My PC on my HDTV ASAP
Listen to the podcast Question:  The IT Guy says:If my new HDTV is digital, and my PC monitor is digital, shouldn't I be able to hook up my PC to my HDTV? That is indeed the case. And let me tell you,


Writing in the Cloud—online documents
Listen to the podcast Question: What is the advantage of using a service such as Google Docs? I already have a word processor on my computer, so why would I choose to use an online word processor?


Cutting the cables—the last word for now about projectors
Listen to the podcast The IT Guy says: The last option I wanted to talk about in selecting a projector is the option to connect wirelessly. And, unlike last week's column, I'm not talking here


Keeping an eye on things—more on projectors
Listen to the podcast The IT Guy says: If you are the person in charge of installing and maintaining your school's or district's technology, this next criterion I'll discuss in selecting a projector

The Not-So-Magic Lamp
Listen to the podcast Question: Week four of projector selection criteria The IT Guy says: One of the greatest concerns I've heard expressed about projectors is the cost of bulb replacement.


Projector Audio—Can You Hear Me Now?
Listen to the podcast Question: Week Three of projector selection criteria The IT Guy says: Audio is the next issue to consider in purchasing a projector. All projectors come with built-in


Projector Resolutions
Listen to the podcast Question: Week Two of projector selection criteria The IT Guy says: The resolution of the projector is a measure of how detailed a picture the projector can display.


My Projector's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades
Listen to the podcast Question: What criteria do you look at when you're evaluating LCD projectors? The IT Guy says: There are several key elements to look at when evaluating projectors,

Getting the Picture in Word
Listen to the podcast Question: When I put pictures or clip art into my Word document, I can’t easily drag them to where I want them to go. Can I change this? The IT Guy says: When you


Setting Music Free
Listen to the podcast Question: I'm trying to make sure my students don't use copyrighted music in their presentations, but where can I look to find alternatives? The IT Guy says: Finding


Flash-y Videos
Listen to the podcast Question: I've been seeing little video cameras that don't use tapes. How do they work? Are they any good? The IT Guy says: With the continued drop in cost for flash


Acrobat Tricks
Listen to the podcast Question: How can I convert PDF files to Word documents so I can edit them? The IT Guy says: PDF is the extension that indicates that a file is an Adobe Acrobat file.


Itty Bitty PCs
Listen to the podcast Question: I keep hearing about this little computer called the EeePC. Is it something that would work in our school? The IT Guy says: There is a new kind of computer

Repairs
Listen to the podcast Question: Jennifer writes: I am trying rebuild my Entourage database. A "compacting failed" error message appeared, and it says a read write error occurred (-40). It won't


Email Tracking
Listen to the podcast Question: How do you find the country of origin of an email? Mehran The IT Guy says: I get some interesting email from some very distant locations. I keep getting copies


PowerPoint vs Producer
Listen to the podcast Question: John B. wrote me this note - Regarding your article about online slide (PowerPoint) shows; how about Microsoft Producer. It has many of the same features you mention


Twitter
Listen to the podcast Question: What is Twitter, and why are my students so obsessed with it? The IT Guy says: Twitter is one of those ingenious ideas that is kind of hard to explain. That's

CPR for Tablet Batteries
Listen to the podcast Question: The battery for my SMART Airliner Tablet ran down over the summer, and it won't recharge. How can I revive it? The IT Guy says: Looking into this problem


Set My Photos (Copyright) Free!
Listen to the podcast Question: I want to use some images from Flickr, but how do I know if I may without violating copyright? The IT Guy says: Flickr is an amazing photo resource for multimedia


Home, Home on the Page
Listen to the podcast Question: How do I set the page on the browser to a different web site? The IT Guy says: It's kind of nice to be able to pick where you want to start your day when you


The Whole Video Shebang
Listen to the podcast Question: What peripherals should I buy for helping shoot video in my classroom? The IT Guy says: Once you have selected the video camera you want to use, there are

Video Camera Savvy
Listen to the podcast Question: We're getting ready to purchase a video camera to use in our school. Are there particular features we should be sure to look for? The IT Guy says: With the


