SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter #107
Welcome to SchoolCounselor.com, an electronic newsletter designed to advance counselors' level of technological literacy, application, and integration. You will find practical solutions and answers to technology related problems, especially as they apply to your job as counselor. If you would like to share a tip or trick, or if you would like to ask a question, e-mail Russ Sabella at newsletter@schoolcounselor.com.
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I am in the process of moving my subscription list over to a new service which will make getting this publication to the over 17,500 current subscribers more efficiently. A random drawing from active subscribers of the new list will take place twice a month for the next several months. You could win one of a whole bunch of prizes, here's what's in the give-away basket:
1 of 5 copies of Data Boot Camp CD for School Counselors and Administrators - CD by Russ Sabella, Ph.D. (see http://www.schoolcounselor.com/store/data-bootcamp.htm; $21.95 each)
1 textbook from Educational Media Corporation entitled Managing Your School Counseling Program (3rd edition) by Joe Wittmer, Ph.D. and Mary Ann Clark, Ph.D. (see http://tinyurl.com/3e2thw; $49.95)
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1 of 10 copies of the new SchoolCounselor.com e-Newsletter Back Issues #71-95
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New Must See Videos on SchoolCounselor.com
– Weight Bias at Home and School
– Teen Bullying Prevention - A Cyber Bullying Suicide Story-6
– A Common Sense Approach to Internet Safety
– Google Squared is Coming!
– Solution-Focused Coaching - Pathways to Progress
– Mad TV Bob Newhart Skit - Mo Collins - Stop it
– Beat Bullying
– What you resist, persist. What you fight you get more off, Carl Jung, 1875-1961
– The Power of One - School Video Sample
– Sabella interview about Cyberbullying
– Spiritual Prodigy
Also, check out some of my videos on my own Youtube Channel here.
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GuardingKids.com Blog
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http://guardingkids.blogspot.com/
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Feature Article What’s in Your Web Browser?  I switched from Microsoft Internet Explorer to Mozilla Firefox several years ago and really had not thought about it very much since. When out in the field doing presentations or while collaborating with colleagues, people who notice me using Firefox as my default browser continue to ask me about it and so I thought that it was finally time to address the use of web browsers as an important technological tool.
Indeed, your web browser is one of the critical technological applications that we use today because we spend so much time communicating, getting information, collaborating, delivering lessons, and more on the web. As counselors and as people in general, we need a web browser that is secure, efficient, customizable, easy to use, and works well with other programs.
The biggest factor for me that inspired me to start using a browser other than Internet Explorer (IE) was the constant bugs and security fixes that were plaguing IE and the need to find something faster. As you can imagine, I spend a great deal of time on the Web because of my professional interests in counseling technology as well as my day to day use (communicating, teaching researching, and learning online, for example). Speed is definitely a factor. Seconds add up to minutes and even hours over the course of a day and especially over weeks or months. So, I first turned to Firefox for increased security and speed and Firefox did not disappoint. As I adapted to this new browser, I also began to see other advantageous features that I did not anticipate which further reinforced me for using Firefox. For instance, these included:
– Find As You Type. Rather than using the "find" bar to search for a word on page, just click anywhere on that page and start typing the word you want. Your cursor will immediately jump to the first instance of that term. You can use it for links, too. For example, instead of moving your mouse across the page to a "learn more" link, just start typing the word and when the cursor finds it, press enter.
– Relatively Small Learning Curve. Firefox uses many of the same keyboard shortcuts as Internet Explorer(e.g., hitting Ctrl-Home in the address bar to automatically fill in the ".com" after a word you type) which made migrating easier than I expected.
– Tabbed Browsing. When having multiple web pages open, it is easier to manage (especially identify and open) the window you want when they are presented in the form of tabs instead of windows. The analogy may be searching for a file in your filing cabinet by thumbing through the file tabs instead of opening each and every file.
– Multiple Home Pages. When I start my browser, there are usually several pages that I want to quickly look at. Firefox allows you to open multiple pages upon launching (click here to see how).
– Accelerated Development. Because Firefox was developed as part of an Open Source project, thousands of independent programmers have been working on its development, finding security holes before they are exploited, developing new applications, and overall increasing its utility.
– Smart Keywords. Smart Keywords are an easy way to search websites right from the Address or Location bar. Lets say you want to get to ASCA’s Ethical Standards document. Instead of navigating .. Click, click, click. Just type in “school counselor ethics” without the quotes in the address bar and it should come up in a set of search results.
