Issue 3, Volume 12 September 1, 2011     Thought for the Week The secret of happiness is to make others believe they are the cause of it. -- Al Batt   Remembering 9/11 with Discovery Education Resources This year marks the tenth anniversary of September 11th, 2001. In support of educators’ efforts to engage students with immersive learning experiences that take them beyond the walls of the classroom, Discovery Education is providing tools and resources that celebrate the courage of one nation, four communities, and the thousands of individuals affected. Visit http://www.discoveryeducation.com/911 to access Discovery Education’s September 11th educational content and offerings, including the following: •Comprehensive lesson plans, discussion guides, and curricular content to accompany live webcast events from communities most impacted by September 11th. These events will be streamed to schools nationwide and available online. For event information and registration:   September 7, 2011 Shanksville webcast September 9, 2011 New York webcast, with moderator Paula Zahn, Executive Producer and Host of Investigation Discovery's ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN September 12, 2011 Arlington webcast September 13, 2011 Newark webcast, with moderator Danny Forster, Executive Producer, Discovery Channel RISING: REBUILDING GROUND ZERO and Host of Science Channel's BUILD IT BIGGER • A robust 9/11 Theme Page is available to Discovery Education Streaming subscribers, featuring curricular content aligned to grade level and episodes from Discovery Channel's RISING: REBUILDING GROUND ZERO. • Rounding out the program is a virtual feedback form available for students to share their thoughts post-event on how 9/11 shaped the lives of today's young people. Submissions will be part of an exhibit featured this fall at the Tribute WTC Visitor Center in New York. Free Curriculum Resource Need a little help teaching to the Common Core State Standards? A popular online education resource now provides interactive curriculum tools specially tailored to correspond with both state standards and the Common Core standards--and U.S. educators can use the product free of charge. SAS delivers online curriculum resources with a proven impact on increasing student learning and teacher effectiveness – at no cost to U.S. middle and high schools, virtual schools, home schools and other teaching and learning environments. SAS Curriculum Pathways is designed to enhance student achievement and teacher effectiveness by providing Web-based curriculum resources in all the core disciplines, to educators and students in grades 6-12. The URL: http://www.sas.com/govedu/edu/curriculum/index.html Fall-Promethean Training Courses Register now at the following site: https://www.cpsb.org/techclasses/ PRAI401: Promethean ActivOffice Cut time out of your lesson planning with Promethean ActivOffice. This new software plug-in incorporates the collaborative features of Promethean’s ActivInspire into PowerPoint® slide shows to create interactive, engaging presentations. Delivering feature-rich annotation tools and student assessment options within a PowerPoint slide show, Promethean ActivOffice offers access to the full range of Promethean Learner Response System devices, as well. Prerequisite: PRAI101 and PRAI201 Date: September 22nd, 2011 Time: 3:30 pm- 5:30 pm CLUs: 2 Lab A PRAI402: Promethean Make and Take Cut time out of your lesson planning with resources such as Promethean Planet and the Calcasieu Parish Promethean Users Group website. During this session, you will explore the Planet and learn about numerous places to obtain flipcharts to use to engage student learning. You will also learn how to integrate or merge several flipcharts into one. Prerequisite: PRAI101 Date: October 26th, 2011 Time: 3:30 pm- 5:30 pm CLUs: 2 Lab A PRAI101: Introduction to ActivInspire This hands-on workshop is designed to provide the participant with a working knowledge and use of the board and associated software, ActivInspire. Basic skills covered include the dashboard and basic tools necessary to construct simple flipcharts that will support engaged student learning. Date: November 16th, 2011 Time: 3:30 pm- 5:30 pm CLUs: 2 Lab A PRAI201: Intermediate ActivInspire This hands-on workshop is designed to provide the participant with additional skills needed to construct flipcharts that will support engaged student learning. Skills covered include customization of the dashboard, working with ActivInspire Browsers, and power tools. Prerequisite: PRAI101 Date: November 17th, 2011 Time: 3:30 pm- 5:30 pm CLUs: 2 Lab A PRAI301: Advanced ActivInspire This hands-on workshop is designed to provide the participant with advanced skills needed to construct flipcharts that will support engaged student learning. Skills covered include working with container, setting actions, and restrictors. Prerequisite: PRAI101 and PRAI201 Date: December 13th, 2011 Time: 3:30 pm- 5:30 pm CLUs: 2 Lab A Sing About Science Sing a song of chordates? Hum a ditty about algebra? These are just a few of the possibilities on the Sing About Science website. A team of scientists interested in studying the "usefulness of music in science and math education," created this musical archive with funds provided by the National Science Foundation. First-time visitors should start by clicking on the "Featured Videos" area. Here they will find a few sample songs from topics that include biology, math, and engineering. Moving on, visitors can use the "Find/Add Songs" section to look for songs by keyword, song title, or performer. Visitors may want to start by listening to songs such as "Biochemistry, Biochemistry" (sung to the tune of "O Christmas tree") or "Protein biosynthesis" (sung to the tune of "My Bonny lies over the ocean"). Educators shouldn't miss the "Educating with Music" area, as it contains examples of how best to use these informative and melodious numbers in the classroom. It’s great for grades Prek-12. Check it out: http://www.singaboutscience.org/ 2011-2012 Sharing the Dream Applications Now Being Accepted The National Association of Elementary School Principals and MetLife Foundation announce that proposals are now being accepted for the 2011-2012 Sharing the Dream grant program. For 2011-2012, NAESP and MetLife Foundation is awarding 25 elementary and middle school principals with $5,000 each to create globally oriented schools and international learning communities, and to engage children in transformative, multidisciplinary experiences and service learning projects that will help them succeed in the interconnected world of the 21st century. The deadline for submitting proposals is September 21st, 2011. Grants will be awarded mid-October. For an application, and to learn more about the Sharing the Dream program, contact Margaret Evans at 703-517-8989 or sharingthedreamgrant@gmail.com, or see www.naesp.org. Oops!! Don't Do That!!! Easy Undo Quickly undo mistakes in the majority of Windows programs by pressing the shortcut key CTRL + Z. For example, if you mistakenly cut or delete text in Microsoft Word, pressing the CTRL and the Z key at the same time would undo that change. Multiple Undo Most Windows programs also support the ability to undo multiple changes. Continuing to press CTRL + Z will undo one change at a time often back up to 12 or more changes. Redo the Undo If you undo something you did not mean to undo pressing CTRL + Y will redo the undo. Article goes here 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) Be a Manners Detective http://www.freemannerslesson.com/GoodApple_Lesson1.pdf  Download a teacher's guide and lesson plan here for teaching your students about manners, with activities and worksheets for ages 4-7.   Songs That Teach Manners http://www.songsforteaching.com/etiquette.htm  Go through this extensive collection of songs, all related to good etiquette, from saying "thank-you", to "excuse me," taking turns, listening or helping out. Lyrics are available for all songs; many are also accompanied by music files.   The ABCs of School Safety http://tech.dcboces.org/~oneill/backtoschoolsafety.html  After reviewing all of the points listed on this back to school safety chart (and have student groups act out a few of the rules), you may wish to print it out for a bulletin board safety rules reminder.   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