Show and Tell
Listen to the podcast Question: When I am trying to help someone over the phone, it would be really helpful to show them what I'm doing on the screen, or see what they're doing. Is there a cheap


Finding Files
Listen to the podcast Question: I've downloaded some files from the Internet, but now I can't find them. (Or, I've downloaded files from the Internet, and they're all over my desktop.) How do


Backing Up
Listen to the podcast Question: If I back up to CDs or DVDs, are my files safe? The IT Guy says: CDs and DVDs are a really convenient and inexpensive way to store data. CDs can be purchased


Replacing a Hard Drive
Listen to the podcast Question: My computer has died, and it looks like I may have to replace my hard drive. How do I get the data from the old computer to the new one? The IT Guy says:

A long jump or a short throw
Listen to the podcast Question: I see the term “short throw” being used with LDC projectors. What is that? The IT Guy says: LCD projectors are (finally!) flooding schools, as the costs


If you've seen one document camera...
Listen to the podcast Question: What criteria should we be looking at when comparing document cameras? The IT Guy says: For a technology that hardly existed a few years ago, document cameras


On-line with the show
Listen to the podcast Question: Is there an easy way to share PowerPoint shows on the web? The IT Guy says: I hesitate to use the word "easy" in relation to anything dealing with technology,


HD Wars
Listen to the podcast Question: What is the difference between the two kinds of high-definition video discs, and is it important for computer users? The IT Guy says: As any of you who are

Snooping Picasa
Listen to the podcast Question: I really like using Picasa to organize my pictures, but I don't like how it looks everywhere in my hard drive to put images in the library. Is there a way to tell


HTTP - PS!
Listen to the podcast Question: Some websites I visit use "HTTPS" instead of "HTTP." What does that mean? The IT Guy says: HTTP stands for "HyperText Transfer Protocol," and it's the standard


Expiring Security
Listen to the podcast Question: Sometimes when I got to visit a website, it tells me that the "security certificate" is expired. What does this mean, and should I be concerned? The IT Guy


YouTube Downloads (again!)
Listen to the podcast Question: I agree that teachers should be able to use appropriate YouTube videos in their classroom. However, on their website, YouTube appears to indicate that downloading

Photo Story versus Vista
Listen to the podcast Question: I just had Vista installed on my computer, and now Photo Story 3 won't run. How can I fix it? The IT Guy says: Unfortunately, right now there is problem with


Missing Music
Listen to the podcast Question: Why can't I use music I loaded on my computer in Photo Story 3 or PowerPoint? The IT Guy says: If you have copied music from a CD onto the hard drive of your


Quick and Simple PowerPoint Photo Shows
Listen to the podcast Question: Is there a quick way to create PowerPoint slideshows without loading the pictures one at a time? The IT Guy says: For a long time, I didn't think there was,


Photo Downloader Annoyance
Listen to the podcast Question: Every time I connect a camera, USB drive, or CD into my computer, Adobe Photo Downloader pops up. How do make this stop? The IT Guy says: Photoshop Elements


Double-click Frustration
Listen to the podcast Question: When I double-click a picture file, it doesn't open in the right program. Why is that? The IT Guy says: When you double-click a file, it doesn't always open

Mapping Things Out
Listen to the podcast Question: How can I create my own custom maps in Google? The IT Guy says: Google Maps, a really wonderful resource for a variety of uses, recently got even better with


Getting Rid of the quot;Next Blogquot; Button in Blogger
Listen to the podcast Question: I use Blogger for my teacher blog, but I don't like the "Next Blog" button at the top, because I have no idea what kind of inappropriate blog it may jump to. Can


Dueling Photo Applications
Listen to the podcast Question: I use Picasa as my main digital photograph organizer, but whenever I hook up my camera, the Adobe organizer tries to take over. How can I make it stop? The


Bypassing Filters - or Not
Listen to the podcast Question: Why are you showing teachers how to access YouTube if it's being blocked by their district? Why would you encourage them to violate district policy? The IT

