What IS a Blog and Why Teachers should be interested

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47

If you are interested in learning more about blogs and how they can integrate technology into your classroom, this link is a must for you to read.

I copied this paragraph directly from this link:

Educational Benefits of Blogs

In addition to providing teachers with an excellent tool for communicating with students, there are numerous educational benefits of blogs. Blogs are:

• 
  Highly motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not become participants in classrooms.
• 
  Excellent opportunities for students to read and write.
• 
  Effective forums for collaboration and discussion.
• 
  Powerful tools to enable scaffolded learning or mentoring to occur.

Follow this link to another site about blogging. It is titled "Blogging Basics: Creating Student Journals on the Web."

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial037print.shtml

It is a step-by-step guide to setting up a classroom blog. This is an easy to read, easy to do reference.

I am not sold on blogger.com as a source for classroom blogs. The ability to skip around to different blogger sites by just clicking on the NEXT BLOG button on the top righthand corner is awfully dangerous. You never know just what your students might see or read!

We are studying different blog sites to find one or two to recommend to PSD teachers. If you know of any please leave your comments!

Instructional Technology would be interested to know if there are any teachers using blogs with their students this year.

Fascinating and Useful Web Sites Discovered at NCCE 2005

Math Sites:

http://www.rainforestmaths.com/
Wonderful Australian math web site. Many virtual manipulatives

http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm/nav/
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives for Interactive Mathematics

http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/math.html
Discovery School’s links to lots and lots of math web sites

http://www.figurethis.org/index.html
Math challenges for families

http://nrich.maths.org/public/
Engaging problem solving site

http://www.multiplication.com/
Claims to “teach ALL students the times tables.” Contains techniques, tips, and secrets used by master teachers

http://www.nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/
Designed to make on-line graphs. Supported by the National Center for Education Statistics

http://www.webmath.com/index.html
Stuck on a math problem? This site can help you solve it

http://www.hbschool.com/glossary/math2/
Math glossary page for students and teachers

http://www2.ups.edu/community/tofu/home.htm
A resource guide for extending mathematical understanding in secondary schools.

Technology

http://www.techsparc.com/
Integrates technology into lessons

http://www.edtechtoys.com/
Site designed for Techies who teach

http://www.teach-nology.com/
Free (questionable) web site offering teachers printable worksheets, PowerPoint templates, Excel templates and such

http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/main.html
Tips and lessons for using digital video and digital photography in classrooms. Best used if you have Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Premiere Elements

http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/inspiration/using_insp/index.cfm
Integrating Inspiration into your classroom

http://teacher.scholastic.com/
Free tools and resources for classrooms

Language

http://www.wordcentral.com/
Vocabulary building activities for students

http://www.stemstar.com/
A site developed to help construct questions based on the WASL reading test stems

http://bookadventure.org/
Free web site offering over 6,000 recommended book titles and quizzes. Sponsored by Sylvan Learning Center

Science

http://wise.berkeley.edu/
Students examine real world evidence and analyze current scientific controversies

Social Studies

http://www.pacificnorthwestjourneys.org/
“See the Pacific Northwest as the early explores did. Read authentic journal entries, explore the geography and wildlife of the area, see Native American culture, discuss controversial issues of the region, and more.” – quote from web site

Miscellaneous

http://school.discovery.com/
A whole host of ideas from “What’s on TV”, lesson plans, homework helpers, clip art, etc.

http://www.marcopolo-education.org/
Search engine for lesson plans on many different topics k-12

http://www.techlearning.com/webpicks/
Trusted and true website that highlights one educational web site a day. A must for all teachers

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/index.html
Free self-paced workshops covering a wide variety of hot topics in education

http://www.newhorizons.org/index.html
Effective teaching and learning practices. Produced in Seattle

http://www.iste.org/
International Society for Technology in Education

http://www.eschoolnews.com/erc/Challenges/
eSchool News Online, and educator’s resource center

http://www.netsquirrel.com/
A free collection of Internet, PC, and classroom resources from Patrick Crispen

http://www.FreeUpRam.com/
Information to help you get organized

Great Classroom Sites:

http://www.cdaschools.org/Dalton/jstarr/

http://www.jenningsk12.net/GE/cindyk/

Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines

With all this new technology, it’s a good idea to review copyright law. Below are a few pertinent excerpts from that body of information. A complete PDF version of these guidelines is available at http://www.techlearning.com/db

Additional information about fair use guidelines and copyright resources is available at http://www.halldavidson.net/ , or you can direct your questions about copyright issues to your building’s librarian or administrator.

