Organization Charts in Word

In my classroom, we are always creating and using graphic organizers in our daily writing.  Since my school doesn’t have Inspiration, I have been searching for alternative ways for students to create graphic organizers on their iBooks.  On EducationWorld.com, I discovered a new part of Microsoft Word.  By clicking on Insert > Object > Microsoft Organizational Chart, students can create their own graphic organizers that look very similar to the ones they created in elementary school using Inspiration.

Adding a Soundtrack to Keynote

I recently explored a few new advanced Keynote tricks where students can turn an ordinary slideshow into an exciting Quicktime movie they can share on the internet.  To add a soundtrack to a slideshow, click on the first slide.  Then click on the Inspector button.  Once Inspector is open, click on the Document tab and then on Audio.  To add a song from iTunes, click on the Media button and drag the song from the iTunes list onto the little box under the soundtrack label.  Students can also add different songs to each slide.  To add music from their iTunes onto individual slides, students can click on the Media button and drag a song from their iTunes into the slideshow.  Then, using the Quicktime button on the Inspector, they can set the beginning and ending point of the song using the Start & Stop button.  To create a Quicktime movie from a slideshow, click on File -> Export  and select the Quicktime tab, which is on the far left of the menu.