One of the EASIEST ways to share files using SkyDrive is to create a folder. You can then generate a link to the folder. Anyone who has the link can click on it to view the folder contents. The link can be put on a school website, class blog, printed newsletter, or included in an email message.

For example, here is a link to a SkyDrive folder which gives you access to watch a video about how to make a shared folder!

If you prefer your instructions in a printed format download How to Create a Link to a Shared Folder using SkyDrive.

Let’s get started!

What do you need?

You need to have a SkyDrive account. If you already have one move onto the next step.

1. To register for an account visit http://skydrive.live.com
2. Click on the link Sign up now .
3. Follow the on-screen prompts to create an account.

TIP: Are you tired of having to remember multiple email addresses and passwords? If you already have an email account, use it to create your Microsoft account.

TIP: Write down your username and password and store it in a safe place so you do not forget them!

Share files using SkyDrive

Login to SkyDrive

1. Visit http://skydrive.live.com
2. Type in username and password and then click Sign In .
3. When you first login to SkyDrive, you will see a navigation bar along the TOP and RIGHT side with tiles in the middle screen. The tiles are folders. Your screen will look something like this:

Create a Folder and Upload Files

1. Click Create and select Folder.







2. Type in a name, such as Staff. Press ENTER.





3. Click on the folder to open it. You will see a message that says your folder is empty.





4. To upload a document, click UPLOAD in the top bar.






5. Access the file from your computer. Select it, and then click Open.

If you have more than one file to upload (and they are located in the same spot), press the CTRL key at the same time you click on the file. Continue to hold the CTRL key and click files until all the files you want are selected. When you are finished, click Open.

6. An indicator will show that the files are uploading:






7. When finished, the files will show up in the folder:






8. To close the folder you can click Files on the bar at the right. OR, you can click Name’s SkyDrive in the pathname above the files.

Share the Folder using a Link

There are many ways to share a folder. You can send a link automatically in an email, post a link using Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, or generate a link that you manually share. I prefer the last option because it offers FLEXIBILITY! I typically, bookmark it. I can then easily share the link by posting it to a school website, recording it in a printed document that is sent home to parents, or emailing it to a mailing list.

1. Move your mouse over top of the folder you want to share. Select the folder by clicking in the top right check box.






2. Right click on the folder and select SHARING, or click SHARING in the top bar.
3. Click Get a link.

From the options, decide the access you want to allow users to have. Do you want them to be able to view the files or view and edit the files? Please note, in both cases, the user will be able to download a copy of the files. DO NOT PICK PUBLIC – THAT WILL MAKE IT SO ANYONE IN THE WORLD CAN SEE THE FILES!




4. Click on either View only or View and edit, click Create.
5. THIS IS A CRITICAL STEP! The link is VERY long. Click Shorten. DO NOT CLICK CLOSE YET!!!

6. RECORD THE SHORTENED LINK!
7. To make sure you don’t lose the URL – save it digitally! Select the shortened link. Right click on it and select Copy or use the keyboard shortcuts CTRL + C. Open up a Word document. Right click the mouse and select Paste. Save the document as link.
8. Now you can share this link with anyone! You can place it on your class blog, school website, newsletter, or in an email message.
9. ANYONE who clicks on the link will be able to view the files in your folder WITHOUT HAVING A SKYDRIVE ACCOUNT. Please note, they cannot see any of your other folders/files in SkyDrive.
10. Want to test the link? Log out of SkyDrive. Type the URL into the browser window and press ENTER. You will see EXACTLY what the students, parents, or staff will see.

A blog is a short form for a web log or weblog. It is web-based publication consisting of short articles posted, in reverse chronological order. Blogs have been compared to journals or diaries because the content is fuelled by personal experiences.

Blogging promotes literacy.

Reading blogs is not passive. The reader actively engages with the author by writing comments stating their opinion, suggesting topic-related resources, or offering encouragement. The author can then respond to the comments, creating a dialogue about the text.

In education, a school can have a blog reporting about topics relating to the school community, a teacher can have a blog to communicate with students and parents about classroom activities, or students can have their own individual blogs as part of school assignments.

