Tech Tidbit # 3
Print Screen Button

Ever wonder what the Print Screen button on your keyboard is for? Back in the days of MS-DOS, the Print Screen button was a handy way to send everything on your screen to the printer. But now, pressing the button appears to do nothing...or does it? The Print Screen button still works as a handy screen capture tool. If you press the Print Screen button alone, the entire screen, including the desktop and any open windows, will be saved in the temporary memory area called the Windows clipboard. If you hold down the Alt key and press the Print Screen button, the contents of the active window (The one you are currently working in) will be copied to the clipboard. Now, go into any graphic-capable program like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, etc. and open a new or existing document. Then, press the Paste button. Your screen capture will automatically be dropped into your current application as a graphic object. 

There are all kinds of uses for this function, like, 1) developing lesson plans, 2) diagramming student worksheets, 3) creating handbooks or manuals, and 4) pasting errors into email messages for tech support.

Happy Pasting...