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June 26, 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.

What’s on your Summer Reading List?
Join the discussion on the American School Counselor Association’s Scene (http://bit.ly/OVFC7; free membership required). Here is mine: Amazon.com: RUSSELL A SABELLA: Summer Reading List http://bit.ly/Mx0GF

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Highlights from SchoolCounselor.com

Using PowerPoint and PhotoStory3 to create a Narrated Presentation
Bring your accountability reports (and other presentations) to life with a free program called Microsoft Photo Story 3. This method is very similar to doing narrated PowerPoints although probably a bit easier and with a higher "cool" effect. In this method, you will export your PPT slides as graphics and then use those graphics to narrate within Photo Story 3. Your product is a video. Realize, though, that when you use this technique, the animation within PowerPoint does not transfer. Instead, you will get a panning effect which is also very nice. This video is one of the many you will find on the Data Boot Camp for School Counselors and Administrators - CD available from www.schoolcounselor.com.
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/photostory3/photostory3.html OR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX3S9etDF64

SchoolCounselor.com Poll
Would you support a ban on cell phones in K-12 schools? Cast your vote …
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/poll/

Latest Tweeter Updates
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/

Top 5 Training Topics for School Counselors
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/training/
Also see http://files.getdropbox.com/u/508472/Top%206%20MAIN.pdf

Must See Videos
Lots of new videos added since the last issue!
http://www.schoolcounselor.com/videos/
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TIPS AND TRICKS

Copy Website Tables into Excel 2007 Spreadsheets
If you find interesting or important data in a table on a website it might be helpful to import it into Excel. Today we will look at how to import data from a table on a website into Excel which will allow you to organize and add to reports.

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Create a Quick Organizational Chart in PowerPoint
When you need an easy way to illustrate a simple hierarchy, consider building an org chart directly on a PowerPoint slide. Here’s a look at how to use some basic diagraming tools so you can pull this together in a hurry.
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/msoffice/?p=1344

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Book Review: Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress by Nancy E. Willard
Reviewed by Russell A. Sabella, Ph.D.
http://www.tpronline.org/download-book-review.cfm?id=459

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Microsoft Word: Keyboard shortcuts for three common symbols

Ctrl+Alt+C=© (The Copyright Symbol)
Alternatively, type an open parenthesis – type a c and close the parenthesis. MS Word automatically creates the symbol.

Ctrl+Alt+T=TM (The Trademark Symbol)
Alternatively, type an open parenthesis – type tm and close the parenthesis. MS Word automatically creates the symbol.

Ctrl+Alt+R=® (The Registered Symbol)
Alternatively, type an open parenthesis – type r and close the parenthesis. MS Word automatically creates the symbol.

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How to start PowerPoint Presentation from Current Slide? – Keyboard Shortcut
Source: Lyte Byte by Mr.Byte
Many a times when we give presentations using PowerPoint, we may break in between, show some other stuff from different source say Excel or Word and then we resume our presentation from where we left off. Using a keyboard shortcut for this would an easy way to achieve this. If you give PowerPoint presentations frequently then you should definitely read the 10 must know keyboard shortcuts to make a PowerPoint Presentation like a Pro.

Here is a quick tip on to use a keyboard shortcut to start or resume PowerPoint presentation from current slide.

To start presentation from first slide – F5

To start presentation from current slide – Shift + F5

If you are not the Keyboard Shortcut person, then you can go to Slide Show tab and then click From Current Slide

Also, see 10 Must know Keyboard Shortcuts to make a PowerPoint Presentation like a Pro

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PrintFriendly -It is a new web application with a browser bookmarklet which lets you create print friendly version of any webpage, and save on paper and ink. The application removes all clutter and arranges content in the easy to read format. When the webpage is ready for print you can download it as PDF or print it out directly.
http://www.printfriendly.com/