Videos and DVDs: Teachers may use these materials in their classrooms under the following conditions.
Materials must be:

 Legitimately acquired
 Used in a classroom environment “dedicated to face-to-face instruction”
 Used for instructional purposes, not for entertainment or reward

Internet: Images may be downloaded for student projects and teacher lessons
 Sound files and video may be downloaded for use in multimedia projects
 Downloaded resources must have been legitimately acquired by the web site

A reminder about computer software: In the Puyallup School District, teachers should only have software that has been purchased and licensed by the school district installed on their computers.

From Celebrate the Possibilities! May, 2005. Nina Williams, Instructional Technology

Celebrate the Possibilities 2004-2005 Tech Tips

Celebrate the Possibilities 2004-2005 Tech Tips

November's Tech Tip of the Month
 
Using Atomic Learning
 
Atomic Learning is a great resource for finding video tutorials about programs and applications for your laptop. Go to www.atomiclearning.com  and click on What’s New(s). Peruse the list of newly added tutorials and sign yourself up to receive their newsletter. Remember, you can access Atomic Learning at home.  You can find the username and passcode in your Hardware Orientation, Productivity, ICS, or Windows XP paperwork or you can access the Puyallup School District webpage intranet (InfoWeb! intranet system (In-District only) and look under Staff & Committee Communications – Celebrate The Possibilities Newsletter, November 2004. When you access the Atomic Learning website from the Puyallup School District connection it recognizes you as a Site License User and you are not required to enter a username and passcode.

Hint: Use the 2003 Office products, not XP 2002 if you are going to investigate Microsoft’s software if using the compaq nx7010.
 
From Celebrate the Possibilities! November 2004.  Nina Williams, Instructional Technology

December's Tech Tip of the Month
 
Formatting Your Word Document: Adding a Watermark
 
Adding a watermark to a document is a great way to display a school mascot, crest, or other professional-looking element. Here’s how:
 
In Word:
· Insert clip art or picture file
· Right click on the picture and choose Format Picture
· In the Format Picture window, click the Picture tab
· In the Color box under Image Control, use the blue drop-down arrow to choose Washout
· Click the Layout tab
· Under Wrapping Style choose Behind Text
· Click OK
 
If the image needs to be lighter or darker:
· Right click on the picture and choose Format Picture again
· Under the Picture tab, Image Control, adjust the brightness and contrast using the blue arrows
 
Resizing your watermark image:
· Click and hold one of the white circles in any of the four corners of the image
· Stretch or shrink by moving the mouse
 
From Celebrate the Possibilities! December, 2004.  Nina Williams, Instructional Technology

January's Tech Tip of the Month
 
Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers
 
Headers and footers run across the tops and bottoms of documents. They provide important information for the reader, and make documents more useable and professional-looking. Here’s a brief overview of how to set up basic headers and footers.
 
In a Word document, use the View menu to select Header and Footer. The Header and Footer toolbar, shown below, will appear near the top of your document.
 
¨ Type a header or footer in the appropriate box
¨ To add a page number to either the header or footer:
® Use the mouse pointer and tab key to choose a page number placement
® Click the Insert Page Number button
 
The header and/or footer will appear on all pages of your document. Word will automatically number the pages of your document once you have clicked the Insert Page Number button.
 
For more detailed information, and to learn about more header, footer, and page number options and features, click Help on the Word menu bar, and type “headers and footers” in the Microsoft Office Online search box. Choose “Headers and footers, simple to elaborate” to link to Microsoft’s online training. This useful, interactive tutorial includes audio instructions, and is very similar to Atomic Learning.
 
From Celebrate the Possibilities! January, 2005.  Nina Williams, Instructional Technology


March's Tech Tip of the Month
 
PowerPoint: Making an Auto Slide Show
 
 It’s easy to make quick, professional-looking slide shows for your students, athletic teams, colleagues, parent events, or school assemblies. Here’s how to create one.
 
1. Load picture files on your computer using your SD card, fire wire, or USB device
2. Open PowerPoint
3. Go to Insert > Picture > New Photo Album
4. In the Photo Album window, click Insert picture from: File/Disk
5. Browse through and choose the pictures you’d like to include in your slide show; to select all of the pictures in a file, click Ctrl + A
6. Click Insert to load the pictures into your Power Point photo album
7. You can change the order of the pictures in your slide show by using the up and down arrows in the Format Photo Album window
8. There are lots of options to explore, such as picture layout, frame shape, design templates, text boxes, captions, and more
9. Click Create
10. To make changes to the photo album, go to the Format menu and choose Photo Album
11. Click Update to apply your changes
12. You can edit many portions of your slide show just as you would other Power Point presentations
 
Need more information about using PowerPoint? Log on to www.atomiclearning.com 
In the Windows Tutorials section, choose PowerPoint 2003.
 
