David Pogue’s “Circuits” tech column for the New York Times has a great list of tech tips for basic computer use.  Definitely worth browsing and passing on to teachers.  Here are some simple things that caught my fancy:

* You can hide all windows, revealing only what’s on the computer desktop, with one keystroke: Windows key+D in Windows, F11 on Macs (or, on recent Mac laptops, Command+F3; Command is the key with the cloverleaf logo). That’s great when you want examine or delete something you’ve just downloaded to the desktop, for example. Press the keystroke again to return to what you were doing.* You can enlarge the text on any Web page. In Windows, press Ctrl and the plus or minus keys (for bigger or smaller fonts); on the Mac, it’s the Command key and plus or minus.  (My note: great for data projectors!)

* You can also enlarge the entire Web page or document by pressing the Control key as you turn the wheel on top of your mouse. On the Mac, this enlarges the entire screen image.  (My note: Cool! How do you do this on a laptop that doesn’t have a mouse wheel? This would add to the appeal of Lookybook.com)

 

* On most cellphones, press the Send key to open up a list of recent calls. Instead of manually dialing, you can return a call by highlighting one of these calls and pressing Send again.

 

* You can tap the Space bar to scroll down on a Web page one screenful. Add the Shift key to scroll back up.  (My note: the space bar worked on my Gateway with Vista but that Shift key didn’t.)* You can open the Start menu by tapping the key with the Windows logo on it.* You can switch from one open program to the next by pressing Alt+Tab (Windows) or Command-Tab (Mac).* Come up with an automated backup system for your computer. There’s no misery quite like the sick feeling of having lost chunks of your life because you didn’t have a safety copy.  (My note: You bet.  My laptop died while I was out of town before Annual.  Luckily, I had backed it up before my trip!)

 

Sometimes, the little things make the biggest difference! Â

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 pm and is filed under Technology Literacy, Web sites. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.