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Save Time With Excel's Double-Click Tricks
If you have to deal with boring spreadsheets on a daily basis, every tiny little trick that saves you time is worth it—and the Pointy Haired Dilbert blog runs down a whole list of useful tricks. The article runs down a list of double-click actions you can use to save time in Excel—for instance, if you want to resize a number of columns at once you can simply select them and double-click on the separator to make Excel automatically resize those columns to the width of the content. Want to fill in a series of numbers or a formula all the way down a column? You can select the first few and double-click on the bottom right-hand corner of the selection to make it auto-fill all the way down as long as there is data in the next column.
http://lifehacker.com/5288578/save-time-with-excels-double+click-tricks

Also see:

11 very useful excel keyboard shortcuts you may not know
http://chandoo.org/wp/2008/07/29/excel-keyboard-shortcuts/

Free Excel Templates - Download
http://chandoo.org/wp/free-excel-templates-download/

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Free Sound Recorder does exactly as it sounds -- it is an easy-to-use FREE software program that lets you record any sounds from your sound card and save the recording directly into MP3, WMA or WAV files. Free Sound Recorder is a perfect audio recorder to record your own voice, music or any other sound by working directly with your sound card. It supports the record input/source from a microphone, streaming audio from the Internet, external input devices (e.g. CDs, LP, music cassettes, phone line etc.) as well as other applications like Winamp, Media Player, etc. With built-in advanced audio record engine, the recorder produces high quality recordings.
http://www.sound-recorder.biz/freesoundrecorder.html

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Wordnik can help anyone interested in building a better vocabulary. It's also a great way to boost Scrabble scores! Get started by looking up a word. You'll find definitions of the word from several different sources. You'll also find examples of how to use a word and related words. Then, you can dig a little deeper. See how popular the word was in a given time period. Learn the etymology of the word. One of Wordnik's best features is the pronunciation guide. Hear an audio example of how the word is pronounced. What good is a big vocabulary if you can't pronounce the words?
Source: www.Komando.com
http://www.wordnik.com/

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WORTHY WEBSITES AND SOFTWARE

Windows SteadyState is a free of charge download for Windows XP and Windows Vista that can help protect your family from inappropriate Web content and contact on the Web. Windows SteadyState also protects your computer settings from unwelcome changes by your children. Windows SteadyState can return your family computer and hard disk to the condition it was before your children changed it. You just restart your computer.
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/products/family/steadystate.mspx

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MyFax - This site lets you send fax to 41 countries worldwide. The free account allows someone to send up to 2 free faxes per day with up to 9 pages limit on each fax (including the cover page).
http://www.myfax.com/free/sendfax.aspx

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Karen's Replicator
Automatically backup files, directories, even entire drives! Karen's Replicator copies selected files from one drive/folder to another. Source and Destination folders can reside anywhere on your network.
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptreplicator.asp

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doomi
Doomi was designed from the ground up to stay out of your way and out of your browser. It has all the features you use, and none of the ones you don’t. Create, edit, set reminders, and keep archives of your old tasks.
http://doominow.com/

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New Google Web Elements for Spreadsheets and Presentations
At Google I/O, the concept of "copy/paste development" was introduced in the form of Google Web Elements. For Google spreadsheets and presentations, these web elements offer a quick way to get a snippet of code that allows you to embed your document anywhere on the web.
http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-google-web-elements-for.html

Also ...

Spreadsheet gadgets allow you to display spreadsheet data in new and interesting ways. Using our spreadsheet gadgets API and the spreadsheet Data APIs, outside developers and other Google teams have been able to add new features into spreadsheets and publish these gadgets to iGoogle, blogs and other platforms. Some older, but popular examples include a Gantt Chart by Viewpath and the Analytics for Google Docs spreadsheets by Panorama.
http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2009/05/spotlight-on-developers-educational.html

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Learning Essentials for Microsoft Office is a desktop application that runs on top of Microsoft Office to give students and teachers a custom Office environment
http://www.microsoft.com/learningessentials/download.mspx

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Learn CPR is a free public service supported by the University of Washington School of Medicine. Learn the basics of CPR - cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
http://depts.washington.edu/learncpr/

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TalkShoe is a service that enables anyone to easily create, join, or listen to Live Interactive Discussions, Conversations, Podcasts and Audioblogs. These hosted Community Calls can be discussions, conversations, talk shows and podcasts. Recorded Community Calls can be listened to, downloaded, or subscribed to. And if your Community Call becomes popular, you can make money too.
http://www.talkshoe.com/

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Google Translator Toolkit
Google Translator Toolkit is part of our effort to make information universally accessible through translation. Google Translator Toolkit helps translators translate better and more quickly through one shared, innovative translation technology. Google Translate provides ‘automatic translations’ produced purely by technology, without intervention from human translators. In contrast, Google Translator Toolkit allows human translators to work faster and more accurately, aided by technologies like Google Translate.
http://translate.google.com/support/toolkit/

Watch a video about GTT here.

