Ms. Russell: From Theatre to Teacher

Ms. Russell: From Theatre to Teacher

Ms. Russell (Born Kristen Russell) is an English teacher at Manchester High School West. She has been teaching here for 5 years. Throughout her 5 years at West, she taught many different English classes of different levels. Even before she was an official teacher, she worked as a substitute for a few years. From her experience teaching others, she has proven to be a considerate and respectful teacher. 

                                                        High School Life

2008: Graduated from Manchester High School West 2012: Graduated from Plymouth State University 2012: Started working as a substitute teacher 2015: Started working at Manchester High School West

Ms. Russell was a student at Manchester High School West and is now a teacher here. She mentioned that it was a comforting experience to have her former teachers be her new colleagues. While she was in high school, she was an active member of the theatre program. If she was not a teacher, right now she assumes she would work in theatre, as she always thought it was a lot of fun.

               

                  University Life

Ms. Russell went to Plymouth State University, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English. While at university, she was president of the Poets & Writers Club, and took part in publishing a literary magazine. During this time, she took part in many open mics and had local poets edit and review everything in the magazine. Throughout university, she wanted to try as many things as possible, and had a lot of fun trying many things she never thought she would do. 

Working as a Substitute

Before working as a teacher, she worked as a substitute for a few years. She primarily worked only with the English section so she could get a better grasp of the teaching experience. During this time, she tried her hardest to create a closer bond with the students of the classes she substituted for. She also experienced many different levels of English classes. She taught classes from foundations to AP and this helped her to work with students of all levels.

 

                                                      Personal Life

Ms. Russell has a very interesting personal life shaped by her interests. From a young age, she was very interested in the theatre program, and often tried to join as many plays as she could. Another big interest she has is the constituent country of Scotland. She took a trip to Scotland, and mentioned how life-changing it seemed. She stated how it reminds her a lot of home, but has a centuries-old history. Through visiting Scotland, she was able to see some real places that stories were based on, and get a better understanding of the stories she was reading and teaching. Through these experiences, she was able to make herself a better person, and really shape her interests in a better way.

 

Overall, Ms. Russell is a very interesting teacher and a very nice person to be working at West. From her time being a student at West, to being a teacher at West, she has been an amazing and inspirational person. From always teaching new classes, she has proven to be a well rounded and flexible individual. Her passion for theatre has helped her become a better teacher, and better person. No matter what instance you meet her, Ms. Russell is always a very cordial individual. 

Is it Really Difficult to Use Google Maps?

Is it Really Difficult to Use Google Maps?

Google Maps could seem overwhelming at a first glance, but really it is quite a simple and useful website to use. On Google Maps, you can view a detailed map of the road system, looking at every road in your city, or you could zoom out, and view a map of the entire world. Additionally, you could go into “Street View mode” which will let you see the view of the area from the street. So overall, Google Maps is a very useful application and should be used by many people. 

1. Visit the Google Maps Website: Google Maps is a Google app that can be used without a Google account, even though signing in is recommended. Google Maps 
2. Click on the Link: On this link, you should see a very zoomed-out view of North and South America. 

3. Moving Around: To move the earth around, you need to use your mouse. Click and hold your mouse, then slightly drag it down. If done correctly, you should be closer to a view of the United States. 
4. Zooming: There are 2 main ways to zoom. The easiest way is to use your scroll wheel. While hovering your mouse over a location, zoom in on a location. Additionally, you can use the + and - keys in the bottom right corner. You now should see a closer view of the area you placed your mouse. 
5. Street View: The Street View mode is a mode that allows you to view the map as if you were there in the actual location. To activate this mode, you must be very close to a location. In the bottom right, there is a little yellow man. To activate this mode, you need to click and drag the man to a street. If you are holding him, you should see that all of the roads that have this feature are blue. 

6. Directions: Directions is one of the most popular features on Google Maps. First, click on the building you are starting on. Next, click on the blue “Directions” button underneath the description of the building. Then, type in the address of the building you are going to. Google Maps will then give you directions on how to get there, and the fastest routes to make it there.  

Those are all of the basics! Google Maps is quite a simple application to use. In this guide. you learned the most useful features of Google Maps, but there are many others that you could try. By using Google Maps in your daily life, it will definitely help you improve your navigation. Whether you are trying to get directions to your hotel or trying to view the buildings in Times Square, Google Maps is a very useful application. 

