Issue 9

Thought for the Week
"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit."
--Helen Keller

USA/British Council Education Connection

The British Council Educators have arrived! Twenty-two teachers, administrators, and technology coordinators from Great Britain are spending ten days in CPSB schools to learn more about effective and innovative technology integration in student centered, standards-based instructional settings. They have been paired with a cadre of Calcasieu teachers for the purpose of observing high-end educational technology implementation with students in classrooms. The teachers each are sharing successes, providing opportunities to build vision, and are sharing new and innovative 21st Century teaching and learning strategies that impact improved student achievement. The project began with a luncheon, Sunday, October 14 hosted by Prien Lake Elementary. The schools and teachers participating in the project from CPSB are as follows:

Arnett Middle, Denise Whitley; Barbe High, Doug Devillier; Brentwood Elementary, Carolyn Henry; Cooley Elementary, Kristen Istre; DeQuincy Elementary, Carol Shelton; Dolby Elementary, Missy Bushnell; F.K. White, Norma Fruge; J.I. Watson Middle, Joshlyn Foreman; Lake Charles-Boston High, Lorette LaVergne; Moss Bluff Elementary, Judy Anderson; Moss Bluff Middle, Sabra Soileau; Oak Park Middle, Heather Mallett; Perkins Elementary, Dawn Dupre; Prien Lake Elementary, Becky Ford; Sam Houston High, Linda Wygoda and Arlene Cain; Vinton Middle, Tammy Suarez; W.W. Lewis Middle, Kathy Walsh; Westlake High, Patty Hamilton

ATTENTION! INTECH Certified Teachers!

We are building a database of INTECH certified teachers. Those teachers who are fully INTECH certified (this means you completed all requirements) need to complete the short form at the following address: http://www.cpsb.org/scripts/certifiedintech/intech.asp This will allow the district to collect and maintain a current list of those who are INTECH trained. If you have any questions contact your INTECH instructor.

Upcoming Tech Center Classes...Register NOW!

Monday, October 22
- Basic PC Troubleshooting, Bobbie Loveless
- Into to Word on the MAC ,Tammey Thierry
Tuesday, October 23
- Intro to Word on the PC, Lenore Carroll
- Making the Grade Software for High School Teachers, Gina Shaw
Wednesday, October 24
- Tracstar and WebQuests, Monica McGinnis
Thursday, October 25
- Internet Intelligence: Into to Galenet Research, Helen Curol
Classes begin at 4:15 PM. and end at 6:00PM. To register for classes, CLICK HERE.

How Current is That Web Page?

Web Page revision dates are not always included on web pages, but you can easily determine when a page was last updated. This is important to know whether information is timely or not. First, navigate to the page you want to check and type into the Address Bar javascript:alert(document.lastModified) and then press Enter. A dialog box will open displaying the date and time of the last update. Note that you must enter the line exactly as shown here. You can copy the line from here and paste it into the Address Bar if you like.

Excel Tip – Date/Time Shortcut

The quickest way to enter the current date into a cell is by using the Ctrl + semicolon(;) keys. You can also use the Ctrl + colon(:) keys to enter the current time into a cell.

Personalize Your Desktop!

You can add background images for your desktop by copying a bitmap files to the ‘C:\windows’ directory. Then the image will be in the backgrounds column of the display control panel. Bitmap files have a bmp extension; For example smile.bmp. Your desktop could have a picture of your class, or perhaps something relating to the subject you are teaching.

Time Saving Tip

When working in Windows Explorer or the My Computer window, you might need to perform the same action on more than one file in a folder. For example, you might need to copy a group of files to another location. You might think you have to copy each file individually, but you don't. Just select all the files at one time and then copy (or delete) them together. To select a group of files that are listed together in the folder window (contiguously), select the first filename, hold the [Shift] key, and click on the last file you want to affect. This technique selects all the filenames between the first and last files. To select noncontiguous files, select the first file, hold the [Ctrl] key, and click on the other files you want to affect. To deselect a file, hold the [Ctrl] key and click on the selected file. Then use the keyboard or right-click on one of the selected files to complete your action with the shortcut menu.

Aligning Shapes in MS Word

Microsoft Word features a drawing grid you can use to align drawing objects, such as AutoShapes. By default, gridlines are not visible on the screen. To make them visible:

On the View menu, point to Toolbars and click Drawing.
On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, and then click Grid.
Select the Display gridlines on screen check box.
Choose the options you want, and then click OK.

Now you are ready to add shapes to your document. To see all of the shapes available, such as filing cabinets, telephones, and computer monitors, click AutoShapes on the Drawing toolbar and then click More AutoShapes. Then make your selections from the Insert Clip Art task pane.

Maps that Teach

These free interactive maps will help your students learn continents, countries, states, capitals, borders, physical features and even cultural monuments. Hands-on teaching tips are included. For more, visit: http://www.yourchildlearns.com/geography.htm

SCIENCE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS VIA UW WEB SITE

Visit a "different" Making Connections Web site! The Making Connections Web site (*NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE LOUISIANA MAKING CONNECTIONS SITE*): http://www.son.washington.edu/centers/MakingConnections/ is a part of the Science Education Partnership Award Program that comprises several projects nationwide. Funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Center for Research Resources, the site's goal is to make connections between classrooms and a partnership of the University of Washington, Pacific Science Center, Group Health Cooperative and the Washington Association for Biomedical Research. Making Connections promotes understanding, enthusiasm and participation in health science and science careers. The site includes "Brain Power," a traveling program for middle schools featuring workshops for teachers and students, multi-media all-school assemblies, hands-on exhibits, and a science/health curriculum to help students understand the brain and how it affects behavior. Another unique resource is "Bioscientist in the Classroom and Community." a program featuring a speakers' bureau that provides free speakers on the topics of biomedical research and science careers, an annual scholarship competition awarding more than $1,000 in prizes, and educational services including a 7-12 grade curriculum for teachers and a communications manual for scientists.

Top Ten Viruses Found on CPSB Computers

Here are the top 10 viruses for the last seven days. The data is from 96 infected computers out of 1168.

The information shows the name of the virus, the number of infected files found, and the percentage of the virus from the total. ALL school board employees need to ensure that their Dell, Compaq, HP, IBM or other PC classroom computers stay virus free. Go to the following link to download the district copy of OfficeScan: http://teacherlink.cpsb.org/officescan and your computer will automatically be updated daily to scan for the latest viruses. You must install the software using Internet Explorer 4.0 or later (Netscape will not work!!!!!) Please answer "Yes" to all prompts as the software installs. If you have any questions, please contact the CPSB Help Desk at tech.help@cpsb.org.

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)

The Teacher Tap: http://eduscapes.com/tap/
--> The Teacher Tap is a free, professional development resource that helps educators address common technology integration questions by providing practical, online resources and activities.

Teaching Targets for Statewide Curriculum: http://www.opsb.net/publications/teachingtargets/Booklet_English_Language_Arts.pdf
--> This is a site geared for first through eighth grade teachers. It was developed in Ouachita Parish, and it contains benchmarks, objectives, and whether it is covered on the ITBS or LEAP 21. You can find some very useful information for planning your curriculum.

The Five Paragraph Essay: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/1437/pers.html
--> This is an awesome site for Language Arts teachers that struggle with teaching compositions. This site contains a variety of explanations, formulas, and examples of the essay.

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