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Issue 10, Volume 10
October 22, 2009
Thought for the Week
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. -- Ellen Parr
Go Online Now For LACUE 2009 For Early Bird Registration!
Mark your calendar NOW for LACUE 2009!
25th Annual Conference
December 2-4, 2009
River Center Baton Rouge, LALACUE EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE *** October 30, 2009 ***
The 2009 LACUE (Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators) 25th Annual Conference is coming soon! You don't want to miss out on Louisiana's largest conference for educational technology! Help us celebrate the extraordinary successes of our Louisiana schools and gain valuable information on improving student achievement using technology. Register now – online registration and conference information is available at www.lacue.org.
Do not delay….early registration is only $110……after October 30th, it increases to $135. Full conference fees include a complimentary LACUE membership. The pre-registration cut off date is Wednesday, November 19, 2008.
If you have any questions please feel free to email Eva Smill at esmill@ebrschools.org – LACUE Conference Chair or email Yvette Ardoin at yvette.ardoin@cpsb.org or Dr. Diane Mason at diane.mason@cpsb.org – LACUE Conference Co-Chairs. Any questions about the program, please contact Dr. Sheryl Abshire – sheryl.abshire@cpsb.org - LACUE Program Chair. If you have other conference or registration questions please email lacue@lacue.org.
Mark your calendar now for December 2 - 4, 2009 and prepare to participate in a premiere technology learning experience!
Nominate Outstanding Professionals for LACUE Awards
Calcasieu Parish has numerous educators who should be recognized for outstanding innovative technology integration. Nominate your educator today! Award nominations must be submitted online by noon by October 30, 2009!
Each nominee should be an educator who is using computer-based technology in an innovative fashion. The first four awards will be given to educators who have made their contributions in a classroom setting. Award five will be given to a person in a non-classroom setting (including state administrators). Award six will be given to the most outstanding nominee, regardless of their level of instruction. Award seven will be given to an outstanding volunteer, parent, or student who significantly contributes to a school’s technology program.
These outstanding professionals can be nominated in the following classifications:
1. Elementary Teacher of the Year (K-6)
2. Middle/Junior High Teacher of the Year (6-9)
3. Secondary Teacher of the Year (9-12)
4. Post Secondary Teacher of the Year
5. Administrator of the Year (Non-classroom Personnel)
6. Educator of the Year
7. Special
Nominations will be accepted from teachers, students, administration, parents, etc. The awards program is open to all educators associated with private, public, and parochial schools located within the state of Louisiana. Nominate your outstanding educator for LACUE today using the online nomination form. Regional winners will be selected in each category by a committee representing the Region V TLTC. Regional LACUE winners will be notified no later than November 8, 2009. Complete details are available on the LACUE web site at http://www.lacue.org. Don't procrastinate! Remember the deadline for nominations is October 30, 2009!
Featured Blackboard Site
The featured Blackboard site was created by Ashleigh Schulz, a 5th Grade teacher from Moss Bluff Elementary. Join Mrs. Schulz as she showcases her classroom website. View Video.
Register Now For Upcoming Blackboard Classes In November
Register now at the following site: https://www.cpsb.org/techclasses/ BB101: Introduction to Using Blackboard as a Classroom Website
Dates of Training: November 4, 2009 (face-to-face orientation - 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Lab C) November 4 - December 2(online course)
Location: Lab C
Prerequisite: None
Technology Requirements: Internet Access at Home
CLUs: 6
The hands-on workshop (orientation session) combined with a 4-week online will guide the teacher through the creation of the Blackboard Classroom Website. Participants will learn how to customize the design of Blackboard, add documents, and utilize Blackboard tools.
BB301: Using StudyMate within Blackboard
Date of Training: November 17
Location: Lab A
Time: 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Prerequisite: BB201
CLUs: 1.5
This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to, StudyMate, an “authoring tool that lets you create 10 Flash-based activities and games using simple templates that can be published directly to Blackboard.” Participants who attend will receive a copy of the StudyMate software.
BB201: Utilizing Blackboard to Support Curriculum – Getting Students Involved
Dates of Training: November 18 (orientation session - 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Lab C ) November 18 - December 9 (online course)
Location: Lab C
Prerequisite: BB101 or BB102
Technology Requirements: Internet Access at Home/Computer Proficient
CLUs: 8
This hands-on workshop combined with a 3-week online class will guide participants through the enhancement of their current Blackboard Website to utilize with students during the upcoming school year. Participants will learn how to utilize the many tools of Blackboard to create a rich, engaging online environment for students extending instruction beyond the classroom. This class will allow students to have usernames and passwords to Blackboard for the 2009-2010 school year.
BB310: Blogging in the K-12 Classroom
Dates of Training: November 30 - December 14 (2 weeks online)
Prerequisite: BB201
Location: All Online
Level: Intermediate
Technology Requirements: Internet Access at Home/Computer Proficient
CLUs: 2
This online class will serve as an introduction to using blogs within the K-12 classroom.
*There is no face-to-face session for this class. It is all online.
