Speak Up! Survey

RETAzens,
Keep up the great work! Read more below.

And there’s still time for teachers, students, administrators, and parents to take the Speak Up! Survey. It closes on Friday, Dec. 18th! http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/

Thanks to everyone who has taken and promoted this survey. Thanks to Jill Brown, NMSTE President, for the following information.

Speak Up! update: Innovate-Educate NM in partnership with NMSTE, IDEAL-NM and the NM CTE
Committee has resulted in over 6000 NM participants that have taken the survey, compared to 300 last year!


--Sincerely,
   Susie B. =;->  

“The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them."
--Robert Frost,
Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet

Upcoming RETA Webinar: Creating Projects with Scratch

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM November 9, 2009
Location: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/scratchsum09/

Dear RETAzens,

The Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program would like to
invite you to attend our upcoming, free, professional development webinar,
Creating Projects with Scratch.

This is webinar is an introduction to the free programming language,
Scratch, and its website/repository/social area. First, there will be an
introduction to the programming features that are unique to Scratch. After
that, the presenter, Carl Bogardus, will log on to Scratch's website and
give you a tour. At that point, you will see student and teacher projects
and discuss the possibility of classroom use. Finally, you will get the
chance to register on the website (also free!) and look for projects that
you'd like to use as an introduction to Scratch in your classroom.

Details on Attending
When: Monday, November 9th, 2009 @ 4:30 PM (Mountain)
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/scratchsum09/
Cost: Free

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your
computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer
microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction.

If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your
connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at: webinars [at] nmsu.edu or call
Miley
Grandjean, 575.646.6143. Also, don't forget to find us on Facebook,
http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh or tweet with us on Twitter&lsqauo;@retazens

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

Thank you,
RETA Webinar Team

Reminder: Competitive Mini-Grant Applications-- DUE Friday, October 30, 2009

Innovate-Educate and NMSTE Announce
Qwest Innovation Grants
Competitive Mini-Grant Application Package

http://nmste.wikispaces.com/Qwest+Grant+09
 
                              
 
Application Deadline:
Friday, October 30, 2009
 
Administered by Innovate-Educate


Qwest Classroom Technology Integration
Competitive Mini-Grant Application


Introduction

The Qwest Foundation has allocated to Innovate-Educate $25,000 through a Qwest Foundation for Education Grant to be awarded to non-APS (APS grants also available) PreK-12 teachers who demonstrate an innovative use of technology with students.  The funds may be used to purchase the following for use in the classroom: supplies and materials, technology, or professional development activities.  Any non-disposable supplies and materials or capital objects purchased are the property of the district or school that is awarded the grant.  Funds will be awarded during the 2009-2010 school year.  Recipients will be awarded in November 2009.  The funds must be spent by May 30, 2010.  Deadline for the Award:  The application must be postmarked by October 30, 2009.  

The purpose of this grant is to:
 

1. Recognize teachers who are using technology  in innovative ways with students;  
2. Increase an awareness of how teachers are using technology in the classroom;  
3. Model best practices with technology integration improving student achievement.
   

For the Innovate-Educate submissions, there will be a competitive priority on the use of virtual technologies.  In other words, those grants submitted that address the use of virtual resources to reach more teachers/students will be given priority over other submissions.  Sustainability and scalability are also a priority.
 
Timelines

1. Mini-Grant proposals must be postmarked by October 30, 2009.
   

Proposals postmarked after that date will not be considered.

1. Mini-Grants  can be applied for in the amounts of $2,500 and $5,000.  
2. Panel  or poster session presentations of awarded projects will be made at the  Innovate-Educate /STE Spring Conference in April 2010.
   

Eligibility

Certified PreK-12 school teachers are eligible to receive a maximum of one Mini-Grant award.
 
For the rest of the story go to http://nmste.wikispaces.com/Qwest+Grant+09

Upcoming RETA Webinar: Photostory 3 in the Classroom

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM November 2, 2009
Location: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/photo3sum09/

Dear Retazens,

The Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program would like to
invite you to attend our upcoming, free, professional development webinar,
Photostory 3 in the Classroom.

