Middle Schools Technology Toolbox
Software - M Titles
MapMakersToolkit and MapMaker's Slide Show with US History Theme Maps and World History Theme Maps (grade 7 History and Social Science) one classroom pilot 1/07 Students develop map skills as they construct and interpret present-day and historical maps with Mapmaker's Toolkit. This tool includes a library of world, continent, country, and state maps. Students choose which physical and political features to display on a map. They can customize their maps with drawing tools and map symbols. Students can publish their creations in print or on the Internet.Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionaries: (all grades) A toolbar within Internet Explorer that provides access to 6 databases, with more than 100,000 audio pronunciations: Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged; Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition; Collegiate Thesaurus; Collegiate Encyclopedia; Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary; Merriam-Webster's French-English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary.
Microsoft Office: (all grades) The Waltham Public Schools licenses for Microsoft Office for all classroom and office computers. Applications available through Microsoft Office include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. Educators and students can receive special discounts on certain Microsoft products for use on a personally-owned computer. Click here for Academic Discounts for Education Faculty and Staff.
new! Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats
Office 2003 Add-In International Character Toolbar
Microsoft Office Assistance Keyboard shortcuts for international characters
Training - Using the Keyboard in Microsoft Office.
Microsoft Office: Word is a word processing program that lets you create a variety of documents. This is the most widely used word processor in the world and is heavily used by Waltham staff and students. Many of our schools have AlphaSmart keyboards. Students type documents and then enter them into Word for formatting and printing. Word Tutorial - Learning Electric Training
Microsoft Office: PowerPoint is desktop presentation software which allows the user to create a series of screens to present to people. PowerPoint gives you the ability to prepare paper-based presentations, handouts, computer based display shows, overhead transparencies, slides. It also allows the user to import documents and information created in other Office and Windows programs. For example, any pictures, Excel graphs and Access databases, etc can be a part of PowerPoint presentation. Click here to download PowerPoint Viewer (free - lets you view full-featured presentations created in PowerPoint 97 and later versions.) PowerPoint Tutorial - Learning Electric Training
Microsoft Office: Excel is spreadsheet software used to store information in columns and rows which can then be organized and/or processed. Spreadsheets can help organize information, like alphabetizing a list of names or other text or reordering records according to a numeric field. However, spreadsheets are more often used for calculating, such as totaling a column of numbers or generating a more sophisticated formula to calculate some statistical measure on a list of numbers. Click here to download Excel viewer (free - allows you to open, view, and print Excel workbooks, even if you don't have Excel installed.) Excel Tutorial - Learning Electric Training
Microsoft Office: Access is a database management system (DBMS). This means that Access manipulates data, provides access to user information, and automates repetitive tasks. Access is first and foremost a set of tools for end-user data management. Access has a table creator, a query manager, a form designer, a report writer, and a powerful programming language.
Microsoft Exchange or Outlook is the messaging system that the Waltham Public Schools use to allow network users to exchange e-mail. Depending on the version of Microsoft Office that is installed on the computer, the user has either the Exchange client or Outlook client for e-mail functions. Training
Microsoft FrontPage 2003 (available in labs, libraries and administrator/teacher workstations; and by request) and is a Web publisher and management tool. Click here for Academic Discounts for Education Faculty and Staff. HTML Basics - Learning Electric FrontPage Tutorial - Learning Electric Training
Microsoft Internet Explorer is a browser made by Microsoft. A browser is a software program which lets users browse the World Wide Web. It is the mechanism by which the users of the Waltham Public Schools network access the Internet.
Microsoft PhotoStory (as requested) Create slideshows using your digital photos. With a single click, you can touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. Add stunning special effects, soundtracks, and your own voice narration to your photo stories. Then, personalize them with titles and captions. Small file sizes make it easy to send your photo stories in an e-mail. Watch them on your TV, a computer, or a Windows Mobile–based portable device.
Microsoft Publisher 2003 (available in labs, libraries and administrator/teacher workstations; and by request) is a desktop publishing program gives you the tools to make publications for print and the Web. The publications can range from a newsletter, brochure, catalog or Web site. Publisher Tutorial - Learning Electric
MicroworldsPro (grades 6-8) is a program designed to help students program the computer in the Logo programming language. Student programming can be used in many aspects of Waltham's curriculum. One of the most traditional uses of Logo programming is to support the study of geometry, but it also supports "algebraic thinking", such as identifying the essence of a pattern and understanding the notion of a variable There is a small on-screen turtle that can be programmed to move along the x, y coordinates of the screen, drawing patterns if students desire. As students become more proficient, they can create complete working models with graphical backgrounds scenes, animated turtles (or other items), and appropriate sound. For example, the software includes a program simulating a fish ecosystem. The user adjusts the speed at which the fish reproduce and eat, trying to reach a delicate balance. But in order to get to this level of proficiency, students must understand simple programming concepts such as procedures, loops and counters. Due to its multimedia capability, it can also be used to create on-line multimedia presentations. This software was introduced as part of Waltham's 2000-2001 Lighthouse Adoption Grant of Erving's "Turtle School of Dance" project.
My School Days (PDD Stanley only) www.socialskillbuilder.com 100 different real-life scenarios to demonstrate common student interactions and basic classroom social skills such as compromising, resolving conflicts, responding to teasing and following the rules.