Technology Training For Swansea Teachers

I’m sure many of us know the feeling of working hard on a document and then not being able to find it the next time we look. We can eliminate this kind of stress easily. I’d like to tell you how I teach the kids to save their work.

No matter what application, or program, you are working on, click on “file” at the top of the page and go down to “save” or “save as”. This will give you the save box/window. There are three important things to do in this box. First, give it your name in the “save as” line. Just your first name or just your last name should suffice. Second, in the same line, give the document a name. (example: susan-class list) The third and final thing you should do in the save box is to tell the computer WHERE to save your work. I have the students save all their work on the “desktop”. This is a good way to double check that you actually saved it. You’ll see the icon for your paper on the screen of your computer after you quit the program. Then, you can drag it into the folder that you created for this topic.

It’s a good idea to take care of this saving piece as soon as you begin the project. Sometimes, if we wait until we are done, we’re in too much of a hurry and the work doesn’t get saved right. Then, as you’re working, you can use the shortcut (first press the “apple” key and then press the “s” key. ) to save as you go.

Just like in a filing cabinet, a folder holds papers or documents that have a similar theme. Your desktop, ideally, should have mostly folders on it rather than mostly documents so you can find things easier and faster.

To make a new folder click on “file” and then go down to “new folder” . An untitled folder will appear on your desktop. At this time you may name the folder anything you want. To change the name of a folder or document click on it so it becomes highlighted (selected). Then type the name that you want.

It’s a good idea to organize your folders alphabetically, thereby making them easier to locate. To arrange them this way click on “view” at the top of the page. Go down to the option that says “arrange by name”. You’ll see all your folders and desktop items move into place.

There is a way to “save” your most often used websites! If you have some websites that you visit all the time you could bookmark them or mark them as favorites so that accessing them can be done is less clicks.

First, go to your favorite website by entering the URL into the address bar of your web browser. Then, click on “bookmarks” at the top of the page -if you are using Firefox. (When using Internet Explorer, click on “favorites” at the top of the page. ) Select “bookmark this page”. Now, your page has been saved. The next time you open the internet, simply click on “bookmarks” at the top of the page and find your saved page.

One example of a good page to save under bookmarks would be your Infinite Campus login page.

We use to save our work on floppy disks. They are no longer reliable. If you have work saved on floppy disks it is advised that you transfer that information to something else.

Many people save their work on compact disks. CDs hold a lot of information but they can be damaged and sometimes the disk drives in the computer break.

The best way to save your work from a computer nowadays is to use a flash drive. These are small USB devices that come in many sizes.