Photostory 3 is a free software download on computers using the Windows
operating system. During this webinar we discuss various classroom
ideas/uses for Photostory videos, and you will learn how easy it is to
create videos for your own classroom. Engage your students with video
projects that can be burned on to CDs, DVDs, posted to the web, or even
emailed to parents. Downloadable take-home resources will also be provided.

Details on Attending
When: Monday, November 2nd, 2009 @ 4:30 PM (Mountain)
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/photo3sum09/
Cost: Free

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your
computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer
microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction.

If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your
connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at: webinars [at] nmsu.edu or call
575.646.6143. And don¹t forget to find us on Facebook,
http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh or tweet with us on Twitter&lsqauo;@retazens

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

Thank you & feel free to pass along the attached flyer,
RETA Webinar Team

Upcoming RETA Webinar: Microsoft Office Word 2007 for Teachers

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM October 19, 2009
Location: Online: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/wordsum09/

Dear Retazens,

The Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program would like to
invite you to attend our upcoming, free, professional development webinar,
Microsoft Office Word 2007 for Teachers.

This is a demonstration and explanation of some of the features that make
Microsoft Office Word an excellent presentation tool for teachers. In this
webinar, you will learn how to create and format tables, insert visual
graphics (pictures, clip art and shapes), and embed objects (audio and video
clips).

Details on Attending
When: Monday, October 19th, 2009 @ 4:30 PM (Mountain)
Where: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/wordsum09/
Cost: Free

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your
computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer
microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction.

If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your
connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at: webinars [at] nmsu.edu or call
575.646.6143. And don¹t forget to find us on Facebook,
http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh or tweet with us on Twitter&lsqauo;@retazens

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

Thank you & feel free to pass along the attached flyer,
RETA Webinar Team

Upcoming RETA Webinar: Cool Tools For Educators

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM October 5, 2009
Location: Online: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/cooltoolssum09/

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM October 5th, 2009
Location: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/cooltoolssum09/

Dear Retazens,

The Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program would like to
invite you to attend our upcoming, free, professional development webinar,
Cool Tools For Educators.

Cool Tools For Educators will will introduce you to lots of free and cheap
online tools for educators. In this webinar we will take a quick "drive by"
tour of some of the cool tools available. Resources and links to these
online tools will be provided.

Details on Attending
When: Monday, October 5th, 2009 @ 4:30 PM (Mountain)
Where: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/cooltoolssum09/
Cost: Free

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your
computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer
microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction.

If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your
connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at: webinars [@] nmsu.edu or call
575.646.6143. And don¹t forget to find us on Facebook,
http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh or tweet with us on Twitter&lsqauo;@retazens

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

Thank you & feel free to pass along the attached flyer,
RETA Webinar Team

Having fun with my RETA crew and taking a mental break from prep for new semester :)

Connect! Your PLN Lab

Explore with us how Personal Learning Networks (PLN) add value to our personal and professional lives. From tools and strategies to perspectives and philosophies,  we're opening up a lab for sharing this conversation across synchronous, asynchronous, and ambisynchronous formats. 

Our unique approach for Connect! Your PLN Lab combines highly interactive webinars and hands-on challenge activities to provide you with an engaging learning experience focused on helping you maximize the potential of your PLN.

For all the information, check out our PLN wiki at:
http://plnlab.pbworks.com/

Be sure to watch the video too:

http://snipurl.com/plnvideo

There is much fun to be had!

:)
~julz

Draft of National Technology Literacy Test Released

ASCD SmartBrief | 08/17/2009

A draft of proposed national technological-literacy exams has been released
by the National Assessment Governing Board. You can download it at:

http://www.edweek.org/media/nagb_assessment_devel_comm_aug_7-09.pdf

The computer-based test, which will be given to a sample of students in
fourth, eighth and 12th grades in 2012, will gauge students' ability to use
and communicate with technology as well as their understanding of
technology's advantages and drawbacks.

http://tinyurl.com/o5n9br

21st Century Skills science and geography skills

THE Journal

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills <http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/>
has teamed with the National Science Teachers Association
<http://www.nsta.org/> and the National Council for Geographic Education
<http://www.ncge.org/> to launch the latest in its series of 21st century
road maps for core academic subjects, in this case K-12 science and
geography. The maps were introduced at the National Education Computing
Conference <http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2009/> (NECC) being held
this week in Washington, DC.

http://snurl.com/lryai

--
Larry Jeffryes

TPS Direct PD tool presented at NECC

Thanks Larry for this resource!