– Keyword Shortcuts (a.k.a. Custom Keywords). One of my absolute favorite time savers is Keywords which allows me to type in a single letter or word in the address bar and automatically be directed to a web page. So, for instance, I can type in the letter “f” and be directed to one of my favorite professional forums. Typing in the letter “g” brings me to a page at my work that I have to visit quite frequently throughout the day. (By the way, if you are on the webpage and quickly need to get to the address bar, hit F6 or CTRL-L on your keyboard which is faster thank clicking on it with your mouse). Click here for a nice tutorial.
– About:Config. For those school counselor who are a bit more tech savvy, you can easily get under the hood of Firefox and change its advanced settings. about:config is a feature of Mozilla applications which lists application settings (known as preferences) that are read from the profile files prefs.js and user.js, and from application defaults. Many of these preferences are not present in the Options or Preferences dialog. Using about:config is one of several methods of modifying preferences and adding other "hidden" ones. Simply type “about:config” without the quotes in the address bar to access them (see http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config).
Add-Ons
Although firefox has many useful features, if you are like me, you want more. Fortunately, Firefox has incorporated the ability to install add-ons. Add-ons extend Firefox, letting you personalize your browsing experience. There is an amazing selection of add-ons, some better than others, available online at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/.
Here are the add-ons I use which I have found to help me become significantly more effective and efficient in my work:
1. AutoCopy. Select text on a web page and it's automatically copied to the clipboard. That’s right. After I highlight something on a website with my mouse, I don’ have to hit CTRL-C or go to the Edit, Copy menu to copy it into memory, it’s done automatically. I can skip that step and go right to pasting what I copied into the application that I want. Also, this add-on has another neat feature called append URL. I can copy something on a website, right click on it, choose append URL and the website address automatically gets appended to the content that is copied into memory. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/add-on/383
2. DownThemAll!. DownThemAll is a download manager which features an advanced accelerator that increases speed up to 400% and it allows you to pause and resume downloads at any time. Also, DownThemAll is fast, reliable and easy-to-use. It lets you download all the links or images contained in a webpage and much more: you can refine your downloads by fully customizable criteria to get only what you really want! This means I can tell it to download all files or only certain files (e.g. PDF, MP3, PPT, DOCS) from a web page. So, when I’m on a web page with links to multiple documents, PowerPoints, or other resources, I can quickly download them all at once with just a couple of clicks. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/201
3. Download Statusbar. With this one, I can view and manage downloads from a tidy statusbar - without the download window getting in the way of your web browsing. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/26
4. IE Tab. One of my very favorites, with this add-on, I can easily see how a web page is displayed in Internet Explorer (even when I’m still using Firefox) with just one click and then switch back to Firefox. Also, this allows me to continue using Firefox even when the site requires Internet Explorer. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419
5. New Tab King. This extension adds a useful dashboard with recently used bookmarks and links to the Firefox blank tab page, so you can quickly access frequently used web sites. Using the extension is simple enough—just use the Ctrl+T shortcut key, and the new tab page will show up with shortcuts to launch applications, the most used web sites and recently closed tabs You can also get a quick glance on the sites you use the most, by period of the day and an easy search box. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10828
6. Open Download.Allows you to open any file from the internet into the OS assigned program. This is similar to IE's 'Open' or 'Run' file download functionality. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/207
7. Send Link Button. Ever found yourself on an interesting Web site that you wanted to send over to a friend? Now instead of having to cut and paste the URL into your E-mail client of choice, now you have a one button solution. Send Link Button adds a new button to the toolbar that sends the link for the current web page you are on to your email software so that you can send share it with others over email more quickly. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1770
8. Marks (formerly Foxmarks). Xmarks is an excellent bookmarking add-on. Install it on all your computers to keep your bookmarks and (optionally) passwords backed up and synchronized. Xmarks also helps you uncover the best of the web based on what millions of people are bookmarking. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/add-on/2410
9. Amazon Hot Stuff. Amazon Hot! Stuff allows you to easily navigate Amazon, and access to lists such as Bestsellers, Hot New Releases, Most Wished For, Movers And Shakers all at your finger tips. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/11542
10. Google Toolbar. Direct access to Google services from a toolbar within your browser. No need to go to Google.com to do a search. Also, this powerful toolbar has other features including AutoFill which can automatically complete online forms for you with your basic information (name, address, phone, email), great for online sweepstakes. http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/en/index.html
An important note: You should choose and use your add-ons carefully and sparingly. The more add-ons you install, the slower Firefox will run and the greater the chance that an add-on will cause a glitch. I have installed wonderful add-ons in the past that I found helpful although made Firefox on my computer cause terrible hang-ups. Once I uninstalled it, Firefox came back to normal. Ten to 15 add-ons is probably enough.
