earthtree.org

Sandra Abu-Bakr at South Middle School found a great way to use the visualizer with “imagery.” During a demonstration to the classroom on imagery, the entire class participated in creating some astounding poetry. Sandra started by having students listen to poets reading imagery poems from poets.org. Next she projected an image from a photograph onto the wall for students to consider. Students worked in groups to develop each stanza.

Here is an example.

Block J Poem

I view the morning glow

And the seemingly endless rows

Of wooden boats

And the hazy peach, blue, and purple

The spill of red

In the sky

The smell of the fresh air at sun-up

Invigorates

I see the white seagulls circle

Their eeh-eeh-eeh

As they swoop down

Deep into the ocean

For fish

I touch the water

Inhale its smell, its lovely spirit

On my finger tips

NETS: Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

New and future Promethean board users met this evening at Fulton Elementary to learn more about how to use the board. Teachers taught each other how to apply the tools provided by ActivStudio. Future sessions will focus on the resources available for building flipcharts and how to create custom flipcharts.

If you weren’t able to attend the class, but are interested in learning more about using ActivStudio, here are some great resources that will guide you through everything you need to know about ActivStudio ( and more).

1. Notes from the class.
2. Resources from this website.

        1place.ppt               South Middle school was given a glimpse of One Place this afternoon. It will officially roll out soon :). Be patient. It is an incredible tool. One Place runs federated searches in district and non district Internet databases. It simultaneously searches through Discovery Science, Discovery Streaming, Discovery Education Network, Atomic Learning, Culture Grams, World Book Online, NetTrekker, Verizon/Thinkfinity (formerly Marco Polo), Britannia Online, and EBSCO. The interface is smooth and easy to navigate. It is the ideal tool for planning for instruction. You can easily come up with great teaching ideas, teaching content, examples of student work and even professional articles on teaching strategies that match your topic.

Take a moment to check out One Place. It will be worth your time. Here is the link to get started (log-in directions).

As the Department of Instructional Technology works with principals on school improvement plans, we are noticing a definite trend in which direction teachers and administration want to move. Schools are putting projectors and visualizers into the hands of teachers and students. Visualizers (document imaging cameras) are a fantastic tool for teacher’s instruction. They align perfectly with strategies that work. Three instructional strategies that are demonstrated optimally using a visualizer are:

• Identifying similarities and differences
• Using nonlinguistic representations
• Using questions, cues, and advance organizers

The visualizers lend themselves to all of the strategies, especially in regards to student work. Teachers can simply lay student work on the visualizer and there it is projected on a large screen for the class to see. What a great way to illustrate to students exactly what proficient and outstanding work looks like.

Here’s an example of a School Improvement Plan for Education Technology - Information Literacy (SIP: ET-IL).

Here are some links to great Internet safety resources.

• iSafe
• Web Wise Kids

Here’s a message from Barb Wagers the resident expert on Internet Safety.

Netsmartz is another site used by many educators. Check it out if you’ve never been there.

www.netsmartz.org

NetSmartz has developed Internet safety presentations for use with children of all ages and adults. Educate parents and communities with slides detailing online risks, statistics, resources, and tips for keeping children safer online. Encourage tweens and teens to examine their online behavior and take steps to prevent victimization of themselves and others. Teach younger children what to watch out for on the Internet and how to avoid these risks.

http://www.netsmartz.org/Presentations

Safety Pledges in English and Spanish

http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/pledge.htm

Internet Crimes Against Children’s website is really good and full of information. You can see pictures of those arrested recently and in the past by clicking on the Arrest button. Also, if you click on the Safety Information button, you can select the grade level and parent info. and find some more good links.

www.coloradoicac.com