Monday, September 21, 2009

SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter #111

SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter #111

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.

Visit our generous sponsors below:

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Highlights from SchoolCounselor.com
eReaders

I've owned a Kindle 2 (http://bit.ly/RZp6y) now for several months and I love it. As I'm using it and experimenting with it, I ponder the potential for these types of eReaders to be adopted in both school counseling and counselor education. I do wonder if it just a matter of time that readers are adopted as paper replacements as the advantages seem to already be significant and will continue to evolve.

Read more and comment ...

SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter: eReaders and counseling - What do you think?
http://bit.ly/495kjk
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Must See Videos

Did You Know 4.0
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/videos/2009/09/did-you-know-40.html

Teen Bullying Prevention - A Cyber Bullying Suicide Story-6
Click here to
view.

Cyberbullying: You Can't Take It Back

Illuminate Cyberbullying

Texting While Driving (Caution: graphic)
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/videos/2009/08/texting-while-driving-psa.html

Mom Loses Daughter Over 'Sexting,'
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/videos/2009/08/mom-loses-daughter-over.html

Michael Pritchard's water filter turns filthy water drinkable
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/videos/2009/08/michael-pritchards-water-filter-turns.html

See more videos at:
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/videos/
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Posters
Beautiful ... Inspiring .. Motivational ... Touching
Counseling Posters for your Office and Home
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/posters


TIPS AND TRICKS

Cheetah YouTube Downloader - Download Videos Fast!
The Cheetah YouTube Downloader will batch download videos and allow you to save them as MP3, MP4, FLV, Audio CD and a Video DVD. Use the built in web browser to find the video that you would like to download. Then add it to your list of videos and when you are ready, click the "Save Video" button to download your videos. You can download, convert, and burn your videos to Audio CD or Video DVD with one click.
http://www.cheetahburner.com/

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Google Calendars and SMS (texting)
Did you know that you can interact with your Google Calendar using text messages? The Google Calendar SMS short code is 48368 or you can remember it as GVENT. First, you’ll have to register your phone/Mobile device number by following the directions are
here (A list of providers can be found here):

Check your calendar via SMS
To receive a notification with your calendar information, send a text message containing one of the following commands to the shortcode '48368' (GVENT):

* 'next': request your next scheduled event
* 'day: request all of your scheduled events for the present day
* 'nday': request your events scheduled for the following day

Please note:

–This feature is available only in the United States at this time.
– Only event information from your primary calendar will be retrieved.
– Information is currently only available for events that are scheduled within 24 hours of the request.

Create an Event via SMS
To create an event on your primary calendar via SMS, simply send a text message containing your event's details to the shortcode "GVENT (48368)."

For example, if you send a message with something like "Shopping with Sarah at Monterey Market 5pm Saturday," Google Calendar can figure out what you mean and pop the new event into your calendar.

Please keep in mind that this feature is only available in the US at this time.

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How to Set Up and Run a Webinar With DimDim for Free
DimDim is a webinar service that allows you to run presentations or share your screen with a group of people. They have a free version, which allows you to run a webcast or webinar with up to 20 people. You’ll be able to share your computer screen or web pages. The paid versions allow you to use a whiteboard, share presentations and have more people attend. With both the free and paid versions you can record the class to save it or share with people who couldn’t attend. Here is how to set up and utilize this helpful service.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5323489_set-up-run-webinar-dimdim.html

You can go strait to DimDim
here.

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Windows Movie Maker is Updated
Windows Live Movie Maker is a new offering that allows you to easily turn photos and videos into great-looking movies to share with family and friends across a TV, PC or mobile device using the most popular camera types and file formats on the market today.
http://www.moviemakerpreview.com/downloads.aspx

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Pin Frequently Used Documents to File Menu to Save Time
Here is a quick productivity tip if you work with same set of Excel (or Word or Powerpoint) documents everyday. Just pin the documents to recent documents list in the Office Menu in MS Office 2007.
http://chandoo.org/wp/tag/quick-tip/

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6 Ways to Share Your Documents Online
Document sharing sites are really helpful for large organizations, schools and universities; even small business organizations can represent their clients using these services. Here are a few of the best online documents sharing sites worth checking out.
http://www.the20life.com/2009/08/19/6-ways-to-share-your-documents-online/

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Dealing with PDF Files in Outlook
As you might know, when you receive an attachment (e.g., Word or Excel) in a Microsoft Outlook email, you can single click on it and preview the file without having to open in it (double clicking on the file will open it). However, there is not available a built in previewer for PDF files. This free file does the trick. After installing, you will be able to preview PDF files within Microsoft Outlook. The trick though is that, Foxit must be your default PDF viewer. If not, it will launch Acrobat and defeat the whole purpose of the quick preview. I recommend Foxit over Adobe as a PDF reader anyway.

