|
Teaching with the Web |
The Instructional Technology Journal of Volume 2, Number 20 April 15,
2007 |
|
What Next? 04/15/07
Did you enjoy your spring break? Did
you return to your classroom refreshed and renewed by the break and the knowledge that there are only
six more weeks of school? Veteran
teachers know what will take place in these last six weeks. Even without the last minute reviews and
testing, the final weeks of school are filled with countless hours of
paperwork, decisions, banquets, programs, ceremonies, etc. and it does not
matter how organized one is – it is a chaotic time. And then what? Years ago
I was encouraged by a “veteran” to take time after the chaos and before
summer break, to reflect on the past school year. What worked and what did not? What would I do new or differently next
year? How could I improve teaching and
learning? Try this,
and while you are reflecting, think about how you are going to move forward
with technology in your classroom. How
will you use the technology at your fingertips to bring the world to your
students who have never left our county?
How can you use technology to improve reading, writing, and critical
thinking? How will you prepare your
students for the 21st century? We can all
move forward by first changing our mindset and accepting technology as a
powerful tool that, when used appropriately, can positively impact teaching
and learning. Next, we make use of our
resources: the technology already in place, websites listed by subject area
on the District’s website (http://www2.gwd50.org/hughesc/Hughes1_Resources.htm),
classes and workshops
available within the district, and collaboration with peers. Finally, we do what teachers do – we work,
we plan, we polish – we try whatever it takes to help our students become
successful. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Digital Storytelling What is
digital story telling? Digital storytelling uses the power of digital tools
(camera, scanner, computer, and software) to allow students and teachers to
tell and save stories in exciting new ways. Digital
stories can be informative, questioning, historical, autobiographical, and
anything in between. Check out
some of the links below and look for more information about digital
storytelling in future issues of TWTW. ·
Educational Uses of Digital
Storytelling http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/ ·
The Elements of Digital
Storytelling http://www.inms.umn.edu/elements/
·
The Center for Digital Storytelling
http://www.storycenter.org/ |
Important Teacher Notes · Backup your folders and files regularly.
If a laptop is damaged or stops working, no attempt will be made to
recover those folders and files. Only
the original image of the laptop will be restored; your folders and files
must be restored from your backup. Use
your flash drive, a CD, or your folder on your school server. · A reminder: Do not leave the
laptop in your car
– in the passenger compartment or in the trunk. The summer heat will cause electronic
components to fail and can cause the screen to malfunction. · When using your laptop, be sure
there is sufficient air flow under
the laptop to allow the cooling fans to work properly. · You cannot put a personal wireless router in your classroom or
anywhere else in your building. Unsecured wireless
routers allow other people to access your school’s network without anyone’s
knowledge. Students could bring their
own laptops or handheld computers and access the network and the Internet –
with the potential for jamming legitimate access. Others could bring in computers that are
heavily infected, connect wirelessly, and spread viruses and worms so quickly
that we would have to shut down the whole network. · Please do not let anyone outside of OCS attempt to fix or upgrade |
|
Site Survey: Websites that Educate,
Enlighten, Entertain, and Engage · Education World Lesson Planning
Center: Measurement http://www.education-world.com/a_tsl/archives/math.shtml#measurement
Teachers will find here measurement lesson plans that have been written and
submitted to Education World by teachers from all over the world. · Landmarks for Schools · Timelines on the Web |
|
|
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
Instructional Technology
Specialist: http://www2.gwd50.org/hughesc/hughes1.htm |