Issue 2

Thought for the Week
Housework is a breeze. Cooking is a pleasant diversion. Putting up a retaining wall is a lark. But teaching is like climbing a mountain.
~ Fawn M. Brodie ~

Printing Tech Connect

Last week's issue of Tech Connect was not sent out the way it was intended. We had significant network issues... because of this, we used a different delivery mechanism and it took several pages to print. This has been rectified and this week's issue should print normally. We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused. If you need to print any back issues, visit the Tech Connect Archive.

TNT3 Conference -September 29

Registration is continuing for this conference and we still have spaces for those of you that want to submit a presentation! Join us for a GREAT conference for only a $20 registration fee.

Many "big name" companies have committed to host a booth including Adobe, Dell, Apple, Compaq, Casio, and Knowledge Adventure, just to name a few. A complete list of exhibitors and sessions will be available on the TNT³ website after September 5^th.

For more information, to register or to submit a presentation visit the TNT3 website: www.cpsb.org/tnt3

Grant Winner!

Missy Bushnell, fifth grade teacher at Dolby Elementary, and Calcasieu I-TEC model teacher was named as the 2001 Christa McAuliffe Fellow for the State of Louisiana. Ms. Bushnell received $27,000 for technology in her classroom and will have the opportunity to assist in the development and implementation of Louisiana's systemic education improvement initiatives, to enhance her professional skills, and to improve classroom instruction. Students, as well as new and pre-service teachers at Dolby, will greatly benefit from "A Novel Approach" to enhance reading and writing skills.

Courses Offered through Region V TLTC

The Region V Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center will be offering the following classes for teachers, administrators and other support staff during the Fall semester:

How to Evaluate Technology Effectiveness
TrackStar
ThinkQuest
Gale Group
Louisiana Voices/Folklife
Xcursions
Kidspiration
Publisher for Secretaries and Principals

WebQuest
Microsoft Access
PowerPoint for Principals/Administrative Staff
KidPix Deluxe
Internet Resources
Online Projects
MarcoPolo

For course descriptions, dates, times and registration, please visit the following link:
http://www.cpsb.org/scripts/regionvclasses/courses.asp

For more information contact Kim Leblanc@ kim.leblanc@cpsb.org

tech.help

Please remember that if you have any technical questions or problems, you should email tech.help@cpsb.org with the nature of your problem. Please include the type of computer or printer, the operating system and the exact wording of any error messages. This allows us to save time in the troubleshooting process by having the necessary information to help you immediately.

Technology Can Raise Achievement!

According to CEO Forum, Technology can raise achievement. “When technology is applied to well-defined educational objectives, and integrated into the curriculum by trained teachers, education technology can produce dramatic results for students.” The CEO Forum Year 4 StaR Report indicates technology can improve student achievement through: 1) improved scores on standardized tests 2) increased application and production of knowledge for the real world 3) increased ability for students to manage learning 4) increased ability to promote achievement for special needs students 5) improved access to information that increases knowledge, inquiry and depth of investigation. Technology can also develop 21st Century skills by 1)improved basic skills 2) improved digital age literacy skills 3) improved inventive thinking skills 4) improved effective communication and interpersonal skills 5) improved productivity skills.

To view the entire CEO Forum School Technology and Readiness Report go to: http://www.ceoforum.org click on “Key Building Blocks for Student Achievement.”

MS Word Tip

When in Microsoft Word (in the print view), you can double click on the side ruler (to the left) to bring up the “Page Setup” menu options. This is much quicker than selecting “File” from the menu bar and clicking on “Page Setup.”

The Weakest Link

Mark E. Damon originally shared his "millionaire" game with members of Teachnet. More recently, Mark has been kind enough to share all of his entertaining creations so that you may download them NOW for use in your classroom. These PowerPoint™ presentations can be modified with your own questions to create an interactive review or test for your students. To access the PowerPoint files, visit the following link:

http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/misc/winnergame022500.html

School: The Story of American Public Education

PBS digs at the roots of America's public education system. America's noble experiment - universal education for all citizens - is a cornerstone of our democracy. Delve into the public school of yesterday and get involved in one of America's oldest and most dynamic institutions. Idealized, criticized and re-invented many times over, public education continues to play a crucial role in how we see our nation and our future. For the rest of the story visit the following link: http://www.pbs.org/publicschool

Need News?

WWW.USNEWS.COM is an award winning, very user friendly source of current news. It also has an easy to understand array of issues grouped into broad headings. It is an interesting and informative web site.

Best on the Net!! NEW FEATURE!! -- We are in the process of creating a resource site for Calcasieu Parish educators that will feature the best sites on the Internet. 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)

Pink Monkey: http://www.pinkmonkey.com/
--> Offers over 330 free literature summaries, 1,800 online classics, online textbooks, free study help, SAT and ACT practice, and other stuff.

Novel Guide: http://www.novelguide.com/
--> This is a free source for literary analysis on the web. It provides classic and contemporary Literature Profiles, Metaphor Analysis, Theme Analyses, and Author Biographies.

Popular Science for Kids: http://www.popsci.com/kids/
--> This site comes from the same makers of Popular Science magazine. Site includes great graphics, cool science questions, and quizzes on several topics.

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