TPS Direct
Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Direct
By using TPS Direct PD activities, educators learn how to bring primary
sources into the classroom and help students think critically, construct
knowledge, and develop the information fluency necessary for success in the
21st century.

The Library¹s PD content is applicable for educators across grade levels and
content areas. It can be used independently, or it can be integrated into an
existing professional development program.

PD Plan Builder
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/tpsdirect/pdplanbuilder/

Select activities from the Library's proven professional development
programs and build a customized PD plan. Output is a PDF (Adobe Reader 8.1.3
or higher recommended
http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Questions or comments? <http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/ask-learning.html>

Alexis Duprey, Miss Teen NM needs help from NM friends - http://ping.fm/EsJqC

FROM ASTD NM: Job Links Updated / New Jobs Posted!

Thanks to Szq and Larry for the following information!

FYI: Overview of current jobs related to instructional design, training,
and technology outside the PreK-14 classroom. (Is that where the "real
world" is?)

We are receiving requests from all over for new positions!
We at ASTD NM wish you the very best when applying for them.
See our new and updated positions at http://www.astdnm.org/jobs
ASTDNM Job Line

Brain Fitness - Help Students Become Lifelong Learners

Thank you Szq for this resource!

The New Science of Learning:
Brain Fitness for Kids
As seen on Public Television
<http://e-news.edweek.org/ct/4625238:5464046886:m:1:219560809:9D3DEDAAEEF150
8644814A39F137DA8A>

A brain is an amazing structure: flexible, powerful, and able to learn,
process, create and dream. The more we discover about the brain, the more we
are able to affect how learners use their brains, and thus improve their
potential for the future. Just as exercise of the body promotes physical
fitness, so does the proper exercise of the mind promote brain fitness. The
latest neuroscience has shown how plastic the brain actually is; the input
we receive actually creates physical or "neuroplastic" changes in the brain.

In short, we can train this amazing structure to help learners become more
fit and ready for lifelong learning&lsqauo;and the earlier in life we start with
such exercise, the better.

A program called "The New Science of Learning: Brain Fitness for Kids,"
produced by Public Television, explores the exciting promise of brain
plasticity and how it can be used to optimize learning and dramatically,
positively and permanently impact the lives of learners of all abilities.

Through interviews with neuroscientists, psychologists, educators, and
parents, it tells the groundbreaking and moving story of previously
unthinkable successes in learning and life. We are excited to bring you some
of the experts featured on the show in a series of complimentary webinars!

The New Science of Learning: Brain Fitness for Kids Webinar Series
* May 27th, 10am PDT, How the Brain Learns: From the Laboratory to the
Classroom
* Dr. Paula Tallal, Board of Governor¹s professor of neuroscience at
Rutgers, The State of New Jersey, and co-founder and co-director of the
Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience.
* June 4th, 10am PDT, Brain Plasticity, Child Development, and Learning
* Dr. Michael Merzenich, Professor Emeritus in Otolaryngology in the W. M.
Keck Foundations Center for Integrative Neurosciences at the University of
California San Francisco Medical Center, and elected member of the National
Academy of Sciences.
* June 10th, 9am and 1pm PDT, Stewarding the Health of our Children¹s
Learning
* David Boulton, Learning Activist, Director of the Children of the Code
Project.

To register for these upcoming seminars Click here
<http://e-news.edweek.org/ct/4625238:5464046886:m:1:219560809:9D3DEDAAEEF150
8644814A39F137DA8A> .

If you are one of the first 1000 people to sign up you will receive a
complimentary DVD of the television special before it airs nation-wide in
June, but hurry, limited copies of the DVD are available, so sign up today!
To see these experts on the pubic television program "The New Science of
Learning: Brain Fitness for Kids," when it airs nation-wide, check your
local listings for dates and times.

Editorial Projects in Education, Inc., 6935 Arlington Road, Suite 100,
Bethesda, MD 20814. EPE is the publisher of Education Week, Digital
Directions, Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook, edweek.org,
teachermagazine.org, DigitalDirections.org and TopSchoolJobs.org.

