Friday, November 27, 2009

Posters Up To 75% OFF


Poster Sale
Sale Event of the Season – Up to 75% off! PLUS! Free Shipping on EVERYTHING – Shop Now!

 

Use Code: SAVEUSA1


Terms & Conditions
*Promotion applies to order total before shipping and sales tax. Free Shipping offer is only valid on purchases $14.99 and above. Offer cannot be applied to previous or pending purchases. This offer cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. Offer not valid on Thomas Kinkade Limited Edition items. AllPosters.com reserves the right to cancel any order due to unauthorized, altered, or ineligible use of discount.

This offer expires November 27, 11:59 PM PST.

Sabella & Associates, LLC ©2009
4922 SW 26 PL, Cape Coral, FL  33914
www.schoolcounselor.com

news@schoolcounselor.com

Monday, November 9, 2009

Enter To Win 100 SAT/ACT Prep Books

Enter To Win 100 SAT/ACT Prep Books For Your School: Brian Leaf is giving away a prize package of one hundred copies of his books, which include "McGraw-Hill's Top 50 Skills for a Top Score" and "Defining Twilight: Vocabulary Workbook for Unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT." To enter, simply email BrianLeafSATBooks@gmail.com. One entry per person, but everyone from a school may enter. One email will be chosen at random to win. For more info, visit www.BrianLeaf.com.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

SchoolCounselor.com Issue #113

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SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter #113

November 7, 2009

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.

Get Your Own Dropbox

Dropbox is software that syncs your files online and across your computers. Put your files into your Dropbox on one computer, and they'll be instantly available on any of your other computers that you've installed Dropbox on (Windows, Mac, and Linux too!) Because a copy of your files are stored on Dropbox's secure servers, you can also access them from any computer or mobile device using the Dropbox website. Let's say you're editing a document at home. As soon as you click 'Save', Dropbox will sync this same file to all your other computers (and now your iPhone!) instantly and automatically. It's as if you saved the document to all of your computers. This gives you the freedom to work on any of your computers and always have the files you need.

You can easily share entire folders or photo albums with Dropbox. Simply put the folders you want to share in your Dropbox, and invite people to them. You can also send people links to specific files within your Dropbox. This makes Dropbox perfect for team projects. Every time you put a file in your Dropbox folder it is automatically backed up to our secure servers. If your computer has a melt-down your files are safe on Dropbox and can be restored at any time. Our free 2GB account is perfect for backing up your documents. We offer larger accounts (up to 100GB) for backing up your music and video collections.

http://www.getdropbox.com/referrals/NTUwODQ3Mjk


Congratulations to ... Janet from Windham, ME and Jean Marie from Peoria, IL. They both won a copy of SCAATAP (School Counselor Accountability and Task Analysis Program; see http://www.scaatap.com/ valued at $125 each) just for updating their subscription to the SchoolCounselor.com eNewsletter at http://www.schoolcounselor.com/NEWSLETTER/

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Highlights from SchoolCounselor.com

Top 5 Training Topics for School Counselors
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/top5training.htm

Must See Videos
New videos added since the last issue.
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

New in Google Docs: Shared folders
You can create shared folders if you'd like to share a group of related items. To create a folder, first select Folder from the Create new drop-down menu.
http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=158074

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Tweetscan.com
Tweet Scan with keywords guidance counselor
http://bit.ly/3DpbSz

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Gmail (Google mail): Have Google Help You Remember Email Addresses
Source:
Broncobytes
“Got the wrong Bob?” keeps track of email addresses you email most often. If you send an email to a group of people that usually includes, say, Bob Smith, but accidentally add Bob Roberts, the Lab will prompt you to make sure you didn’t mean to exclude Bob Smith. Google has also changed the “Suggest more recipients” Lab name to “Don’t forget Bob.” This Lab is similar to “Got the wrong Bob?” in that it keeps track of groups of addresses you often send emails to, and if you leave someone off the group list, it’ll prompt you to make sure you aren’t leaving somebody out by mistake.

Also see:
Share Folders in Google Docs
http://broncobytes.boisestate.edu/2009/10/13/share-folders-in-google-docs/

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Google Building Maker
Building Maker is a 3D modeling tool for adding buildings to Google Earth. It's fun to use, and an easy way to get on the 3D map.
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwh/buildingmaker.html

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SyncToy helps you copy, move, rename, and delete files between folders and computers quickly and easily.