This tool may be a HUGE help in translating newsletters, documents, etc. to different languages.

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Outlook Essentials is a simple and easy to use Outlook 2007 Add-in that will bring in some essential features which are not available in Outlook 2007. This add-in allows you to print your emails and check for missing attachments and blank subject line. Many time we forget to add attachments to the email even though we specify that mails have attachments. This add-in can be useful in such instances.
http://www.oe2007.ifastnet.com/

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Car Accident Checklist
Having a checklist on hand and knowing what information you need to collect will definitely help you get through the moments after an accident. What got you through an accident? What did you find to be invaluable in the moments after a car accident? Share your experiences in the comments below.
http://www.seriousaccidents.com/Car_Accident_Guide.pdf

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PostSecret
PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail-in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

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Cyberbullying Flash cards
Some of the most common used terms to identify cyberbullying.
http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/story.php?title=cyberbullying

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JUST FOR FUN

Musopen is an online music library of copyright free (public domain) music. We want to give the world access to music without the legal hassles so common today. There is a great deal of music that has expired copyrights, but almost no recordings of this music is in the public domain. We aim to record or obtain recordings that have no copyrights so that our visitors may listen, re-use, or in any way enjoy music. Put simply, our mission is to set music free.
http://www.musopen.com/

To stream the music, go to:
http://www.musopensource.com/radio/index.html

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How to Look Busy at Work Without Really Working
If you're getting paid to do something, you should do it, and do it well. But is it always that simple? What if you have a vague job description, a haphazard workload, and a very bad boss who is only content when you look busy, but not if you're super efficient? Sad to say, but sometimes working at your maximum potential is punished. This happens a lot in larger organizations and retail.
http://www.wikihow.com/Look-Busy-at-Work-Without-Really-Working

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Playing Excit!
Excit is a free flash action-puzzle game. The goal is to lead the cross to the green exit button. The cross is only able to move horizontally or vertically. Once it is set in motion, it continues moving until it hits an obstacle. The challenge is to reach the exit without leaving the screen. The goal of Excit! is to navigate the cross around the spreadsheets obstacles and reach the exit without leaving the screen.
http://www.pixer.org/excit/

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Hulu Releases Desktop Application
Source: Life Rocks! 2.0 by Nirmal
Hulu is one of the most popular websites for TV, movies and videos. Hulu has released a new desktop application for watching your favorite videos. This application is available both for Windows as well as Mac. So from now on, you do not have to keep the website open, you can watch all the videos from the desktop application. It features a sleek new look that’s optimized for use with standard Windows Media Center remote controls allowing you to navigate Hulu’s entire library with just six buttons.
http://www.hulu.com/labs/hulu-desktop

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The Top 5 Sites to Find Song Lyrics Online
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Makeuseof/~3/p0KYRlPzXHo/

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Hunch helps you make decisions and gets smarter the more you use it.
http://www.hunch.com/

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SpeedSudoku - This is a new site dedicated to Sudoku fans where they can play sudoku against others online. Users could also interact with various sudoku players around the world, participate in the forums and shop for cool sudoku goodies.
http://www.speedsudoku.com/

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Rendeznew - Here you can find a find midpoint between four addresses. You can further narrow down suggested meeting points by type of food joints, bars, coffee shops, lodging, art galleries etc.
http://rendeznew.com/

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Fake 3D crater designed to slow down London cyclists
http://www.gadling.com/2009/06/18/fake-3d-crater-designed-to-slow-down-london-cyclists/
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