people, especially during the learning phase. Maybe we should offer something that will save leaders some time? Devin: Great idea. One site that will defi-
nitely save some time is Tungle. Lisa: Tungle? Devin: You have to wonder where they get
these names. n Tungle (
tungle.me). Tungle is a very
simple way to schedule meetings. You sim- ply “paint over” available time slots on a web-based calendar to indicate availability and share with others. You can synch ex- isting calendars such as Outlook, Mobile Me or Gmail to simplify the process. They even have mobile apps so that you can work through the process on your smartphone. In the current economic climate, we need to find smarter ways of approaching our work so that we can focus our efforts on high-le- verage activities. This tool can save you (or support staff) hours of time.
Lisa: Love it! That would give me some
time to peruse one of my all-time favorite web- sites – FCMAT’s Education Highlights. I have it bookmarked and check it daily to see what is hot statewide. Devin: It sounds a little voyeuristic. Lisa: Where else can you go to get a snap-
shot of education-related articles statewide? It’s very insightful.
n FCMAT (
fcmat.org) was established in
the 1990s to provide business services to educators, from audits to professional devel- opment and software development to chief business officer training programs. What is most impressive on their website for the non- business person is their daily “Education Headlines.” The headlines are a compilation of news articles that have run statewide on a wide variety of topics. The average day has about a dozen links
to articles, which provide a flavor of what the issues are around California. This is a great site for leaders who want to get a global view of issues, or perhaps just validate that the “grass isn’t always greener” somewhere else. And it’s free!
Devin: Got any suggestions for how to send large files?
Lisa: As a matter of fact, yes! The easiest,
simplest website I use is YouSendIt. I find that large files, especially PowerPoints embedded with videos, won’t make it out of my email sys- tem unless I use a site like YouSendIt.
n YouSendIt (
yousendit.com) is a secure
site that allows users to send large attach- ments efficiently. Rather than putting docu- ments on flashdrives and sharing them with colleagues, YouSendIt allows you to identify a file, upload it in a matter of seconds to a couple of minutes, email it to one or mul- tiple recipients, and receive an email con- firmation that the attachment was sent. The
websites. Think about it as the YouTube for documents instead of videos. One great use would be to post presentations for PTA, School Site Council or even board meetings on Slideshare by embedding the presenta- tion on websites. Of course, Slideshare also operates with the freemium strategy.
Lisa: Hmm... Have you ever paid to use it? Devin:No way, and I use it regularly. Stick
with the free version! Just remember that what you put up is public. Lisa: Isn’t everything these days? Devin: As a matter of fact, yes. How about
we add QR Readers to our list? Lisa: Q who?
n QR Readers. QR is an acronym for
recipient of the email receives a URL that sends them to the location of the file where they can download it within a week. The YouSendIt business model, like
many, is to offer the site at a “freemium,” so basic services are free but others are at cost. For example, email notification that the file was opened, files in excess of 50MB or ex- tended recipient access to the email are avail- able at a nominal cost. YouSendIt currently transfers about 20 million files a month.
Devin: Sounds like a great site. What sites
do you use that allow you to go green? Lisa: When you and I present at confer-
ences, I’ve given up printing PowerPoint pre- sentations. Killing trees doesn’t make me feel very good. I really recommend Slideshare.
n Slideshare (
slideshare.net) is an on-
line hosting site for presentations, especially presentations like PowerPoints, keynotes, PDFs and anything in the OpenOffice suite. With Slideshare, you can upload your pre- sentation and then receive a URL link that can be sent to others, including via email. Anyone using the link can download the presentation in PDF format. You can also embed the documents in Slideshare into
“quick response” and QR codes are simple, two-dimensional matrix barcodes that look like a bunch of black squares arranged into a bigger square. These were initially designed for manufacturing, but they now have per- vasive use in a multitude of areas, largely fueled by easy access from QR Readers on smartphones that have cameras. You can use a free service like kayawa
(
qrcode.kaywa.com) to generate a QR image that links to a website, phone number or SMS (text) number. In terms of saving paper, if you have packets of information that come from online sources and you are planning to share, simply generate some QR codes and print those on a single sheet on paper. Better yet, use the LCD projector to show the image and have participants use their phones to “scan” the code. Think also about placing QR codes around campus to enhance Back To School Night or Open House. There are a number of excellent lists with
recommended uses for QR codes. I like this one as a starter: http://itcboisestate.word-
press.com/2011/02/18/10-ways-to-use-qr- codes-in-your-classroom.
Devin: Any new sites for focused searches
on specific topics? Lisa: With our rollout in Santa Clara
County of Common Core State Standards and the support we are providing for districts, I was doing a little research and stumbled upon a site called LiveBinders. Devin: Wait. That rings a bell...
January/February 2012 29
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