Google Maps, Google, https://www.google.com/maps.

“10 Things Google Maps Can Do For You.” Embed Google Maps, https://embedgooglemaps.com/en/10-things-google-maps-can/.

Is Evernote Better than Google Drive?

Is Evernote Better than Google Drive?

Evernote is an application that can be used on a smartphone, tablet, computer, and more. On this app, you can take notes on one device, and it will show up on all other devices that have access to your Evernote account. There are other things you can do on Evernote as well, like make a reminder, make an audio recording, or make a handwritten note. The main application is free, but there are also 2 paid plans, the “Premium Plan” is $7.99 a month, and “Evernote Business” is $14.99 a month.  

Are the paid plans worth it?

1. It seems like the Premium and Business versions are only beneficial if you are planning on using this app professionally. 

2. For a regular person, however, it doesn’t seem like it would be paramount to use either of the paid versions. 

Comparison to Google Drive

Google Drive	Evernote
Automatic backup for up to 15 GB of data in the free version All notes are kept scattered in your drive No written notes are available, and must be typed Select from many different unique fonts	Only can upload up to 60 MB per month in the free version Can organize notes in a notebook for easy reading Ability to use drawings in notes, and make written sketches Only very basic fonts are available to use

Many of the sources I looked at were from websites comparing Google Drive and Evernote. I also viewed the official Evernote account to compare the differences in their plans. It seems like Evernote would be more useful only for taking notes, while Google Drive would be more useful for many different things. So, overall both are good options to choose from, and depend on how you will use it.

Gildred, Joseph, et al. “Evernote vs Google Drive: Which Will Work Best for You?” Cloudwards, 28 May 2018, https://www.cloudwards.net/evernote-vs-google-drive/.

“Evernote vs Google Drive Comparison Chart of Features.” GetApp, https://www.getapp.com/collaboration-software/a/evernote/compare/google-drive/.

“Compare Plans and Get Started for Free.” Evernote, https://evernote.com/compare-plans.

Evernote Symbol. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Evernote_Icon.png.

Google Drive Icon. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiQ1ozQnI_lAhXOmeAKHYq7DAIQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https://www.google.com/drive/download/&psig=AOvVaw0kJC8agRiIoykB51inFw3h&ust=1570712080312118

Lost Your Phone? Don't Lose Your Mind With it! Click Here for Help!

Lost

Your

Phone?

Get Help Here!

**PLEASE NOTE** If you are using an iPhone, these directions will NOT WORK. Please go to the Apple Support Page (provided below) for iPhone specific instructions: Find Your iPhone

While I use the word "phone" in this post, I'm referring to smart devices in general. (e.g. phones, tablets, etc.) This process can be used for most, if not all, Android devices.

Get on Google

    On any computer with internet, sign into the Google account connected to your device. Search “find my phone” on the Google search engine and go to the second link, or click on the link provided below:

Find Your Phone

    Select your missing device (it might have you log back in). Google then provides multiple options at your disposal which have been broken down here into 4 Tiers:

Tier 1: the device has been misplaced in your general area.

Tier 2: the device has been lost and is not nearby.

Tier 3: the device has been stolen.

Erasing: You won’t get the phone back.

    Note that the tiers are ordered via severity, and even though they work with different scenarios none should be skipped. That is to say if you know for a fact that your phone has been stolen, still go through the steps in tiers 1 and 2 instead of immediately jumping to tier 3.

Tier 1

Step 1: Call

    Call your phone using a landline, or someone else’s phone. If your phone is on silent, proceed to step 2.

Step 2: Ring

Click the Ring button:

    This will have your phone make a sound even if it’s silenced. It does, however, need to be connected to a network. (Wi-Fi or Data).

    After you have tried to ring it if that doesn’t work the next step is to reset your Google password. Look up “reset my google password” and the first link will be to Google Support with simple instructions on how to do so.

Tier 2

    If you can’t find your phone after ringing it, begin the Tier 2 steps:

1.    Lock it

    The second option on the site is to lock it, which has three parts. First, create a password that will be applied to your phone. Next, type a message that will be displayed on your phone. The last step is to enter a phone number. When your phone is locked it will display a black background with your message and a button that will call the number you enter. If you have been contacted by a person claiming to have your phone do NOT attempt to retrieve it yourself as the person could be dangerous. Inform law enforcement about the situation and ask them to retrieve your phone.