To download free Foxit PDF reader (click
here).

To download the Foxit PDF viewer:

a. If you are using Windows Vista, download Foxit PDF Preview Handler (Alternate Link Vista).
http://www.box.net/public/syl2dsag1g

b. If you are using Windows XP and have Outlook 2007, install Foxit PDF Previewer for XP (Alternate Link XP).
http://timheuer.s3.amazonaws.com/FoxPDFPSrv.zip
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Microsoft Outlook: Print an address book
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/HP030656981033.aspx


Get Back Issues of SchoolCounselor.com
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/store/newsletters.htm



WORTHY WEBSITES AND SOFTWARE

Find Out if That E-Mail Is a Hoax
This site catalogs and debunks the hundreds of Internet hoaxes and urban legends that continue to make the e-mail rounds.

http://www.snopes.com/

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Youth, Pornography, and the Internet Free Book
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom.php?book=youth_internet&page=index.html

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Internet Safety 3.0.
Both the Internet and the way young people use technology are constantly changing, but Internet safety messages change very slowly if at all. A few years ago, some of us in the Net safety community started talking about how to adjust our messaging for the much more interactive "Web 2.0." And we did so, based on the latest research as it emerged. But even those messages are starting to get a bit stale….
Now it's time for Internet Safety 3.0.

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WatchKnow
Just think: hundreds of thousands of great short videos, and other media, explaining every topic taught in schools, in every major language on Earth. WatchKnow--as in, "You watch, you know"--is trying to do this.
http://www.watchknow.org/

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Kindlepedia
Kindlepedia is your tool to format articles from Wikipedia to read on your Kindle - or any other ereader that supports Mobipocket files.
http://www.edukindle.com/kindlepedia/

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GuardingKids.com Blog
Just updated, this website supports Dr. Russell Sabella's work on educating children, parents, educators and other stake holders about the responsible use of technology. Included in these pages you will find helpful resources, lesson plans, links, and more. Russ's most recent book and workshops are primary resources for meeting this mission.
http://guardingkids.com

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Volumouse
I use this one everyday. Volumouse turns your mouse's click wheel into a volume dial. Already at your fingertips, it's both convenient and intuitive. And you don't have to open a menu to use it.
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/volumouse.html

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LinkBunch lets you put multiple links into one small link which you can share over IM, Twitter, email or even a mobile phone SMS.
http://linkbun.ch/

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The Internet as a Diversion
Three-quarters of online economic users--those Americans who use the internet to keep up with news about the economic recession or their own personal finances--go online to relax and take their minds off of the recession, according to an April 2009 survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. Listening to music and watching online videos are among the most common of the activities we evaluated; roughly half of all online economic users have done each of these activities to relax. Approximately one-third of online economic users have played online games or chatted with friends (on a social networking site, listserv or other online group), while an additional 22% have taken their minds off of their economic or financial circumstances by creating or posting content online. Young Americans in particular go online in great numbers to relax by watching videos, listening to music, playing games or chatting with friends.
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/16--The-Internet-As-A-Diversion.aspx

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Photo Recovery Programs
Source: Komando.com

At some point in time, it’s happened to all of us: we’ve accidentally deleted photos from a memory card or hard drive. But this doesn’t mean that your precious memories are gone for good. Most memory card manufacturers offer software to recover images. For a fee, of course. Additionally, you can purchase third-party programs to recover images.
http://www.komando.com/downloads/category.aspx?id=2938

Data Boot Camp for School Counselors
and Administrators - CD

Russell A. Sabella, Ph.D.