Disadvantages
There are a couple of disadvantages to using Firefox, although not enough to make me quit using it and go to something else. One disadvantage is that some websites count on Microsoft Internet Explorer to work correctly and do not work quite right in Firefox. For instance I have trouble listening to Sirius Satellite Radio and calling up a “Watch Now” Netflix movie using Firefox. When accessing my Outlook mail at work from the web, I find too that it works best in Internet Explorer. But, that’s what the add-on IE Tab is for (see above). Using the IE Tab add-on, I can just add these sites to the list of sites to open in Firefox using the IE engine, problem solved. The only other disadvantage that I’ve run into, and its not a big one, is that Firefox takes just a bit little longer to start up because it is not built in to the Operating System like Internet Explorer and Safari.
Other Options
Still want to check out some other options in web browsers, the competition is definitely steep:
 – For Windows users who just want fast, simple browsing, you might check out the minimalist Google Chrome. Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.
http://www.google.com/chrome/
– An up and coming browser which I have not used yet although is recommended by reviewers is Flock for people who "live on the Web" because it has all the speed, security and options of Firefox 3 but builds in a blog editor, photo-uploader and big sidebar to keep current with social networking friends and RSS feeds. A horizontal photo bar shows thumbnails from photo-sharing sites. You can try this one at http://www.flock.com/
– Opera. Opera Software’s browser is a really good piece of work. Billing itself as “The fastest browser on Earth!”, it is a free browser with excellent standards support. (http://www.opera.com/)
 – Safari. Safari is Apple’s own web browser, and for its first few years was only available to lucky Mac owners, coming pre-installed on all new Macs since 2003. A Windows version was released in June 2007. Safari is a clean, fast browser based on the WebKit rendering engine that also powers the Linux browser Konqueror. (http://www.apple.com/safari/)
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TIPS AND TRICKS
To Enable or Disable Notifications of Completed Print Jobs
1. Click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. On the File menu, click Server Properties.
3. On the Advanced click the options you want to apply:
– Show informational notifications for local printers. This option notifies users when a job is printed on a printer that is attached to this computer.
– Show informational notifications for network printers. This option notifies users of this computer when a job is printed on a remote computer.
4. For client computers that are running versions of Windows earlier than Microsoft Windows 2000 that access the printers on this computer, there are additional configuration options to choose from:
– Notify when remote documents are printed. This option sends a message to the user who sent a job to a printer that is attached this computer.
– Notify computer, not user, when remote documents are printed. This option sends a message to the computer from which the print job was sent, regardless of which computer on which the sending user is currently logged on.
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4 Signs Your Children May Be Involved With Cyberbullying
The simple fact is, no matter how much we love our little angels, sometimes they engage in behaviors of which we cannot approve. Like cyberbullying. Then it is up to us as trusted adults to step in and work with our children to correct their behavior. But unlike physical bullying which may leave tangible signs (scratches, torn clothes, bruises), cyberbullying may be undetectable. So, how do you know if your children are engaging in cyberbullying behaviors? We turn once again to expert guest blogger Alison Trachtman Hill.
http://uyn.blogspot.com/2009/05/4-signs-your-children-may-be-involved.html
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GOOG411: Free Directory Assistance
Looking up telephone numbers online is easy. But you don't always have a computer handy. That doesn't mean you need to pay for directory assistance. You can find numbers for free from any telephone. Google's service (GOOG-411) relies on voice recognition to find results. Tip: Say “text me” after you get results and Google will text you with the details of your lookup.
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Twitter for Educators
There are many ways you can use Twitter to engage students, improve communication, collaboration, and community in the classroom, and promote writing. I’ve listed 10 ways you can use Twitter in your class, from a simple Twitter group you create that students follow and the group follows.
http://itcboisestate.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/twitter-for-educators/ Follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/rsabella
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TechCheatSheets.com
Tech Cheat Sheets is a collection of the best cheat sheets and quick reference guides on the web. Arranged by tags, you can subscribe to a feed for only the tags you want to monitor. Visitors can also give the listings 1-5 star ratings.
http://techcheatsheets.com/
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9 FREE Screensavers That Actually Do Something Useful
http://www.friedbeef.com/9-free-screensavers-that-actually-do-something-useful/
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 WORTHY WEBSITES AND SOFTWARE
Use Evernote to Organize Your Troubleshooting Efforts
Evernote allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere. Did we mention that it's free?
http://www.evernote.com
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FotoFlexer is the world's most advanced online digital photo editor. It performs advanced effects previously only available to professionals using expensive software. FotoFlexer was founded by Arbor Labs, a team of graduate students and alumni from the Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, University of California at Berkeley (and just one MIT/Stanford alum too).
