Student Work in Incompatible Formats

When students work from home, they may use programs that are incompatible with our systems.

For example, Work Perfect documents do not open automatically with Microsoft Office Word. Also, students making movies on Windows Movie Maker cannot automatically show these projects at school. (Windows Movie Maker only works on Windows machines, not Macbooks, and our netbooks do not have enough memory for this program).

In order for students to share their work with teachers or continue working on projects from school, students must be aware of the file types they are using, and know how to save their work into compatible formats.

For Word Perfect:

Students must change the file type format to "MS Word".

1. Click File > Save as.
2. Choose the drive and folder where you want to save the file.
3. Type the filename in the File name box.
4. Choose an MS Word format from the File type list box.
5. Click Save.

For more, see Corel's Website: Working with Microsoft Word Users

For Windows Movie Maker:

Students must finalize or "publish" their movie into a finished format that can be read by our Mac computers.

1. Click File, click Publish Movie.
2. Click This computer, and then click Next.
3. In the File name box, type a name for your movie.
4. In the Publish to box, choose where you want to save your movie once it's published, and then click Next. (Mr. Chase recommends that students choose AVI instead of WMV). 
5. Choose the settings you want to use to publish your movie, and then click Publish.
6. If you want to watch your movie after it has been published, select the Play movie when I click Finish check box.
7. Click Finish.

Use File Conversion Websites

If students have saved into a Word Perfect format, you may be able to use online file conversion websites in order to open the documents.

• Media Converter - Great for multimedia, including videos. Upload or link to a file, choose the output and save the file to your computer.
• Zamzar - Great for documents. Upload a file, choose the output file type, add your email and click "convert"

Use Student Google Accounts

We have begun using Google accounts with our students this year in part to tackle the issue of compatibility from home. Any student with a Google form on file has access to a school email address, as well as Google Docs. Using Google Docs online removes any concern about compatibility, since all you need is an Internet connection.