TWTW Teaching with the Web

 

 

The Instructional Technology Journal of

Greenwood School District 50

 

http://www2.gwd50.org

 

Volume 2, Number 1

July 1, 2006

 

New Superintendent Begins Work

7/1/06  Dr. Darrell Johnson will being work as the District’s new Superintendent on July 1.  Dr. Johnson has been an Assistant Superintendent in York School District 3 (Rock Hill), prior to coming to Greenwood.  He has earned degrees at Winthrop University and South Carolina State University.  He has taught and coached at the high school level, been an assistant principal at the high school level, been a principal at the elementary school level, and been the director of student services.

 

New Home Network Options

7/1/06  The definition of “network” is changing for homes in the Greenwood area.  Networks will soon include services that have, in the past, been completely separate utilities.  For example, Northland Cable Television is now advertising that you can consolidate your cable TV, local and long-distance telephone services, and Internet access – all for one feel on one bill.  You can expect Sprint/Embarq to offer the same services, as well.  Several local Internet service providers are offering telephone services, as well as broadband Internet access.  Soon, your computer will be your TV and telephone, your TV will be your telephone and computer, and your telephone will be your computer and TV – all on the same network. 

Important Teacher Notes

The District 50 website has resources for teachers, students, and parents.  The following menu items may be of interest:

·   Web Archives:  You can access stories older than the current quarter – back to December 1998, when the home page started.

·   Email Directory:  You can find the district email addresses for all employees – updated during the first ten days of school.

·   Weather Alerts:  You can find accurate information if school is cancelled, delayed, or dismissed early because of weather.

·   Information Center for Teachers and Staff:  You can access instructional resources, handbooks, test data for students, re-certification information, technology competencies, and many other resources for teachers and staff.

·   Staff Development Calendar:  You can find the current month’s staff development calendar, with activities listed for each school.

·   School and District Report Cards:  You can find each school’s report card from 2001 to the current school year.

·   School and District AYP Results:  You can find each school’s AYP results and the AYP objectives from 2003 to the current year.

·   Who to Contact:  You will find the names, phone numbers, and email links for district staff, sorted by area of responsibility.

·   Exploring this Site:  You will find more detailed information about using the District 50 website.

·   District’s New Web Address:  As of July 1, the District’s web address will be www2.gwd50.org – instead of www.gwd50.k12.sc.us.  Both will work until the end of 2006.

Using PowerPoint in Your Classes

With your laptop and projector, you will be able to use more PowerPoint presentations with your classes.  The following steps will help you get started with PowerPoint:

·   Open PowerPoint and click Format/Slide Design.  Choose the design you prefer; this will be applied to all slides in this slide show.

·   Click Format/Slide Layout and choose the layout you prefer.  This can be different for each slide.

·   The on-screen template will tell you what to do; so just click in one of the areas and type.

·   To put a picture or a video on a slide, be sure the picture or video is saved on your computer.  Click Insert/Picture, navigate to the picture, and double-click it.  For video, choose to start when clicked.

·   To create additional slides, click Insert/New Slide; then choose that slide’s layout.

·   Click Slide Show/Slide Transition to create special effects to show between slides.

·   Be sure to save your slide show.

·   Click Slide Show/View Show to run your slide show.

·   The following link is to a list of PowerPoint tutorials that will help you enhance your skills: http://www.internet4classrooms.com/on-line2.htm#pp.

 

Site Survey:

Websites that Educate, Enlighten, Entertain, and Engage

·   A Lifetime of Color
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/index.html  
You’ll find links to create, study, and teach art, as well as art games at ArtEdventures.

·   South Carolina Now and Then
http://www.50states.com/scarolin.htm
This site has links to everything about South Carolina, covering its history, web cams, maps, genealogy, geography, museums, and much more.

·   Biography
http://www.biography.com/search/ 
You can search this site for thousands of biographies.  Search for historical figures or present-day celebrities.

·   Discovery Channel School
http://school.discovery.com/  
You will find resources from the Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel,  Animal Planet, and the Travel Channel – lesson plans, classroom activities,  online expeditions, and more.

 

The Laptop-and-Projector Project Website

Tech Project:  http://www2.gwd50.org/TechPlans/TechPlan2006.htm

Instr. Resources:  http://www2.gwd50.org/TechPlans/StaffDevResources.htm

Previous TWTW Issues: http://www2.gwd50.org/techplans/TWTW-Index.htm