Provide Answers To Tech Questions Effortlessly...

This was a post I wrote over a year ago. I am reviving it in the hopes you will find it useful. I use this site almost once a week. It is a valuable resource to me and I hope you will feel the same. 

It is very challenging sometimes to provide the help that teachers and staff need. Wouldn't it be great if you could just point them to a website that answered some of the basic questions you get everyday like what is a cookie, or how do I teach my students what Netiquette is, or how do I use Garageband?

There is a great resource out there from Center for Instructional Technology at the University of South Florida called Tech-Ease that I can point my teachers to. This is a great site that is basically a giant FAQ database on everything tech. There are topics on the Internet, Hardware, Files and Sharing, Email, Images, Chat and Classroom Management. When you choose your topic there is a list of common questions that teachers or other tech users might ask. For example in the hardware section there are questions like what is a flash drive, or how do I burn a CD in Windows XP? The questions are basic for those of us who work in tech everyday but very common for those that don't. Each section also provide additional links to other resources that users can consult when they have questions.

All of the information they provide is great. Very easy to use and understand for even the most basic technology user. All of that is great. But wait! There is more! There are video tutorials available that Professional Development Coordinators or Instructional Technologists can use or point teachers and staff to on a wide variety of topics. Podcasting, Google Earth, Windows Movie Maker, Wikis, and How To Create Interactivity With iPods are just a few topics. Oh wait there is more. There are some really great guides for users to download on even more topics like PowerPoint, Inspiration, Nvu, Google Docs, Social Bookmarking, Second Life, I really can not list them all. You just need to head over there and check it out!

There are tutorials for both PC only and Mac only products and they have a great section on enabling the accessibility features in both Windows and Mac OS X.

I was an instant fan of this site. I even learned a thing or two. So next time a teacher or staff member has a question or you want to brush up on your skills check out Tech-Ease, oh, and subscribe to their podcast in iTunes. You will love it!

Tech-Ease-Quick Answers To Real Classroom Technology Questions

Beautifully and Simply Explaining Technology

One of the things that many of us who train teachers struggle with is finding explanations or the whys of certain  types of tech. Twitter, blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasting, etc, all can be very complex for those just starting out and learning how they can integrate these into their classroom.

Fortunately, all of us have Common Craft.

Simply, their product is their explanation. They create wonderfully animated videos called "In Plain English" that do just that. These videos really break down technology so that anyone can get it. I use this videos for just about every workshop or training I do. Why? Because, just like they say, their product is their explanation.

Here are some of my favorites:







There are tons more:
Augmented Reality In Plain English

Podcasting

RSS

Wikipedia (This one is brand new and does a great job of explaining exactly how Wikipedia works and how we can better use it as a resource.)

Protecting Online Reputations (This is also another one I use a lot with kids and parents.)

And that is still not all of their technology line.

Oh, technology not your thing? No problem. there are videos for how to prepare an emergency plan, how a U.S. President is elected, everything you wanted to know about borrowing money and how CFL lightbulbs work. Oh and in case you were wondering, Zombies In Plain English.

So if you are a person just starting out in the world of technology, a trainer or just someone who wants to know more about how the world works, head over to Common Craft and check out their videos.

Do you use Common Craft in your classroom or trainings? How has it worked for you? What tips or tricks would you offer? Leave some comments below.