From Celebrate the Possibilities! March, 2005.  Nina Williams, Instructional Technology


April's Tech Tip of the Month
 
Getting Started with Inspiration
 
There are hundreds of classroom applications for Inspiration. How do you get started with this versatile program? Here are a few suggestions.
 
1. Customize your defaults.
 
You may have noticed at ICS Training or other tech classes that Inspiration can be set to display many different shapes and colors; even to produce outlines in Step Up To Writing colors.
 
In Inspiration:
· Click Utility on the menu bar
· Choose Default Settings
· A wizard will guide you through the process and allow you to choose everything from colors to shapes to line thickness
 
2. Get ideas from the Inspiration Help menu
 
· Go to Help > Inspiration Documentation
 
Three helpful PDF documents:
 
* Getting Started: this document will guide you through the program and provide you with a comprehensive   tutorial
* Template Guide: 70 templates for use in your classroom
* Symbol Guide: handy guide to find appropriate symbols
 
· Go to Help > Inspiration Examples to see more sample Inspiration webs
 
3. Online help and tutorials
 
·   www.atomiclearning.com
·   www.inspiration.com (you can link to this website by choosing Help > Inspiration Online Community when you are connected to the network or internet at home)
 
From Celebrate the Possibilities! April, 2005.  Nina Williams, Instructional Technology


May's Tech Tip of the Month
 
Creating Forms using Word
 
You can create forms, surveys, tests, and questionnaires for electronic use with the Forms feature in Word.
 
·             Open a Word document
·             Type the body of your form
·             Go to View > Toolbars > Forms to activate the Forms toolbar
·             Insert your mouse pointer wherever you want to insert a form field, check box, or drop-down form field, then click the appropriate icon on the Forms toolbar
·             You may also need to use the Form Field Options tool, which is to the right of the drop-down field icon, in order to modify your check boxes or insert text into your drop-down fields
·             When you are finished, be sure to click the lock icon on the far right end of the toolbar to activate and     protect your form
 
Now your form is ready for use. Students and colleagues can insert information only where you have placed form fields; none of your text can be altered unless the form is unlocked using the Forms toolbar.
 
From Celebrate the Possibilities! May, 2005.  Nina Williams, Instructional Technology

June's Tech Tip of the Month
Making Certificates with Publisher
It’s time to get all of your year-end awards in order, and Microsoft Publisher has templates that can help you create great-looking certificates for your students.
 
· Open Publisher
· In the left-hand task pane, click Publications for Print
· Choose Award Certificates from the menu
· Scroll through the templates and click on a design you like
· A window may appear asking you to enter your business information. You can just close the window and go to your certificate.
 
All of the text on the template is displayed in individual text boxes, and is changeable, moveable, and removable. Simply click and highlight areas of text and replace them with your own words. These templates were created primarily for business use, but changing the star certificate from “certificate of appreciation” to “Star Student” or “AR Star” makes it a perfect student award. See the example below.
 
Keep the parts of the certificate that you like and delete the ones you don’t. You can change fonts, font sizes, colors, add borders, and insert your own clip art. One word of warning: printing documents that have colored or shaded backgrounds uses a tremendous amount of ink. Choose a certificate that has a white background to save wear and tear on your printer cartridges.
 
Publisher has a wide variety of templates from greeting cards to origami to newsletters. And be sure to check out the calendar templates as you’re preparing for the upcoming school year.

If you want more information about using Publisher, log on to Atomic Learning, click Windows Tutorials, and choose Publisher 2003.
From Celebrate the Possibilities! June, 2005.  Nina Williams, Instructional Technology

Books Being Read at Instructional Tech

We are reading the following books this year:

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking byMalcolm Gladwell
Interesting site about the Blink - http://www.gladwell.com/blink/

The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman
A "must see" video featuring Thomas L. Friedman - http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/266/

Got Game: How the Gamer Generation is Reshaping Business Forever by John C. Beck and Mitchell Wade
Harvard's Business School discusses Got Game at http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item.jhtml?id=4429&t=innovation

Anyway The Paradoxical Commandments by Kent M. Keith
Interview with the author at http://www.bookpage.com/0205bp/kent_keith.html

A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
http://www.danpink.com/ Dan Pink's website
A personal book review from a blogger - http://www.irelan.net/becoming/past/2005/03/21/a-whole-new-mind-a-book-review/

We would love to engage with other PSD employees reading similar, if not the same, books.