TIPS Volume 3, No. 4
December, 2002

     Grade Level Key 
     = Elem, = Middle
     = High, = Teachers

Tips from the Ambrose Office Expert

Here's some instructions on how to construct music playlists for Windows Media Player 7.X or higher. Additionally, if you're using an iPac or other PocketPC-based PDA, Mark includes instructions on how to transfer this to it.

Set up a playlist in Windows Media Player on your desktop PC

1. Open Windows Media Player. 
2.. On the left navigation bar, click Media Library.
3. Click the New Playlist button on the top navigation bar.
4. In the dialogue box that appears, enter a name for your playlist. Click OK.
5. In the left window, scroll down to My Playlists. You'll see the list you have just created.
 6. To add music to your playlist, scroll up in the left window and choose All Audio to see all the audio tracks on your computer, or select the Album, Artist, or Genre from which you want to choose tracks. 
7. Select any track - you'll see the track list appear in the right-hand window.

NOTE: To select several contiguous tracks, press Ctrl-Shift, click the first track in the series, and then click the last track. All tracks in between will also be selected. To select noncontiguous tracks, select the first track, press Ctrl, and then click all the other tracks you want. Only the tracks you click will be selected.

8. From the buttons across the top, select Add to playlist. A drop-down box will appear, listing your playlists. Click the one to which you want to add the selected tracks.
9. In the left-hand window, scroll down to My Playlists and click the one you just created. You'll see the tracks you selected displayed on the right.

Set up a playlist in Windows Media Player on your desktop PC

1. With your Pocket PC in the cradle, open Windows Media Player on your desktop PC.
2. From the buttons on the left, find "Copy to CD or Device" and select it. NOTE: In some versions, the button is labeled "Portable Device".
3. Note the two headings near the top of the windows, "Music to Copy" and "Music on Device." If the drop-down menu below "Music on Device" indicates anything other than Pocket PC, click the drop-down arrow and choose Pocket PC.
4. Below "Music to Copy", if the playlist you want doesn't appear, click the drop-down box and select the playlist you want.
5. By default, all the tracks will be selected. You can click on a track to deselect it and it won't be copied.
6. Click the "Copy Music button" on the upper right. The selected songs will be copied to your Pocket PC.

Most technology-enhanced lessons you find for tessellations using the computer allow the student to drag the side to shape the object, but the alternate transformation is done for them and then the pattern is tiled automatically. In contrast, this lesson allows students to create their own rotating tessellation where they make the transformations and tile the objects themselves. The students will see how the tessellation is actually created and learn the concepts of transformation and rotation. All that's needed is Paint which is installed on most any PC. 

• Instructions on creating rotating tessellations
• Instructions on creating sliding tessellations

Click above to open, or right-click and "Save target as..." to save locally.