LAUSD's Educational Technology Blog

CUELA Technology Fair...

The 2009 CUELA Technology Fair is scheduled for November 14th, from 8:30- 3:30 Register at http://www.cuehub.org/cuela

Follow EdTech4LAUSD on Twitter...

More up to date posts can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/edtech4lausd

Are parents and teachers at your school asking for guidance on how to teach kids to be smart and responsible in today’s 24/7 media world?

Check out www.commonsensemedia.org/schools  for free access to videos and downloadable presentations, tip sheets, and discussion materials that will give you all the tools your school needs to build a school-community partnership around media and technology issues.

Protect Your Computer's Data and Your Personal Information

It has become obvious that protection and maintenance of your computers is no longer a “geek” thing, it is a VITAL thing. Just like cars need to have routine maintenance (oil change, check tires, etc.) to be safe and operate efficiently, computers need to have updates applied to be save and be efficient.

Recently, it was announced that a security risk on the Microsoft Windows operating system could be exploited to cause harm to your computer and be used to infect others. It could also put your data and personal information at risk. This virus is known as the Conficker Computer Worm. It is also called: Win32/Conficker (.A, .B, etc.) and W32.Downadup (.A, .B, etc.)  For more information about this security risk, review this information provided by Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx

Information can also be found on the ITD TechSupport web site: http://techsupport.lausd.net/ . Specifically, on our Microsoft Self Support page: http://techsupport.lausd.net/microsoft_ss.htm

Your best protection is to make sure that Symantec Anti-Virus is installed and have the most recent updates. You can obtain this software for District computers at http://antivirus.lausd.net . Updates are done using the Live Update applet provided by Symantec.

Microsoft routinely releases updates to their operating systems and other programs (Internet Explorer, Office, etc.) You need to make sure your system is setup to download these updates automatically. Note: Automatic Update should be configured to download the updates, but not install them. Certain updates, like Service Pack 3 for Windows XP, Internet Explorer 8, etc., have not been tested and approved by many District systems. Avoid installing these updates until it has been approved by the District.

Information on how to setup Automatic Update to only download can be found on our Microsoft Self Support page: http://techsupport.lausd.net/microsoft_ss.htm

Get Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2009 at no additional cost...

…when you license the 2007 Microsoft Office suite, or any component thereof, before June 30, 2009* Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2009 is the ultimate homework assistant for students. It includes Microsoft Encarta Premium 2009 multimedia encyclopedia, Microsoft Math, Microsoft Learning Essentials, and foreign language tools—all to help students succeed in a variety of subjects. For a limited time, Microsoft Academic customers who license the Microsoft Office 2007 suite, or any component thereof (for example, Office Word 2007 or PowerPoint 2007) are eligible to receive a copy of Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2009 at no additional cost for each copy of Office licensed. Instructions to receive your licenses of Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2009 If you obtain a new copy of the 2007 Microsoft Office suite, or any component thereof, via Academic Select, Campus Agreement, or School Agreement—on or after March 1, 2009, and on or before June 30, 2009—send your proof of purchase (the dated receipt or purchase order [P.O.] from your reseller) in an e-mail message to edumktgp@microsoft.com (use the subject line: “StudentPromo”). We will send you a letter that will need to be signed by your institutions ethics officer or equivalent to ensure this promotional software does not violate any ethics rules at your institution. The signed letter sent back to us via e-mail serves as your proof of license. Terms and conditions. 1. For Education institutions: For each copy of Microsoft Office licensed (or any individual component of Microsoft Office) to an eligible education institution, the institution will receive one copy of Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2009.* * Offer good only to education institutions located in the United States that are eligible to purchase through Microsoft Academic Select, Campus Agreement, or School Agreement. Offer valid only on new purchases of any Microsoft Office SKU, or any component of Microsoft Office, from qualified agreements. Limit one license of Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2009 per copy of Microsoft Office licensed. This offer is not valid for renewal purchases or purchases under Microsoft Open License for Academic agreement, and it does not include media. In order to qualify, you must submit to Microsoft a gift letter signed by an authorized representative of your education institution along with proof of purchase. This offer is non-transferable. This offer is valid March 1, 2009, through June 30, 2009, and is not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. This offer is only available in the United States.

Download four free digital Dr. Seuss books from kidthing for NEA's Read Across America celebration!

Celebrate NEA’s Read Across America in true Seussian style. Dr. Seuss and kidthing have teamed up to offer teachers a collection of four classic Dr. Seuss titles FREE on kidthing for your classroom throughout the month of March! Visit http://www.kidthing.com/nea and download digital read-along versions of The Cat in the Hat, Horton Hears a Who!, Hop on Pop and Green Eggs and Ham! for a student reading Seussational! Read along with the narrated soundtrack, or turn off the narration and let kids read out loud to themselves. Plus, print out personalized NEA Read Across America Certificates of Achievement for all your students. There’s even a free learning game for kids to celebrate their participation. kidthing is the first and only free digital media player made just for kids and classrooms. Created by parents, kidthing provides a safe haven for kids to play and learn on the computer - away from web browsers and ads. The kidthing store is filled with a wide variety of fun and engaging products including digital animated books, interactive games, activities, and videos from some of the world’s leading brands. kidthing is available on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Get your free Dr. Seuss collection at http://www.kidthing.com/nea.

This player is Windows only at this time. Mac version coming soon. There is a place to submit your email to be informed when the Mac version becomes available.