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Showing posts from March, 2017

Friday Folder 3/24

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WHS Library, Chrome, and Canvas Corner Follow the WHS Tech page :   Navigating keyboards, applications, and menus can be daunting.  Ever thought a cheatsheet might help?   Check out the newest WHS Library Resource (ever-updated, so check back regulary):  Tech Cheatsheets.  Easy visual reference sheets for our GoogleApp Suite, Chromebooks, and more. To learn about this resource go to:  http://bit.ly/whstechsheet  .    Or, check out our website for information about useful apps to enhance your Chromebook:  http://bit.ly/whsfutureready. Canvas :  Many students at Westview have a research project they are working on over spring break.  Though we walked through where and how to find our WHS Library Resources, in case they need a reminder have them navigate to:  http://bit.ly/whscanvas     and select WHS Library on the side.  Remember, passwords for at home use are at the bottom of the page. Digital Citizenship tip of the week :   Spring break is upon us, and many li

Tech Cheat Sheets

Do you need a quick cheat sheet for all the toolbars and menus for a Google Application?  Click on any of the cheat sheets below to open them up.  Hope they help.  :)   **For teachers, this is also an example of embedding a GoogleFolder.  

Want to inspire others?

The ACT Center for Equity in Learning and with the support of Michelle Obama's Better Make Room campaign are sending students who’ve beaten the odds to make it to college (or are on their way!) on a four-week road trip across the U.S. to talk to people who have overcome struggles to succeed. If you’ve overcome educational, societal, or financial hurdles, or faced down odds that might have kept you from getting to where you are today—we’re looking for you. You’ve worked hard and come far to get to college! Now get inspired for the adventures and challenges ahead! We’re taking a road trip across the U.S. to talk to people who have pushed past obstacles to reach their dreams, and we want you to come along! It’s free! Apply by April 3, 2017 Essential Details The application is open to current and prospective students in community college, four-year colleges or universities, or industry training programs who are between the ages of 18-26. Applicants must be available to comm

How does your choice in college major effect your career?

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A study completed by Williams College attempts to answer just this question.  Click on the major and see what career path students ended up following.  Navigate to the timeline to check out the generational trends.  Great stuff. http://web.williams.edu/Mathematics/devadoss/careerpath.htm l

Are you a poet?

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The 2017 Beaverton City Library  is announcing a Teen Poetry Contest. This year, they are challenging teens in grades 6-12 to submit  List Poems . List poems must incorporate a list of things. Repetition is often included and rhyming is optional. Examples can be found at  http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2011/04/write-list-poem.html . There will once again be three prizes - $100, $50 and $25 – for three winners in both the middle school and high school divisions. Prizes are generously sponsored by the Beaverton Library Foundation. ·           Entries can be submitted between  Saturday, March 25  and  Saturday, April 15  at the Beaverton City Library or the Murray Scholls Branch Library.  All entries must be received by close (5 p.m. for the main library and 6 p.m. for the branch) on Saturday, April 15 th . ·           Entries can be submitted individually or as a class / group. You are welcome to submit your students’ work for them! ·           Results will be announced at the Po

Finding the right college...

Which college to attend is an important decision.  It has to be the right fit, as you will be there for four years.  Step through this tutorial with your parents.  It could help you navigate your future.  Click here for more details.

Friday Folder 3/17

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WHS Library, Chrome, and Canvas Corner Follow  the WHS  Tech pag e :   Read&Write is a dynamic extension for Chrome.  BSD students who add this extension right now will have the ability to take full advantage of the Pro edition: highlighting websites, text to speech, page simplification, picture dictionary, and more.   To learn about this resource (including a helpful how-to video) go  to :   http://bit.ly/whsfuture .     Or, check out our website for information about useful apps to enhance your Chromebook :   http://bit.ly/whsfutureready. Canvas :  For an up to date calendar, quick links to library resources, technology tips, and the latest news about our school,  parents , and students can go to our All Student Canvas page.  Check it out: http://bit.ly/whscanvas      Digital Citizenship tip of the week :    Teaching kids character strengths and life skills is one of the most important jobs of parents, caregivers, and teachers. Hundreds of times a day, often with

Fake News? What is it?

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Deconstructing bias from news sources can be--to put it mildly--challenging.  This graphic from Decorah Community School District is intended to assist in the navigation of options.  What do you think?

Horatio Alger National Career & Technical Scholarship Program (1020 awards up to $2,500 each)

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Receive up to $2,500 to pursue a career or technical certificate/degree Eligibility Criteria: Have completed high school (or earned a GED) Will be enrolled in eligible program in Fall 2017 Exhibit a strong commitment to pursue and complete a career or technical program at an accredited non-profit post-secondary institution in the United States Demonstrated critical financial need (must be eligible to receive the Federal Pell grant as determined by completion of the FAFSA) Demonstrated perseverance in overcoming adversity Be under the age of 30 Be a United States citizen Funds may be used for tuition, fees, books and supplies.  All scholarship fu nds are paid directly to the institution on behalf of the recipient. The application will open March 15  for students enrolled in a post-secondary program in Fall 2017. First application deadline is June 15. https://scholars.horatioalger.org/

Read&Write

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Read&Write is a Chrome Extension  that everyone should have.  Check out its features: Click here for an amazing help sheet.

Shortcuts for GoogleDrive

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Go to GDrive and try this now: New Doc: Shift + t New Slide presentation: Shift + p New Form: Shift + o New Folder: Shift + f ...cool?

Saturday night...

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You lose an hour of sleep but set the clock ahead.  Happy Daylight Savings !

