... not a big deal, do not worry about this ...yes, dirt and dust should be avoided around computers, but inevitably most computer environments get their share of dirt and dust ... obvious good sense suggests not putting the chalk or the erasers right on the computers and to keep some distance (if possible) between computer and blackboard ... but people overdo their worries and obsess about any computer in a classroom with any chalkboard ... I believe this is overdoing it ... ... sometimes it is necessary to relieve the anxiety of one who worries even if it is not a problem .. for example, I have a computer in the basement which gets a ton of dust and droppings and sawdust and lint from the dryer ... I put a towel over the computer when not using it, partly for real problems and partly for psychological value ... ... hope this helps and hope you understand this is not the same as designing new space where white boards would be more sensible than chalkboards ... Steve
I maintain about 50 PowerMacs. Over the summer I would like to wipe the hard drives clean and reload all the software from our server. Is there some easy way to do this? I am registered for the 4th session. Thanks. (BM)
:I am interested in learning how other schools are using lap tops with their classes. Specifically, I am interested in grades 4-6, but other grades would be helpful too. Issues like transporting them to and from classes, maintenance, teacher prep time and whether they really do help the learning process. (BR)
Another area I am looking forward to exploring is the issue of web page design. My dream is to come away from the workshop with the know-how of designing a research unit on a web page and a poetry unit on a web page. (BR)
I'm just getting into digital photography and Photoshop. I got a wonderful CoolPix 990. When I take a picture in my finest resolution and then put it on my hard drive, It seems that no matter what I do, my beautiful pix turn into 72 pixel shots. So I am confused as to how to save, resize and manipulate shots so they stay excellent quality without eating up all my hard drive space. (CT, HD)
I often get a "clipboard memory failed" message when working with photos. What can I do about this? (CT, HD)
Doing other things in Microsoft word, such as making a calendar, I often get "not enough memory" message, but can't for the life of me figure out how to adjust the memory for the application. (Find Info doesn't help) (CT, HD)
I'm running Word 98 on an iMac Special Edition so I don't think it's a computer problem. What do I do? (CT, HD)
Is there an easy system for managing photos, originals, changed ones? what to keep, what to trash, how to organize for easiest access. (CT, HD)
I have to learn an easy way to build a web-site and put it on our school server. I can get help with the server part, but I'm still looking for the easiest way to make a web-site to share with other reluctant and overburdened teachers. (CT, HD)
I am really excited about iMovie and am hopeful that we will be able to work with that program during Session I (KM)
I am starting from zero on digital camera and video. However, if you can get me started I think I can get cameras to have just for my classroom which means that my students will have access anytime they want to use them. So, will that kind of training be available this summer? (PC)
2. I used HyperStudio a lot last year. Now, I would like to go deeper into the program--I'm sure there are many layers which I have not accessed yet. Can you help? (PC)
3. Although I use the Internet everyday, I am not an efficient searcher. I need tips and secrets to be revealed. Yes? (PC)
Do you work with Avid Cinema? (BC)

Selected answers in brown below are from Alex Slawsby, recent graduate of Brown University (May 2000) and a former student helper (now consultant) for Summercore

Summercore 2000 ISB
June 26-30

How can I put accent marks in my text in Outlook Express? (MA, ISL) Without more information or detail, I would recommend that the individual use the Character Map program to insert symbols, much as they would in Microsoft Word or in other Windows applications.AS See the Summercore Primer (pages 455-458) for a lesson on character map. Steve SB

How can I get Explorer (or is it Windows) to open attachments directly without having to download them first? (MA, ISL) I assume that the individual is referring to email attachments and thus, Microsoft Outlook or Microsoft Outlook Express. In the case of email attachments, they are automatically downloaded to your computer when you receive the associated email message. In the case of both email attachments and of most files that one might find on the Internet, they must be downloaded to the local computer in one form or another, before being opened.

In Netscape on the Mac, I often get a message about plug-ins when trying to download. How do I deal with this? (MA, ISL) I assume that the individual is receiving frequent requests from Netscape to install such plug-ins as RealPlayer or Adobe Acrobat when they attempt to download/view online files of those types. In such a situation, the individual, if they truly wish to download/view such files, they should visit Netscape.com and install the needed plug-ins. In other words, the user is attempting to download/view a file for which they presently do not have the correct viewer/helper applications, applications which they must install if they wish to access said files.

What is the best way to organize my files and folders in Windows 98 and in Mac OS 8? (MA, ISL) There are numerous ways to organize files and in Windows 98 and in MacOS 8. It is very important to remember the "Rule of 3" and to take a very considered approach when saving and naming files. For the most part, file and folder organization is particular to the individual and the style of organization that fits them best.

Is there a KEYCAPS (MAC OS) equivalent in Windows 98? (something that shows you what each key stands for depending on what keyboard (language or font) you have open? (MA, ISL) The "Character Map" application, most commonly found under STARTMENU -> PROGRAMS -> ACCESSORIES, is the Windows version of the KEYCAPS desktop accessory for the MacOS.