Copyright © 2009 Editorial Projects in Education.

Great Podcasting Resource

Thanks to an OTLOzen for this fabulous podcasting online resource!

Check out Learning in Hand at:
http://www.learninginhand.com/

And of course, remember to check out RETA’s podcasting and vodcasting resources at:
http://reta-podcasting.pbwiki.com/
http://pvia.pbwiki.com/

Happy Casting!
:)
~julz

FREE Webinars & Webconferencing Support!

For those of you who are either using Wimba or just wanting to learn more about webconferencing, Wimba has a a variety of free webinar series that you might be interested in:

1) The Wimba Distinguished Lecture Series has a cool lineup including a few that I want to attend such as Increasing Enrollment by Using Collaborative Online Technology and MoodleRooms and Wimba, Together At Last! Check this series out at:

http://www.wimba.com/company/events/dls/

2) Wimba Online Workshops provides support for those of you using the Wimba tools. Check this series out at:

http://www.wimba.com/company/events/wow/

3) The Wimba Archive lets you watch the recorded event, in case you missed it or if you want to see it again. Check this out at:

http://www.wimba.com/company/events/archived/

And of course, if you want to see some fun webinars in action, make sure to check out the RETA Webinars series including eLearning with Emerging Technologies, Increasing Interaction with Audio/Video Tools, and the NMSTE/RETA Webinar Series. Archives of past events are also available for the RETA Webinars.

Check out RETA Webinars at:

http://webinars.nmsu.edu

Much love to my friends on the InterWebs!

:)
~julz

Two cool resources

Thanks to Larry for reminding me to post this!

Check out LibraryThing. It allows you to catalogue your books. Additionally, it works with Ottobib and provides book citations in MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, and Wikipedia citation. I also like GoodReads, but I’m a bookaholic.

http://librarything.com
http://ottobib.com
http://goodreads.com

:)
~julz

Important video of ideas to watch, think, discuss

Thanks to Larry for this video!

Seems to me there's a message here applicable to how technology changes the
way we learn, think, and interactivity with technology? Technology use:
Consuming! Producing! Sharing!

In the following video, ³Where do people find the time?², Shirky argues that
investing our time in learning these technologies or spending your extra
time on the Internet learning is not useless, rather it is more productive
than watching TV and that we should reconsider how we "waste" our time.

http://www.davidbill.org/2009/04/03/where-do-we-find-the-time/

(Found in a Twitter Tweet)

First Empirical Evidence for Visual versus Verbal Learning Styles

Thanks to Szq for this info!

Visual Learners Convert Words To Pictures In The Brain And Vice Versa, Says
Psychology Study
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325091834.htm

Two cool vid sites to check out - YouTube EDU - http://www.youtube.com/edu and Academic Earth http://academicearth.org/

Cool Video Resources!

Thanks to my friend, Allioop for this most excellent video information:

YouTube has just released a new sub-site called YouTube EDU (http://www.youtube.com/edu), aggregating thousands of free lectures from over a hundred universities across the country, including MIT, Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and oh-so-many more.

YouTube EDU - http://www.youtube.com/edu

Web site Academic Earth (http://academicearth.org/) is like Hulu for academic lectures, pulling free lectures from Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale into one attractive, easy to navigate site. It's incredible.

The site clearly takes its cues from Hulu and iTunes on its design, but it's ten times better than either, because it's open. The videos can be embedded anywhere or downloaded and enjoyed wherever you want to take them. It's easy to use, has tons of great content, and it doesn't cost a dime.

Academic Earth - http://academicearth.org/

The two services are very similar in some ways, and while YouTube's landing page isn't quite as useful as Academic Earth's, they're both packed full of great content.

Head to the YouTube Directory page to browse through all the university options, and when you pick one, you can see all of the full courses or individual lectures available:
http://www.youtube.com/edu?action_directory=1

According to weblog Open Culture, YouTube EDU currently has over 200 full courses, so you're bound to find something that piques your interest - like MIT's Introductory Quantum Mechanics II:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=958F66FFE4393435

It's really exciting to see the web embrace and distribute all this free learning, and we're eager to see both services grow.