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Refocus Tracks Your Goals for the Month on One Page
From the website, “Lately I’ve been moving around, without knowing if I made progress. I developed this new form to help keep me focused on achievement. It may look like a Scantron, but it has theory behind it.”
http://whitehatblackbox.com/2009/07/new-form-keeping-focus/

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Export Multiple Files in Google Docs
Google has added a new multiple file export feature to Google Docs. You can now select one or more files from your Google Docs items list and export them in bulk to various formats.
http://broncobytes.boisestate.edu/2009/10/27/export-multiple-files-in-google-docs/

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monitorThis
Search for new entries in 26 different search engines feeds.
http://monitorthis.info/

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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.
Read more:
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/firefox.htm

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ScheduleGenerator
Online class schedule maker tool that lets you quickly generate class schedules online. The application is simple and straightforward, just enter your data such as class names, locations and times, and click on ‘Generate’ button. ScheduleGenerator will then open up a new tab containing a ready to print schedule.
http://www.sealandserpent.org/schedgen/schedulegenerator.php

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Google: Better Music Information in Search Results
We have just introduced a new feature to help you better find music information using Google search. Now, when you enter a music-related query — like the name of a song, artist, album or a line or two of lyrics — into the Google search box, your search results will include links to an audio preview of those songs provided by our music search partners MySpace (which just acquired iLike) or Lala. This feature not only makes search better, it also introduces millions of music seekers to new sources of licensed music online.
http://www.google.com

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Bing announced its Twitter search partnership as well as a specific Web site for Bing/Tweet searching.
http://www.bing.com/twitter

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WORTHY WEBSITES AND SOFTWARE

Paint.NET
Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plugins.
http://paint.net/

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3 Excellent Sites to Get Free Document Templates
Free Document Templates Once in a while we all need some kind of document, it may be a business plan presentation, rental contract, non-disclosure agreement, or even a name change request form. In most cases, Googling the document may ultimately get you what you need, but it’s both time consuming and frustrating. Here are 3 excellent resources that can provide you with any professional document or form template for free.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-websites-to-get-any-document-for-free/

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Paul Zuiker, a school counselor from Wisconsin, writes in:

TreePad
One of the ongoing hassles of school counselor is keeping track of notes, students, and information. I have tried folders, Word files, etc etc. I was always looking for something that was simple and searchable. I and my coworkers are using Treepad. I started with the freeware version but have upgraded to the Business Edition, though the Plus edition is more than adequate. Check out this program for keeping track of things. It is very versatile and rock solid.
http://www.treepad.com/

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Resnooze
Have you ever emailed yourself something just to keep it in mind? Resnooze makes the process or “emailing yourself” easier. By default, Resnooze reminders are periodical so you won’t forget them even if you ignore one. With Resnooze, you can adjust the reminder frequency in a single click, from within the email message.
http://www.resnooze.com

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eclocking is a stopwatch that allows you to save, organize and analyze your timings.
http://eclocking.com/

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Updated: AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0Basic antivirus and antispyware protection for Windows available to download for free. Limited features, no support, for private and non-commercial use only.
http://free.avg.com/ww-en/download?prd=afg#tba2

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How to Secure Your Wireless Home Network
This article describes how you can secure your Wireless Network from hackers and you’ll also learn about free tools that people generally use to intercept your Wi-Fi signals.
http://www.labnol.org/internet/secure-your-wireless-wifi-network/10549/

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Google: Managing your reputation through search results
This site gives some tips for "reputation management": influencing how you're perceived online, and what information is available relating to you.

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Google Docs: Shared folders
Today, we are happy to launch one of the most requested Google Docs features — the ability to share folders. Shared folders make it easy for a team of people to collaborate on projects that require multiple documents, spreadsheets or presentations. If you have a group of items you want to share, all that you have to do is put them into one folder and share it.”

