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All the questions about " Good Models of Teaching with Technology " that have been answered are listed below. To search for specific questions, enter one or more search terms. There are 100 questions currently posted in the database that match this query. Displaying question 1 through 100 Question: Expert's Update Keeping in Touch with Alumni Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : alumni, email, graduates, collecting information, addresses Answer : As students leave their pre-college education and head on to college or careers, be sure to collect as many email addresses as you can. It's also a good idea to make sure that graduates have the email addresses of school personnel as well.For those who are going to college, you'll probably have to wait until the fall to get college addresses. Keep in mind that generally college addresses won't work after students graduate from college, but if you keep in touch throughout a student's college years, you'll be more likely to be updated about changes in email addresses. I've found that there's no better way to keep in touch with graduates than through email. You can send group or individual letters to graduates. Your notes might ask for updates about majors and activities, careers and families, ideas about how their high school courses might be improved, etc. You might tell them about what's happening at their high school or just send a friendly hello saying you are thinking of them. You'll find that graduates will appreciate your interest in them and many will give excellent suggestions about what they appreciated or didn't care for during their high school years. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Understanding What Teachers Don't Know About Technology Use Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : teachers, knowledge, inservice, servers, paperless Answer : I think that many administrators, like me, who use computers all the time overestimate what their teachers and staff members can do with technology. To be sure, most teachers and staff members can get to the Internet and send email, but are they able to attach a document to email, print part of a web site, cut and paste different documents together, download an image, or total the figures on a spreadsheet? Sounds easy. Your teachers and staff members all know how to do these things, right?This year we've been doing our 10-year Middle States self-evaluation entirely (well, that was the plan) paperless. Staff members and teachers were to get what they needed from a file on one of our servers, copy it to their desktop, complete it with their committee, and then either (1) send it back to me by email or (2) put it in the Completed file folder on the server. I thought everyone knew how to do this, and of course, some did. I offered to help anyone who needed it, but the problem was that those who needed help didn't know that they needed it. They assumed they knew how to follow the instructions, and so did I. As the year progressed, our Paperless Path helped me assess teacher and staff knowledge of at least some parts of tech use. I helped me and our tech staff fill in gaps in our inservice education. Finding the evaluation materials on the servers was the first problem. I spent a good deal of time showing people where the servers were and how beyond doing the evaluation, they could use the servers. I was certainly surprised at how many didn't know how to attach a file to email. A number had never sent a file by email. Documents that were completed were wiped out when some saved files from the servers to their computer and then loaded them back onto the server without changing the name of a general file. For example, I had a document called "Teacherform.doc," which they were supposed to download and complete on their computer. My instructions said to change the name of the file to their name (i.e. jones.doc) before they worked on it. Some people completed their work and loaded the files to the Completed folder as teacherform.doc, therefore eliminating someone's else work or my form. Although all seemed to know how to change file names, a number still didn't remember to do so, even one of our most technologically advanced staff members. To solve this problem, I changed the rules of our Paperless Path, and asked everyone to email me completed documents. That way I could deal with multiple teacherform.docs, curriculararea.docs, etc. as I changed the names myself. Probably what surprised me most was that some of our committee chairmen didn't know how to cut and paste material from what their committee members sent them into a final document. Although all were adept at word processing of their own documents, getting documents by email and then pasting parts of them into a completed form was not something some felt comfortable doing. To ease the problems in this area, the tech teachers and I helped out with individual instruction. Even so, I received several committee reports that came in multiple parts. These I put together like a puzzle on my own. All in all the year has been good for us because we've all learned together and had a good time helping each other. Our "Paperless" self study has brought our staff and teachers along in computer-related skills and has let our tech staff know where there are gaps in knowledge of use of technologies. The moral here is: Even if your school has excellent technology resources and you feel your teachers are using these resources wisely, don't be so sure. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update The Phone PDAs - Are they a good buy for school administrators? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : telephone, PDA, Pocket PC, Treo, administrator, Palm Answer : As a school administrator, I'm always looking for better ways to help with organization and keeping in touch. When I spotted information about PDAs and Pocket PCs that included a mobile phone, organizer, camera, and the ability to get on the Internet and to my email, I thought this was the device for me. I checked with my techie son who has just about every device possible, and he said, "Mom, you'll want to try one out first to make sure the phone works well in your area."He was right. When I went online to find more information about the device I thought was best, I read that it didn't include service for the phone company that has the most comprehensive coverage in my area. I contacted my phone company and was told that it would be coming out with service for the Palm Treo 600 (my selected device) soon, but in the meantime the company representative suggested I look into another phone, which would do much of the same. Techie son, however, advised against the other device and told Mom that the wait for the Treo would be wise. These types of devices do look promising even though they cost about $500 at this time (June '04). I've got my name on an email to be notified when the Treo 600 or later model will be available with my phone service. Administrators will want to have the same phone service that is carried by their schools. Surely these devices will come down in price eventually. I see them as a wonderful way of keeping in touch with faculty, staff, and parents. You won't need to be at your computer and you won't need to lug around your laptop. And you can get your phone calls, too. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update End of the Year Digital Camera Ideas Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : digital cameras, photos, projects, teacher ideas Answer : Digital cameras are a real plus for classrooms at the end of the school year. Think about the wonderful pictures that can be taken at graduation, athletic events, end-of-the-year parties and field trips, field days, and everyday in the classroom.Middle and high schools students will enjoy taking, printing, and sending photographs of friends and teachers. Group shots at picnics and shots when posing in the classroom create wonderful memories for teachers, students, and parents. Primary and elementary teachers may want to print a class shot or print individual shots to send home with the children as gifts for parents. Photos of the class also make wonderful additions or illustrations to thank you notes you may want to send. Parents like nothing better than a photo of their children. Think about giving each parent a photo of the class or their child with the accompanying note, "It's been a wonderful year!" If you have photo-editing software, you can create a photo collage, integrate text into photos, etc. With desktop publishing software, you can use photos for creating cards, letterheads, posters, etc. You might want to make your end-of-the-year pictures into a book using software such as Apple's iPhoto. Once you've created the book on your computer, you can save it as a pdf and then print it. You can also send your book by email to Apple and have it printed for you. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Buying and Selling Textbooks Online Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : textbooks, buying, selling, online, Virtual School Stores Answer : At independent and parochial schools where students purchase their own textbooks, much of the text sales have moved online. Virtual bookstores have been created for schools, and parents link directly to the online store to order texts.Companies like MBSDirect ( http://www.mbsdirect.net/ ) let parents order books online, and by phone, mail, and fax. Online is the most popular ordering method, for parents and students can link to their school's virtual store and learn what books are required for which courses. At these sites parents can buy books, sell used books, and track purchases. The system makes it easier on both parents and schools and takes schools out of the problems of ordering textbooks each year for students to purchase. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Where are we heading with textbooks? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : textbooks, digital, backpacks, Warlick, access Answer : There's a very good article in the May 2004 issue of Technology & Learning Magazine that focuses upon the textbooks and the future. Author David Warlick, a writer and web developer from North Carolina, says that textbook companies and educators, as well, will need to be "retooling for a new century."As a school administrator, I can see the value of the evolution to digital textbooks. Think of all those kids lugging about backbreaking backpacks filled with expensive textbooks. Think of all those kids who forget to take textbooks home when they need them for homework and studying for tests. Think of how quickly some of our textbooks become outdated. Think of how much more interesting an interactive textbook might be. Think of how digital textbooks could be used for group projects and to help students learn how to use sources effectively. Think of the ease of finding information in a digital textbook. Think of how digital texts could help students with learning problems. Think of how teachers might be innovative with textbooks so that the textbooks really fit their courses. It all sounds wonderful, of course. But if we are going to go to digital textbooks, all students will need some sort of access to them both at home and at school. Will this be through computers, tablet PCs, or personal digital devices? How will we make sure access is universal? Will we use digital textbooks just like we do today's print texts? Answered by : Question: Expert Update: Classic Software Titles Get Facelift Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : software, technology integration Answer : Some of the most classic software titles are getting facelifts that you may want to check out. Kidspiration is now out in a Version 2 edition. Try a demo and see what's new at http://www.inspiration.com . Kid Pix Studio is about to launch Version 4. Check that out at http://www.riverdeep.net. Even that old classic Print Shop is out in a updated mode in The Print Shop Deluxe 15 EEV (Enhanced Educator Version) to also be checked out on the Riverdeep site.Answered by : Question: Expert Update - Great Resource for Teaching with Technology Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : technology, technology integration, technology resources Answer : No matter if you are a beginner just starting out with trying to make better use of technology in your classroom or an expert leading the charge, one column you need to read every week is Teaching with Technology by Jim Lengel on the Power to Learn site at http://www.powertolearn.com/articles/teaching_with_technolog/index.shtmlRecent topics include: Notecards, Technology Terminology, and How to Add Video to your Web Site Answered by : Question: Expert Update: Teaching about Misinformation on the Web Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : misinformation, internet safety Answer : What's the most dangerous thing your students could encounter on the Internet? It's not what you think - it's actually misinformation! To create truly web savvy students think about teaching a short exercise on misinformation and how to recognize it. To help prove your point let your students take a look at a few spoof sites and see if they can tell if they are hoaxes. Our favorites are :Operation Green Cheese Did our astronauts really land on the moon or was it a Hollywood production? This site is one of several that promotes the idea that the lunar landing never happened and can help kids understand how a hoax site can appear to be real. http://www.vermilion-sands.com/rantlib/greencheese.html Buy Dehydrated Water You'll love this one, and if you didn't know it was a hoax, you might wonder if there was such a thing. This site is misinformation in its most exaggerated form, but it gives kids an idea of how false information can appear valid online. http://www.buydehydratedwater.com After you've looked at them have you students come up with a list of what they should be looking for to try to judge whether the information on a site is valid or not. Here are a couple of other sites of interest that can help you come up with a good list: Kids Selection Criteria How can kids tell if a site is one they'll find valuable and if it contains information they can trust? Kids Selection Criteria lists what your and your students should look for when it comes to design, ease of use, content, and credibility. http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/tnl/detectives/kids/selection.html Using the Internet for School Reports This feature from the Boston Public Library gives a list of eight questions students should ask themselves about sites they visit. If a site doesn't meet the criteria, it's probably not a good one to use for lesson plans or homework assingments-or to use at all. http://www.bpl.org/KIDS/Evaluate.htm Answered by : Question: Expert Update - Homework Starter Sites Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : homework, technology, internet Answer : Recently Merle and I were asked for a list of our favorite homework help sites to offer to parents and students. This is what we suggested:The American Library Association's Great Web Sites On everyone's best site list, the American Library Association's Great Web Sites features Internet locations for information on animals, literature and languages, the arts, sciences, history and biography, mathematics and computers, social sciences, and reference. http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/amazing.html Power to Learn All over the Power to Learn site, you'll find links to great homework help ideas. Whether your kids need to write a book report, make a poster, find a map, organize their work on the computer, there's help at Power to Learn. http://www.powertolearn.com/articles/computers_and_homework/index.shtml National Geographic Need maps or information about locations throughout the world, animals, nature, photography, travel, or explorations ? you'll find what you want at National Geographic. There's a Kids section, too, for the younger world explorers. http://www.nationalgeographic.com Smithsonian Just about anything your kids need to know can be found at one of the Smithsonian museums. Think about what they'll find when visiting the American History Museum, the National Zoo, the American Indian Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the African Art Museum, and the National History Museum. It just goes on and on! http://www.si.edu NASA Always the site to head to for information on air and space flight, facts on the planets, stars and space, NASA includes places for kids, students, and educators. Sign up to receive NASA news, and you and your children will be linking back to NASA to be treated to the latest news from space. http://www.nasa.gov Atlapedia Online Your children will find loads of information about countries and lots of physical and political maps on this site. There are, in addition, homework resources for teachers and kids. http://www.atlapedia.com How Stuff Works Want to know how something-anything works? This site is the place to go. Find out how electric lights, cell phones, car engines-you name it-work. http://www.howstuffworks.com How to Write a Book Report For kids in Grades 3-8, here's an interactive guide to assist them with writing the "dreaded" book report. Kids can download outlines to help them with their note-taking, writing, and organization of their thoughts. http://www.childsoftpress.com/ididit/CODE/book_report_000.html Fact Monster It's the Fact Monster's job to give facts on just about everything-news, the world, the U.S., people, words, math, science, sports, games, and homework. Features include This Day in History, Analogy of the Day, Word Quiz and more. http://www.factmonster.com Answered by : Question: Expert Update - Resolving to get up to speed with technology Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : technology, technology integration, computers Answer : It's time for reflection on where we are in the school year and how to make the next school year even better. Even with budget cuts rearing their ugly heads, there is one sure-fire way to beat them, especially when it comes to technology - learn to use what you already have even better!A recent study by a business education professor estimated that there are over 1000 special features in Microsoft Wordthat could be useful to teachers and students on a regular, if not daily, basis. But when he took a poll of how many of those features the average teacher uses, he discovered that it was only 11. Think about it. That's only about 1% of the power that a program like Word puts at your fingertips. That's like using only 1% of your brain! So how can you learn to use the programs you already have access to both to better what you are doing in the classroom and take the hassle out of everyday and administrative tasks? Here are a couple of ideas: Pick a project to do on your computer or with a digital device. Something you've said you like to try, but just haven't had the time or the courage to do just yet. Maybe it's something as simple as putting your worksheets in your word processor, organizing and designing all the materials for a classroom center in your computer, or learning how to use a particular piece of software that you thought might be useful but you just haven't been able to get to. Maybe it's time to not only take pictures with the classroom digital camera but learn to use them to make a class newsletter, help kids use them to motivate their writing, or do a community service project. Whatever it is, now is the time to make time. Carve it out and get going. Make your objectives small enough to accomplish so you get juiced by your new knowledge and really put them to use. You don't need to become an expert - just comfortable enough with the technology so it becomes something you can replicate whenever you want to use it. Check out the Workshop Book Series from Tom Snyder Productions. Written by Janet Caughlin, an enthusiastic, savvy and experienced classroom teacher from Nebraska, this series takes software titles that most teachers have access to and adds step-by-step instructions. Besides being good for learning how to use the programs to do daily tasks, Janet adds very practical lesson ideas for actually putting the software to work in your curriculum. And its not just words and loads of screenshots to lead you through everything from the basics to more advanced uses of these titles. There's also a CD-ROM included filled with clip art and actual examples and templates of teacher and student projects that you can adapt and use today in your classroom. Software titles that enjoy this treatment include Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, TimeLiner (a classic Tom Snyder program for making timelines and more) and AppleWorks. Each book is $35 for a single copy, but they are worth every penny in the time and effort they will save you in really learning how to use your computer. The newest arrival in the series is Handhelds for Teachers and Administrators. It reviews how to use your handheld's built-in programs and includes a CD-ROM with 70 more software applications for the devices including drawing programs, a gradebook, a calculator that operates in Roman numerals, a musical note pad and even a people counter. There are also many teacher written/tested lesson ideas. For more information on any or all of these titles check out the Tom Snyder web site or call 1-800-342-0236 Answered by : Question: Expert Update - Trade