FW: [NMSUWebinars] Tomorrow's RETA Webinar: Show-and-Tell

Hello Educators,

We would just like to remind you of our Show-and-Tell webinar TONIGHT at 6pm MST.  This Show-and-Tell webinar will spotlight how technology is being used in the classrooms of educators who have attended RETA Webinars.  

To join our webinar, click the following url 15-20 minutes before the start of the session, so that we can help you setup your audio/mic:
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/showtellsp09/

Our presenters:
Jill Brown is a life-long educator with a BA in Elementary Education, MA in Curriculum and Instruction, and PhD in Educational Technology. She has taught in different states, at different grade levels (1st grade - graduate level) and in different formats (face-to-face, workshops, real-time, online). She conducted her dissertation research focusing on the necessary skills for teachers to be successful technology integrators in the classroom. Jill is currently an administrative and instructional leader as the Director of Educational Technology at Albuquerque Academy. She serves on the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) board, the New Mexico Society for Technology in Education (NM STE) board, and the New Mexico Association of Nonpublic Schools (NMANS) board. She also volunteers and serves on the New Mexico Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) board.

Jim Carlton is a retired businessman turned high school teacher.  He received a BBA in Accounting from ENMU and an MA in Secondary Education/Educational Technology from NMSU.  Currently enrolled at NMTech in the MS in Teaching Science program, is in the Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning from NMSU, as Ideal NM Teacher, and affiliated with the Teaching the Gifted Coursework (NMSU).  He has a New Mexico Secondary License with endorsements in LA, SS, Math, ESL,Technology Ed, Business Ed., Technology Coordinator and will earn Science endorsement this summer.  Currently living in Albuquerque, NM with Liz Bryant (his high school sweetheart) and Bailey the Bichon Friese.  He teaches Mathematics and Web Design at New Mexico Collaborative Arts Charter School (9-12) and works at a state chartered school with no affiliation to a school district.  

To Attend:
To join our webinar, click the following url:
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/showtellsp09/

• Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction. A webcam is optional.
• If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm
  

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at: http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at webinars [at] nmsu.edu or call 575.646.6143.   And don’t forget to find us on Facebook, http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh.  To donate to RETA, visit: http://reta.nmsu.edu/donation/index.cfm.  Your donation will help support RETA's K-12 Professional Development efforts such as webinars, technology integration workshops, 3-tier dossier workshops, and partnership programs. The RETA Webinar series and many online teaching and learning resources are provided free to educators and your donation sustains this effort.  Thank you!

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning Quotient) with us!  

 

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
Office: 575.646.6143
http://webinars.nmsu.edu
http://twitter.com/retazens
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM  88003-8001

enjoying the news on April Fools Day - http://ping.fm/Rk6v4

thx to @keforsyt for this cool iPhone video - http://ping.fm/Ot027

Slideshare joins the April Fool's day fun - http://ping.fm/lu1jj

I am so grateful to not have jury duty tomorrow!

RETA Webinars Featured on Women of Web 2.0

Rumor has it that RETA Webinars will be discussed on EdTechTalk's Women of Web 2.0 talk show, tonight at 7pm MST - http://edtechtalk.com/live

NMSU RETA Webinars Thursday, March 5th - New URL

Dear Educators,

There has been a URL change to Thursday's Webinar: Intro to Tech Funding
Strategies. The new url is: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/techfund2sp09/
Please use this URL to attend the Thursday, March 5th Webinar! Thank you,

RETA Webinar Staff

Looking for Presenters

Dear Educators,

RETA is looking for individuals who would like to share how they are using
technology in their classrooms. If you have attended one or more of our
webinars and are using one of the Web 2.0 tools we have presented to you,
we would like you to hear from you. We would also love to have you share
with our audience during a one hour webinar on April 2, 2009 at 6pm.

SO - let us know how you are using technology to enrich the lives of your
students! The structure of the webinar is to have three or four
presenters share with our audience members.

Thank you for your participation in our webinars and for your continued
support of RETA Webinars!

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 646-6143
webinars [at] nmsu [dot] edu

Second Life Party at NMSU Aggie Island

 
I missed it, but it looks like the Second Life Party at Aggie Island on Saturday night was lots of fun!
:)
~julia wiggins

Our Friend, Dr. Michael DeMers on NPR!

