Issue 3

Thought for the Week
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
-- Martin Luther King Jr.

Premiering This Fall…Online Professional Development

Online Moderated Workshops - Register Soon: Limited Space!

The CPSB Tech Center and the Region V TLTC are sponsoring the following workshops:

Online Databases
This online workshop is designed to enhance the instructional program within the K-12 classroom/school. Emphasis will be placed on the use of the Internet, World Book Online and Gale Group Resources as a means to integrate databases into standards-based lessons. Exercises will increase educators' knowledge of effective database utilization as a strategy to facilitate learning for students from all educational levels and socio-economic backgrounds.
WebQuest
This online workshop is intended for educators who would like to learn about WebQuests as a means of further implementing technology into the curriculum and develop activities to engage students and promote higher level learning. Workshop goals are to develop an understanding about the nature, purpose, and value of WebQuests, effectively evaluate a WebQuest according to the Louisiana curriculum standards and develop, design, and implement a WebQuest to engage student learning.
Microsoft Word Projects in the Classroom
This course is designed to enhance the instructional program within the K-6 classroom. Emphasis will be placed on how Microsoft Word can be easily integrated into standards-based lessons and extend a teacher's understanding of effective use of educational technologies and strategies to meet the needs of all learners.
Searching for Success
Teaching students to use the Internet is much more complex than simply using a search engine to surf the web. Searching for information is a skill that needs to be taught. This course is designed to provide you with the tools needed to successfully explore information on the Internet and make meaning of what is accessed.

For Questions: Contact Kim Leblanc (kim.leblanc@cpsb.org) or Diane Mason (diane.mason@cpsb.org)

To register, go to www.cpsb.org/online

Attention Teachers - Money for Your Classroom

Apply for the Quality Science & Math Grant Program (QSM). Full-time classroom teachers assigned the teaching of Science or Mathematics in the K-12 regular education program are eligible to submit grant proposals. http://www.seasystem.net/cgi-bin/qsm/

AutoComplete E-mail Addresses

As users begin to type an e-mail address in the To... box in a message window, Outlook offers to AutoComplete the address. This means that if Betty Jones is in the user's address book and the user types the letters "Jon" in the To... box, Outlook will finish the entry for Betty Jones. When Outlook AutoCompletes the address, press the Enter key to accept the suggested address. This feature is enabled by default. To Disable AutoComplete, select "Options..." from the Tools menu. Select the Preferences tab if necessary. Click E-mail Options then click Advanced E-mail Options.

Using More Than One Template in a PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint only allows you to apply one design template to a presentation. But if you really want to have different looks for some of your slides, you're in luck - there is a workaround that can give you the look of using more than one design template. The technique involves saving a slide with the second template as a picture and then inserting that on a blank slide. To do this, open a blank slide in a new presentation and apply the second design template you want to use. Now choose File | Save As from the menu bar. From the Save As Type dropdown list, select JPEG File Interchange Format (*.jpg). Enter a name in the File Name text box and click Save. When prompted to save all the slides, click No. Now, open the presentation that uses the first template. On a blank slide, insert the JPEG file. To do this, choose Insert | Picture | From File. Locate and select the JPEG file you just saved and click Insert. Now resize this JPEG to cover your slide and you have a slide with a new look. Finally, right-click on the image and choose Order | Send To Back. Now any text boxes in the slide layout will appear above the image. Remember that any new slides you add to this presentation will use the first template.

Move Files Between Non-Connected Computers

The Backup application not only works with tape drives, but it also lets you back up to folders across the network or on your own computer. If you have a number of files to move between non-connected computers, compress them with Backup so you can transport the data via disk. Before you begin, make sure that the Backup program is installed on both computers and that they both have a functioning floppy drive.

Select the files you want to transfer.
Specify the floppy drive of your computer as the destination.
Insert a formatted, blank floppy and start the backup.
At the destination computer, insert the floppy, launch the Backup program, and follow the Restore screens.

A to Z Teacher Stuff

More than 200 original lesson plans, 50+ teaching themes, resources for building thematic units & finding seasonal activities, teacher tips, discussion boards, articles, educational sites, reproducibles, and more. This site is appropriate for all grade levels. http://atozteacherstuff.com

PowerPoint Tip

Did you know you could change the number of Undo actions the Undo command will undo by adjusting the number of Undo actions that appear on the Undo list? To do this, click Options on the Tools menu and then click the Edit tab and change the maximum number of undos at the bottom of the dialog box.

Article Review

Qualities of Effective Teachers by James H. Stronge (Part 3 of 3)

Published by ASCD. ISBN # 0-87120-663-3

In the previous two reviews, the effective teacher exhibited special characteristics with regards to his/her personality and the way in which he/she managed the classroom for success. But one might ask the question, "Do those qualities translate into the implementation of instruction and the monitoring of student progress?" The answer is a resounding "YES." Several qualities were observed in the effective teacher's classroom during instructional delivery. Those qualities included the following:

Used student questions to guide the lesson
Used established routines to capture more class time
Incorporated higher order thinking strategies
Used a variety of activities and strategies to engage students
Adjusted the delivery and pacing of the lesson according to student cues
Provided verbal, nonverbal, and written feedback in a timely fashion
Designed and based assignments based on lesson objectives

When it came to monitoring for student progress, the effective teacher could be observed demonstrating the following traits:

Enabled students to track their own performance
Graded homework and reviewed it in class
Made instructional decisions based on student achievement data
Circulated the room to provide assistance and praise
Considered multiple forms of assessment to gather a clear picture of student performance and understanding
Used rubrics for student assignments, products, and projects
Communicated effectively through informal progress reports, a class web site, and through a class newsletter

Although school has just begun, it is not too soon to reflect upon your practices and decide what elements listed above need your attention. Once you have decided on those areas that do not demonstrate the level of strength that you set for yourself, set a realistic plan of action. Remember the quote from one of our district consultants - "No excuses, just results!" Together we can make a difference in our classrooms, in our schools, and in our community.

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 199 infected computers out of a total of 3976 OfficeScan clients.

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!! NEW FEATURE!! -- 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)

Back to School Websites

NASA Quest - http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/index.html
NASA Quest is a rich resource for educators, kids and space enthusiasts who are interested in meeting and learning about NASA people and the national space program.

The Geometry Center - http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/apps/gallery.html
This is a Gallery of Interactive Geometry University of Minnesota Science and Technology Center

No Child Left Behind - http://www.nclb.gov
The official NCLB Web site is a good place to begin your search for information about this far-reaching federal education reform legislation. In addition to providing HTML and PDF links to the full text of the NCLB Act, it offers links to legislation basics, details, and policy; an overview of the proposed reform; and a PowerPoint presentation of legislative highlights. You'll also find answers to frequently asked questions, plus options to read or subscribe to an electronic newsletter offering up-to-date information, events, and announcements about the law.

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