Secrets for Getting Students to do Better Homework with Computers Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : homework, technology, computers, assignments Answer : Here are some "trade secrets" for getting your students to use their home computers sensibly and profitably for homework:When you send an assignment home, brainstorm with your students about how they can get at the information they need with the help of the computer. For example, no matter what the research topic is, talk about how to find the best keywords to use for researching it. Sources might include parents, other family members, friends, librarians, as well as encyclopedias, print and online. Remind students it is better to read through one good general Internet site and get a background on the subject under study than to find 20 sites and not learn much from any of them because they don't take the time to really look at the information there. Talk about what the end product of the project has to be like. Does everyone's have to be the same or done in a traditional format? Or could a report be done like a newspaper or magazine or something with a multimedia component? Also discuss how the computer could help with any of these versions. Remind students that they may need to find the right tools for the job including software tools, clip art, printer cartridges, and the right paper if it is going to be printed out. Of course, the number one cardinal rule for homework on the computer is that any and all writing - from brainstorming to notes from sources (both print and online) to rough and final drafts - is all done on the computer. That makes all projects easy to keep track of, add to or subtract from, and produce the final version on time. Got some students who want to try something new for a project? For everything from inserting digital pictures into a Word document to producing a short movie, make sure these students set enough time aside to learn any new software, gadget, or Internet component. One thing about adding technology that your students should be aware of -- it sometimes means that you have to plan ahead. Putting a project together with a technology component the night before it is due is just asking for trouble. Make sure they add time to learn any new software application and if possible, find themselves a mentor or coach who knows the software and can answer questions as they go along. Keep it simple. The computer offers lots of possibilities to kids - different fonts, lots of sources, loads of pictures and more. Help them remember to keep it simple. For example, no more than two fonts on a paper or a poster is better than something glitzy. Using just a few Internet sites well - reading and digesting what is there - rather than using 20 and just skimming the surface, is the preferable way to go. One picture still can still say a1000 words even if 50 are available. Help kids learn to make choices amid the vast number of possibilities. Expect more. These days it isn't that hard to find the information students need for a report. Ask questions that help students go the next step beyond just reporting the facts. Ask then to compare, contrast, analyze and hypothesize about what they have found. Answered by : Question: Finding Answers Online Expert's Update Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : web site, answers, searches, experts Answer : While there's lots on the Internet, your students can't expect to find quick answers to everything. People who are used to searching online, know that searches for information can be exasperating.For kids who haven't been taught how to search efficiently for information, the problems can be even greater. Many use global searching methods when they should be going to sites recommended by teachers. Some see the Internet as the place to get quick answers for their assignments. One sixth grader, for example, sent me this question: "Where do I go online, put in my questions, and get answers for my homework?" "Probably nowhere," should have been my answer, for I thought this kid wanted the Internet to do his or her homework. I did reply, however that there are some sites where you can ask your questions and get answers, and there are other sites where you can easily find the answers to your questions. Of course, most kids don't know where these sites are and instead head to Google and such. I did warn the student that questions sent to experts who answer questions online, aren't generally answered immediately and sometimes, not at all. Students, even if they know where to find experts online, can't count upon going to an expert and getting an answer for tomorrow's homework. As for what sites to recommend, the answer will depend upon the type of question or assignment. Ask Jeeves for Kids ( http://www.ajkids.com ) and Yahooligans (http://www.yahooligans.com ) are good general information sites, while museum, geography, history, biography, zoo, math, and government sites are helpful for specific content. As for asking questions of experts, the National Science Foundation has a page ( http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nstw/kids/links.htm ) that links to sites that offer help from experts. Some of these include Ask Dr. Math, Ask Shamu, Ask a Geologist, etc. Another site that is good for getting answers is How Stuff Works ( http://www.howstuffworks.com ). Answered by : Question: Expert Update : Video to Go Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : video, integrating technology, digital images, teacher resource Answer : Integrating video into your lesson and learning experiences is considerably easier when the video is organized, documented, easy to access and correlated to the curriculum. Two services, DigitalCurriculum.com and unitedstreaming , stand out as excellent tools that do just that.DigitalCurriculum.com (AIMS Multimedia) is an comprehensive collection of 2,000 full length videos, 8,000 shorter focus segments called Key Concepts, 5,000 digital images, and numerous online quizzes correlated to 43 state and national curriculum standards and available 24/7. The videos can be streamed for immediate use or downloaded for later use. You can search the collection by keyword, by curriculum area, by MARC (machine-readable cataloging) record data and by grade level. You can also search using your state or national standards, getting right down to a specific benchmark or standard. If you see a resource you would like to use, you can create an interactive lesson, activity, or even a quiz where a video clip can re-teach a concept or content if the student answers the question incorrectly. All the media resources are also available to be utilized in student or teachers presentations and projects without copyright concerns -- with two conditions: 1) you have to be a DigitalCurriculum.com subscriber and 2) only other subscribers can view the content. (That's fine most of the time, but if your school enters a lot of contests you may want to rethink this.) Each resource you use is also annotated with bibliographic information. unitedstreaming from United Learning has a very large selection of video on demand including 2,220 full length videos and 22,000 clips. Many of the videos are from very well respected sources including Sunburst, Slim Goodbody, Discovery School and Standard Deviants. There are also 1700 still images to pick from also. You can search the collection by keyword, subject area, curriculum standards, new releases, grade level, and combinations of these and numerous other criteria. Many state standards are correlated as well and you can get down, in many cases, to very specific standards. Once you select the video you are looking for you can select the media format - QuickTime or Windows Media which work on both Windows and Macintosh machines as long as you have the right plug-ins. You may even find that for what you have chosen there are already blackline masters and teachers' guides in PDF format that can be downloaded as well. One immediately useful feature of the unitedstreaming is the Calendar located in the Learning Resources section of the site. Here you can get interesting video content relevant to special issues and events throughout the year without even searching. What an easy way to make use of some of the best of what technology has to offer a part of your classroom every day! Make sure to also check out the Quiz Center for creating quizzes with videos. Information on fair use and citation are also included and should be surveyed. There are also a lot of help features, including a monthly online newsletter full of tips for novices and veterans alike, all of which make unitedstreaming a pleasure to learn and use. Both of these sites provide a 30 trial license on the Web site. Check them and see how your content needs and curriculum match up. They both cost around $995 for a site license, about the same as what you school library pays for many other kinds of online subscriptions. Check out the web sites of the companies for more details. Answered by : Question: Expert Update : Scholastic.com offers Downloads2GO Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : children's software, technology integration Answer : If you haven't had a chance to check out the web site of Scholastic ( http://www.scholastic.com ), the educational publisher, you'll be pleasantly surprised. There are a lot of practical resources there for parents and teachers alike and now there's even more reason to check it out. Scholastic.com is now offering a new way for teachers and families to preview enjoy and purchase top-selling children's software via the Internet with a new service called "Downloads2Go ". This portion of the Scholastic site offers one-hour free trials of top selling CD-ROMS and "narrowband" children's software, as well as providing teachers and families with a fast, easy and more convenient way to purchase popular titles without needing an actual CD-ROM.Over 35 best-loved children's CD-ROMS and narrowband games from Scholastic such as I SPY Fantasy, Math Missions: The Race to Spectacle City Arcade, and Clifford Phonics as well as popular software from other leading edutainment providers including Star Wars Droidworks, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Zoombinis Logical Journey, Marble Blaster, Atari Classic Arcade, Civilization 3 and Freddi Fish are all available on the site. With one mouse-click kids, parents and teachers can download a free trial version of the game of their choice. After one hour of free play, the opportunity to purchase the software by downloading it directly from the site is offered. It's a great way to find out if the software is what you are looking for and other quality broadband and narrowband games are promised to be added to the initial selection. To