Issue 19, Volume 6 February 9, 2006     Thought for the Week What we learn to do, we learn by doing. -- Thomas Jefferson   Region V LACUE Awards Congratulations to the following Region V Educators who will compete statewide in the following categories: Elementary Teacher of the Year – Angela Ardoin (Dolby Elementary) Middle/Junior High Teacher of the Year – Carla Craddock (LeBlanc Middle School) Secondary Teacher of the Year – Jarred Barrett (Oberlin High School) Post Secondary Teacher of the Year – Dr. Faye White (McNeese) Administrator of the Year – Sabrah Kingham (Fairview Elementary) Educator of the Year – Helen Atchinson (Jeff Davis Parish) Special – Tommy Istre (Dolby Elementary) The Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators recognizes those educators who have effectively integrated the use of computers into the educational process yearly at the state conference. This year the LACUE Conference is Feb. 13-15 in Baton Rouge.  For more information, visit www.lacue.org. Calcasieu Parish School Board is especially proud to have four winners at the regional level, Angela Ardoin – 5th grade teacher, Dolby Elementary is the Region V LACUE Elementary Teacher of the Year; Carla Craddock – 8th grade English/Language Arts is Region V Middle/Junior High Teacher of the Year; Sabrah Kingham is the Administrator of the Year; and, Tommy Istre (Dolby Elementary parent) is the winner of the Special category. Online Courses Announced Need hours for your Plus 30? LIMITED REGISTRATION! LIMITED PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIP! Region V TLTC Online Course: Curriculum Enhancement with Technology Spring Quarter: March 8-May 15, 2006 Summer Quarter: May 31-August 11, 2006 Apply now at the Region V website http://www.cpsb.org/regionv. Click on "Course Registration." The Region V Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center will be offering two online professional development, graduate credit courses entitled, “Curriculum Enhancement with Technology” and "PBL (Project Based Learning) in Action". Participants will receive three hours of graduate credit, per course, from Louisiana Tech that can be counted towards plus 30 certification. ETC442: Special Topics Curriculum Enhancement through Technology This course is designed to enhance the instructional program within the K-12 classroom. Emphasis will be placed on how technology can be easily integrated into standards-based lessons and extend a teacher’s understanding of effective use of various educational technologies and strategies to meet the needs of all learners. Go to http://www.cpsb.org/regionv/online_course/syllabus.htm to view the complete course syllabus. EDUC 489C: Special Topics Project Based Learning in Action Project-based learning in Action (PBL in Action) will provide teachers the opportunity to network with other colleagues about instructional strategies proven to impact student achievement. PBL in Action is based on increasing student achievement by focusing on curriculum standards and is designed to show educators how technology can be melted into the present curriculum in such a way that the two become seamless. Go to http://www.cpsb.org/regionv/online_course/pbl_syllabus.htm to view the complete course syllabus. Tuition for each course is $391.00 (this includes the LA Tech University’s technology fee) plus a $20.00 application fee. If a participate chooses to take both courses, the tuition would be $917.00 (this includes the LA Tech University’s technology fee). A limited number of scholarships are available for Region V* classroom teachers. Grant awardees will be given a scholarship valued at $250.00 to cover partial cost of course tuition. Participants will pay the remaining $141.00 tuition fee and a $20.00 application fee. Selection Criteria/Requirements to participate: • To apply, go to http://www.cpsb.org/regionv and click on "Course Registration" by noon on February 15 for the spring semester and May 1 for the summer semester. • All participants MUST have an active email account, access to the Internet after hours. Participants in the Curriculum Enhancement with Technology course MUST have PowerPoint software. If you are selected to participate in either course, you will be notified via email no later than Friday, February 17 by 4:00 p.m. for the spring and May 3 by 4:00 p.m. for the summer. For further information, feel free to contact Pam Nicholson, pam.nicholson@cpsb.org. *This is defined as classroom teachers in Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, or Jeff Davis parishes or the Dioceses of Lake Charles. Making Sense of Websense Recently, you may have noticed that some websites that were once available for surfing are now blocked by CPSB’s Websense filtering system. CPSB recently upgraded the software; and, during the process, the software reset all of the custom exceptions that were previously in place. Due to that, Websense will block sites under certain categories that may not have been blocked before. Upgrading software and hardware is a necessary step in keeping up with the changes that take place in technology. Please remember, as teachers, it is usually easier to give more permissions rather than take away permissions. If you have a legitimate site that you utilize for educational purposes that is currently blocked, please send the address to tech.help@cpsb.org. The site will then be evaluated to see if an exception can be made. Again if you are having trouble accessing a website, please email tech.help@cpsb.org and request that the site be made available. Valentine's Day - February 14th Find lots of Valentine's Day lessons and activities on the web sites listed below.  Students have fun with composing cinquains, figuring out Valentine math, or writing 'Luv Notes." You, along with your students, can choose from a myriad of ideas!  Lesson Plans Page: http://www.lessonplanspage.com/Valentines.htm A to Z Teacher Stuff http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Valentine_s_Day/ Teach-nology http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/holidays/valentine/ K-6 Educators at About.com http://k6educators.about.com/cs/socialstudies/l/blvalentines.htm The Teacher's Corner http://www.theteacherscorner.net/seasonal/valentines-day/index.htm Developing Teachers.com http://www.developingteachers.com/tips/valentine_plan1.htm Presidents' Day - February 20th Presidents' Day, which honors past Presidents on the third Monday in February, is February 20, 2006. Find some excellent activities to teach students about the presidents of the United States at some of the web sites listed below! Included: Activities in which students create a picture book of presidents, design a new presidential monument, imagine they are president for a day, and lots more!  