Geographer to be on NPR

   Michael DeMers and his geography 481 (Fundamentals of GIS) were joined by Jason Sparks of National Public Radio last week. Several days later DeMers and one of his students, Anna Patterson, were interviewed by NPR reporter Scott Simon on a portion of Aggie Island, a parcel of virtual land inside Second Life, owned by NMSU and designed for educational activities.  
  
   Their interactions and discussion of the utility of using Second Life as a means of delivering online course content will be aired on NPR’s “Weekend Edition with Scott Simon” sometime between 8 and 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 on KRWG radio.
 
   For more information call 646-3509.

NPR Weekend Edition Saturday Link:
http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=7

The Innovative Educator

The Innovative Educator blog at:

http://snipurl.com/innovativeeducator [theinnovativeeducator_blogspot_com]

Has useful information about free tech resources and 21st century teaching
and learning.

Susie B. =;->

AND, Innovative Educator Twitter at http://twitter.com/InnovativeEdu

--
Larry

FW: Become a Common Sense School

Partner with parents to raise media-smart kids

http://snipurl.com/partnerwparents  [www_commonsensemedia_org]

Become a Common Sense School
With information on everything from cyberbullying to cell phones, this free parent media education program gives schools everything necessary to help parents raise smart, responsible kids.

• Customizable materials organized by grade
• Interactive workshops and videos to engage parents
• Advice from a community of educators like you

Something special for music teachers

If you teach singing, then check out http://www.cyberbass.com/ ! It¹s a
nice piece of online software that will let your students practice their
parts.

Thanks to Bethany for this tip!

FW: Classroom 2.0 announcement

Dear Educators,

A message from Classroom 2.0 below, if you¹re not a member, you should be :)
~julz

The webinar topic this Saturday is: "Using Skype to Collaborate". Our
special guest
will be Wes Fryer, author of the blog and podcast "Moving at the Speed of
Creativity." Wes always has tons of ideas to share and his energy and
creativity will definitely leave you wanting to hear more! He will share
various ways Skype can be used to collaborate with other classrooms,
educators and VIPs--the sky's the limit. Our Newbie Question of the Week
will be: "What is 'Skype' and why do I want it?". We hope you'll join us to
share your ideas and questions.

The show lasts an hour, and links for more information and logging can be
found at http://live.classroom20.com

We strive to make our shows very beginner-friendly, and if
you've never participated in a live web meeting, don't be afraid to come and
take a peek at the show's format. We love newbies to join us and 'dip their
toes' in the conversations until you feel comfortable enough to "jump in the
conversations with both feet"! We want to encourage "experienced Web 2.0
users" to join us and contribute and extend the conversation by providing
real-life examples and tips/suggestions. See the website to suggest future
show topics!

Date: Saturday, February 14, 2009

Time: 9:00am PST/10:00am MST/11:00am CST/12:00pm EST Other time zones link,
the link to the actual meeting room, and the resource article are at
http://live.classroom20.com/

If you're new to the Classroom 2.0 LIVE site and show you might want to
spend a few minutes listening to the screencast on the homepage to learn
about how we use Elluminate and how to navigate the site to find the
archives of previous shows and resources.

Visit Classroom 2.0 at: http://www.classroom20.com

Wimba offers FREE online seminars :)

Dear Educators,

Are you a 21st Century Educator?

Do you have the skills of a 21st Century educator? Are you familiar with the
technologies that are already enhancing teaching and learning in today's
classrooms?

Stay current with Wimba's Distinguished Lecture Series. Both Upcoming and
Recorded events are available at:

http://wimba.com/company/events/dls/

Wimba is offering these FREE online seminars exclusively to education
professionals like you.

Please feel free to forward this invitation to your friends and colleagues.

Open Light March 7 Conference Registration Reminder

~*Open Light Conference*~

http://openlight.pbwiki.com

Please spread the word about the Open Light Emerging Technologies Conference to be held March 7, 2009 in T or C by sharing the attached flyer or sharing the link

http://openlight.pbwiki.com/3rd-Open-Light-Conference-March-7

Unlike previous conferences, registrants will need to select the sessions they would like to attend in advance. This will be necessary for our planning.

