TWTW Teaching with the Web

 

 

The Instructional Technology Journal of

Greenwood School District 50

 

http://www2.gwd50.org

 

Volume 2, Number 5

September 1, 2006

 

Science Standards Support

9/1/06  The South Carolina SDE has created K-8 and High School Core Areas Science Standards Support Documents.   In these documents, each standard is explained in detail by grade level.  Included in the documents are: key concepts and annotated links to relevant supporting concept web sites, literature, streamline video, and career connections.  In addition, each indicator is linked to beneficial information including: the taxonomy level; previous/future knowledge; what is essential for students to know; what is not essential for students to know; and assessment guidelines (a good indication as to how the standard will be tested.)  This very specific information will be a valuable resource for improving students’ understanding of science concepts.   Because the concept web sites and streamline video are standard specific, they provide an excellent opportunity to teach with the web.  (Most of the standards have supporting documents; however, a few standards are still under construction and will be available soon.)   

·   High School Core Areas Standards Support Documents

https://www.ed.sc.gov/apps/cso/standards/supdocs_hs.cfm?

·   Grades K-8 Standards Supporting Documents

https://www.ed.sc.gov/apps/cso/standards/supdocs_k8.cfm?

Important Teacher Notes

In the July 1, 2006 TWTW newsletter, basic steps were provided for creating PowerPoint presentations to use in the classroom.  The next step is to create effective PowerPoint presentations.  Here are a few tips:

· Focus on coherence and content

· Avoid too many “bells & whistles”  (they can distract students and obscure content)

· Use images from outside sources (ex: Smithsonian Institute, Internet Public Library, Library of Congress, etc.) not just “clip art”

· Use pictures specifically related to the text

· Teach don’t entertain (there is a difference in holding students’ attention and merely entertaining them)

· Include only main points so students must listen carefully to the presentation (this addresses visual and auditory learners)

For more information:

·  Scoring Power Points by Jamie McKenzie

http://www.fno.org/sept00/powerpoints.html

·  What’s the Point of PowerPoint?

http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech204.shtml

·  Tips on Using PowerPoint Effectively

http://www.gamequarium.com/powerpoint.html

·  The Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation

http://www.norvig.com/Gettysburg/

Check out these PowerPoint Presentations from Jefferson County Schools: http://jc-schools.net/ppt.html.

 

Instructional Technology Coach

9/1/06 The past issue of TWTW informed readers about the hiring of an Instructional Technology Coach.  Please allow me to introduce myself: my name is Cindy Hughes.  I’ve taught for approximately 27 years; 12.5 of those years were in Greenwood District 50.  In 2005, I earned my M.Ed. in Educational Technology from USCA.  I won’t review my duties as outlined in the last newsletter (whew!); however, I will repeat that I’ll be spending time in every school to provide staff development opportunities.  I will also be involved with managing teacher technology proficiency.  We are in the process of setting up ePortfolio (see Vol.1 No.4), so you can expect to be hearing more about this.  If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions, please email me at: hughesc@gwd50.org or call me at: 941-3408.  I look forward to hearing from and meeting you.

 

Helpful Hint:

To keep your laptop screen in good shape, stay away from it - i.e. do NOT poke it with your finger - or even worse - with a pen or pencil. If you want to show something on the screen to someone else, point "from a distance" or use your mouse and cursor to point to the item of interest.

 

Site Survey:

Websites that Educate, Enlighten, Entertain, and Engage

·  Children’s Literature Network

http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/

“For adults who are passionate about encouraging children to read.”  Among the many resources on the site is an interactive map with information on authors by state, information on new books, birthdays and biographies of authors, reading lists, and glossaries just to name a few.

·  Make Blog

http://www.makezine.com/

If you teach science, you’ve got to read Make Blog, a limitless source of science projects!

·  Ask Dr. Math

http://mathforum.org/dr.math/index.html

Ask Dr. Math is a question and answer service for math students and their teachers. A searchable archive is available by level and topic, as well as summaries of Frequently Asked Questions (the Dr. Math FAQ.)

·  Bookmarks for United States Information

http://www.lburkhart.com/elem/bkmkstate.htm

This site contains assorted links with facts about the United States.  It would be a great resource for students collecting facts to share with the class or to compare and contrast states.

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