Friday Folder 3/10

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WHS Library, Chrome, and Canvas Corner Follow  the WHS  Tech pag e :   Taking notes, writing outlines, and tracking resources just got a little bit easier.  This week Google added GoogleKeep to its suite of integrated applications.  Now you can take notes and insert them directly into your documents.  To learn about this resource and more go  to :   http://bit.ly/whsfuture .     Or, check out our website for information about useful apps to enhance your Chromebook :   http://bit.ly/whsfutureready. Canvas :  For an up to date calendar, quick links to library resources, technology tips, and the latest news about our school,  parents  and students can go to our All Student Canvas page.  Check it out: http://bit.ly/whscanvas      Digital Citizenship tip of the week :    Kids these days are big consumers of news. Unfortunately, many of them can’t tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not.     A new report released last week by Common Sense Media may help naviga

Taking the SAT this weekend?

Join Khan Academy for a free SAT writing class today at 7 pm ET/4pm PT. https://twitter.com/khanacademy/status/839882263579938817

Digital Citizenship: Password Security

Wondering if the password you created is secure?  Check it out with this helpful tool:   How Secure Is My Password

Digital Citizenship: Secure Passwords

The wisdom of the password sages is to have different passwords for every site.  In addition, those passwords are supposed to be complicated and hard to guess.  But, what if you forget?  A tech guru of password security has recommended this website: LastPass as a one-stop place to store all of your passwords securely.  It might be worthwhile to check it out (and, it works with Chrome!).

OSU guarantees graduation in 4 years...

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The  College of Liberal Arts  is the first college at OSU to offer a four-year degree completion guarantee. Under the program, if a student meets their obligations but still cannot get through all of their needed courses in four years, the college will pick up the cost of OSU tuition for the remaining required classes.   Read full story here.

Keep?

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Taking, keeping, editing, using notes on your phone, online, or in GoogleDocs seems to be pretty essential nowadays.  There are plenty of apps to help.  Google just upped the ante by adding the extension "Keep" to GSuite.  For more information, click here.

Giving a presentation using Powerpoint?

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Make it interactive with these tips: First, you have to be in Slide Show mode. Head to  Slide Show  at the top of your screen >  From Beginning. Once you’ve got your slides running, use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+P in order to access the pen.It’s going to just look like a small dot, but if you click and hold down with your mouse, you can draw on your slides. You can use it to draw arrows on the fly, or circle important content to help make things clear to people. You can also draw pictures to help explain things (if that happens to be a skill of yours!) To erase, just hit “E” and you’ll erase the last thing you’ve drawn. To hide the pen, just hit CTRL+H. For more tips like this: https://www.bettercloud.com/monitor/the-academy/how-to-doodle-on-your-powerpoint-presentation/

Scholarship Opportunity

The Scholarship Scholarships up to $20,000 over four years will be awarded to full-time students who have been accepted to an accredited four-year college, university, or equivalent (culinary school, for example).  Applicants can be current high school seniors entering college in the fall or students currently attending a college or university. The scholarship will be paid directly to the institution of higher learning. Everyone who meets the requirements below is invited to apply. Scholarship recipients will receive notice of their award by June 15 of the school year prior to when the scholarship will commence. Scholarship Application Requirements: Acceptance to an accredited four-year college, university, or equivalent Low income household G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher Involvement in an extra-curricular activity or work Completion of full application including a completed  Student Aid Report  from the FAFSA or the CSS Profile Submit application by the March 15th deadline.

More online free course content

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Another free place to check your skills, Khan Academy   has test prep, math, and other online options to expand your skills.

Friday Folder 3/3

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WHS Library, Chrome, and Canvas Corner Follow  the WHS  Tech pag e :  Statistically, around 30% of incoming college freshmen drop out before the end of their first year.  How can you beat the odds?  One way is to make sure you are ready for the courses you sign up to take.  Luckily with free websites such as Coursera and Khan Academy, you can practice with the content of a course before you enroll.  To learn about this resource and more go to :  http://bit.ly/whsfuture .     Or, check out our website for information about useful apps to enhance your Chromebook :   http://bit.ly/whsfutureready. Theatre:   Please come and join our theatre department as they present the musical Kiss Me Kate, based on the  Shakespearean  play Taming of the Shrew.  The show runs the next two weekends: March 2nd-5th and March 9th-11th here at the Westview theatre starting at 7:30p.  Go to   westviewtheatre.org/   to purchase your tickets in advance. Digital Citizenship tip of the week :     Te

Don't want to waste money on college tuition?

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Many freshmen college students enroll in courses without really knowing what will be taught.  When they find out, dropping the course may carry with it some out of pocket expense.  Instead, try this:   Coursera  has free online courses.  You can try them out and see if it is what you want.  With courses in just about every content area, there is something for everyone.

Huddle Up with Harrington for a College Scholarship

What is the OCQS? The Oregon Community Quarterback Scholarship is a renewable four-year collegiate scholarship program for Oregon high school seniors who are emerging leaders, and plan to attend an Oregon university or trade school. The program is intended to facilitate the growth of promising leaders in the state of Oregon by developing the skills needed to flourish their local communities. By helping to open doors in the business sector, these emerging leaders will remain planted and invested in the state of Oregon. This is a need-based scholarship with criteria focusing on an individual’s involvement in his or her community, rather than academic or athletic performance. Four scholarships will be issued for the 2017/2018 academic year. Each scholarship is worth $2,500 per year for a total commitment of $40,000 a year in perpetuity. New to the scholarship selection this year: interviews will be conducted by the HFF Scholarship Committee for the top ten (10) scholarship finalis