Inkjet versus Color Laser
Listen to the podcast Question: I want to be able to print in color (and let my students do so too), but how can I keep from going broke buying ink cartridges? The IT Guy says: We live in


Oh, MAN
Listen to the podcast Question: What is WiMAX? The IT Guy says: WiMAX (which is short for "Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access") is a wireless networking technology that is starting


Wireless Confusion
Listen to the podcast Question: What is the deal with WiFi alphabet? What is the difference between 802.11 a,b,g, and n? The IT Guy says: WiFi is the generic name for the kind of wireless


Personal Area Networks
Listen to the podcast Question: What is Bluetooth? The IT Guy says: "Bluetooth" (named after King Harald I of Denmark, who reigned in the tenth century) is a wireless technology designed

Background Noise
Listen to the podcast Question: I'm using a digital audio recorder to record podcasts with my students, but I'm picking up way too much background noise. How can I capture better audio? The


IT Definitions
Listen to the podcast Question: What does IT stand for? The IT Guy says: When I first received this question, I thought it was just a joke. But after I thought about it for a minute, I realized


Wireless Issues
Listen to the podcast Question: Can you use a wireless router for a HUB? The IT Guy says: Yes, if the router is designed for that function. A hub is a device that lets more than one computer


Teaching Animation
Listen to the podcast Question: Where can I find a site for teaching animation? The IT Guy says: I think animation is an incredibly cool activity for kids. With the type of technology available


Skype on School Networks
Listen to the podcast Question: Should a school network be able to handle a class with 15 Skype connections or is Skype too bandwidth intensive? How does Skype compare to a YouTube download or

USB vs USB2
Listen to the podcast Question: What is the difference between USB and USB 2? The IT Guy says: USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, and it is the flat-shaped port that all computers have


Workarounds for Watching Blocked Videos
Listen to the podcast Question: How can I show my students a video on YouTube when our district blocks it? The IT Guy says: YouTube is an amazing repository of videos, most of which are pretty


Deleting Email - Permanently
Listen to the podcast Question: When I delete email, is it really deleted? The IT Guy says: Eventually, but probably not immediately. There are two different kinds of Email systems. A client-based


The Life of a Computer Battery
Listen to the podcast Question: How do you prolong the battery life on a laptop computer? Is it true that leaving the laptop plugged in all the time will ruin the battery life? The IT Guy

Internet Explorer 7 is coming. How do I stop my computer from downloading it?
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast Although some folks are ready for Internet Explorer 7 to take over their computers, others are less excited about


What are wikis and how can I get one?
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast One of the most exciting Read Write Web technologies that is available for educator use includes wikis. Since I was


How do I share presentations with others via the Web?
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast Think you know the answer to this question? If yes, then you may be familiar with the old-fashioned approaches of


I tried that THE GIMP graphics editing program, but I need something easier. Is there something?
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast Although THE GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is my graphics editing program of choice, especially on multiple platforms, Windows users

I'm still running Windows 98. Although Microsoft has service packs for Windows XP, how can I quickly update Windows 98 computers with an equivalent service pack?
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast If you're stuck with a Windows 98 computer—and you haven't made the switch to Linux on it to get a brand new system—you may want


How can I quickly install my favorite software programs on my Windows computer?
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast When setting up a new computer, an activity that can be time-consuming if you're not working from a recorded image of the hard drive, there


How do I get copies of those videos on YouTube and Google to save to my computer so that I can share them at work?
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast After viewing this video "The Audience is Up to Something" from the Long Tail blog, I hoped to get a copy I could show at a workshop


What new utilities are out for Windows and Mac to help me organize the mess of files I have on my computer?
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast If you're a Macintosh user, you are familiar with iPhoto, an application that gives you a thumbnail view of all the photos on your hard drive


What Are Live CDs And How Can I Use Them?
Listen to this podcast Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Here are some free or low-cost alternatives to accepted software solutions. The goal is an education environment that is technology-rich

Backing Up Your Hard Drive
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast If you have ever reformatted a computer, reloaded it with software by loading the programs one by one, you know it can be a time-consuming process.