try the CD-ROM games via the Scholastic.com "Downloads2Go" site, you'll need a high-speed broadband Internet connection, 256 kbps (kilobits per second) or faster, such as provided by DSL or cable modems. For narrowband games, a 56K dial-up modem connection is needed. Additional requirements (such as free hard drive memory) vary from game to game. Individual product pages provide game requirements. Macintosh operating systems are currently not compatible with Digital Downloads. Answered by : Question: Expert Update : Teachers Not Comfortable Using Classroom Technology According to New Survey Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : technology integration, classroom technology, survey Answer : Almost 75 percent of teachers consider their comfort level with technology as novice to medium, according to a new survey of teachers conducted by the JASON Foundation for Education at the annual Texas Instruments' T3 conference. These results, released during national Excellence in Science, Technology, Mathematics Education (ESTME) Week(March 15-19,2004), highlight how teachers still have a long way before they can effectively implement technology in their classrooms.Although a small number of teachers say they have limited knowledge of technology, 98.9 percent of the participating teachers still believe computers and other technologies improve student achievement. Only 20.9 percent of teachers use computers to teach in their classrooms, demonstrating the large gap between proficient teacher training and actual classroom application. The survey also found: 75.9 percent of teachers believe they knew more about computers and other technologies than their colleagues. 97.6 percent of teachers want to learn how to better integrate computers and other technologies in their classroom. 36.5 percent of teachers use technology in their classroom four to five days a week. 31 percent of teachers say the majority of their students know more about computers than themselves. For more inforamtion about the survey or the JASON Foundation see their web site at www.jason.org Answered by : Question: Expert's Update What's a BLOG? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : blog, discussion boards, Web, communication, logs Answer : Blogs are short for web logs and are similar to discussion boards and news groups in which people can discuss areas of interest to them. Professor Jim Lengel of the College of Communication, Boston University, likens them to Letters to the Editor in newspapers except, he says, "[T]here's no editor to contol what gets posted."There are many different kinds of Blogs, and some of them target education and specific issues in education. Keep in mind, however, that, like the content on discussion boards, in newsgroups, and the information you get in chat sessions, the quality of the content cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, it's best to consider Blogs and communication of this type, as you do many sources of information you receive from the Web. Always think about where the information is coming from, how current the information is, and if the supplier of the information has an agenda to promote. Blogs, newsgroups, and discussion boards can, however, be be excellent sources of information. You just have to check around the Web for ones that are appropriate to your interests. A search with the keywords "blog" and "education" or your specific area of education should result in some interesting options for you. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Keeping School Computers and Computer Systems Safe Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : security, tracking, inventories, firewalls, encryption Answer : At NECC 2003, I talked with a representative from Absolute, a company that specializes in computer protection for businesses and schools. The products this company offers are not for individual use, but instead are targeted to large companies, colleges and universities, and school districts.What's unique about the software is that it not only protects the computers while employees are at work, but if a computer is taken home, that computer will be safe outside the school or company buildings. In addition, if a computer is stolen or misplaced, Absolute, with a program called Computrace, can track and retrieve the missing Macintosh and PC computer. With more and more computers coming into schools these days, watching over all these computers can be a very big problem. It is difficult for school systems to cover needs such as encryption of information that is private, inventories of all technology equipment, firewalls beyond school buildings, tracking of lost or stolen equipment, and all the other needs related to the security of computer files and systems. School systems looking for help with security should check for information on the Absolute site, http://www.abolsute.com. Answered by : Question: Expert Update - Helping Parents Buy a New Computer Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : computers, parents Answer : If you are like most of us, parents are always asking about how and what to buy when it comes to technology.So here's a tip for getting some commercial free help if a parent is thinking about buying a new computer for a young student: Check out a college web site like Hamilton College's ( http://www.hamilton.edu/college/its/getting_started/buying_a_computer.html ) for the exact kinds of specifications that are being required on college campuses these days. Hamilton's site is a good one because it is very clear about exactly what kind of computer configuration - either Windows or Macintosh - you should be thinking about buying and has an extensive Q. and A. about computers and how they are used on campus. It is also free of any commercial hype about what machine or system is better - it just states the facts.And by the way, remind parents that if they still have an old computer in working order and have some space, they might want to think about keeping it. That way one family member can use a new or newer computer to be online or do tasks that require more memory or hard drive space, while another can use the old one for simpler and less memory intensive tasks like word processing. Answered by : Question: I am so sick of bad Power Point presentations. Teachers seem to think if they are using a PowerPoint presentation to give a talk then they know everything there is to know about technology. Is there any way to ease people along the path of technology integration? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : power point, technology integration Answer : PowerPoint has some to represent in some ways the best and worst in technology integration in our schools. A really effective PowerPoint presentation can be a valuable lecture or information delivery tool for teachers or an effective way to present a student project. But it takes some skill to learn how to put one of those together. Too many people in both business and education use PowerPoint as a crutch rather than helping them organize the information or message they want to deliver in an effective , brief, and highly palatable way. ( For a humorous look at this dilemma take a look at the Gettysburg Power Point Presentation at http://www.norvig.com/Gettysburg/making.html to see what Abraham Lincoln might have done if he had used PowerPoint to deliver the Gettysburg Address.)As far as moving people along the path of technology integration, I can only suggest that you try to enlist you Intructional Technology department in the effort of offering workshops on PowerPoint and other applications so that instructors can move beyond just using the barebones of what these tools have to offer in the battle for better delivery of instruction. Good luck! Answered by : Question: Expert Update - The National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : computers, conferences,technology integration Answer : Looking to find out more about technology? Want to see the latest in software, hardware and Internet applications? Want to meet others who have similar interests or responsibilities when it comes to technology at school? You may want to think about attending this year's National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in New Orleans, Louisiana sponsored by the Internation Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). It is going to be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on June 20-23, 2004.Hundreds of vendors will be there to show off the latest in technology while thousands of participants will be on hand to wander among the booths as well as attend hundreds of valuable sessions.Whether you are a beginner or an old hand with technology, there is something for everyone at NECC. Answered by : Question: The recent initiative in Maine to provide laptop computers to all seventh graders and their teachers has left a number of teachers wondering how best to integrate this new resource into their classrooms and lesson plans. Can you offer some suggestions about innovative ways laptops might be used to improve teaching and learning at the middle school level? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : Answer : Seventh graders and laptops can be a dynamic combination. All you have to do is mix traditional curricular content with the tools of technology while carefully blending in the skill and energy levels of these students. Easier said than done, right? You've heard people say that tech will save you time. But that's after things get going. Before you can transform your classroom to take advantage of laptop learning, you'll need to be well prepared. Think standards for use and how you're going to enforce them, think how laptop computers can fit neatly into your lesson ideas, and think classroom arrangement/management. (For ideas on management of a laptop classroom, check the National Science Teachers Association site ( http://www.nsta.org/programs/laptop/teach/mgmt.htm ) or browse the December 2002/January 2003 issue of "Classroom Connect.")Once your students know what's expected, it's time to put them to work. English/language arts teachers may want to start students with a simple word processing assignment, perhaps a paperless essay. This is an essay that is written and edited by students on their laptops and sent directly to your laptop for suggestions or grading. Math teachers may direct students to sites that are designed to go along with their textbooks, while science teachers may want to get their students involved in collaborative learning projects such as those at the Global Schoolhouse ( http://www.gsh.org ). Art teachers might plan a crazy lesson featuring the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Just for Fun" ( http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/justforfun.asp ). Do keep in mind, however, that laptops aren't just for heading to the Internet. There's so much?presentations, newspapers, cartoons, illustrated stories, web pages, craft projects, graphic art, posters, book reports, science lab reports, graphs, spreadsheets, databases-- you can do with software packages such as "Microsoft Office" and "AppleWorks," especially when you add paint and photo-editing programs to your laptops. One of the best projects I've seen recently was in a seventh grade American history classroom. Students, with guidance from their teacher, created a web-based catalog of products that were available in colonial times. The teacher divided the class into partnerships that were challenged to find information for catalog divisions such as clothing (men's and women's, dress outfits, work clothes, winter clothes, children's clothing, and so on), furniture, building materials, foods, animals, farm supplies, weapons, tools, etc. Each partnership was given "starter sites" to begin the research. The students were, in addition, given instructions about exactly what information was needed for items that would be placed in the catalog. Each entry had to include a description, a drawing, a price, and ordering information. The ordering information was actually the source citation. After item entries were collected and checked by the students and their teacher, the groups took on web design for their online catalog. Throughout the project, the seventh graders were eager to work on their assigned parts of the catalog, not only in class but also before and after school. They learned lots about colonial life and also practiced skills of research, writing, editing, calculation, and design. When they were finished, the Colonial Catalog was available for browsing by parents, students, and friends. No orders were accepted, however. As the teacher explained, "Our stock room wasn't quite ready, and neither was our secure ordering system." Answered by : Question: Expert Update - Rules for Fair Use by Students Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : fair use,plagiarism,research, electronic sources Answer : Everything on the Internet isn't just free for the taking. The recent spate of lawsuits against kids who downloaded and shared music online has awoken many people, including kids, to this fact. But now the trickier question is what can you and your students legally copy directly off the Internet, and more importantly, under what circumstances can you use that media? All of this falls under a complex legal concept called "Fair Use" that we all need to understand better. To get you started here's a set of rules of thumb for your students.1. Fair Use means that you do have the right to copy copyrighted materials as long is your copying is done for a limited and "transformative" purpose such as to comment upon, criticize or parody a copyrighted work. Students and teachers have some of the greatest leeway in copying copyrighted materials as long they as they can show that the copying was done for an educational purpose and will not be used for profit in any way. 2. Keep what you copy brief - try to limit yourself to a few lines or a paragraph or two at the most. 3. Don't copy large quantities of information unless you are copying something like a newspaper or magazine article or a single chapter of a book to use as an exhibit or appendix for a report. 4. Always credit the source 5. Find out if the author of a work (e.g., video, audio, graphic, song) provides information on how to use his or her work. If explicit guidelines exist, follow them. 6. If you need to take large quantities of some kind of material - more than 10% of a video or book for example- ask the owner of the copyright for permission. Keep a copy of your request for permission and the permission received. 7. If you make a copy from an electronic source, such as the Internet, for your personal use, it is likely to be seen as fair use. However, if you make a copy and put it on your personal Web site, it less likely to be considered fair use. Answered by : Question: Expert Update - The CAST eReader Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : text-to-speech, dyslexia, Answer : Some word processors - various versions of Microsoft Word for example - have the ability to read back to you what have written. In computer parlance, this is called text-to-speech. For people with a variety of reading issues, this facility can give them a chance to hear exactly what they have written and promotes better communication skills. But trying to extend this capability to read documents from other sources, Web site text, or research data, for example, can mean a series of tedious copying, cutting, and pasting maneuvers on the computer. And even when these maneuvers are executed correctly, there is no guarantee that things will work when dealing with different kinds of computer files in a variety of formats. Worse yet, for struggling young readers, with short attention spans, this kind of file juggling just doesn't cut it.Now the people at CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) are offering a new version of their eReader software that offers text-to-speech with a greatly improved user interface. Not only can a struggling young reader/writer type what they want to express and hear it read back to them but they also can easily access all kinds of other text, too. In the browser window of eReader, for example, a young researcher can open a Web site, highlight a portion of the text to be read - a single word, a sentence, a paragraph or longer selection and hear it read back to them clearly and distinctly. Even better they can open two or more other windows to reference other additional documents at the same time or take advantage of "drag and drop" note taking. This gives struggling readers a chance to not only take advantage of what the Web has to offer, but also the ability to independently manipulate text, hear what they have captured, add their own thoughts to their notes and then hear the whole compilation read back to them. eReader now also supports RTF files (that means that most any file from any application can be read), HTML files (which covers text on the Internet) and DAISY 2.02 files (which are digital talking books, which use human voices on MP3 files). In short, what all this technical jargon means is that most anything you have on your computer or get from the Web, the eReader can read out loud. eReader is the first tool of its kind to be able to use both synthetic speech and natural voice to navigate the wide range of digital materials now available online and on CD. It also provides a less expensive alternative to the WYNN and Kurzweil 3000 text-to speech readers. CAST, the developer of eReader, is also well known for developing and introducing the concept of Universal Design for Learning. Universal Design for Learning is a framework for teaching, learning and assessment, drawing on new brain research and new media technologies, to respond to individual learner differences. eReader, orginally named Ultimate Reader, was introduced in 1996 and is presently used by over 80,000 students and adults to support reading as well as assist in research performed on the Internet. To learn more about the activities of CAST, as well as try a 30-day demo of eReader, visit their web site at http://www.cast.org/ The eReader costs $229 for a single user but school pricing options are available. Answered by : Question: Expert Update : Bilingual Games for Elementary Students Online Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : bilingual, games, online games, elementary Answer : There have been games online for kids since the Internet swept into the classroom, but unless you've looked lately, you might be surprised at how much they have improved. Such is the case with a new set of bilingual games (English and Spanish) from Scholastic called Maggie's Earth Adventure Games at http://www.scholastic.com/maggie . If nothing else they demonstrate where the future of the online delivery of educational content is going.Maggie's Earth Adventure Games are fast paced. The animations are clever, well executed, colorful and are delivered using Flash, a very basic browser plug-in (i.e. Explorer, Safari or Netscape) that's probably already installed on all but the oldest of your school computers. While the games are of the drill and practice variety, they do drill things like math skills, homophones, and parts of speech that all really need a certain amount of repetition for retention. And here's a sampling: Clean Up Your Grammar - Students recycle the trash that washes up on the shore by clicking and dragging nouns and verbs into their correct recycling bin. If they make a mistake, trash is strewn back on the beach. Short Circuit - This reminds me of an old science project I did where I designed a game board where two item that matched were wired together and when I touched metal alligator clips with wires attached to the matching items they completed a circuit and a light bulb went on. (Ah the days before electronics!) Now that 's all done on screen. Kids get to click over the switches of the two items that want to match and voila a circuit is made. But really the best part of this activity is that they match up prefixes and suffixes to their meanings. A great way to build vocabulary and, dare we say it, get ready for the SATs. Around the World in 80 Seconds - Students solve addition, subtraction , multiplication and division problems at varying levels of difficulty. Get the correct answer and the pilot flies on to the next destination as the word turns. Besides showing great design and drilling topics that need to be drilled, the games come in various levels to entice users to come back and test their skills again. They are also available in both Spanish and English and simple enough that besides being used for bilingual (ESL) instruction, they could also be used for beginning Spanish language classes. A teacher's guide is also available online. While visiting Maggie's Earth Adventures Games also be sure to take a look at all the other great tools and information Scholastic has for free for teaching professionals at http://www,scholastic.com. Answered by : Question: Expert Update - The Computer and the Magic of the Do Over Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : book reports, research papers, technology integration Answer : Ever heard of a "magic slate"? When I was young it was a popular and inexpensive toy. You could write or draw on it with a pointed stick and then pull up the thin sheet of plastic that covered the writing/drawing surface. Everything would "magically" disappear. No crumpled papers. No mess. Just a clean slate so you could start over. The endless bliss of