Media Management in iMovie 09
Digital video is a huge hog of disk space. Using the strategies in iMovie '09, you can save gigabytes and gigabytes of space quickly and easily and make your computer run better to boot.
How to Fix Keychain Login
If you get a message that says, "Safari wants to use the "login" keychain," here is an PDF that explains how you can fix that.
Storyboarding for Students
Tamara Whitney from Mission Middle School created this very effective handout to help her students do better storyboards (and hence better projects). You might find it useful, too.
Keynote Extension Instructions - Adding Audio
Here is a handout on on adding audio to to a Keynote project using Audio Recorder, a simple stand-alone audio application.
Groupwise to EUSD GMail
Sending Groupwise email over to your EUSD GMail Account
You can also choose to have all of your Groupwise email forwarded to your EUSD Google GMail. This PDF explains how. Note: It is important that at this time all EUSD employees use the Groupwise account as their primary work email source. The EUSD Google GMail can be a supplement, but not a replacement for that at this time.
Sending EUSD GMail email over to your Groupwise Account
You can also do it the other way. Watch this movie to find out how.
EUSD Google GMail to Groupwise
Note: There is a text below that describes what the movie here shows.
Watch to see how it's done:
With your EUSD Google Apps account, you automatically get an EUSD GMail account too. This is not currently a replacement for your eusd4kids email; most people don’t use it at all.
But you still may get mail there. For example if someone shared a document with you or included you in a Calendar event, they may have opted to email you a notice. That notice would go to your EUSD GMail account.
You don’t have to go looking for mail in your EUSD Google account that may or may not be there. Instead, you can have the GMail forwarded to your eusd4kids account. Here’s how.
- Login to your EUSD Google account. Notice how your user name automatically has appended your EUSD GMail address.
- Click on Email.
- Choose Settings in the top right part of the screen.
- Enable the forwarding link and enter your eusd4kids address
- Choose what you want done with the EUSD GMail copy of the mail
- Keep a copy in your EUSD Google In Box
- Archive any forwarded mail in your EUSD GMaill account
- Delete the mail from EUSD GMail after it’s been forwarded
Be sure to Save Changes
That’s it; now whenever any mail is sent to your EUSD GMail account, you’ll receive a copy of it in your EUSD4Kids email account.
Exporting Full Quality from iMovie 09
In iMovie HD ('06), you have an option for Share > QuickTime > Full Quality. You don't have that option in iMovie '09, but you can still do it pretty easily. You would use these settings if you wanted a copy of the orinal movie that is just as good as the original footage (little compression). This would not be appropriate for posting to the web. Here's how to get a Full Quality Export in iMovie '09 (and '08).
Making Bookmarks in Microsoft Word
Bookmarks can work like anchors do on a web page. You can make links to various locations in a document. Here's how.
Exporting for the Web with iMovie 09
This movie will show you how to get a good web version of your movies. When you do this, iMovie '09 makes .m4v version that usually opens in iTunes, ready for syncing with an iPod. If it's to be used on the web, it's a good idea to change that to .mp4 so that it will open in a browser (and not download to iTunes). The movie shows you how.
Exporting from iMovie HD for the Web
This movie shows you one way to get a reasonably good export of a movie for showing on the web. You can also use this method to Export from iMovie '09 (the interface looks a little different, but the procedure is the same). Or you can use this technique.
Removing Image Backgrounds with Preview
Have you ever noticed on some websites and and in magazines and such, people have graphics that aren't shaped like a rectangle, where they've made the background disappear? Sometimes that's a lot more powerful than the same graphic with a rectangular background and shape. It used to be you needed to be a Photoshop whiz to make that happen, but in Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6 (Leopard and Snow Leopard), you can do it right in Preview, which is becoming a whole lot more than a PDF viewer. So long as there is a pretty distinct difference in tone or color between what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of, it's pretty easy.
First select an image with distinct tonal and color differences between what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of. Then, click on the Select button and choose Instant Alpha. Alpha is a term graphics pros use that basically means transparency.
Click and slowly drag in the part you want to throw away, but close to the good stuff. As you do, you'll see red beginning to cover your image. That's the part that will be thrown away.
Keep the mouse button down and continue to drag; watch closely at the borders to be sure the red doesn't encroach into the good area. If it does, scroll the mouse back the way it came until you get a good border back.
If you get really lost, let go of the mouse button, choose ⌘-Z, and try again. Depending on how complex your background is, you may need to do it in sections. Click and drag as far as you comfortably can, let go of the mouse, move to a new section and do it again. Always keep a sharp eye out for border integrity.
Don't forget to do donut holes, too, if you want those areas transparent as well. Sometimes it helps to go back over an area with another pass or two to clean up the edges
When you think you're done, push Return to cement your changes. A crop box will appear around your graphic (adjust it if you wish); the transparency will just look gray in Preview.
Once you're satisfied with the crop settings, choose File > Save As... Give it a name and choose a location. Notice it ends with .png. That stands for Portable Network Graphic, an image format that supports transparency (JPEG, for instance, doesn't).
Now you have a partially transparent graphic that you can use in any program that supports transparency. Most do these days. And you didn't have to buy or learn how to use Photoshop! Watch the process in this movie.
Getting Free Legal Media for School Projects
Finding good, free media to use legally in school projects can be difficult. One strategy is to look for media tagged with a Creative Commons license. There are several flavors of CC licenses, but any should suffice for school projects. All require you attribute the owner. The movie below gives you some good ideas. The links below that can help you research the matter more fully. Always read carefully for conditions.
Click here to see a full-sized version of the movie or click in the movie window to play it at that size.
General (mostly images)
- EUSD Public Domain page
- EUSD Copyright Friendly Resources
- http://copyrightfriendly.wikispaces.com/
- 25+ Sources for Creative Commons Content
- Creative Commons Content Directories
- How to Use and Cite Creative Commons Content
- Flickr Creative Commons Search Site
- Wikimedia Commons (6,000,000 Creative Commons and Public Domain images you can use)
- Wikipedia Public Domain Image Resources
Strictly Free Music
- http://www.royaltyfreemusiclibrary.com/free-royalty-free-music/
- http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/free.html
- http://www.stonewashed.net/free-music.html (a compendium of free music resources)
- http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/
- http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/ (look for free offerings in the left sidebar)
- http://www.seabreezecomputers.com/tips/freemusic.htm (a compendium of free music resources)
- http://derekaudette.ottawaarts.com/music.php
- http://www.flyinghands.com/cat-free_music_clips.html (some free material; read carefully)
- Don't forget MIDI files you can edit in GarageBand (the music needs to be Public Domain, Creative Commons or such)
Free Sound Effects
How to Align Standards for a Test in Edusoft
Here's how to align an existing test in Edusoft.
This movie can be paused, reversed, etc.
OCE Copier Machine Print Driver
Download and install to take advantage of the extra settings of your school's OCE copy machine.
Audio Textbook for Middle School Science
Since the audio CD that came with the program are damaged, you can go here to download the audio for the textbooks.
Mowgli's Brothers Story Bag
For use as a prediction for "Mowgli's Brothers".
Activity may be used with or without the worksheet.
Story Bag ideas: small stuffed animals or toys (tiger, wolf, bear, etc.), pack of gum (for pack of wolves), pebbles (Mowgli played with pebbles as the pack decided his fate), toy frog (he was called "Mowgli the frog"), leaves or other plants (represent the jungle), pictures of these items would also work.
6th Grade Language Arts - Prentice Hall Copper