Kidblog.org is a Free Blog Service for Educators

There are many services for blogging. Some require a yearly subscription and others do not. One of my favorite FREE options is Kidblog.org. This service is easy to use. Teachers can instantly create a class with a blog for each student. There are many reasons this is an excellent option:

1. Maintain Control: Teachers maintain control over all student blogs and accounts. They can easily add, edit, and delete accounts.




2. Protect Privacy: Student blogs are private and are only viewable to classmates and/or the teacher. Teachers can elect to make posts public.




3. Moderate Content: Teachers can moderate all content posted to blogs including articles and/or comments.




4. Establish Guest Accounts: Teachers can create a guest account to permit parents or other users to read only or read and comment on posts.




5. Require No Personal Information: Accounts are created by the teacher. No personal information is required for students, nor do students need an email account.




6. Bulk Account Creation: Adding student accounts can be fast! Upload a plain text file or spreadsheet with user information.




7. Easy Login Options: The blog has its own unique URL. However, if students forget the address, they can visit kidblog.org, type in their class name, and then select the correct option from a list.




8. Create a Blog Roll: Connect with other classes that blog. A link to their blog will appear in the blog roll widget. Now students can read and comment upon posts written by other classes from within their school or from around the world.




9. No Ads: There are no banners, rotating images, or other advertisements placed onto the blog.




10. Personalize Blog: Teachers can give students the option of uploading their own profile picture or avatar and select a theme for their blog. Once this is set, teachers can restrict access to the profile to prevent students from changing their display name.




11. Custom Navigation: The blog has a built in navigation structure. However, teachers can set categories and tags, to organize and filter blog entries further.




12. Straightforward Tools: The writing tools are similar to most word processing programs allowing students to easily format text, insert pictures, add a link, and more!

Have your students create a picture using words. This activity is a great way to encourage your students to use descriptive language. It can be done for a novel study unit, Family Day activity, or school year book page.

How to Create a Word Picture using PowerPoint

1. Open PowerPoint.
2. Change the layout of the slide to blank. If using a newer version of PowerPoint, click the Layout arrow on the Home tab and select Blank.
3. Adjust the slide layout to landscape or portrait.
1. If using PowerPoint 2007 or 2010, click the Design tab. Use the Slide Orientation command.
2. If using PowerPoint 2013, click Slide Size on the Design tab, click Custom Slide Size, and make a selection from the options (TIP: You might want to type in the dimensions for the slide such as 8 x 10″).
4. Draw a text box on the slide and type a word.
5. Select the word and set the font and font size.
6. Arrange the text box on the page.
7. (OPTIONAL) Save the slide as a picture.
1. If using PowerPoint 2007 or 2010, click the File tab. Click Save & Send and select Change File Type. Select PNG from the file types and click Save As.
2. If using PowerPoint 2013, click the File tab. Click Export and select Change File Type. Select PNG from the file types and click Save As.

TIPS

• Make the Word Look Meaningful: Use a font that suits the meaning of the word. For example, use a font that has squiggly lines for the word silly.
• Vertically Stack Letters: Press ENTER after each letter in a word to make the text vertical.
• Bigger is Better: The larger the font size, the easier it will be to read. The smallest font size you should use is 20 pts. If you make the letters smaller, the text will be difficult to read when it is printed.
• Save as Picture: Text that has a unique font applied will not be readable on a different computer that does not have the font installed. Instead, a substitution will be used or the text will appear as random symbols. If you want to print the file from a different computer, it is a good idea to save it as a picture. Now it can be printed anywhere.

How to Download and Install Fonts

Your computer only comes with basic fonts. To make this activity really fun, you might want to use the Internet to download free fonts onto each computer. The fancier, the better!

1. To find reliable websites type free fonts into the search engine. Some of my favorite places to go for fonts are:
   http://www.1001freefonts.com
   http://www.fontspace.com
2. Each site is a bit different. Typically, you need to download the font version that is right for your computer (Windows/Mac)
3. Save the font to your computer. TIP: Save it to a place that you will be able to find it, such as Desktop or Documents.
4. When you download the font, it will be zipped. You must right click on the compressed folder, and select Extract All. Click Extract.
5. Now you will see an open folder with TrueType fonts. If there is a text file, it will contain information from the author of the font and will often offer a preview of the letter shapes. It is always a good idea to preview the file.
6. To install a font, right click on it and from the menu select Install.

NOTE: Fonts are stored in the following location C:\Windows\Fonts