Blog Peripherals: Enhancing Your Blog's Presence
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast In helping someone setup a Thingamablog, I was surprised to count all the free stuff that needed to be added for blogging to take place. Of course,


Facilitate Communication with Free Tools
Subscribe to TechTips RSS Feed Listen to this podcast "We'll have to start our own radio station soon," shared my supervisor with me. We had joked about this possibility a few years ago, but neither

Protecting Your Digital Privacy
Listen to this podcast From banks to school districts to the Veterans Administration, every other week, we hear about some other individual who has jeopardized confidential information for millions


Staying in Touch: quot;How Toquot; with Bulk Emailers
Listen to this podcast Ever tire of sending out emails one at a time to a large group of people, even though your work is education related? I have. Just recently, I emailed an HTML newsletter on what


Making Flyers, Brochures and More
Listen to this podcast A few years ago, I remember obtaining my first copy of Publish It! It came on multiple diskettes, and allowed me to create brochures easily. Unlike with word processing programs

Downloading an Entire Web Site
Listen to this podcast Just when you think Internet access is ubiquitous, you find out it's not--and you're set to do an important presentation where you need to show off a Web site. Or, a student has


Minimizing SPAM
Listen to this podcast Even though popular, free Email programs--such as Mozilla Thunderbird--may have built-in spam protection, I encourage you to consider using special programs like POPFile (http:


Protecting Myself from Spyware and Adware
Listen to this podcast "What are all these windows open on my screen?” a campus administrator asked me recently. Unfortunately, windows were appearing on her personal laptop's screen at an


Setting Up an FTP Server
Listen to this podcast The concept of FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, is quite simple. Files are shared via an FTP server--which can be any computer--and then accessed using an FTP client that allows


Setting Up a Web Server
Listen to this podcast One classroom teacher at the TCEA State Conference (http: www.tcea.org ) said, "I want to set up my own Web server in my classroom because I can't get space on the District

Compressing Multiple Files to Email
Listen to this podcast Sending Email attachments is easy, but can cause a lot of trouble for the recipient. Before you send an Email message, contact the recipient and agree on a compression format. Compression


Managing Photo Albums
Listen to this podcast If you're a Mac user, you probably already use iPhoto to manage your digital photographs and images. And, of course, you can share photos through your .Mac account. Of course, one


Protecting Deleted Files
Listen to this podcast Over the last 6 months, I've had to explain to several folks that simply because you delete files on your computer, it does not mean that they are "safe" and "unrecoverable."


Free Graphic Editors
Listen to this podcast Some time ago, I had the opportunity to visit several private school campuses. Of course, I was privately surveying their level of technology implementation (LOTI). However, I was

Creating and Sharing a Calendar
Listen to this podcast There are a wide variety of tools available for sharing calendars of events online. However, here are three that you need to be aware of that take advantage of Read Write Web technologies


Converting PowerPoint Slide Shows to Web-based
Listen to this podcast Although Wink is a nice tool to use to create tutorials, what if you already have Powerpoint presentations that you want to place on the Web as slide shows? While we could use


Creating Online Tutorials
Listen to this podcast Wish you had a tool to create online tutorials without expensive software? If you're a Windows or Linux user, then you can take advantage of Wink. Wink is a tutorial and presentation


Storing Files Online
Listen to this podcast Ever had to email a large file — whether it's a multimedia slide show, zipped file, digital photo, or video — to someone only to find that they didn't have enough email

Sharing Images
Listen to this podcast Like social bookmarking, sharing images on the web for more than just personal use has become a phenomenon. Sharing pictures so that others can use them — sometimes under


Storing Bookmarks Online
Listen to this podcast Social bookmarking is defined in Wikipedia's online encyclopedia in the following way as an activity that is... ...performed over a computer network that allows users to save


PDF Primer: Printing and Converting
Listen to this Podcast Let's take a moment and imagine what life would be like without PDF files, that standard document format that is viewable across all operating system platforms (e.g. Windows, Macintosh,