**Those who were already registered should have received an email confirmation from me asking them to select sessions.

Please contact me for more information! Thanks again for your involvement and support of Open Light!!

~Holly

NMSU OTL Joins Darius Goes West

Thanks to one student making us aware and student book purchases from the program Amazon bookstore, a purchase of the Darius Goes West DVD has been made. This purchase supports Charley's Fund which supports the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

ISTE's New Communication Hub Connects the World of Ed Tech

ISTE is proud to launch ISTE Connects at http://www.isteconnects.org which is your one-stop communications hub featuring the latest NECC 2009 information and conversations.

The hub links to our conference and community networks including Ning, Facebook, and Second Life.  

Be sure to download the ISTE Connects widget to receive the latest news and information from NECC, ISTE, and the Ed Tech community.
 

Join ISTE and NMSTE in February!

Join ISTE and NMSTE today! ( http://www.nmste.org/)

Hurry up and join, February is Member Appreciation Month and there are raffles and book offers GALORE!

Nationally Acclaimed Online Curriculum Resources Now FREE to Virtual Schools

SAS® Curriculum Pathways® is now available at no cost [FREE!] to every educator in America, including virtual school programs. That announcement was recently made by SAS®, a North Carolina based software company. The product is already being used by thousands of teachers in more than 30 states.

SAS Curriculum Pathways provides content in the core disciplines: English, mathematics, social studies, science and Spanish. Aligned with state and national standards, the product provides more than 200 InterActivities and 855 ready-to-use lessons that enable technology-rich instruction and engage higher-order thinking skills. The product is primarily for use in grades 8 to 12, though middle school content is in development.

Designed for a wide range of classroom environments, technology capabilities and learning styles, SAS Curriculum Pathways can be used flexibly—in online courses, a one-computer classroom, in small groups or in 1:1 computing initiatives where every student and teacher has a computer.

SAS Curriculum Pathways won the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) 2008 CODiE Award for Best K-12 Instructional Solution. The product is also used in community colleges, virtual schools and home settings.

Online educators can integrate resources that help to differentiate instruction and develop critical-thinking skills. Integrating rigorous content with innovative instructional design, the product prepares students for college-level learning, promotes 21st-century skills and helps meet achievement and accountability criteria.

For a success story on how one acclaimed virtual school has used SAS® Curriculum Pathways®, please visit: http://www.sas.com/success/floridavirtual.html

For information on setting up your free school and teacher accounts, visit www.sascurriculumpathways.com or contact Lee Ellen Harmer at LeeEllen [dot] Harmer [at] sas [dot]  com.

My Students are ROCKSTARS!

I'm making my students blog, so I guess I should do some blogging myself.

In the Fall of 2008, I taught a course called CEL 560: Fostering Online Learning Communities. Some of my students from 560 are now with me and a bunch of brand new students in CEL 580: Tools and Techniques for Teaching Online. And I have to say that I'm blown away by the immediate community development in 580 because of the leadership of the 560 students and the participation of all the students. This is what I love about teaching.

So for the next two weeks, we all will blog and comment on each others blogs. It's gonna be fun keeping track of all of their blogs. I wonder if I should let them in on the friendfeed trick? You know the one I'm talking about, that's me blogging about it, it's at http://friendfeed.com/nmsuotl...

;)

~julz

Free Teacher Resource to help students comprehend racial challenges in the USA

From szq --

With MLK Day and Inauguration Day on the horizon, this resource sounds like it will be pertinent. =;->

A lesson plan to help students understand that beliefs and behaviors have roots.  Only by knowing our roots can we change the present.  Most people agree that individual acts of racism and discrimination are wrong but often grow defensive when issues of systemic or institutional racism arise.  No one wants to see him or herself as a racist, and we all fear being blamed for the unequal conditions in our country. Instead of facing the issues, we too often resort to defensiveness when faced with the “other” who has been oppressed: whites when facing African-Americans; men when facing women; the rich facing the poor.  Instead of facing our national and personal histories, we often find excuses for the way things are.  We’ve all heard the justifications: “I’m not a racist, but . . . ”
  
 “Slavery happened a long time ago.”
  
