Tech Tip Thursday

As a mom, teacher, and student I find it hard to find time to read the textbooks or articles assigned to me or my research.

The only way I have been able to keep sane is by having my Mac read me the text.

Disclaimer: Not every PDF is readable. Your PDF must be searchable, where you can select the text.

Before using this wonderful and easy to use tool you must set up the settings and preferences including the voice that will be reading out loud to you and the reading speed.

To set up the ability for your Mac to read to you:
1. Click on System Preferences
2. Click on Accessibility
3. In the left menu click on Speech
4. Select the System Voice that is easier to understand.
5. Select the Speaking Rate that is easier for you to understand.
6. You can preview the voice and speed by clicking the "Play" button.
7. Select the check book that states "Speak selected text when the key is pressed"

Once this tool is set up you can start using this tool. Simply select the text that will be read then press option & esc at the same time and listen to the text.

Tech Tip Thursday

Keep your browser running to it's fullest potential by decreasing the working memory and tab clutter.

With the click of a button, all opened tabs are placed in a list organized by the day they were placed on the One Tab list. 

You can reopen a saved tab simply by clicking on the link from the list. 

To delete a link from the list is a simple task. Simply click on the X next to the link. 

To find out more about One Tab or to download the chrome extension go to:
one-tab.com

Tech Tip Thursday

Do you have a long link or a link with many characters after the .com? Do you have to write a link on the board or share a non-hyperlinked site?

That problem can be easily solved by using goo.gl. 

Now you can share a short link that is easier to copy. The only downfall about using goo.gl is that the sharing link is case sensitive. Any capital letters need to be typed in as a capital letter or else it will not work. 

To create a shortened link: 

1. Go to goo.gl

2. Type the original URL in the space provided. 

3. Click on the box that confirms that you are not a robot. 

4. Click on shorten URL. 

5. Copy the shorten URL. (It is case sensitive)

Tech Tip Thursday

As a teacher, we usually send our weekly updates, mass emails, or event notifications to all the classroom parents.

Usually, when sending these mass emails all of the parents' emails are part of the email giving access to confidential information to others. As the emails are listed in the "TO" line.

The problem with doing this is that all parents have access to each other's emails, parents can send an email by hitting "reply all" and emailing all parents creating a massive email. Not only that but some parents have issues with privacy and do not want their email given to anyone.

Scenario why not to use "TO" when sending an email to a group of parents: 

Let's say Billy's Mom had a problem with Jose's Mom because Billy and Jose cannot get along during recess and Billy has been getting in trouble. Billy's mom can look at the email you sent and get the email for Jose's mom. Billy's mom keeps on sending non-stop emails to Jose's mom and she is blaming you for the harassment she has been receiving in the email.

How can you avoid this:
By listing all the parents' email under the "BCC" line. By doing this, all the recipients will receive the email, but they can not see who else got the email nor "reply all" they can only reply to the sender.


To use "BCC" when emailing click on the "BCC" line and start typing the group of email addresses that you would like to send to.



When the recipient receives the email they see an empty "To" line.