2.    Locate it

    If your phone is connected to a network you can locate it by clicking the Locate button next to the Ring button:

    This will bring you to Google Maps and show you the general location of your phone. If you find your phone using Google Maps and it’s in a place you don’t recognize do NOT retrieve it yourself. Again, call the police department and tell them about the situation.

Tier 3

   If you have located your phone and you know where it is, the next step is to log out of your Google account on your phone.

    The fourth option on the page is to ‘Sign out on your phone’. By doing this, even if someone was able to get into your phone they still wouldn’t have access to any of your Google information.

    The next thing to do is contact your carrier. Explain the situation to them and ask to disable your SIM card. This will prevent anyone from receiving/sending calls or texts. Reactivate it once you get your phone back.

Erasing

    Erasing your phone is the last thing you want to do. It’s only to be done if you know for certain that you will not get your phone back. The only way to save your data, like photos or contacts, is to have them backed up on Google. You can check your Google account using a computer to see what is backed up. The option of erasing your phone is the last option on the page and can only happen if the phone is online.

Want a LIVE Q&A With Your Audience Using Google Slides? You Already Have One! Click Here to Find Out How to Use It!

HUB

Presenter View is a feature made by Google that is used with Google Slides. Some of its options range from using custom speaker notes to a live Q&A session with your audience. This can be used if presenting to a large class where taking individual question can take a long time, or if a student has an important question, but doesn't want to interrupt the presentation. This post was so big that it had to be broken into smaller subsections:

To learn how to set up your computer (1 post), click here → Set Up

To learn how to present with Presenter View (3 posts), click here → Presenter

To learn how the audience can ask questions (1 post), click here → Audience

Presenter View Part 2

The Most Efficient Way to Set Up Presenter View

If hooking up to a projector continue reading, but if you plan on presenting using another monitor (for example a TV screen), follow steps 1-4 Here then skip down to “Using Presenter View”. If you’re using a Mac or Apple product, click Here.

This section is here to teach you how to change your display from a mirrored to an extended display. A mirrored display means that whatever you see on your computer will also appear on the projection, while an extended display makes the projection act like a second desktop. “Presenter View” must be used in an extended display, because it requires the projection to show the presentation, and the computer to show the “Presenter View” screen.

Once your computer has been connected to the projector and it has been powered on, press the “Windows” and “P” keys at the same time.

Select “Extend” on the menu that appears:

As the name suggests, this will make your projector act as an extension of your computer screen. If you move your mouse pointer off the right side of your computer screen, it should appear on the projection.

To open the “Presenter View” function, use one of two ways. First, click on the small arrow next to the “Present” button on your slide.

This will open a small drop-down menu. Click on “Presenter View”.

The second method is to first, start the presentation. At the bottom of the screen will be a small button labeled “Q&A”.  

Click on it to begin “Presenter View”.

Both methods will leave you with a screen looking like this:

You must click and drag your presentation off the right side of the screen. To do so, click and drag here on the top of the page:

Lastly, click the “Maximize” button on the “Presenter View” window.

Now you’re all set up to use the “Presenter View” application! If done correctly, you should see the “Presenter View” window on your computer and your presentation as the projection.

← Hub

Using Presenter View →

Presenter View Part 3

Using Presenter View

The Presenter View option from Google has 3 main features, managing the presentation, Speaker Notes, and a live Q&A. I have made three subsections of the article, each dedicated to a different section on a different page.

Presentation Management

The management section of Presenter view is on the left edge of the screen.

To change your slide use one of two ways. The first is to use the “Next” and “Previous” buttons:

The second is to click on the bar underneath, which displays your current slide number. When clicked, it will open a drop-down menu which can be used to jump to any slide:

It is important to note that when using Presenter View, the display of your current slide in the upper left-hand side is the only view of your current slide. Thus, you cannot rely on reading from your slide while presenting. For a solution to this problem, see the next page for the “Speaker Notes” section.

Another lesser used function is the timer at the bottom left corner of the screen.

It will begin counting up as soon as Presenter View is activated, and can be paused or reset. This can be used to determine how long a person has been presenting for.

← Set Up

Next →