The Language Teacher
05 - 2003
TLT Wired
Getting the Most Out of Apple OS X
Malcolm Swanson
In this column, we explore the issue of teachers and technology -- not just as it relates to CALL solutions, but also to internet, software, and hardware concerns that all teachers face. In fact, our first two columns will begin at the very roots -- teachers using computers in everyday situations in their offices as they prepare, plan, and research.
In this month's column, Malcolm Swanson looks at productivity solutions for teachers using OS X on Apple computers. Next month, Paul Daniels will look at similar solutions from a Windows perspective.
As well as our feature columns, we would also like to answer reader queries. If you have a question, problem, or idea you'd like discussed in this column, please write to tlt-wired@jalt-publications.org. Also, visit us at our web address jalt-publications.org/tlt/wired/.
--Malcolm Swanson & Paul Daniels
Getting the Most Out of Apple OS X
When Apple first released their much-awaited OS X two years ago, it was almost unusable for the average user. Slow, buggy, with little in the way of compatible software, it was only for the brave-at-heart or just plain curious. Now, with the recently released Jaguar 10.2 version, OS X's potential is finally being realised. Much faster, very stable, and with compatible releases of all major software titles and most printer drivers, there is little reason for the average user not to upgrade -- provided, of course, they have compatible hardware (visit Apple's website www.apple.com/macosx to check). As a sweetener, Apple also launched a full suite of superb (and free!) iProducts. Movie editing, digital photo cataloguing, scheduling, backing-up, internet browsing, and emailing packages are now all included with the base operating system.
For teachers with a fully-loaded Macintosh computer running OS X and an office suite such as AppleWorks or Microsoft's Office X, it is possible to create multimedia and teaching projects that were previously only doable by so-called power users.
However, getting to know a new system is more than learning how to use the software. It's also about working efficiently, and customizing it to your needs. Fortunately, the Mac faithful have responded as usual, and there are hundreds of shareware and freeware solutions now available (I recommend www.versiontracker.com for searching out new titles and keeping up to date). This month, I'd like to introduce some of the 'add-ons' that I've found very useful for the work I do as a teacher.
Ten Best Productivity Solutions: Editor's Choice
System Utilities
- FruitMenu www.unsanity.com (shareware $10): Navigation can be a nightmare, especially if you have hundreds of files and applications on your system. FruitMenu allows you to customize both your Apple menu and your contextual menu (what you get when you control-click or right-button-click) so you can access regularly needed applications or files with ease.
- KeyXing www.lumacode.com (shareware $7): Also a navigation aid, KeyXing enables you to define keyboard commands for opening files or applications, running 'actions' (such as shutting down), or even opening a Google search box.
- Default Folder www.stclairsoft.com (shareware $35): You've written 'The Great Novel' and have filed it somewhere . . . but where? This application adds a menu to the Open & Save dialogue boxes that remembers where you've visited recently, where your favourites are, plus much more. This is an essential piece of software for anyone who works with large numbers of files!
- FoldersSynchronizer www.softobe.com (shareware $40): If you've ever lost work because of a computer glitch, you'll know that backing-up is something that can't be done often enough. There are many different back-up applications out there, but this is the one I like. It's fast, simple, cheap, can be programmed for automation.
Text Utilities
- CopyPaste www.scriptsoftware.com (shareware $20): If you have to cut and paste multiple pieces of text, you'll love this piece of software. It gives you multiple clipboards so you can copy all the separate items, then paste them in one-by-one. It has many other features as well. One I find particularly useful is its ability to strip out email addresses or URLs from a block of text. (Note: another product PTH Pasteboard www.pth.com offers a simpler feature set, and it's free!)
- TypeIt4Me www.typeit4me.com (shareware $27): For one-finger typists like me, this software is a must. Type in an abbreviation, and it expands it automatically (e.g. if I type 'sw' it will type out my full name, 'addr' expands to my postal address, etc).
- SmartWrap www.selznick.com (shareware $18): How often have you copied an email message into a text file, then had to go through and manually remove all the returns or quoted-email marks? With SmartWrap, one click and you have clean text!
Other
- WordLookup www.lindesay.co.nz (freeware): A simple-to-use translation dictionary for English, Japanese, and other languages.
- iLabel www.brunoblondeau.com (shareware $20-$50): Useful for repetitive printing tasks like labels, business cards, etc. It also works with a database to produce individualized labels, and can be set to print only certain labels on a sheet -- useful if you want to reuse remaining labels.
- GraphicConverter X www.lemkesoft.com (shareware $35): The Swiss Army Knife of the graphics world, this application will open and edit almost anything. Priceless!
Of course many other applications and utilities exist, and everyone has their favourites. If you'd like to add your suggestions to what is listed here, then please visit our website jalt-publications.org/tlt/wired/ You'll also find other resources such as useful links and access to past columns (when we have some!).
Malcolm Swanson
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