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Issue 20, Volume
10
January
21, 2010
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Thought for the
Week
Upon
the subject of education ... I can only say that
I view it as the most important subject which we
as a people may be engaged in.
-- Abraham Lincoln |
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More Web 2.0 Tools For
Educators
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 Last week, several free Web
2.0 tools that teachers are using to expand their
professional knowledge and collaborate on projects
were highlighted. A Web 2.0 site allows its users to
interact with other users or to change website
content, in contrast to non-interactive websites
where users are limited to the passive viewing of
information that is provided to them. This week, TechConnect continues to introduce educators to
free Web
2.0 tools.
Engrade
http://www.engrade.com/
This online classroom-management tool for teachers
that features an assignment calendar, grade and
attendance books, and a private messaging system for
teachers to communicate with each other as well as
students and parents.
Google Docs
http://docs.google.com
GoogleDocs allows users in different locations to
share and work on the same documents. It works with
PowerPoint, Word, and Excel document types, among
others.
Learn Central
http://www.learncentral.org/
Launched by Elluminate, this social-networking site
is for educators and is known for its
online-learning platforms. In addition to
asynchronous collaboration tools, it offers “virtual
meeting rooms,” and the availability of free webinar
and presentation tools.
Library Thing
http://www.librarything.com/
This site enables you to catalogue books, as well as
rate and review them. It also provides extensive
library and reader information on all catalogued
books, and connects you to users with similar
reading selections.
Twitter
http://twitter.com/
Using the popular “microblogging” tool, you can
share ideas and observations, follow the progress of
other educators, and report on conferences and
presentations. Read the article "Teachers Take to
Twitter" at
http://www.teachermagazine.org/tsb/articles/2009/10/01/01twitter.h03.html.
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Featured Blackboard Site
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 The featured Blackboard site was created by Beth
Benoit, a sixth grade math teacher from W.W. Lewis
Middle. Mrs. Benoit created the site to serve as a
resource for all of her students and as well as a
communication resource with parents. Visit
Mrs. Benoit's site.
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Turning A Picture Into A
Background Or Watermark In Word 2007
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 You
can turn a picture, clip art, or a photo into a
watermark that you can use to brand or decorate a
document if you want.
1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Background
group, click Watermark.
2. Click Printed Watermark.
3. Click Picture watermark, and
then click Select Picture.
4. Select the picture that you want, and then click
Insert.
5. Select a percentage under Scale to insert the
picture at a particular size.
6. Select the Washout check box to
lighten the picture so that it doesn't interfere
with text. The picture that you selected is applied
as a watermark to the entire document.
Quick Tip: If you want to use an
object, such as a shape, as a watermark, you can
manually paste or insert it into the document. You
cannot use the Printed Watermark dialog box to
control settings for these objects.
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Create Free Worksheets Of
All Kinds
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 Personal
Educational Press is an online utility for teachers,
parents, and tutors to make flashcards, print word
lists, and generate worksheets for educational
games. This utility turns your computer into a
printing press for the kinds of educational
materials such as flashcards and games that you
would normally buy at teachers' stores. The general
idea of Personal Educational Press is that you use
the tabbed navigation bar to choose a topic (General
topics include Language Arts, Math, Science, and
Social Studies; Languages includes Spanish, French,
and German). Each topic has its own set of
predefined word lists. Just follow the easy-to-use
online instructions. Your customized worksheet is
just a few clicks away. Check it out at
http://www.educationalpress.org. |
Create Interactive Lessons
Instead Of Just Presentations
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 Remember
that an effective Promethean Board makes use of the
interactivity capability. If we are not careful, our
Promethean Board becomes a glorified whiteboard that
simply displays information for our students. Keep
your students in mind when developing your
flipcharts and strive to create multiple
opportunities for interaction, response, and
feedback.
