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Issue 2, Volume 7
August 24
, 2006
Thought for the Week
All life is an experiment.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
ATTENTION TEACHERS! REGISTER NOW!
Blackboard Training Courses for Classroom Teachers
(Fall, 2006)Register Online Now: https://www.cpsb.org/techclasses/
Introduction to Using Blackboard as a Classroom Website
This hands-on workshop will introduce classroom teachers to the use of Blackboard as a Classroom Website. Teachers will learn how to customize the design of Blackboard, add documents, and utilize Blackboard tools in the creation of a classroom website.Dates of Training: September 18, September 26, October 2, and October 10 (teachers must be present at all 4 sessions to keep the website)
Time: 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (each day)
Location: Lab C
Level: BasicManaging Your Content in Blackboard
This workshop is for teachers and staff who currently have a Blackboard site. The Blackboard Content system extends the power of Blackboard to facilitate sharing and interaction among the community. Using the Blackboard virtual hard drive, instructors will learn to store course content for easy access, updating and sharing.Dates of Training: November 13 and November 14 (must be present at both sessions)
Time: 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (each day)
Location: Lab C
Level: AdvancedFor Questions Contact: Kim Leblanc at kim.leblanc@cpsb.org
Technology Department Announces Newest Members
The CPSB Technology Department would like to introduce our newest staff members,
Arlene Cain, Joyce Hemker, and Chris Mace.Arlene Cain is joining the Technology Training Center as a Region V TLTC Grant Facilitator and will be working along with Ruby Dupuie Miller to facilitate projects within the five-parish region. Arlene is a graduate of McNeese State University with bachelors, Masters of Education, and +30 degrees. Arlene has over twenty-six years teaching experience. She is INtech certified and has served as an ITEC teacher.
"I am very excited to be a member of the Region V TLTC and the great team at the Calcasieu Parish Technology Center. I am looking forward to new experiences in learning and teaching new and innovative educational technologies. I hope my experience as a veteran high school science teacher will help provide meaningful contributions to the Calcasieu Parish Technology Department." - Arlene Cain Joyce Hemker also joins the staff as a part of the Region V TLTC Grant Department as secretary and will be working along with Linda Dunn in the departmental office. Joyce has more than ten years of clerical experience and customer service relations. Her knowledge in technology will be an added asset to the department.
"I’m very excited to be working in the Technology Department for CPSB Parish Schools. I am looking forward to using my experience to help in anyway that I can." - Joyce Hemker
Chris Mace is joining the Technology Support Center as a Network Specialist; and, his primary focus will be working to support the Title I labs and schools within the school district. Chris has years of experience in networking technologies and complex technology environments within the local business community. The district will benefit from the ideas and experience that Chris will bring with him to the position.
“It is not the destination in life that is exciting; it is the pursuit of the knowledge to get you there that makes life interesting. I am excited to be part of the educational process of the young people today. Assisting in the infrastructure and continuing education of the young people today makes my job enjoyable.” –Chris Mace
Adding A Drop Cap In Publisher
This formatting style is often used to mark the opening paragraph of a publication. To create a Drop Cap in Publisher, follow these steps:
1. Click anywhere in the paragraph you want to change. 2. On the Format menu, click Drop Cap. 3. Click the Drop Cap or Custom Drop Cap tab, and then select the options you want. When you create a custom drop cap, the custom style is added to the Available drop caps list on the Drop Cap tab. You can use this style to create other drop caps in the current publication.
Let's Play Math!
Math Playground is an action packed site for students in grades K to 6. Practice your math skills, play a logic game and have some fun! This site has plenty of practice worksheets that can be easily downloaded. Students can test their math skills with an interactive quiz. The virtual teacher will grade the work and provide feedback for the students. There are over 175 interactive word problems to test your students’ skills. Students can also practice math facts. The site also provides links to many other internet resources. Check it out at the following URL: http://www.mathplayground.com/index.html
NSTA/Shell Science $10,000 Teaching Award
The National Science Teachers Association and Shell Oil are sponsoring a $10,000 award that recognizes an outstanding classroom science teacher who has had a positive impact on his or her students, school, and community through exemplary science teaching. All K-12 classroom science teachers are eligible. The recipient and two finalists will receive an all expense paid trip to the NSTA National Conference. The application deadline is October 15, 2006. Late or faxed applications will not be accepted. Log onto http://www.nsta.org/192 to download an application.
Partial Page Printing
Most Windows programs allow you to print part of a document instead of the whole thing. To print part of a page, highlight (or select) the part you want to print by moving the mouse pointer to the beginning of the section, holding down the left mouse button, and moving the mouse to the end of the selection. Make sure it's still highlighted - the text will be white on a dark background.
Click on File to open the menu, click on Print, and choose Selection in the Page Range area of the dialog box. Click the OK or Print button.
In some programs, the Selection choice may not be in the first Print dialog box. In that case, look for a button that says Options. Click on it; you should find the Page Range area in the resulting dialog box. Click the OK or Print button.
Only the part of the document that you highlighted (or selected) will print.
Looking For A Previous Tech Tip?
Have you ever seen a tip or an article in Tech Connect that you wanted to go back and find? Well, then you are in luck.. because everything is archived on the web server. If you are looking for something from a previous issue of Tech Connect, then you can simply do a search using the Google Search CPSB section on the CPSB home page. Simply type in some keywords, then click Search CPSB. The search will bring up anything in the CPSB site pertaining to the keywords, including past issues of Tech Connect. Search any part of the CPSB web site using the Google search on the home page: http://www.cpsb.org/
HOTS For Technology
Research indicates technology is not transformative on its own. Evidence indicates that when used effectively, "technology applications can support higher-order thinking by engaging students in authentic, complex tasks within collaborative learning contexts” (NCREL). Instead of focusing on isolated, skills-based uses of technology, schools should promote the use of various technologies for sophisticated problem-solving and information-retrieving purposes. Based on these findings, technology can be an appropriate vehicle for promoting meaningful, engaged learning using higher-order thinking. To learn more about ways to promote technology in schools through meaningful, engaged learning, visit the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) site at http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te200.htm.
OfficeScan Pattern Update
The latest OfficeScan pattern as of 8-23-2006 is pattern 3.673.00. 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)
Ways To Motivate Students
http://freeology.com/formsforteachers/pdf/teachersmotivate.pdf
Particularly helpful for beginning teachers, find a list of different ways that teachers can use to help motivate their students throughout the school year.Reading Comprehension Activities & Strategies
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat/
This site offers a wealth of strategies, tips, and activities to help you help your students attack reading comprehension, with charts and organizers, group exercises, note-taking tips, and more. Several printable student activity pages are included.
