Issue 20, Volume 9 February 5, 2009     Thought for the Week In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. --- - Thomas Jefferson   21st Century Pedagogy Even if you have a 21st Century classroom (flexible and adaptable); even if you are a 21st century teacher; (an adaptor, a communicator, a leader and a learner, a visionary and a model, a collaborator and risk taker) even if your curriculum reflects the new paradigm and you have the facilities and resources that could enable 21st century learning – you will only be a 21st century teacher if how you teach changes as well. The URL: http://www.21centuryconnections.com/node/653. Featured Blackboard Site The featured Blackboard site was created by Darcel Sterling, a teacher from Pearl Watson Elementary. Mrs. Sterling created the site to serve as a resource for all teachers and parents at the school. Visit Mrs. Sterling's site. Register Now!!! Blackboard Classes Available Register now at the following site: https://www.cpsb.org/techclasses/ BB308: Using Web 2.0 Tools in the Classroom Dates of Training: February 25 - April 14, 2009 Prerequisite: BB103 or BB201 Location: All online Technology Requirements: Internet Access at Home CLUs: 8 This hands-on workshop combined with a 7-week online class will guide participants through the use of blogs, wikis, and podcasts within their Blackboard Website. BB101: Introduction to Using Blackboard as a Classroom Website Dates of Training: February 26, 2009 (face-to-face orientation - 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Lab C) February 26 - March 24 (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. 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). Explore the Oceans With Google Earth A new version of Google Earth will allow users to explore the oceans, view images of Mars and watch regions of the Earth change over time. The new features mark a significant upgrade to Google Earth, a popular software program that provides access to the world's geographical information through digital maps, satellite imagery, and the company's search tools. Google Earth users can now plunge beneath the ocean's surface, explore three-dimensional images of the underwater terrain, and view articles and videos about marine science contributed by scientists and organizations such as the National Geographic Society. The Historical Imagery feature lets users see archive satellite images of individual locations to see how the region has evolved over time as a result of climate change and other forces. For example, viewers can observe how the largest glacier in Glacier National Park has melted over the past decade. With Google Mars 3D, users can view three-dimensional, satellite imagery of the Red Planet taken during NASA space expeditions. The new version also lets users create narrated tours of places using the software's content and images. Check it out and download it at http://earth.google.com/. Save Strokes Save 16 keystrokes –Use Ctrl+Enter to complete a URL (web site address) for a .com site. I know what you are thinking. You want to open http://www.discovery.com, but it's such a hassle to type in the http:// and the www. and the .com. Here's your shortcut method: On modern browsers, such as IE7, hitting Ctrl + Enter will automatically fill in the www. and the .com part of the URL. Just type in discovery into the address bar in your browser. Now, hit Ctrl + Enter together. You saved yourself 15 keystrokes! There are lots more keystroke timesavers available if you like to use those. More Keystroke shortcut combinations: Shift + Enter  will automatically complete *.net web addresses Ctrl + Shift + Enter - will automatically complete *.org web addresses If you add Alt to any of those key combinations, it will auto-complete and open the new address in a new tab as well. Alt+Ctrl+Enter will auto-complete a *.com address in a new tab, for instance. Valentine's Day Lesson Ideas And Activities Valentine's Day Scramble Each of the terms on this word scramble page is related in some way to Valentine's Day. Students will use the interactive letter features to find the answers. http://www.alphabet-soup.net/val/valunscramble.html  Valentine's Day Activities For The Classroom Fish Valentines, love letters, crafts, games.... You'll find loads of activities and ideas at these three sites to stage your own Valentine's Day party or celebration in the elementary classroom. http://www.yesiteach.org/valen.htm  http://www.birthdayinabox.com/party-ideas/guides.asp-dept_id-326-bgs-31-lk-8151-id-1237 http://www.songs4teachers.com/valactivities.htm Valentine's Day Clipart Here's a great assortment of Valentine's Day clipart for your various school worksheets, notes, bulletin boards, etc. http://holidays.kaboose.com/val-clip-index.html  Missing Letter Valentines Each of these Valentine terms is missing a letter. Students will draw lines between the candy hearts on the right with the matching letter needed for the left Valentine words. http://www.everydayteaching.com/Holiday/Valentines/ValentineMissingLetters.pdf  From New To Old If someone with whom you exchange files is still running an older version of Office and you want to be able to send them files in the new XML formats (for instance, so they can see the formatting features that are unique to Office 2007), they can install the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack. The Compatibility Pack allows users of Office XP or Office 2003 to open, edit, save and even create files in the new XML-based formats. The pack is available as a free 27.1 MB download from the Microsoft Web site. It can be installed on machines running Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP1. Dr. Arbor Talks Trees Dr. Arbor Talks Trees focuses on tree anatomy and physiology. Students will learn some of the basic inner workings, chemical principles, and fun ways to get to know trees better. Dr. Arbor Talks Trees will also promote how your students can celebrate trees by developing their own Arbor Day activities. This website is designed for students in sixth through eighth grades and will help them gain a greater appreciation of trees and their contributions to our lives. Don't forget to check out the Teacher section - there are lesson ideas and a poster offer for your classroom! The URL: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/trees3/05a.html  Office Scan Virus Protection No Longer Protects! Your computer should have the new Forefront Client Security Virus Protection by now. It is the green circle with the white check mark as shown here. If you do not have this please email tech.help@cpsb.org. For some reason, you may also see the Office Scan Client icon in your system tray. This software is no longer being used in the district and can be removed/uninstalled from your computer. Simply follow these steps: 1. Go to Start, and then Control Panel. 2. Click on Add or Remove programs. The Add or Remove dialog box will appear and populate itself with all of the programs on your computer. This may take a few minutes, so be patient. 3. Find Trend Micro Office Scan, select it, and click Remove. 4. Once you have completed this action, please close everything and restart your computer. By removing unnecessary software such as Office Scan, it will help speed up your computer by taking this application off. If you have trouble removing this software, we recommend you email tech.help@cpsb.org. American Site Language Site  The American Sign Language Browser is a site sponsored by Michigan State University Communication Technology Laboratory. This site allows individuals to view the ASL sign for numerous words. Each word contains a short video demonstrating how to sign it correctly. It also contains links to sites that will assist individuals in learning how to communicate using American Sign Language. The URL: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm 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) Word Play http://pbskids.org/lions/games/wordplay.html Here is a wonderful, interactive learning space for elementary students, where words are animated as students click on them. Click on "more words" for further examples. Presidents' Day Wordsearch http://everydayteaching.com/Worksheets/pres.words.html For a quick and easy handout for Presidents' Day, try this downloadable wordsearch in red, white, and blue, for upper elementary through high school.  Literature Log Response Starters http://www.d81.w-cook.k12.il.us/lincoln/jzambuto/litresponses.htm If your class uses literature logs or journals, you'll want to take a good look at the numerous literature response prompts included in this list. 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