 “My grandparents were immigrants; they pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps.  These people just want to complain?” This lesson plan helps students understand how history influences our present, whether that’s the state of race relations today or their own attitudes towards another group of people. There are three brief activities in this lesson plan that teachers can use separately to introduce the topic or together to reinforce the message that we must know our history if we seek NOT to repeat it.  Go to www.racebridgesforschools.com <http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/lists/lt.php?id=eU9WXwxUWl5eSlIEA04GAgBcBwBW>  to download a free copy of What’s Racism Got to do with Me?   How Our History and Context Shape Us and Others. Help your students understand race, class, and gender in context.  Use this lesson to supplement a lesson that requires that students understand the importance of our past and our context.   One of these activities will make your history and English students more receptive to your lessons!    

Check out our other lesson plans that are ideal for use around the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 19)  and African American Heritage Month (February) . . . "We All Have A Race" and "From Flint Michigan to Your Front Door : Tracing the Roots of Racism" (with audio downloads).           

Go to www.racebridgesforschools.com

http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/lists/lt.php?id=eU9WXwxUWl5eSlIEA04GAgBcBwBW  

to download your complimentary copy of this and other lesson plans and resources for schools.

       

 

    


--
This mailing is intended for teachers, educators, storytellers, lovers of story or anyone interested in social justice issues.  

If you have received this message in error please accept our apologies.  You may easily unsubscribe from any future mailings by clicking on the following link: this link <http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/lists/lt.php?id=eU9WXwxUWl5fSlIEA04GAgBcBwBW>

 



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2009 Presidential Inauguration Lesson Plans

From Bonnie Bracey Sutton :)

You can turn television watching into a real set of learning lessons using the event and these lesson plans to structure the day.

http://www.pic2009.org/page/content/lessonplans

Lots of links, interactive blog, and much much more.

2009 Presidential Inauguration Lesson Plans

Jointly Produced by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA)


On Jan. 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. Teachers across the country can bring this historic event to life in their classrooms using a wide array of free resources and technologies. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) have jointly developed a series of general instructional activities to give teachers lesson ideas to help their students understand the historic significance of this presidential inauguration.
 Use these instructional activities to teach students about the history of the inauguration and the connections between Obama and previous U.S. presidents (Learning History); to prepare students to witness the Obama inauguration (Making History); and to follow the events during President Obama’s term (Living History). Teachers should use their professional judgment to adapt these materials to the particular needs (grade, reading level, etc.) of their classrooms and to best determine how much time should be spent on the activities. The materials have been designed to allow teachers to adapt them to fit into a single class period or to extend over several class periods.

LEARNING HISTORY Two Presidents from Illinois (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan1>
Students will compare and contrast the background and inaugurations of President Lincoln and President Obama. They will develop knowledge of some of the characteristics of the two presidents and their inaugurations. (Grades 6-12, with adaptations for grades K-5) History of the Inaugural Address (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan2>

Students will examine the text of various presidents’ inaugural addresses to understand how the context of events influenced the way they addressed the American people on Inauguration Day. (Grades 6-12, with adaptations for grades K-5)

MAKING HISTORY Inaugural Address of Barack Obama (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan3>
Students will discuss quotes from Barack Obama’s inaugural address, and identify the challenges facing their families and other Americans today that he highlighted in his speech. They will then identify “calls to action” in his inaugural address, and compare and contrast those priorities with those raised in his past speeches. (Grades 6-12, with adaptations for grades K-5) 2009 Inaugural Events (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan4>

Students will learn about the various activities and events scheduled in the days leading up to and during the inauguration of Barack Obama. (Grades 6-12, with adaptations for grades K-5)

LIVING HISTORY Beyond the Inauguration (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan5>
Use these activities to extend learning beyond the presidential inauguration.

An Interview with Lincoln (Grades 6-12)
The First 100 Days (Grades 6-12)

RECOMMENDED READING Reading List (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/readinglist>

Use these resources to start or supplement your school or classroom library. Titles are provided for early elementary, late elementary, middle school and high school students.

I would add some art, poetry ( cinquains and diamantes)    science.. using weather as a constant,
and some databases to research the weather as well. Can they make videos.. they can also blog on this site.
Bonnie Bracey Sutton