My newest CD is designed to help you become more proficient in using Microsoft Excel™ to make data an important part of your comprehensive school counseling program. From data-driven decision making, to monitoring progress, to reporting the positive impact you're having on kids -- this CD will demystify how it's done.

With the Data Boot Camp for School Counselors and Administrators, what you see and hear on the videos is what you do. At your fingertips, you'll have access to 30 videos and lots of graphics, tips, tricks, and resourceful links. This straightforward step-by-step approach makes learning how to use Microsoft Excel™ (and a bit of PowerPoint™) as easy and convenient as watching television. Data Boot Camp will help school counseling students, practitioners, administrators, and counselor educators to more easily unlock the power of data so you can more effectively support student achievement.

The content on the CD is equivalent to a full-day workshop in the computer lab!

Visit and learn more about the contents of the CD and view a couple of sample videos (Remember, these samples may take a few moments to load because you are online. However, on the CD, this is not an issue because the videos are all located on the CD itself!).
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/store/data-bootcamp.htm

$18.95 (FREE shipping)
Please allow 5-7 working days to arrive


Youtube.com Education Channel
Did you know about this?
http://www.youtube.com/edu
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JUST FOR FUN

Could you pass a driving test?
You'll answer a quick set of questions. Then, you'll get a grade on the test. If you want, you can post it to Facebook, Twitter or your blog.
http://www.autoinsurance.org/driving_test/

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iDig Network announced this week the launch of iDigRadio, which launches more than 990 radio stations from over 40 different countries.
Source:
Research Buzz
http://www.idigradio.com/

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Google Fast Flip
A new way to display news articles.
http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/

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BRAND NEW ...
Back Issues of the SchoolCounselor.com
e-Newsletter Issues 71-95

This e-book is a compilation of Issues 71-95 as they were published on the SchoolCounselor.com website. I’ve made sure that all links on these pages are active so that you may conveniently click on any resource (usually blue and underlined) and go right to that webpage – no need to type website addresses. This one has over 630 links throughout 200 pages!

After purchasing, you will be sent directly to a web page with the download link. As well, you will receive an email with the same link. The download is a PDF file which requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader (although I recommend
Foxit which is also free).

Only $8 (that’s it, no other fees)


Bonus .. If you want to go way back and receive issues 20-95 (3 files with over 500 pages), that’s only $15 for a limited time.

Go to
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/store/ to order now.


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SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

SchoolCounselor.com does not knowingly send unsolicited e-mail. This Newsletter is for subscribers only. If you received it and did not subscribe, please let us know using the link on our home page. We will remove your name immediately.

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____________________________________________

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http://www.schoolcounselor.com/privacy.htm
____________________________________________

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http://www.schoolcounselor.com/advertising.htm
____________________________________________

The SchoolCounselor.com newsletter may contain links to sites on the Internet owned and operated by third parties. SchoolCounselor.com is not responsible for the availability of, or the content located on or through, any such third-party site. Information in this document is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and freedom from infringement. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. SchoolCounselor.com will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of this information, including, but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, and consequential damages.

You Could Win!

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)

1 of 5 copies of SCAATAP (School Counselor Accountability and Task Analysis Program; see http://www.scaatap.com/ $125 each)

1 of 10 copies of the new SchoolCounselor.com e-Newsletter Back Issues #71-95
(http://www.schoolcounselor.com/store/newsletters.htm $8)

Register now at
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/NEWSLETTER

GuardingKids.com: A Practical Guide to Keeping Kids Out of High-Tech Trouble

Russell A. Sabella, Ph.D.

From podcasts to porn, cyberbullying to cell phones, Dr. Russell Sabella helps readers understand the risks that emerge when high-tech tools, uninformed parents, and exuberant youth collide. Because kids are growing up with modern technologies, many are more expert than their parents. As a result, a parent's ability to make effective decisions for how technology is used may be compromised.

GuardingKids.com empowers parents, educators, and other care takers to better understand the electronic terrain. Readers will be better able to help children safely and securely navigate a minefield of inappropriate and risky situations.

http://www.guardingkids.com/

Sabella & Associates, LLC ©2009

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Copyright, 2009. All Rights Reserved. Contact Dr. Russell Sabella at news@schoolcounselor.com.