ProTeacher http://www.proteacher.com/160002.shtml A to Z Teacher Stuff http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Presidents__Day/ Education World http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson223.shtml The Lesson Plans Page http://www.lessonplanspage.com/PresidentsDay.htm The Presidents' Rap Music Download in Mp3 format: http://www.sara-jordan.com/promo-WashingtonMp3.shtml Lyrics can be downloaded here: http://www.sara-jordan.com/Washington.pdf  WebQuest Adventures    How would you like to send your students on an Internet adventure? Well, this website houses WebQuests created by San Diego teachers for students of all ages. If you are interested in ideas for WebQuests or would like to incorporate one in your lessons, the Triton Project link has several samples for grade levels K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 in various content areas. To peruse various WebQuests, go to: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/projects/gradelevel/gradelevel.html. Smart Tags Microsoft Excel 2002's and 2003's Smart Tag feature makes it easy to insert a series of dates into a worksheet. For example, suppose you want to keep track of the total daily donations that come into your organization during the work week. You can generate a series of dates that includes weekdays only by following these steps: 1. Enter the beginning date of 10/3/05 in Cell B3. 2. Drag B3's Fill handle while pressing the right mouse button to B50. 3. Click the Smart Tag and select Fill Weekdays. *Note: You can also use Autofill to generate a series of dates for entering total donations on a monthly basis—just choose Fill Months after clicking the Smart Tag.   To track donations on a weekly basis, say every Friday, follow these steps: 1. Enter the date of the first Friday of the month (e.g., 10/7/05) into cell B3. 2. Enter the formula =B3+7 into B4. 3. Drag B4's Fill handle down to B50. You'll be amazed by how much time (and work) Autofill will save you over the course of a month. Win A Prize For Your Great Idea! Send in a curriculum or classroom management idea you've created using Microsoft software and you may get it published, and win a prize. Five winning ideas will be selected to publish on the Innovative Teachers Web site this spring. Microsoft is looking for submissions in the following categories: Using Microsoft Student 2006 in the classroom * Using Microsoft Learning Essentials in the classroom * Building bridges - using technology to build bridges between academic departments, the school and the local community, or diverse groups within your school * Individualized instruction - using technology to help you meet the needs of all kinds of learners in your classroom * Essay - how has technology changed your approach to your students and/or to the teaching profession? (1,000 words maximum)   Winning teachers will receive a $200 Amazon.com gift certificate and a free piece of Microsoft software. To enter, send an email message to teachers@microsoft.com with the following information: 1. Your name, contact information, and grade level or job title 2. The name and address of your school 3. A synopsis of your idea. Submissions must be 1,000 words maximum, and any attachments must be 4 MB or less in size. Entries must be received by midnight, February 28, 2006.  170 Ideas And Resources For Teachers Looking for resources and technology sites to help provide ideas to engage your students? This site is a collection of activities and Web sites intended to take some of the mystery out of technology and show how technology is interesting, diverse, fun, and absolutely relevant to our lives. Select a project for each day of the school year, or work through the collection at your own pace. Some of these ideas broaden the knowledge of teachers and some can be used with students. Some suggested Internet sites link to wonderful resources for classroom use. Finding the best way to integrate technology for students will take time, exploration, and experimentation on the part of teachers. Enjoy the adventure.  The URL: http://www.ael.org/rtec/ideas.htm. 20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have This article in this month’s issue of The Journal, one of the most widely read education technology publications, lists 20 technology skills that every educator should have.  Along with a description of the skill, educators will find related links to sites to help them learn more about each area! This article can be a great resource for teachers who are looking to keep up with technology and gain the necessary skills to provide the highest level of education for their students!  The URL: http://thejournal.com/articles/17325/. Featured Blackboard Site: Sam Houston High School The featured Blackboard site was created by Arlene Cain, a high school physics and chemistry teacher at Sam Houston High. Ms. Cain created the site to provide physics students with a very usable resource and guide to physics. The site provides class lectures, assignments, projects, and activities designed to build conceptual understanding of physics. Visit site: Ms. Cain's Site: http://blackboard.cpsb.org/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_255_1. OfficeScan Pattern Update The latest OfficeScan pattern as of 2-09-2006 is pattern 3.201.00.  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 lower from this one (A HIGHER PATTERN NUMBER IS OK), Please email tech.help@cpsb.org regarding this or any other question you have regarding OfficeScan. 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) Olympic Rings Report Form http://www.abcteach.com/Olympics/rings.htm  http://www.abcteach.com/Olympics/Olympic.htm  Do your students know what the five Olympic rings stand for? Have them do the research on history, color, etc., adding their own illustrations using this student report template. The 2nd link above provides an athlete biography template. Winter Olympic Events http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/olympics/winterolympics2.htm Use this site for a great overview on all the combined sports included in the Winter Olympics, and then test your knowledge with the crossword below. Winter Olympics Crossword http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/olympics/crossword.htm Written by 4th graders, you can print out this crossword puzzle on Winter Olympics sports; answers are also available. An official publication of the CPSB Technology Department If you have any questions or comments please e-mail the Tech Connect. For Technical Support:  tech.help@cpsb.org Calcasieu Parish Homepage  Technology Department  Teacher Link  Best on the Net Tech Guides  Computer Purchasing Information  Tech Connect Archive