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Top Screen Capture & Screencasting Tools
These tools can be used to capture screens, create screencasts or software demonstrations (ie narrated recordings of a system's screen output) and/or simulations.
http://c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/capture.html

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Can You Go to Jail for Cyberbullying?
After retiring from Arizona’s superior court in 2008, former judge Tom Jacobs began a site called
askthejudge.info to help teens understand legal issues. Below, he applies his expertise to the issue of cyberbullying and its possible legal consequences.
http://uyn.blogspot.com/2009/10/can-you-go-to-jail-for-cyberbullying.html

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PDFescape
Want to edit PDF files or complete PDF forms?
http://www.pdfescape.com/

Also see
http://www.pdftoword.com/ and especially http://www.zamzar.com/

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Become a PowerPoint Power User
Microsoft PowerPoint has revolutionized the education process for corporations, conferences and educational establishments everywhere. So if you want to wow the participants in your next meeting, you might want to get to know PowerPoint like a power user. These advanced tips and tricks will enable you to make your PowerPoint presentation even more powerful.
http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Become_a_PowerPoint_Power_User

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ASCAway: Online Safety
Podcast: Nancy McBride, national safety director for the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, shares some advice on how school counselors can help keep kids safe online.
http://ascaway.podbean.com/2009/10/30/ascaway-online-safety/

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


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JUST FOR FUN

15 Coolest Google Earth Finds
http://www.oddee.com/item_96849.aspx

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Snagfilms
Source:
Lifehacker
If you're looking for something a bit meatier than YouTube fare for weekend watching, check out SnagFilms and enjoy documentaries on a wide range of topics. You'll find all sorts of content on SnagFilms, ranging from well-known documentaries like Super Size Me to lesser-known but interesting works like The Times of Harvey Milk, about the assassination of San Fransisco's first openly gay elected official, and Hell on Wheels, about the origins of modern women-only roller derbies. The films are almost all full length and of a high quality—no grainy webcam political rants here. Watching the videos is free and requires no login, though there are brief 10-15 second ads sprinkled throughout the videos—one appeared during out test run of Super Size Me every 15 minutes or so. If you have a favorite place for finding interesting and informative videos or audio, let's hear about it in the comments.
http://www.snagfilms.com/films

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8 tips for better holiday photos
What's the problem with holiday photos? All too often, they fail to capture the feeling of the season. Most holiday pictures look interchangeable. Your photos of family members lined up and smiling look the same as those of every other family.
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/photos/holidayphotos.aspx

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Create funny photo online starring you!
http://seenow.com/popular
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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.

TO SUBSCRIBE to this newsletter, simply go to the signup page at
www.SchoolCounselor.com/newsletter and enter your e-mail address. You will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription. We will add your e-mail address to the list when you reply to the confirmation e-mail.

TO UNSUBSCRIBE from this newsletter, simply visit go to the signup page at
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/unsub.htm and click the unsubscribe button after entering your e-mail address. Important: You will then be asked to click on a link called “click here” to complete the process.

TO CHANGE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS: If your old address will become inactive, PLEASE
UNSUBSCRIBE with your old address and SUBSCRIBE with your new one.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS send a note. Please allow a week or two for changes to take effect.

____________________________________________

PRIVACY POLICY

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

Want to advertise in this newsletter? Visit
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 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

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

New Report: Social Isolation and New Technology

Pew Internet & American Life Project

 

Pew Internet & American Life Project

New Report

 

Social Isolation and New Technology

 

By Keith Hampton, Lauren Sessions, Eun Ja Her, and Lee Rainie
November 4, 2009

 

Social Isolation and New TechnologyPeople who use modern information and communication technologies have larger and more diverse social networks, according to new national survey findings that for the first time explore how people use the internet and mobile phones to interact with key family and friends.
 
These new finding challenge fears that use of new technologies has contributed to a long-term increase in social isolation in the United States.
 
The new findings show that, on average, the size of people's discussion networks--those with whom people discuss important matters--is 12% larger amongst mobile phone users, 9% larger for those who share photos online, and 9% bigger for those who use instant messaging. The diversity of people's core networks--their closest and most significant confidants--tends to be 25% larger for mobile phone users, 15% larger for basic internet users, and even larger for frequent internet users, those who use instant messaging, and those who share digital photos online.
 
"All the evidence points in one direction," said Prof. Keith Hampton, lead author of the report. "People's social worlds are enhanced by new communication technologies. It is a mistake to believe that internet use and mobile phones plunge people into a spiral of isolation."
 

 

About the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project

The Pew Internet Project is an initiative of the Pew Research Center, a nonprofit "fact tank"that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Pew Internet explores the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, the work place, schools, health care and civic/political life.  Support for the project is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.  The Project's website is: http://www.pewinternet.org.

 

 

 

 

Blog Archive

Produced by Sabella & Associates, LLC

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