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Time wise
by Erica Schaapveld
 

Look at all of the ISTE technology standards you meet by knowing how to set your clock!

I. Technology operations and concepts.

VI. Social, ethical, legal, and human issues.

Click here for a detailed description.

orget the VCR, let’s talk about the clock on your computer. Is it off by four hours, and two times zones? Are you still adding an extra hour to account for the difference in daylight savings? Well, it’s about time you got back on real time, because setting the date and time on your computer is one of the easiest technological operations you will ever learn.

Macs

Finding the date and time menu

Under the Apple Menu, go to Control Panels, and select Date & Time by clicking it as shown in the image below.

The Date & Time window opens. In the image below there are four basic sections inside the window: Current Date, Current Time, Time Zone, and Menu Bar Clock. We are not going to worry about using a network time server.

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Setting the current date

ighlight the incorrect section of the date, and use the arrows, shown in the image below, to find the correct number. You may also simply highlight the date and use your keyboard to type in the correct date.

Click on Date Formats. Check the Region, as shown in the image below. It should say the region in which you live. I selected U.S. by clicking on the double arrow, and choosing it from the drop down menu.

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Next look at the Long Date section of the Date Formats, shown below. Decide the particular order your date should appear. Do this by clicking on the double arrows to open the drop down menu. Select whether you want the Day, Weekday, Month, Year, or None listed first. Below, I chose the Month as the third item listed; the Weekday, and Day precede it. I end my date with the Year. Notice that this is also the second example listed under the samples. The text boxes, directly to the right of the drop down menus, are for the addition of punctuation in your date. When you have made all of your choices, continue on to the Short Date section.

In the Short Date section, select the order that you wish the shorter date version to appear. The Short Date does not have to be in the same format as the Long Date version. The month is now listed first, instead of the weekday. Make any other selections you desire, and click OK when you finish.

Setting the current time

ou are now back at the main date and time menu, and on the right side of this window locate the Current Time section, shown in the image below. Just as you did for the current date, highlight the incorrect numbers, and use either the arrows or your keyboard to enter the correct information.

Click on Time Formats. Again, check the Region, as shown in the image below.

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Under the Clock section, shown on the left of the image above, click on the radio buttons to select which hour course you want your clock to take: 24 hour, 12 hour, and whether noon and midnight are represented by 0:00 or 12:00.

Now look at the Format on the right side of the above image. Here, you must type AM and PM if you would like those shown next to the time. Also, enter a colon or any other separation device you wish to use.

When all the selections are made, push OK to exit the Time Formats window.

Choosing the correct time zone

nce you return to the main time and date window, you must first decide if you want the computer to be programmed to automatically switch to daylight savings when the appropriate day is reached. To program your computer to do this, simply click on the box next to Set Daylight-Savings Time Automatically. A checkmark means that it is programmed. This is shown in the image below.

Next, click Set Time Zone. Highlight a city that is in your time zone. I have selected Dallas, USA, because, like Kansas, it is in the Central Time zone. Click OK.

Selecting the clock’s options

he last section is the Menu Bar Clock. If you want the clock to be displayed on your menu bar, click on the radio button as shown in the image below.

The menu bar on the top right side of your Macintosh screen resembles the image below.

To view the date, click on the time.

Finally, click on Clock Options shown in the image below.

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Under Menu Bar Display Format, select any options you would like to add by clicking in the boxes to the left.

Under Chime Settings, a chime is available at different times throughout the day. If you wish for the clock to chime on the hour, click the box to the left of Chime on the hour. If you wish for the clock to chime at other intervals choose the drop down menus next to the clocks depicting fifteen-minute intervals, and select which sound you prefer.

The last option offered is under Font Settings. Select the font and font size you want the date and time to appear in. In the image above, I chose the Skia font, set at 16.

PCs

Finding the date and time menu

here are two ways to reach the main clock menu on a PC. One way is to simply double click on the time, depicted in the image below, located on the menu bar in the lower right corner of the screen.

Another way to reach the main clock menu is by going to the Start menu. Choose Control Panel, and then click on Date/Time, as shown below.

Setting the date

nder the Date section, click on the arrow to the right of the month, August is shown below, to select the correct month from the drop down menu. Next use the arrows to the right of the year, below 2001 is shown, to enter the correct date. Click on the appropriate day in the calendar to select the present day.

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Setting the time

ove on to the Time section, and use the arrows to the right of the shown time, below 1:06:56 PM is depicted, to select the correct time. You may also just click in the time box and type the correct numbers.

Choosing the correct time zone

lick on the tag marked Time Zone at the top of the Date/Time Properties window. Select the correct time zone by locating it on the drop down menu. In the image below, I chose (GBT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada).

If you wish to have you computer programmed to adjust for daylight saving, check the box next to Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes. A checkmark in the box signifies that the option is on.

When all corrections are made, click Apply to enter the changes.

ow your computer’s clock should have the correct time and date. Hopefully, you feel more confident in this basic technological operation, and are ready to conquer bigger and more complex things – like the perpetual midnight of your VCR?