the "do over".When it comes to today's students, the computer is a much-improved magic slate. Kids can type in their ideas, questions, thoughts and even add pictures or their own drawings as they are pondering or brainstorming information. Thanks to the versatility of Copy, Cut and Paste, they can move facts, dates, impressions, data, analysis, and opinions around and try them out in different combinations, conglomerations or affiliations without anything being permanent. They aren't stuck with anything or they can use it all. They can even save different versions of a project or use the Undo and Redo arrows on the menu bar of a program like Microsoft Word to go back and see if they like better what they were thinking a few minutes versus where they are now. Used freely and openly, the computer as magic slate promotes creative thinking as well as logical sequencing. It lessens the eternal problem of writer's block. It makes writing an essay, doing a book report, or putting together a research project less of a burden and more of an art. The trick to all of this is to get your students to computers as soon as you assign a project. For example, if you are going to assign a book report the first step should be to have students type in a pre-outline (see http://www.childsoftpress.com/ididit/CODE/book_report_012.html for an example). They can fill this out on paper, but if they return often to the computer to fill it in as they go, they can keep track of what is going on in the book as they read it. That way when they go to write the book report so much information - characters, plot line, setting, plot twists and their thoughts about the book - will already be at their fingertips. Then, with a little attention to the details of the individual assignment, it is only a matter of adding an introduction, weaving in some connecting material, and offering an opinion or two. With all that copy already on the page even kids with severe writer block can "connect the dots" to get that book report done fast. The same applies to a research paper. When they pick a topic, have them open a new word processing page and type in some questions about that topic they want answers for or are already part of the assignment. Then they are ready to do some research. As they look for information, on line or in books they can type their thoughts and impressions, or copy and paste in quotes, or take some electronic notes by selecting things they want to add and describing them in their own words and adding these to the appropriate category or question on the already opened word processing page. They can also start their bibliography by cataloging every source they visit in an ongoing and expanding bibliography. The "do over" part comes in when they want to move the questions and information around, write their drafts, and gather comments and make corrections. Again everything they will need to put the report together will be organized and at their fingertips. Remember the key to taking advantage of this "magic" is to get your students on the computer as soon as possible. Using the computer this way can also get them to break the bad habit of waiting until the night before an assignment is due to start it and just using the computer as a glorified typewriter to type in the final product. We often wish life offered more "do overs". When it comes to school and the computer, it does, Answered by : Question: Expert Update : Early Reading Software Online Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : reading, early reading, reading software, reading online Answer : A new online early reading program from a company called Headsprout provides four-to-six year old students with the equivalent of a personal reading tutor that they can use at home or at school. Headsprout Early Reading offers a unique adaptive experience for each learner with its patented Generative Learning Technology that immediately adjusts to the child's reading strengths and weaknesses. As the child proceeds through the lessons, the technology continues to adapt to their performance, teaching the material in alternative ways if a child is having difficulty. The colorful, musical, and animated lessons average 20 minutes and are available from any Internet-connected computer (that means Mac or PC) with no special training required for parents or teachers. There are 80 online lessons that start at square one in the reading game assuming no alphabet awareness or computer literacy and work all the way up to reading very simple stories. With this kind of step-by-step approach, children can generally complete the lessons with little or no assistance.While there is nothing earth shatteringly new in the approach this software takes - it looks and plays much like any of the early reading software out on the home and school market - it has been given some significant votes of confidence. The embattled and bankrupt Philadelphia School District, where the program was successfully piloted in 10 of the elementary schools in the 2002-2003 school year, has approved 130 schools to purchase the new programs despite cuts across the board. The program also comes with a money-back guarantee that Kindergartners and 1st Graders will be reading at grade level after completing the 80 lessons according to the program guidelines. If you'd like to evaluate this program for yourself, you can go to http://www.headsprout.com">http://www.headsprout.com and look over the first three lessons or enroll as many of your students in the first 12 lessons for free to try it out. Great uses for this program that immediately come to mind are using it with kids who are frequently absent or who need a little more time working on reading basics. Kids who are ready to jump ahead will also find this a satisfying way to go because the adaptive nature of the program will let them move along at their own pace. For more information on pricing and academic discounts see http://www.headsprout.com">http://www.headsprout.com or call 800- 401-5602 ext. 3 Answered by : Question: Experts Update : Music Downloading - What Should I Tell the Kids? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : music, Internet, music downloading Answer : On one hand, the issue of music downloading is a very simple one. Downloading music off the Internet (with very few special exceptions) that you didn't pay for is illegal. That's the message that you need to reinforce with your students. No matter if "everyone is doing it" or the "record companies and artists are so rich they won't miss just the few songs I took", the bottom line is that it violates copyright law. The music industry is very serious about trying to stamp out piracy, and they have the resources to file thousands of lawsuits. They don't seem to care who they sue - young, old, rich, or poor - so if these students, and others like them, get caught doing it, they can face large fines and even a criminal record.But the issue is also a very complex one. Part of the problem is that technology moves faster than large institutions including the recording industry and the government. In the case of music downloading, MP3 technology (music compression) was developed and off and running before anyone recognized its implications. Sites like Napster (which was eventually shut down by the courts, but recently returned to life as a legal pay-for-play site) sprang up and people began to share (quietly, but illegally and in rapidly increasing numbers) their music collections. When Napster fell, P2P (peer-to-peer) networks (where people download music from other people's personal computers and often open their own hard drives, in turn, to outsiders to reach into and take the musical selections they want) sprang up to take their place. These are the people that the RIAA are after today. Lawmakers and the courts have also been very slow in responding to changes in technology. Copyright laws that worked for protecting books and movies years ago don't always work when applied to new technological developments. There is a lot of confusion in the public and especially among students, who don't tend to worry about these things anyway. That's a big part of the rub in this issue. You'll probably find when you discuss this with your students that they will have an emotional rather than intellectual reaction to the issue. For all of their lives, it has been possible to download "free" music off the Internet, and many think that's the way it should be. They'll have lots of excuses for why they or their friends download free tunes. It's hard for them to imagine what the 2.6 billion songs that are illegally downloaded each month add up to in terms of lost jobs for the thousands and thousands of people whose jobs and lives, are tied to the music industry, even tangentially. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - New Free Booklet on Internet Safety Available Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : internet safety, parents, home connection Answer : We don't hear as much about it in the media these days, but Internet Safety is still very much on the minds of concerned parents. Now a brand new and free booklet called Internet Smarts: Safeguarding Your Children in Cyberspace Misinformation is available from Cablevision , a large cable company in the NY/NJ/CT area at http://www.powertolearn.com. You may want to secure a copy for yourself or direct parents to get one to help answer questions. Additional links to support the booklet are also included on the site.Answered by : Question: What's the scoop on wireless mice? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : wireless, mouse, mice, desktop, security Answer : Not for Schools?Wireless mice are getting rave reviews by people who want to use a regular-sized mouse with a laptop and people who want to get rid of the mouse cable on their desktop. Some of these gadgets, such as the Logitech Cordless Optical Mouse for Notebooks are great for travel and even come with their own traveling case. Microsoft also has its own line of wireless mice, one of which comes in black leather. Because of cost and security, although reports are that wireless mice work much better than they did a few years ago, they are probably not a good idea for schools. It would be one more piece of equipment that teachers have to keep track of. However, if you are looking into a wireless mouse for your home or office computer system, you will probably love the flexibility of being able to use the mouse without the cable. And if you don't like using the pointer devices available on your laptop, a wireless mouse is an excellent idea. You will have to keep them in batteries or charged (as you would with a wireless keyboard), but the word is that the batteries/charges last a long time. One wireless mouse user told us that not all wireless mice are created equally - meaning that some definitely work better than others. This person now has a Microsoft wireless mouse, which he says works quite well. Besides issues of cost (about $40-$70) and possible misplacing of these mice, there are reports that because they are wireless, there may be a security risk of others being able to read your work. That risk, however, is not supposed to be high. Another negative mentioned was that some wireless mice weren't as responsive (especially for playing games) as those on a cable. Answered by : Question: Parents are always concerned about homework. What are some guidelines, including guidelines for use of the computer at home, that I can give them? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : homework, computers, studying, parents, assignments Answer : Homework is often a problem for parents. Difficulties arise as parents ask themselves:* How much help is too much? * What is not enough help? * How can my children be encouraged to complete their homework, check their homework, be responsible about homework, etc.? * How do I really know what homework they have been assigned? * How do I show my child that studying and reading are important even when no written homework has been assigned? * How do I help my child learn how to study for tests? * When should my children use the home computer for their homework? Sometimes parents seek guidance from other parents, school administrators, or teachers. Problems with homework, however, have no simple answers. What works for some students and their parents may cause problems for others. The homework session and the checking of the homework have the potential to become battlegrounds with children and parents resembling opposing armies. There are, of course, children who, from the beginning of their school careers, are conscientious about studies. However, most children must be encouraged to develop effective home study routines. Parents should make use of all available resources to push children toward understanding the necessity of home study. Some methods that work often include: setting expectations regarding home assignments; development of habits concerning home study skills; use of the computer for organization, work, and study; parents and teachers working together to solve the problems; and parent interest, praise, and encouragement. Here are suggestions for parents that may help students develop effective and responsible home study habits: --Start the development of effective home study habits early in a student's school career. It is difficult to change bad home study habits during the later middle and high school years. Even if your children do not have a home assignment, talk with them about what they learned in school that day. Encourage them to bring home books/materials that you can go over/read with them. Set aside times for leisure reading and special projects. --Keep in mind that some very bright students will be able to, especially in the elementary school years, achieve success in school with little or no home study time. Later in their school careers, when they have to make use of home study to keep up, they may not want to, for they haven't developed good habits concerning home study. For these students, encouragement of leisure reading is most important as is enthusiasm for enrichment projects. You will find the computer an especially useful tool for projects that propel your children into academic enrichment. Getting children involved in projects such as: telecommunicating with other children throughout the world, doing reports using a variety of media, creating newspapers or classes or clubs, making data bases of their collections, creating graphics on the computer, etc. will motivate them to move on in the academics and in use of technology. --Work with your children to put a daily schedule on the computer. Children like to make schedules. The schedule should include weekdays and weekend days, times for sleeping, eating, recreation, cleaning up, chores, reading, studying, written homework, parent checking of homework, vacations, etc. Have the children modify, print out, and post the schedules weekly. Check to see that the reading/study/homework times are followed exactly so that home study becomes a habit. --Insist that your children write down and bring home all information from teachers such as: when tests are scheduled, long- term project assignments, reading assignments, and short term written assignments. Often children will only bring home the details of short-term assignments such as, "Page 36, odd-numbered math problems." If your child doesn't seem to be bringing home adequate information on assignments, call or make an appointment with the teacher to check what is required, and if necessary, work together to set up a plan of action. Some teachers check home assignment notebooks and initial that the assignments have been copied correctly. It is then your job to follow-up by requiring your children to show you the initialed page each school day. Email is, in addition, a great way for parents and teachers to keep in touch. --Check your children's home assignment notebook and compare what is written in it to the homework your children are doing. If it is difficult for you to decipher what your children have written in their assignment books, work with them (and, if necessary, ask the teacher for help) on making what they have written in the assignment booklet understandable to you and to them. Some teachers and schools will put assignments on the Internet, but don't depend upon these, for it's often difficult for a teacher to keep up with postings. Keep in mind that all postings may not be up to date. --Schedule a regular time for your children to study and read, along with a regular time for them to have you look at their homework. Create study areas that are as free of distractions as possible. Realize that children may go to their study areas and "work" or "read" for a long period of time without spending any time thinking about what they are doing. Because children are capable of looking like they are studying when they are daydreaming, consistent parent review of assignments is suggested. If your children are responsible about their home study, homework checking will be a time for praising children's efforts. You should also give serious consideration to the times your children will be involved in home study. While most children need time for physical exercise and time-out for other activities after school, some will want to do their home assignments directly after school and then get some exercise. --Encourage your children, as they move up through the grade levels to use the computer to help them recopy class notes, make outlines, find information online, write essays, create reports, write plays, practice spelling and vocabulary, learn mathematics facts, look up information in encyclopedias and other sources, etc. They may also enjoy keeping track of their grades in tests and quizzes with a spreadsheet. Work with them to help them learn how to use the computer for their homework and studies. --Insist that homework be completed neatly and accurately. Don't accept your children's "My teacher never collects it," as an excuse for not doing homework carefully. Doing homework on the computer helps students with neatness and editing. Keep in mind that some students, especially elementary age ones, have a great deal of difficulty with spelling. You will have to assist them with corrections, for computers often cannot assist with spelling that differs significantly from the correct spelling. --Never do homework for your children. Encourage them, correct, and assist, but do not do their work. If you start doing it for them, they'll expect this practice to continue and they won't feel that they are capable of doing their own work. --Seek help for children who have learning problems. If your child has a learning problem that makes writing laborious, use of a computer will help, but not solve this problem. Buying a computer is not the complete answer. Parents still have to encourage, check, and assist some students. Talk with the teacher about handling of assignments with children who have writing difficulties. Sometimes these children can be given shorter assignments or can do a portion of the written work orally or through special reports. --Work with your children to help them get directly into their work without wasting time. Help them set priorities as to time spent on which subjects/assignments. If, for example, there is a vocabulary test tomorrow, a social studies project due next week, and the reading assignment doesn't require any written work, how should your children tackle this workload? Some children will suggest that the reading be skipped because the teacher can't really (in the children's minds) check it, that they already know the boring vocabulary words, and that they need to spend time on to make their social studies project truly great. --Work with your children on effective review techniques for tests. If they have been doing consistent home study and using the computer for organization and learning help, preparing for tests should come without difficulty. If they seem to be doing a good job with home study but not with testing, you might want to talk with the teacher about the following: types of tests given and how to help your children prepare for these tests, whether your children seem to be listening carefully in class, if your children are copying down information on test schedules and information required for the tests; if your children seem to get upset or are often distracted during test sessions, etc. --Be enthusiastic about your children's home study, reading, and projects. --Be consistent in your efforts to help your children toward effective home study and in use of the computer as a tool to assist with home study. --Encourage use of the computer for homework, especially when the assignment involves writing, research, organization, or a special project. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update This is a question that comes up often: How do we teach children to become media literate? