Issue 3, Volume 6 September 1, 2005     Thought for the Week It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -- Aristotle   2005-06 Quality Science and Mathematics (QSM) Grants for Instructional Materials! Deadline - September 9, 2005    All K-12 public school regular education science and mathematics teachers are eligible to submit a grant! The QSM program has funds to award approximately $162,000 in grants to eligible classroom teachers for the 2005-2006 school year. Grants for approved materials and equipment will be awarded on a competitive basis to individual classroom teachers to use in providing standards-based instruction to help meet state accountability goals. Applications are now available online: http://www.cain.lsu.edu. Then click on the “QSM: Quality Science & Math” link.  Applications, along with the online component, must be submitted no later than 4:30 p.m., Friday, September 9, 2005 to the following address: Nell McAnelly Louisiana State University Cain Center 222 Prescott Hall Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Submit proposals online via the QSM website! Contact Karrie Camallo at csml@lsu.edu or 225-578-6001 for more information. Constitution Day - September 17, 2005 Bryd Amendment (Public Law 108-447) signed by President Bush in 2005, requires all educational institutions that receive federal funds to teach the U.S. Constitution on September 17 (or the closest school day if it falls on a weekend).  For more information on Constitution Day, visit http://www.constitutionday.com.  The law also requires that educators must be provided with the necessary teaching materials in order to fulfill the mandate.  The site includes a video to be downloaded and played on Sept. 16, 2005. Constitution Day Resources posted to Best of the Web: http://www.cpsb.org/resources/bestofweb/sites.asp. From the Select Category menu, choose “Constitution Day.” Click “Search.” Several web resources will be displayed. Resources are available for all grade levels. For additional support and/or questions, contact Pam Nicholson, Region V TLTC Coordinator at pam.nicholson@cpsb.org or at 337.437.8366. Vernier, NSTA Partner to Offer Award for Technology Use in Science Full-time science teachers from elementary to college level are eligible to apply for the Vernier Software & Technology/National Science Teachers Association Technology Award. Vernier will provide up to seven awards, each valued at $3,000, for educators who demonstrate innovative uses of data-collection technology using a computer, graphing calculator, or other handheld device in the science classroom. The awards will be given to one elementary teacher, two middle school teachers, three high school teachers, and one college-level educator. Each will receive a $1,000 cash award, $1,000 in Vernier equipment, and $1,000 toward travel and expenses to attend NSTA's National Convention in 2006. Entries will be judged by a panel of experts appointed by NSTA and are due by Oct. 14, 2005.  Downloadable applications and guidelines are available at http://www.vernier.com/grants.   Created by Kids, for Kids The Career Resources Network project recently launched a new web site, "The FunWorks" - a career exploration digital library for youth ages 11-15 yrs.  Designed to capture imaginations and direct youth toward careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the FunWorks is funded by the National Science Foundation as part of its National Science Digital Library. To ensure that the site 'speaks' to a youth audience, children have been involved in every aspect of the project - initial conceptualization, design and site development, content selection and pilot testing. Over 300 young people have participated in the design and launch of this one-of-a-kind collection. Check it out at  http://www.thefunworks.org   Citation Machine Citation Machine is an interactive Web tool designed to assist teachers in modeling the proper use of information property. Students are welcome to use this as well. You merely...   1. Click the type of resource you wish to cite, 2. Complete the Web form that appears with information from your resource, and 3. Click Make Citations to generate standard MLA & APA citations. The primary goal of this tool is to make the proper crediting of information property so easy that it becomes a habit, not a laborious task that we stop doing outside of school. This is a literacy issue, because SOMEDAY THE INFORMATION THAT THE TEACHER, STUDENT, OR OTHER INFORMATION USER IS CITING WILL BE YOURS.  URL: http://citationmachine.net/ Passwords - Should I or Shouldn't I? Teachers and employees of CPSB are our first line of defense when securing our network and computers!  The first step to aiding in that security is selecting a good password!  Here are some helpful tips when trying to come up with your network password! ·       DO change your password regularly. ·       DO pick a password you will remember so you DON'T have to write it down. ·       DON'T make obvious choices like your last name, first name, nickname, birthdate, spouse name, pet name, make/model of car, or favorite expression. ·       DON'T choose your username as your password. ·       DO use a mixture of uppercase and lowercase characters. ·       DON'T share your password with anyone. ·       DO use punctuation marks and special characters such as #, $, %. ·       DON'T use a word contained in English or foreign language dictionaries, spelling lists or commonly digitized texts such as the Bible or an encyclopedia. ·       DO choose a line or two from a song or poem and use the first letter of each word, preceded or followed by a digit. (e.g "Do you know the way to San Jose?" becomes the password DYKtwTSJ?). ·       DON'T use an alphabet sequence (lmnopqrst), a number sequence (12345678) or a keyboard sequence (qwertyuop). Automated Caps in Word There may be times where the automatic capitalization in Word becomes a problem but you can disable this AutoCorrect feature if you'd like. To turn off automatic capitalization, follow these simple steps: 1.    