Do not “over-prepare” a flipchart. Create a
flipchart with basic information and then use the
tools available in the software to develop the
lesson in “real time” with your students. This
technique makes the flipchart more interactive and
the lesson more engaging for students. |
Online Math Modules For
Grades 2-12
|
 Need
some extra help getting a few difficult concepts
across? Try these online math modules with examples,
interactive practices, tips, and tricks. We live in
a mathematical world. Whenever we decide on a
purchase, choose an insurance or health plan, or use
a spreadsheet, we rely on mathematical
understanding. The level of mathematical thinking
and problem solving needed in the workplace has
increased dramatically. Students have different
abilities, needs, and interests. Yet everyone needs
to be able to use mathematics in his or her personal
life, in the workplace, and in further study. These
online math modules may assist students with some
needed concepts. Multiple grade levels are
available: Grades 2-3, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The URL:
http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/ |
Free Book Builder
|
 The
Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) has
created a wonderful writing resource for students.
Book Builder is an interactive story writing site
that allows individuals to create books that
incorporate a variety of page layouts, pictures, and
audio to support students of varying ability levels.
Book Builder has a built-in text to speech feature
that will read aloud any text included in your book.
It also provides “coaches” that can ask questions or
give hints as students are reading. The best part
about Book Builder is that it is free once you
create an account.
Check it out at
http://bookbuilder.cast.org/. |
Louisiana Young Heroes
Competition Underway
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 A
lot of attention is given to the young people who
get into trouble or underachieve in school, but
often the students who do exceptionally well in the
classroom or make a huge difference in their
community do not receive the recognition they
deserve. That’s why LPB and the Rotary Club of Baton
Rouge created the Louisiana Young Heroes Awards. Now
in its 15th year, the awards honor students in
grades 7-12 who have excelled in the classroom, have
served their community or have shown great courage
in overcoming adversity in their own lives.
Nominations are now being taken for the 2010
Louisiana Young Heroes Awards. Students must be
enrolled in a Louisiana school or homeschooled and
cannot be older than 19 years of age. Some of the
previous Young Heroes have overcome physical
handicaps, raised money for charity, cared for
family members, assisted hurricane victims, and even
saved lives.
Nomination forms can be downloaded from the LPB
website (www.lpb.org/heroes)
or filled out on the online form. Letters of
recognition and other supporting materials should be
sent to support the nomination. Students who have
been nominated in past years may be re-nominated for
this year’s awards. Previous winners are not
eligible. The deadline
for entries is Friday, February 5, 2010.
Young Heroes Day will be April 21, 2010. The Young
Heroes will be treated to a day full of activities
including lunch on the grounds of the Governor’s
Mansion. The day will culminate in a banquet that
night at the Crowne Plaza in Baton Rouge.
The awards are co-presented by the Baton Rouge
Rotary Club and underwritten by the Credit Bureau of
Baton Rouge. Inc. and ExxonMobil. If you have
questions contact Margaret Schlaudecker at (225)
767-4276 or toll free at (800) 272-8161, ext. 4276
or
mschlaudecker@lpb.org. |
Restart Shortcut
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 It’s
the end of the day and you want to begin your next
day with a clean start? Or Tech Help is on the phone
telling you to restart the computer. Restart your
computer the fast way by making a shortcut on your
desktop and then drag it down to the Quick Launch
Toolbar. Here's how:
1. Right click on the Desktop.
2. Left click on New > Shortcut.
3. In the Type the location of the item:
textbox enter %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe
–r
The -r parameter is used to restart
the computer.
4. Click the Next > button.
5. In the Type a name for this shortcut:
textbox enter Restart My Computer
(or some other name of your choice).
6. Click the Finish button.
After the shortcut has been created on your desktop,
you can drag it down to the Quick Launch toolbar for
even easier access. |
| 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)
Digital Classics
http://imgs.zinio.com/retail_srvs/classics/
Over 100 literary pieces are digitized and online
for free at this site. You can print, download,
share through email and other social networks,
classics such as Hans Christian Anderson Fairy
Tales, Little Women, Beowulf, Emma, and more.
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