Issue 2, Volume 12 August 25, 2011     Thought for the Week Initiative is doing the right thing without being told. -- Victor Hugo   Submit Your Proposal Now!!! Register For TNT13 - October 15th! We Need YOU! Presentation Proposals Must Be Submitted by September 1st!!! A professional development bargain... only $25.00! This conference is geared to classroom teachers, school administrators, Title I program coordinators, curriculum coordinators, library media specialists, and others with an interest in educational technology. We need YOU to submit a TNT presentation, share your successes using technology….please visit this web link: http://www.cpsb.org/tnt/proposal.asp  Saturday, October 15, 2011 8:00am - 3:00pm LCB Academy of Learning 1509 Enterprise Blvd., Lake Charles, Louisiana Teaching aNd Technology13 Institute Sponsored by: Calcasieu Parish School System Technology Department Calcasieu Association of Educators Region V LACUE Visit the web site: www.cpsb.org/tnt to register, view sessions, vendor information, and submit a presentation proposal. Highlights of the conference will be: • Hands-on technology workshops • Vendor exhibits & demonstrations • Door prizes—A Dell computer and iPad will be given away and lots more! Conference cost: $25.00 (Lunch is included) Registration is ONLY accepted via online submission. Make checks payable to: Region V LACUE Mail checks to: TNT Conference CPSB Technology Training Center 1724 Kirkman St. Lake Charles, LA 70601 Questions: 337.217.4120, Ext.1030 Mark your calendar now for October 15, 2011 from 8 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. for TNT13 and prepare to participate in a premiere technology learning experience. Attention Teachers! Register NOW for Upcoming Blackboard Classes! Register now at the following site: https://www.cpsb.org/techclasses/ BB201: Utilizing Blackboard to Support Curriculum – Getting Students Involved Dates of Training: September 14th, 2011 (face-to-face orientation session – 3:30 -430 pm. - Lab B) September 15th-October 5th, 2011 (online course) Location: Lab B Prerequisite: BB101 or BB102 Technology Requirements: Internet Access at Home/Computer Proficient CLUs: 8 This hands-on workshop combined with a 3-week online class will guide participants through the enhancement of their current Blackboard Website to utilize with students during the upcoming school year. Participants will learn how to utilize the many tools of Blackboard to create a rich, engaging online environment for students extending instruction beyond the classroom. This class will allow students to have usernames and passwords to Blackboard for the 2011-2012 school year. BB301: Using StudyMate within Blackboard Date of Training: September 21st, 2011 Time: 3:30-5:30 pm Location: Lab B Prerequisite: BB101 CLUs: 2 This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to, StudyMate, an “authoring tool that lets you create 10 Flash-based activities and games using simple templates that can be published directly to Blackboard.” Participants who attend will receive a copy of the StudyMate software. BB313: Introduction to Using Blogs in the K-12 Classroom Date of Training: September 28th, 2011 from 3:30-4:30 pm Location: Lab B Prerequisite: BB201 CLUs: 1 This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to how they can easily integrate blogs into their current Blackboard site. Blogs are an engaging way to impact student achievement. For further information, feel free to contact Kim Leblanc (kim.leblanc@cpsb.org). Seven Web 2.0 Animation Tools Animation projects help us integrate technology and encourage project-based learning. Let’s take a quick tour of seven Web 2.0 animation sites. This article from Digital Learning Environments shares seven free animation tools that you might want to give a try. See if there is one in this list that you have never seen before: Kerpoof ABCYa.com Fluxtime DigitalFilms.com GoAnimate DoInk Xtranormal To try out any of these animation tools or to just find out about them, go to http://www.guide2digitallearning.com/tools_technologies/7_web_20_animation_tools.  Twiddla Twiddla is a real-time online collaboration tool. All users can edit at one time, but it might be a little confusing to do so. The following tools are included for collaboration: draw, erase, shapes and text. Adding documents and images are a paid feature. In addition to the whiteboard space there is an Instant Message feature. That would allow more users to comment without changing the workspace. There is not a limit to the amount of users who can login at one time and the session can be saved. It should be great for brainstorming, sequencing, prewriting, and more. It also includes formulas for math. Start collaborating today. The URL: http://www.twiddla.com Files? Where Are They Now? Looking for something you created “once upon a time” or maybe even yesterday? This is a great way to search a folder quickly. Windows 7 and Windows Vista users: Locate the folder where you think the file is located. Use the Search box at the top of the open window to search the contents for the selected folder. Type part or all of the name of the file or folder, or type a word or phrase that is in the file. The results list will be updated as you type. Windows XP users: Locate the folder where you think the file’s located, right-click the folder, and then click Search. A Search window will open, ready to search for the selected folder and only that folder. Type part or all of the name of the file or folder, or type a word or phrase that is in the file. This is much quicker than launching Search and navigating your hard drive to the folder. The Road Ahead: Exploring Electricity and Energy Sources Cell phones, iPods, TVs, game stations - these are items that our students are very familiar with, and most have used. But do they really know what powers them and where the energy comes from? General Motors and Discovery Education have designed a series of lesson plans and activities to help you and your classroom explore how electricity is generated and stored and how it is poised to change how we live. Download FREE LESSON PLANS for elementary and middle school students that will help you and your classroom explore, investigate and even design your own energy-related solutions, plus much more. Explore different energy sources, such as renewable and non-renewable Examine the current energy situation Take a deep dive into battery technology Construct a simple circuit Vist General Motors Teach Green Blog to share your tips and inspiration for teaching lessons about the environment. The URL: http://generalmotors.discoveryeducation.com/ Best on the Net!! -- Visit this site for hundreds of websites for teachers! We would love to hear from you about the best educational sites you have found on the web. Please submit, via email, the sites you feel merit inclusion. Send to tech.connect@cpsb.org. Please include the URL and a short sentence about the site.  Featured Sites: (These sites were submitted by teachers in Calcasieu Parish) Life In The Middle Ages http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/ma/mahome.htm  http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle6.htm Get inspired by the reports from these upper elementary students on everyday living during the middle ages, then have your students create their own reports and presentations. Use the 2nd link above for research resources on further topics on living in a castle.   Voycabulary http://www.voycabulary.com/ VoyCabulary makes the words on any webpage into links so you can look them up in a dictionary or other word-reference-site of your choice, by simply clicking on the words. Anytime you find yourself reading a webpage with words you wish to look-up, try running the page through VoyCabulary and just click on the words! For instance, if you are reading a page with complicated words, like when reading Medical pages, or perhaps reading a page in Spanish and frequently need to look-up the English equivalents, see if VoyCabulary can help you out!   WebMath http://www.webmath.com/index.html Webmath is a math-help web site that generates answers to specific math questions and problems, as entered by a user, at any particular moment. The math answers are generated and displayed real-time, at the moment a web user types in their math problem and clicks "solve." In addition to the answers, Webmath also shows the student how to arrive at the answer.   An official publication of the CPSB Technology Department For Technical Support:  help.cpsb.org Calcasieu Parish Homepage  Technology Department  Tech Help Site  Best on the Net Tech Guides  Computer Purchasing Information  Tech Connect Archive