TWTW Teaching with the Web

 

 

The Instructional Technology Journal of

Greenwood School District 50

 

http://www.gwd50.org

 

Volume 3, Number 21

June 15, 2008

 

Summertime Selections

6/15/08 As mentioned in the last edition, this summer’s TWTW will offer sites of interest that will not always be for classroom use; a portion of the sites will be “just for fun” or something that appears to be of general interest.

 

§   First Fridays Online
http://www.firstfridaysonline.com/
Twenty-nine Greenville art galleries open from 6-9 on the first Friday of each month to showcase local, regional, and national artists - the website lists participating galleries and their websites.

§   Safe Kids Upstate
http://safekidsupstate.org/ 
One of more than 450 coalitions affiliated with Safe Kids Worldwide®, an organization whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under.

§   Glossary of Quaint Southernisms
http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/southernese.html
“Today, most Southern dialects have been successfully eradicated by the excellent Southern school systems and the invasion of northern companies, eager to benefit from the high levels of creativity and intelligence found in the Southern gene pool.  So, this collection is as much a historical document as a dialectal one.  The important thing to remember as you laugh at these entries is that they represent perfectly good English.  Sorry, teachers, I know this hurts, but these expressions represent nothing in the world but a regional dialect.”

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Blogs

Too busy during the school year to do anything extra like read professional journals or education-related blogs?  The following are blogs that just might pique your interest:  (The first 2 are personal favorites.)

§   The Tech Savvy Educator
http://www.techsavvyed.net/
“A community of educators dedicated to sharing and discovering ways for students to use technology in a practical way to create new knowledge, communicate and collaborate across long distances, and enhance learning.”

§   The Book Whisperer
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/
Donalyn Miller is a 6th grade ELA and social studies teacher in Texas who is said to have a "gift": She can turn even the most reluctant (or in her words "dormant") readers into students who can't put their books down.  She blogs about how to inspire and motivate student readers, and responds to issues facing teachers and other leaders in the literacy field.

§   Learning is Messy
http://learningismessy.com/blog/
Brian Crosby an elementary teacher for 27 years, teaches fifth grade in Sparks, Nevada, and has infused technology into teaching since the 1980’s. While piloting a 1:1 laptop program, students in his class utilize many Web 2.0 tools including Skype, Fiickr, blogs, and wikis.

Important Teacher Notes

 

Site Survey:

Websites that Educate, Enlighten, Entertain, and Engage

·   Picturing America
http://picturingamerica.neh.gov/index.php?sec=home 
This innovative free resource provides teachers with an engaging way to teach American History, culture, and other subjects.  It introduces students to America’s art treasures through high quality reproductions of notable American art.  You will love this site! 

·   African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aointro.html
This exhibition explores the African-American quest for equality through nine chronological periods from the early national period through the twentieth century.

·   Food Force
http://www.food-force.com/
Food Force, presented by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), is designed for children ages 8-13 and provides a variety of information and resources for teaching about world hunger.

Articles:

§  Twenty Questions for the End of the School Year

§  Education Humor With Regina Barreca

§  Virtual Dissection Offers Alternative

§  SC Teacher Renewal Center Planned

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The Laptop-and-Projector Project Website

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

Resources: http://gwd50.schoolwires.net/16891058111442710/site/default.asp? 

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

Instruct.  Tech. Specialist:   http://www.gwd50.org/1689105110365557/site/default.asp