Issue 6

Thought for the Week
Don't be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps.
-- David Lloyd George

Finally!!! TNT⁶ is next week

Finally!!! TNT⁶ is next week, Saturday, October 2 and has something for everyone!! Mark your calendar now for October 2, 2004 from 8 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. for TNT⁶ and prepare to participate in a premiere technology learning experience! The conference cost is only $25.00 and lunch is included.

To register go to http://www.cpsb.org/tnt. Online advance registration ends Friday, September 24th at 4:00 pm. Everyone who does not pre-register will have to register and pay onsite.

TNT offers over 100 diverse technology sessions!
To see a glimpse of what TNT has to offer, go to www.cpsb.org/tnt and click "Sessions".

Inspired Teacher Scholarships

Inspiration Software®, Inc. is pleased to announce the seventh annual Inspired Teacher Scholarships for Visual Learning program! Applications are now available online at http://www.inspiration.com/scholarship.

****** AWARDS FOR CHAMPIONS OF VISUAL LEARNING ******

The scholarship program offers 25 scholarships in the amount of $750 each to educators who champion visual learning and technology in their classrooms, schools or districts.

****** NEW!! ROOKIE AWARDS ******

This year, Inspiration Software is also offering 5 Inspired Teacher Scholarship Rookie Awards in the amount of $750 each to educators who are new to the area of visual learning, but are ready to learn more.

The 30 scholarship recipients will be chosen on the basis of applications evaluated per published criteria. Scholarships can be used for professional development activities in the area of visual learning and technology.

Scholarship applications are due on or before January 27, 2005.

Scholarship recipients will be notified by March 17, 2005. Learn more about the 2005 Scholarships program, download application forms and apply online at http://www.inspiration.com/scholarship.

Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Awards

Enter the Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Awards program, recognizing outstanding K-12 schools in the United States. In 2004, the first year of the program, more than 20 schools were selected to share more than $2 million in grants and prizes. So don't miss out on this opportunity. The deadline for applying for the 2005 awards is December 1, 2004. To submit an application go to: http://www.schoolsofdistinction.com/webstart.aspx

Get More From Google

Google is much more than a search engine. It is a dictionary, a calculator, an almanac, a phone book, and much more. Just click on "More" and check out Services and Tools.

APPLY or OK...Which one do I click?

Clicking "apply" makes whatever changed settings you selected in a system control panel go into effect without closing the control panel window. This is convenient if you are not sure if the settings you have selected are the ones you want to keep. If you click APPLY and don't like your selection, you can immediately change the settings to something else without again going to START, choosing SETTINGS, and then CONTROL PANELS.

Clicking OK essentially does two things: it applies the settings you selected (just like clicking the APPLY button would) but it also closes the open control panel window.

Encyclopedia of the Atmospheric Environment

This is an excellent resource for environmental information at all levels. The site has information on global warming, acid rain, ozone, atmosphere...just a huge amount of material. http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae

PowerPoint Tip

Did you ever want to change the size of the text within a text box or an autoshape and have the text box resize automatically? You can do this by clicking a few options.

First, select the text that you want to resize.
On the "Format" menu, click "Placeholder". The "Format Autoshape" dialog box appears.
Click the "Text Box" tab.
Select the "Resize Autoshape" to fit text.
Click "OK".
Now, when you resize text, the text box or placeholder will resize itself.

Read Write Now!

Parents of preschool through third grade children will often ask how they can help their student to become a better reader. This site, which was developed by a team of national reading experts, provides information and activities geared to helping create great enthusiasm in reading and writing.
http://www.udel.edu/ETL/RWN/Activities.html#contents

Create a Custom Auto Fill List in Excel

The Auto Fill feature can make it easy to enter any data series that frequently appears in your spreadsheets. All you need to do is add the series to Auto Fill's built-in lists.

For example, if you report most operations by sales region (e.g., North America, Southeast Asia, Europe, etc.), you can create a custom fill series for those regions. Follow these steps:

Select a column or row that contains the names of the sales regions.
Go to Tools | Options.
On the Custom Lists tab, you'll see the selected range displayed in the Import List From Cells text box. Click Import, and click OK.

Users can now enter all regions by typing one region and using the Auto Fill feature.

You can also use the Custom Lists dialog box to make entries to a new list. Follow these steps:

On the Custom Lists tab of the Options dialog box, select New List.
Type each item in the List Entries text box, and press [Enter].
After you've entered the entire list, click Add, and click OK.

Chem4Kids

A brief overview of chemistry, the study of matter and how it changes and interacts with other matter. Covers matter, elements, atoms, reactions, and describes different types of chemistry ranging from biochemistry to physical chemistry. http://www.chem4kids.com

Top Ten Viruses Found on CPSB Computers

Here are the top ten viruses found on CPSB computers in the past 7 days. The stats are based on 851 infected computers out of a total of 8954 OfficeScan clients.

The latest OfficeScan pattern as of 9-22-2004 is pattern 2.176.00. Please check your pattern by placing your cursor over the OfficeScan icon and viewing the pop-up window that appears. If your pattern is significantly different than this, please email tech.help@cpsb.org regarding this or any other question you have regarding OfficeScan.

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!! -- 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)

ELECTION MATCH-UP:
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/election04/games/great_debate.html
Match up symbols of America and the upcoming election in this online memory game. Three levels of difficulty adjust the game to your students' level.

LEECHES AND MAGGOTS AND BUGS, OH MY!:
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/03/030402_bugmedicine.jhtml
The new wizards of medicine are actually ancient remedies:leeches, clay, honey, and maggots. These comeback kids have healing powers that are being investigated anew by the scientific community, for very valid reasons. Maggots, used during the Civil War to clean wounds, have actually been shown to be more effective than any other known non-surgical treatment. Check out the latest in leech know-how, maggot facts, and buggy health tips. Students will learn how aspirin is related to Ancient Egyptian remedies, and how antidiarrheal medicine today is not all that different from similar methods employed by primitive cultures.

WHY DO LEAVES CHANGE COLOR?:
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html
In this "Science Made Simple" lesson plan, students will explore the reasons behind the season, in how and why leaves change their color. A word scramble based on the subject matter is included.

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