Have you discovered Themes? April 28, 2009
Posted by Katrina Gormley in How To.Tags: How To
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When we first switched over to this new email powered by Google, one of the first questions I asked was “why don’t we have a link to go in and change our theme?” You see, I’ve had a GMail account for a while and I knew this was an option I had there and I wanted to use it in our new email. What are themes you ask? Themes are simply different choices for how your email looks. Some are simply different color choices – similar to the option we had in desknow where you could choose between the blue, a green color or an orange-ish color, and other themes incorporate pictures. A simple way to jazz up the way your email screen looks — and since it is becoming more and more a part of our lives I personally like it to look nice while I have to use it!
Here’s how to change the theme in your email. After you have logged in, click on the “settings” link in the upper right corner of your email screen. Once at the settings screen, click on the “themes” link (almost straight down from the settings link). Choose your theme, then watch as your email screen takes on a new look. Some themes require you to enter a city, and based on the location you enter, the theme will change from day to day.
Go ahead … spruce up that email screen 
~Happy Computing,
Katrina
Michigan Authors and Illustrators April 23, 2009
Posted by Katrina Gormley in MeL Database Review Series, Web Resource.add a comment
The Michigan Authors and Illustrators database is recommended for the general user looking for reading advice. The database has a very simple layout with the search options in a box to the left — search results appear in a box on the right.
This searchable database provides biographical and contact information for authors and illustrators from Michigan. The database also indicates if the author/illustrator is available to do presentations and provides a listing of the author/illustrator’s work and any awards they may have won.
This database would be most useful for the teacher looking to share the work of Michigan authors and illustrators with their class.
~Happy Computing,
Katrina
Kids InfoBits April 21, 2009
Posted by Katrina Gormley in MeL Database Review Series, Web Resource.Tags: MeL, Online Resources
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Kids InfoBits is designed for use by kids in Kindergarten – 6th grade. The database has eye catching colors and icons sure to grab young student’s attention.
The database’s homepage has 12 icons representing the 12 main categories into which information has been divided. Students can click on a main category to see a listing of subcategories. When they click on a subcategory, they get an even more specific listing to choose from. When they choose their final topic, they get a page that shows file folder type tabs across the top dividing the available information by format. Kids InfoBits has full text from reference books, magazines, newspapers, maps, flags & seals, charts and graphs, and images. Entries are coded for reading difficulty level although I don’t think most kids will pay much attention to this feature.
One very nice feature this database offers is the ability to have an article read to you. Great for very young students or students who struggle with reading.
The site also has a link to a dictionary and a “Teacher Toolbox” link which includes information on how to judge information, choose a topic, write a topic sentence, create an outline, cite a source, organize a report, and write a conclusion.
The site does offer a simple search box, and a button to take you to an advanced search screen, for those who wish to simply type in a topic vs. search for it through the subject-based topic tree. Using the topic tree can be helpful though for students who haven’t decided on a topic yet and can also help students understand how things are organized and grouped into categories.
This database covers animals, plants, people, geography, science & math, stories & literature, history & social studies, transportation, inventions & technology, health, arts & entertainment, and sports.
To use this database, visit our webpage (http://www.montabella.com) and choose the Media Center link in the Elementary drop down menu, once at the Media Center page, scroll down to the listing of databases where you will find the Kids InfoBits icon. OR you can visit http://mel.org, click on ”MeL Databases” and then click on the “Kids InfoBits” link. Please note that if you access this from home you will have to type in a MI driver’s license or state ID number.
This is a great tool for elementary students to use when doing reports!
~Happy Computing
Katrina
Cool Tool April 16, 2009
Posted by Katrina Gormley in Uncategorized.add a comment
I found the coolest thing today … I don’t know about you, but I am always finding stuff on the web that I need/want to read, but sometimes I just don’t have time right at that moment to read it. This little browser add-on can help you remember those things so you can go back to them later when you have time and read them. The “I Need to Read This” button is easy to add to the toolbar of your browser, and then whenever you find one of those things that you want to remember to go back to later, all you have to do is click it. When you have time to read some of those things, simply click the button and then click on the “View my to-read list”. How cool is that?!
To access the site to add the button
http://ineedtoreadthis.com/