http://fotoflexer.com/
Also see http://www.picnik.com/
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Wolfram|Alpha
Today's Wolfram|Alpha is the first step in an ambitious, long-term project to make all systematic knowledge immediately computable by anyone. You enter your question or calculation, and Wolfram|Alpha uses its built-in algorithms and growing collection of data to compute the answer.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/
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Smart Defrag 1.11
Source: The Scout Report, Vol. 15, No. 20
Disk fragmentation can cause computers to run at greatly reduced speeds, so it's nice to learn about the existence about Smart Defrag 1.11. This application will defrag users' hard drive and also help optimize disk performance. Visitors can also schedule defrag operations for certain times as well. This version is designed for Windows Vista, XP, 2000, and Windows 7.
http://www.iobit.com/iobitsmartdefrag.html
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Quintura
This kid-friendly search engine lets you type in a query and/or click your way through a word cloud and get G-rated results in return.
http://www.quinturakids.com/
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KOL
Cross AOL's longstanding free e-mail service with a child-oriented Web portal, and what do you get? KOL, which offers not only games, music, movies, and other stuff aimed at teens and tweens, but also free e-mail accounts with robust parental controls.
http://kids.aol.com/
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Windows Live Family Safety
With Family Safety, you decide how your kids experience the Internet. You can limit searches, block or allow websites, decide who your kids can communicate with when they’re using Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail, or Spaces and monitor what websites they're visiting.
http://download.live.com/familysafety
Google Cheat Sheet
This two page Google Cheat Sheet lists all Google services and tools as well as background information. The Cheat Sheet offers a great reference to grasp of basic to advance Google query building concepts and ideas
http://www.adelaider.com/google-cheat-sheet/
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Who are You Looking For?
http://www.cvgadget.com/
Also see http://pipl.com/
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Google: New Search Options on search results
We recently announced Search Options, a new feature in Google Web Search. You can now slice and dice your search results using a variety of filters, which generate different views of your results page to more easily and quickly find what you need. To try it out, click the "Show options..." link on top of your search results to display the Search Options panel. Watch this short video to learn more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtirDMfcOKE
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Download Free Office 2007 Software from Microsoft
http://bhandler.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!70F64BC910C9F7F3!1822.entry
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Sabella’s Solution Focused Brief Counseling and Consultation book recommendations.
http://bit.ly/174dj5
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JUST FOR FUN
The Rasterbator creates huge, rasterized images from any picture. Upload an image, print the resulting multi-page PDF file and assemble the pages into extremely cool looking poster up to 20 meters in size. Rasterbator is arguably the world's cheapest way to cover a wall with cool-looking art.
http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/
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FUN WITH PHOTOS
Morphthing combines two faces into one!
http://www.morphthing.com/
LoonaPix
http://www.loonapix.com/
photovisi
Collages from your photos as wallpapers and more.
http://www.photovisi.com/
Tiltshift
Tilt-shift miniature style photos are pictures of real-life scenes that are manipulated to look like model photographs.
http://tiltshiftmaker.com/
Big Huge Labs
Dozens of tools here, must see.
http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/
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101 Things To Do This Summer
As much as your kids will tell you they can’t wait for summer, the words “I’m bored,” inevitably cross their lips – sometimes sooner than you think! While children do enjoy the freedom that comes with the summer months, they still like to have a little structure to their fun.
http://www.homeschool.com/articles/101ThingsToDoThisSummer/default.asp
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On this Day
The Commission’s Memorial Day anthem, “On This Day” was composed by Charles Strouse, award-winning composer of Annie and Bye Bye Birdie. It is an inspiring song that honors America’s fallen and the families they left behind. The song helps promote and inspire the tone of this annual observance: to connect us all as Americans and to sustain the American spirit. By remembering those who died for our country, we become more aware of our identity as Americans. The song has been created not to show a financial profit, but to inspire patriotism and pride.
http://www.remember.gov/MomentofRemembrance/OnThisDaySong/tabid/55/Default.aspx
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TrueCar
TrueCar is the fresh voice in new car pricing. We bring truth and transparency to the sales process by aggregating data from many different sources to show car buyers and dealers how much people actually paid for a particular car in their geographic area. We are a data-driven company, processing thousands of real transactions nationwide on a daily basis to generate objective and irrefutable Price Reports. TrueCar is offered online, on the phone, all free of charge.
http://truecar.com/
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Perceptual Experiment: Can You Count the Correct Number of Ball Passes?
This is a short, but fascinating two-part test of your perceptual abilities. For the first part, you will be shown a 30-second video of six college students divided into two teams. Three students are wearing white T-shirts, while the other three are wearing black. Each team has a basketball which they are passing to members of their team. Your task is to count the number of passes made by the team wearing white T-shirts. Click the first link below to watch the video and then return here for part two. Note: One gender has proven to be more perceptive. Which do you think it is?
http://www.transformationteam.net/video/perceptual_experiment_tc
The link to the answer is also on this page.
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