Go to Tools | AutoCorrect Options. 2.    On the AutoCorrect tab, deselect the Capitalize First Letter Of Sentences check box, and click OK. You can also use this method to prevent Word from capitalizing the first letter entered in a table by deselecting the Capitalize First Letter Of Table Cells check box on the AutoCorrect tab. Attention all CPSB Users If you have left a CPSB location and are now at a new CPSB location, you will need to follow the registration procedure for your computer in order to have administrative rights.  Without rights to your computer, you will not be able to load software or any type of hardware.  In an email to tech.help@cpsb.org  please note the location from which you came and the location you are now.   If you are at a new CPSB location but are still in the same building, you need to specify that in your email.  Find more helpful hints:  http://help.cpsb.org/guides/Registration/CPSB-READ%20ME-IMPORTANT.pdf Free E-Newsletters Teachers, Did you know that National Geographic has FREE E-Newsletters? Just click on the link: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/index.html  Then click on FREE E- Newsletters to sign-up!* Benefits of the Newsletters* * Exclusive news, photos, wallpapers, travel tips, and games * New products and special offers from the online store * Easy access to National Geographic sweepstakes * Updates on National Geographic events in your area Collaborative Connections What was it like to live during the Dust Bowl?  What opportunities for math exist in different environments around the world?  What are scientists discovering by investigating the glaciers, streams, lakes, and rocks of the polar desert?  Collaborative Internet projects are learning activities structured around goals and objectives that require participants to use Internet resources.  Making Collaborative Connections is a “school year-long” initiative focused on creating opportunities for students to participate in collaborative projects that match curriculum goals (GLEs) and activities from the Comprehensive Curriculum with technology resources.  To learn about project requirements, resources, the opportunity to win great prizes, and how to engage your students in their own collaborative connection stay tuned to the RegionV webpage http://www.cpsb.org/resources/regionv/ for additional information. Technospud.Com Teachers are always looking for ways to make learning both educational yet fun for their students. And, what better way to accomplish that then by participating in an Online Project!! Online Projects allow you to not only teach a concept in your classroom but then enables you to share your results with other classrooms all over the world and compare/contrast with your own results! Students LOVE online collaboration!!  Check out the new projects posted for this month! K-8: http://www.technospudprojects.com/index.htm Error Checking in Excel The Error button appears when an entry in a cell violates a set of rules for formulas. For example, if you enter a calculation that calls for dividing by zero, a green mark appears in the upper-left corner of the cell. When you click the marked cell, the Error button appears. When you click the down arrow, you are presented with several options. The first two options are the most likely fix for your error. The other five options are standard actions for formulas.  To turn off Error Checking: 1. On the Tools menu, click Options. 2. Click the Error Checking tab. 3. Clear the Enable background error checking check box. 4. Click OK. Copyright Information  Do you need basic copyright information to support teaching the National Educational Technology Standards? Then take a look at the article by Kate A. Thompson entitled Copyright 101. You can read the article and others online at the following link: http://iste.org/inhouse/publications/ll/32/9/index.cfm?Section=LL_32_9. Computer Hope for the Less Knowledgeable Do you ever wonder what some of the "techie" words mean?  Did you ever look on the side of a box and wonder if you had the system requirements?  Find your answers at Computer Hope: http://www.computerhope.com/jargon.htm.  There are over 6,000 computer definitions and terms to be found at this site in the computer dictionary, along with a computer "word of the day."  Computer Tips, games, and help is also available, along with a Q&A page on various topics.  OfficeScan Pattern Update The latest OfficeScan pattern as of 8-31-2005 is pattern 2.811.00.  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) Graphic Organizers http://education.bjbarton.com/Graphic_Organizers.html  This is a great collection of Graphic Organizers. You can choose from a variety of categorized items and print them out.  K-12. Reading Skills Bookmarks http://www.englishcompanion.com/pdfDocs/toolcharcardbmark.pdf   Including core questions to ask while reading, making connections, synthesizing, clarifying, predicting, and summarizing, these printable bookmarks for your students also cover useful literary terms and character cards.  English teachers can find more useful ideas at http://www.englishcompanion.com/ Setting Up Your Classroom http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/classroom.html Find several helpful tips here for arranging group areas, learning centers, reading areas, art stations, and more. An official publication of the CPSB Technology Department If you have any questions or comments please e-mail the Webmaster. 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