Extending Battery Life

Macs have pretty amazing battery life to begin with, but following a few simple tips will help you to get the absolute best battery performance out of a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro.

For most Mac users simply reducing screen brightness is typically more than adequate to get great battery life.  The tips below are intended for those who demand the absolute best battery life possible out of their portable Macs.

1.     Enable “Click To Plugin” in Web Browsers – Flash and HTML5 movies can use a lot of CPU cycles thereby causing substantial battery drain, enabling these ClickToPlugin features let you selectively load plugins by clicking them, thereby preventing unnecessary plugins and videos from loading

2.     Disable Bluetooth – Both searching for available Bluetooth devices or broadcasting a Bluetooth signal can drain battery, disable Bluetooth if you don’t use it. Open System Preferences and click on “Bluetooth”, uncheck “On”

3.     Turn Off Wi-Fi – If you’re doing something that doesn’t require internet use, turn off wireless networking and you can pick up a nice boost to battery life. The easiest way to do this is to click on the Wi-Fi menu and choose “Turn Wi-Fi Off”

4.     Disable or Reduce Keyboard Illumination – For Macs with backlit keyboards, reducing the keyboard illumination or turning it off completely can help to lengthen battery life. Open System Preferences, click on “Keyboard” and uncheck “Illuminate keyboard in low light conditions”

5.     Eject Disks from the DVD Drive – For MacBook and MacBook Pro users with a SuperDrive, eject any disks to prevent needless access and drive spinning

6.     Avoid iSight Camera – FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangouts, and Photo Booth are a ton of fun, but the front-facing iSight/FaceTime camera is a major battery hog. Avoid using anything that taps into the Macs front facing camera and you’ll avoid major battery drain

7.     Quit Unused Applications – Leaving unused apps open in the background use both RAM and CPU cycles, both of which cause power usage and directly impact battery life. Quit any applications that are not actively in use, and try to keep running apps to a minimum to prevent any usage of Virtual Memory

8.     Close Unused Browser Windows & Tabs – Even inactive web pages can use a lot of system resources by running complex scripts, ads, videos, or other page elements. Remember to close unused browser tabs and windows and you’ll avoid draining battery unnecessarily.

9.     Reduce Screen Brightness – Reducing screen brightness to 50% or less provides a massive boost to battery life, you can reduce brightness when using your computer in a very well lite area.  On most newer Mac keyboards, the F1 and F2 keys allow for brightness adjustment, aim for the lowest value you can tolerate for maximum battery life

Using Web 2.0 - Students show what they know!

A couple of weeks ago, I offered a Prism class on Web 2.0 multimedia tools.  I took the highlights from my one hour presentation and put them into an Animoto video.  Animoto was one of the tools covered in the Prism class.  All of the tools in the video are easy to use, student friendly, allow for a variety of media, and allow students to use 21st Century Skills.  While you watch, think about how these tools could enhance student learning in your classroom.

Web 2.0 in the Classroom

Save your files..... Dropbox

As spring approaches, it is time to think about spring cleaning!  How about storing your files somewhere safe?  Check out Dropbox:


Your files, anywhere

• Any file you save to Dropbox also instantly saves to your computers, phones, and the Dropbox website.
• 2GB of Dropbox for free, with subscriptions up to 100GB available.
• Your files are always available from the secure Dropbox website.
• Dropbox works with Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad, iPhone, Android andBlackBerry.
• Works even when offline. You always have your files, whether or not you have a connection.
• Dropbox transfers just the parts of a file that change.
• Manually set bandwidth limits -- Dropbox won't hog your connection.

Dropbox mobile

• Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry keep your Dropbox at hand, even on the go.
• Bring your files with you when you're on the go.
• Edit files in your Dropbox from your phone.
• Easily upload your photos and videos to Dropbox.
• Share freely with family and friends.

Your stuff is safe

• Dropbox protects your files without you needing to think about it.
• Dropbox keeps a one-month history of your work.
• Any changes can be undone, and files can be undeleted.
• Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and AES-256 bit encryption.

12 Things Kids Want from Their Teachers | Angela Maiers Educational Services, Inc.

I was surfing through my blog list and came across this post from Angela Maiers. It brought tears to my eyes, and affirmed for me what I have told each and every student teacher, field experience student, college students and colleague over the years. "Love them and know them for their gifts." When you take time to get to know your students and teach to their needs, you show them that you care! Until you care.... they don't care what you know! I love kids, love to teach, and miss having a classroom of "my kids" many days! Take time to read:

12 Things Kids Want from Their Teachers | Angela Maiers Educational Services, Inc.

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