Welcome!

This blog is intended as a resource for finding answers to your questions about the technology tools and systems we use in our schools. Posts have been categorized and tagged, so use the category drop-down or search bar on the right to look for answers to your Frequently Asked Questions.

How big is my file?

Sometimes it is important to know how large a file is, particularly when you are working with pictures, video or music files (often large files).

Windows: right-click and choose "Properties."

Mac: right-click or ctrl-click and choose "Get Info" or simply select the file and use CMD-I.

Sizes are in KB or MB (=1000KB). Emailing anything larger than 3MB is not recommended, and 500KB or less is good for inserting images into documents or web pages.

Resizing Images

The proliferation of high resolution digital cameras and scanners has begun to cause issues when people try to put these HUGE images into documents, on the web or send them via email. Unfortunately the camera industry is pushing us to use much higher quality images than most of us need!

Suggestion#1: Know how big your images are! Windows: right-click and choose "Properties." Mac: right-click or ctrl-click and choose "Get Info" or simply select the file and use CMD-I. Sizes are in KB or MB (=1000KB). Emailing anything larger than 3MB is not recommended, and 500KB or less is good for inserting images into documents or web pages.

Suggestion #2: If you only intend to use your images on the computer (in documents, on the web or in presentations) I recommend turning the resolution DOWN to 3.2Mpx. This still gives you a decent quality image (will still print fine in 8x10) with a  manageable file size. True: Zooming in to choose just a small portion of your picture will result in degraded quality.

Suggestion #3: Learn how to resize your images.

Windows: Our school computers have the "Image Resizer Powertool" installed. This is a free tool available from Microsoft (Google it for the link). Once installed, you can right-click on an image and choose "Resize Pictures," then choose from a list of sizes (small, medium, large). This will create a COPY of your image with the size added to the filename. You can also select multiple images and resize them all at once.

Mac: The Preview program has the capability to reduce the quality of images. Open the file and choose "Save As," then rename the file (so the original is preserved) and move the quality slider to the left. Unfortunately this only works for single images.

How do I change my desktop background?

Each year when we update computers I receive questions about changing desktop backgrounds. Here it is! If you want to have a specific picture as your background, you must have the JPG file available - higher resolution is better, as pictures get fuzzier when they are enlarged.

Mac Users:

Apple Menu --> System Preferences --> Desktop & Screen Saver

You can choose from Apple's backgrounds or click the "+" underneath the list to add your own photo to the list, or choose from your iPhoto library.

Windows Users:

Right-click on the desktop and choose "Properties," then click the "Desktop" tab. Choose from the list or click "Browse" to find your own saved photo.

Should I call the HelpDesk?

What do you do when you have computer issues? Is picking up the phone your first inclination? What if tech staff are not available by phone?

As technology use increases in our schools it is becoming increasingly challenging for technology staff to be available to answer everyone's questions as well as building and maintaining our systems. Before you pick up the phone, it would help us tremendously if you could perform a few troubleshooting steps and get as much information as possible about the issue.

This troubleshooting questionnaire includes tips and suggestions of things to try and information to gather before seeking support by phone.

If you have a specific "How do I do this...." question, try the program's Help menu or even a quick Google search with keywords related to what you want to do. You may be surprised at how easy some answers are to find online!