Check for more Blackboard classes and register at https://www.cpsb.org/techclasses/. For further information, feel free to contact Kim Leblanc (kim.leblanc@cpsb.org).
Get Video In The Classroom
Digital Wish and Flip Video Spotlight Program are offering a special deal for educators to help integrate video into the classroom. For just $150, educators can purchase TWO Flip Ultra camcorders or use donated funds. With this 2 for 1 promotion, educators and donors can put the power of video into classrooms. To access the promotion, educators should register their classroom for free at http://www.digitalwish.org. The promotion is only available to non-profit K-12 schools in the US, and purchase is limited to four Flip Camcorders per educator. Teachers can then purchase the Flip Camcorders directly from the shopping area or add them to their classroom's wish list and start fundraising for their technology needs. Donors can also register on Digital Wish and donate flips directly the classroom or teacher of their choice.
PDF-to-Word
Using the PDF-to-Word site you can quickly and easily create editable DOC/RTF files, making it a easy to re-use PDF content in applications like Microsoft Word, Excel, OpenOffice, and WordPerfect. It's entirely free! It can be done in 3 easy steps:
1. Upload your PDF document.
2. Convert your PDF to a doc or rtf (rich text format).
3. Put in your email address where you want the converted document sent.
Then when you open your email you can download the converted document and edit it. The URL: http://www.pdftoword.com/
Win An eInstruction Interactive Classroom Makeover
Create a music video with your class showing the benefits of a technology-driven classroom. You can create a parody of an existing song or come up with something all your own. Submit your video and you could win an interactive classroom makeover worth over $30,000!
Gather your students, pick your favorite song (or create your own song) and get the camera rolling! A panel of judges will select a winner in each of the following categories: K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Entries are due by November 10, 2009, so start your video today! Find out more and enter the contest at http://www.eimakeover.com/.
eInstruction® offers instructors a family of software, student response systems, interactive whiteboards, wireless tablets, and online tools that incorporate high-quality content. These solutions increase participant engagement and provide real-time feedback, enabling instructors to assess comprehension and customize lessons.
The CPSPulse™ is the latest version of the market-leading Classroom Performance System (CPS), and it is affordable, effective, and easy to use. With a CPS teachers can keep students engaged, involved in class, and facilitate greater student teacher interaction in a fun, dynamic learning environment that encourages class discussion and participation. Students who normally remain silent in class now answer every question with confidence.
eInstruction also offers an interactive whiteboard system tablet designed to support student-centered collaborative learning and give teachers the freedom and flexibility to manage class and deliver engaging lessons from anywhere in the room. The hand-held, multi-user INTERWRITEMOBI™ works like an interactive whiteboard. Teachers or students can use the Mobi’s stylish, electromagnetic pen to write, draw, insert images, highlight, interact with, and annotate over instructional content projected onto any surface. Mobi’s built-in color LCD screen instantly displays student responses when used with eInstruction’s student response system. Called a “KWIK” screen (for “Know What I Know”), this dynamic feature expands a teacher’s ability to differentiate instruction by privately viewing each student’s response seconds after a question has been posed. Find out about more of the products you can win at http://www.einstruction.com/ or contact Josh Vick at josh.vick@einstruction.com.
Back It Up Before It's Too Late!
Too many people don't think about backing up their data until it's too late and the data has already been lost. This shouldn't ever be the case, but, unfortunately, it is. Windows Vista aims to make backing up easier, with a full range of features to seamlessly protect your data.
Go to: http://netsecurity.about.com/od/secureyourwindowspc/ss/vistabackup.htm This guide will give you step by step instructions for backing up your data.
ePortfolios
What's an e-portfolio? Simply put, an e-portfolio is an intentional collection of student (or teacher) work that is stored in an electronic format. The word intentional is important, because while messy desks or three-ring binders certainly are collections of work, they are not pieces that have been selected specifically as the best representations of an individual's work. In this techtorial from Education World, learn what electronic portfolios are, how to create them, and how to use ePortfolios in your professional career and in your classroom. The URL: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/techtorial/techtorial038.shtml
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)
Center Ideas For Emergent Readers
http://www.hummingbirded.com/emergent-readers.html
This teacher has included loads of constructive tips and techniques here for your own literacy centers. Try the "whisper" or Phonic Phones, allowing students practice at oral reading without disturbing the class. You might even wish to add tape recorders to the whisper sessions, so students can play back how they sound reading. There are enough creative ideas here to keep you going throughout the school year, with a regular turnover of new and exciting activities.Operation Antibody
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/operationantibody/#
This high school lesson plan examines how the body's immune system plans and executes an attack on any foreign intruders -- sounds like something out of a science fiction story, doesn't it? But the antibodies are real, and they surround the antigens with purpose to protect the body. Students will conduct research to fully investigate all terms, create charts, and complete the printable worksheet. They will then write out scripts to dramatize the action between the different parties involved on a cellular level, and perform their skits. Adaptations are included for younger grades.What Was It Like To Live In The Middle Ages?
http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/
Take an online tour back in time and learn what you might do if you were a wandering minstrel, or perhaps a monk. The Feudal System, town life, religion, clothing, health, entertainment, and homes are all covered.
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