TWTW Teaching with the Web	The Instructional Technology Journal of Greenwood School District 50 http://www.gwd50.org Volume 4, Number 02 September 1, 2008
September… 9/1/2008 Even though school “officially” began August 18^th, something about the first week in September makes me “feel” like school has begun in earnest. I can almost smell the new pencils, tablets, and textbooks from my elementary school years. I even have this strange urge to write the month in perfect third grade cursive instead of my usual half-print/half-script! My brain switches to “school mode.” Hopefully, by now, you and your students are all in “school mode.” As you plan for this new year, may I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities to learn and use the excellent technology we have at our fingertips in District 50? Don’t be afraid to venture out of your technology comfort zone to try new methods and strategies. Also, when you find something great, please share it with your colleagues across the district! We are in this together for the good of our students. Finally, I have a request: please take some time and read the TWTW. If you have questions, comments, requests, or items to share, you are welcome to email me at hughesc@gwd50.org. I look forward to hearing from you. Have a great school year! Cindy	Important Teacher Notes · LOOK! The “Election ’08 Mini-site” is available now on BrainPOP! Other new features can be found under “teachers' resources.” BrainPOP also added an Educators’ website which features lesson plans, video tutorials, and other classroom tools. Don’t miss these great new features! · Help from Microsoft! Make your life easier! Click on this URL: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290938/en-us, for a complete list of keyboard shortcuts for Word. · Find some very handy graphic organizer, PowerPoint, and Excel templates from Norman Public Schools in Oklahoma on this website: http://www.norman.k12.ok.us/092/techtools.htm. Be sure to look at the other resources on this page! · Teaching Secrets: Take Charge of your Classroom (by Gail Tillery) Tillery, a Georgia high school mentoring coordinator, presents advice (in her blog) based on years of working with new teachers. Here is a sample of her wisdom: “What happens on the first day will happen on the last day. This means you must decide in advance what you want your classroom atmosphere to be.” Read more…
Whyville: http://www.whyville.net/ Whyville is a simple, 2D world where students earn clamshells while learning about various topics with science as the primary focus. This virtual environment targets children and teenagers 10-16 years old. With over 1.4 million registered citizens, this town is filled with educational activities that provide hands-on experiences with various science projects. Whyville not only provides a non-threatening learning experience, it has also generated interest in science in girls. 75% of its members are middle school girls! Members can design their avatar’s faces, earn clamshells by playing “games” (science experiments), hang out at the beach, and go to town events at the Greek Theater. Other possibilities include starting a business, buying a car, writing for the town newspaper, or running for a seat in the Whyville Senate. Whyville has a language filter and is monitored by a staff of “city workers.” Kids must first get their parents permission to chat and also pass a chat license test.  What this does is test kids’ knowledge on what is proper chat etiquette so hopefully no adults disguised as kids can get kids to give out personal information! «Go to Whyville and log in as a guest to find our more! Other Articles on Whyville: · http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2007/r0907- 17.shtml · http://www.cosee-ne.net/resources/whyville.php · http://causeglobal.blogspot.com/2008/04/wizard-of whyville.htm · My San Antonio Business	Site Survey: Websites that Educate, Enlighten, Entertain, and Engage · Social Studies Twenty-first Century Skills Map http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/ss_map.pdf The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills offers a new resource to help teachers integrate 21st-century skills into social studies lessons: a free online document that maps social studies projects, tasks, and outcomes to corresponding skills such as problem solving and critical thinking. · Animal Bytes http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/a-status.html Animal Bytes, from the San Diego Zoo, offers animal facts, photos, Webcams, video and audio files, as well as teacher resources for using the Website. The 100-acre San Diego Zoo is home to over 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species and subspecies, and a botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. The “Panda Cam” is just one of its wonderful offerings, but I just cannot resist them! Zhen Zhen · Tools for Understanding http://www2.ups.edu/community/tofu/home.htm According to the site review by Education World, Tools for Understanding has something for all teachers! The math concepts section provides a variety of lessons - spreadsheet basics, factors, primes and functions, fractions, decimals, percents, geometry, working with data, and more. Technology (either spreadsheets or calculators) is integrated into the lessons, as well as in-depth problem solving and help for moving students through the problem solving process. Teachers can explore the idea of writing in math; find tips for getting started; writing prompts; strategies; and lesson plans.
	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