In Outlook Express, when selecting addresses from the address book for sending an email, if I have made a mistake, how can I get an address out of the ‘TO’ box without canceling the whole message? (MA, ISL) The individual should be able to simply delete the entry from the address field in their electronic mail message, before entering another address from the address book or through manual input.

How can I sort a table in Word 2000 if I just have a bunch of sentences and I want to mix up the order for an exercise? I tried sort, and then I tried numbering them and having it sort by number, but nothing happened. (MA, ISL) More information is needed to correctly and accurately answer this question. It appears that the individual is interested in randomly reordering a group of sentences in a Word document, but such a assumption is made with low degree of certainty.

I would like to learn the use of a digital camera, downloading and editing photos. (MA, ISL)

In Word, if I’ve split a table into two, what command can I use to put it back together again? (MA, ISL) More information is probably needed to correctly and accurately answer this question. If the "SPLIT CELLS" command was used, the new cells can be selected and "MERGE CELLS" chosen.

What’s the best way to back up my hard disk? Zip? (MA, ISL) With the increasing capacities of today’s hard drives, larger capacity backup media is required to complete the job without requiring an extraordinary number of disks, cartridges, or tapes. In other words, it would require more than 2800 floppy disks to backup a 4 gigabyte hard drive, but only around 45 zip disks (give or take a few) to backup that same hard drive. So, the individual’s choice of backup media should depend upon the size of the individual’s hard drive and the storage capacity in use by the individual’s files. A small number of small files can be backed up with floppy disks, while larger numbers of files or larger files might require ZIP DISKS (approximately 100 megabytes of storage capacity each) or JAZ DISKS (approximately 1000 megabytes or 1 gigabyte of storage capacity each).

If I have backed up my hard disk, say on a Zip, and then I re-initialize my hard disk, do I then have to re-install all my software from the original copies, or can I just copy it from the backed-up Zip disk? (MA, ISL) Many of today’s applications put support files in various places throughout the hard drive (beyond the location chosen for the application’s installation). For example, an individual might tell the Microsoft Word installer application to put Microsoft Word within a folder called "Microsoft Office" on their hard drive and the installer will place the application itself there. However, the installer will also place a number of support files within the System Folder. Those files are critical to the operation of the central program, in this case, Microsoft Word. If the Microsoft Word application is backed up to ZIP DISK and then copied back onto a newly re-initialized hard drive, it will not function unless all its support files are placed correctly within the new System Folder. As a result, it is much safer to perform a full reinstallation of your software. Keep in mind, however, that a new installation will result in a restoration of the program’s preferences to the basic settings and customized settings (such as styles, toolbars, etc.) will be lost (they will remain within preference files on the backup medium if the individual has taken care to backup their entire hard drive).

How can I save my address book and messages in Outlook Express without copying each one separately to a diskette? (MA, ISL) How can I save my address book and messages in Outlook Express without copying each one separately to a diskette? (MA, ISL) Outlook Express has an EXPORT command that allows the individual to export their Outlook Express address book into a comma delineated formatted file. To save messages, the individual can select the relevant messages from the Outlook Express folder display window (the upper-right window pane) and drag them directly into a directory on their hard drive or backup/transport medium.

Can I attach an email to another email as an attachment (not a forward)? (MA, ISL) By selecting the email that the individual would like to attach in the Outlook Express folder display window (the upper-right window pane) and dragging it to the desktop or to a directory on the hard drive, the individual can copy the message to a file on their hard drive. The user can then simply attach the message as they would any other attachment or the user can open the message within Microsoft Word, save it as a Word document, and then attach the new Word document to the email as they would any other attachment.

Are there advantages to using Outlook over Outlook Express and if so, can you help me change my email from Outlook Express to Outlook? (MA, ISL) Outlook Express is a free version of the software application and has a greatly reduced feature set (calendaring and email options) than the version of Outlook that is bundled with Microsoft Office or available for purchase separately from Microsoft.

I would like to learn to work with a database and spreadsheet to set up class lists. (I have MS Office, but have only learned to use Word). (MA, ISL)

Can you teach me how to do a mail merge (for addressing envelopes)? (MA, ISL)

Is it possible to merge Outlook calendars from two computers - home and school? (AC, ISB) There are a number of features available through a Microsoft Outlook/Exchange client/server system that allow for the automatic updating of discrete calendars and contact lists. Contact your system administrator for more help with this skill.

What would you recommend as the most time-efficient way of keeping track of resources such as web sites, reports, articles from magazines? I would like to be able to find the resources using key words. (AC, ISB) A database can be used to track/retrieve such information in a fast and time-efficient manner. Microsoft Access, Claris Filemaker Pro, and a variety of other applications can do this quite well.