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : media, literacy, literate, violence, advertisements, consumers Answer : It's difficult today even for adults to keep up with all that's happening in the fast-moving world of the media. As educators, we have to help our students learn to understand and evaluate what they experiencing on the Internet, on television, in videos, and in other forms of media.Here are some places to get helpful resources on this topic: At the Center for Media Literacy site information on media literacy has been gathered for you. The site includes both free and for purchase materials. There's a collection of handouts in pdf file format and a teacher's orientation guide that are offered without charge. Downloads of the materials in black and white and in color are available. At the site, you can choose topics of interest to you and your students. These include media as it relates to subjects of the curriculum and media issues and topics such as Parents, Kids and the Media; Advertising/Consumerism, Violence in the Media; and Computer Literacy and the Digital Revolution. If you select, for example, Parents, Kids and the Media, you'll be taken to articles and reports about how television changes childhood, controlling a child's exposure to media violence, etc. There are, in addition, Recommended Educational Resources, which can be purchased by schools or parents. These included inexpensive books that tackle the problems of dealing with violence in the media, advertisements directed at children, frightening images in the media, helping children to understand that characters and actions they see in shows are made up, etc. The section on Computer Literacy and the Digital Revolution brings up questions about the "social consequences and moral responsibilities" of use of technologies. Articles like "Brands R Us: How Advertising Works," "20 Ways to Create a Caring Culture", and others found on this site will be valuable for older students, parents, and teachers. There are also suggested activities for students such as designing non-violent computer games. Resources for purchase in this area feature cyberethics, approaches to information technologies, teaching students to become critical consumers, and empowering students with technology. The Center for Media Literacy is located at: http://www.medialit.org/default.html Other media literacy sites include: Media Literacy Clearinghouse ? (This one is directed especially to educators) http://www.med.sc.edu.1081 New Mexico Media Literacy Project http://www.nmmlp.org Alliance for a Media Literate America http://www.amlainfo.org/index.html Media Literacy Goes to School http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_jenkins010204.asp Cable in the Classroom's Links to Media Literacy http://www.ciconline.com/Enrichment/MediaLiteracy/MediaLinks/default.htm Answered by : Question: Expert's Update What's an eMachine? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : eMachines, no-frills, computers, purchases, Gateway Answer : Several people have asked recently about a product called an eMachine. These are very basic computers sold at low prices. Apparently there were numerous complaints about eMachines several years ago, but the products are, from what I read, much better now. In early 2004, it was reported that Gateway was going to purchase the company. Apparently, Gateway will continue to sell its products, but will also sell eMachines through third-party distributers.If you are interested in finding out what people are saying about these low cost computers, do a search on About.com and also Amazon.com. The evaluations I read were favorable, saying that for the price, eMachine products are a good buy. Keep in mind, however, that for the most part, these are what are called "no frills" machines. Check carefully, if you are considering a purchase, to make sure the machines will do what you want them to do in your school or school system. The company's site, which describes its products in desktop computers, laptop computers, and monitors is located at http://www.emachines.com. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Technology and Peer Problems Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : peers, technology, projects, problems, self-esteem Answer : Often educators face problems that are more peer than academic related. There are always children who do not get along with their peers as well as others, and there are children who aren't accepted by their peers. One of the best ways I've found to help these children feel like they are part of the group, have a friend, etc. is to involve them in a tech project with another student. It's interesting to me how when I team two students (one who is accepted with one who is not) to do an "important" job outside of the classroom, that they enjoy working on the project together. There is no problem with acceptance, probably because they not only have been selected to do this "special" job, but also because classmates aren't around to bring in peer pressure.Technology is a wonderful tool for such peer projects, for there are so many tasks students can do on the computer that don't involve a great deal of input from a teacher or administrator. Students, for example, can work on copy for a class newspaper, make posters to help the Humane Society find homes for animals, create animations with programs such as StageCast, make PowerPoint presentations, design Inspiration or Kidspiration graphics about books, create content for a web site, make crazy talking pictures with a program from Reallusion, work on art and photography projects with digital cameras and PhotoShop Elements, publish a class yearbook, and so on. The problem is finding time for the students to work together that matches time teachers or administrators have available. I've found that if I make the project enticing enough, students will volunteer to come before or after school and during recess and study halls. As a school administrator, I know finding time for projects like this is difficult. It means that teachers and administrators have to give up some of the time they would normally be busy with the host of other tasks that also await their attention. ? But, I wonder, what's more important than making a child feel good about himself or herself? I've also teamed students who are both experiencing peer problems to help to stimulate friendship between them. Sometimes this works, but not always, for students who feel they are not accepted often are looking for acceptance by a student or students they consider "cool." Getting attention, however, for doing something that others in the class see as special is a great way to promote self-esteem. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Reading with Computers Text-to-Speech Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : speech-to-text, oral reading, computer reading, accessibility, proof-reading Answer : Using computers to read the printed page is a handy tool for teachers and students. You might want to check the newer computers that you have at school to see if they have speech-to-text capabilities.Computers that are able to read can be used to help with early reading, with those who have problems with reading, and for proof-reading essays and reports. Think of how handy speech-to-text would be for a student who is bright but has difficulty reading text. Think of how many errors would be caught in essays if students could hear them read aloud. On Windows XP computers, look for an option called Narrator. To find Narrator on your computer go from Start to Program, and then to Accessories. Select Accessibility and Narrator. Make sure that the "Read typed characters" box is checked. On the Macintosh System X computers, open System Preferences and click on Universal Access. Check the speech-to-text box. Go to the Speech control panel, check "Read selected text when key pressed," and select a key. I used Apple's speech-to-text to listen to this answer. All I had to do was to highlight my typed words and press my selected speech-to-text key, which was F1. To be sure, the reading isn't always going to be perfect and the voice won't sound like Charleston Heston or Patrick Stewart, but you and your students will be able to hear your words or someone else's words read out loud. It is a very nice tool for learning and editing. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update This question came from a parent. One of my child's teachers has her students send their essays to her by email. Then she corrects them and returns them by email to the students. I think this is a good idea, but when my child gets the corrected copy back, he doesn't know how to get rid of the red marks and crossouts, which he has to do to create the final copy. Any suggestions? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : Word, editing, corrections, track changes, essays Answer : I know what you mean, for I had the same problem when I was working with a publisher who sent me corrected copy. I was in a rush when the document came to me and didn't take the time to figure out how to get rid of all those corrections that wouldn't go away when I tried to delete them. To get around it, I typed the copy over. I imagine lots of kids in middle school, high school and college are doing the same thing because their teachers haven't told them how to redo their work.Most likely they are working in Microsoft Word, and the teacher used what is called "Track Changes" to add strike-throughs, comments, and red inserts into the copy. What your child needs to do is to use the same tool to edit his work. To do that, he should select "Tools" on the MS Word menu, "Track Changes," and then "Accept or Reject Changes." Once he is in this part of MS Word, he can select "Changes with highlighting," "Changes without highlighting," and "Original." I find that "Changes with highlighting" usually works for most edits. Then he should use "Find" (it's right there in the window of "Accept or Reject Changes") to go to each change the teacher made. He doesn't have to use "Find," however, for he can simply highlight the text he is interested in working with. As each change is highlighted, he'll need to indicate whether he accepts or rejects the changes. The buttons for these choices are also in the "Accept or Reject Changes" window. If, for example, he chooses, "Accept" for a change that is highlighted, the teacher's suggestion will go into the document and the strike-throughs will come out. If he decides not to accept the change, his copy will go back to how it was when he handed in his work. It's a step-by-step process to examine each suggestion the teacher made. It does take a bit of practice, but when he learns to do use "Track Changes," it will certainly save him time, especially if he's been copying over his essays. Answered by : Question: Are scanners a time-saver for those educators who are posting information online for their students? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : scan, scanners, digital cameras, digital photography, assignments Answer : To Scan or Not to ScanWith more and more teachers posting information on the Internet for student assignments, educators are asking about the value of having scanners available in the classroom. While scanners are an excellent way to copy photos and images into the computer, the scanning of text through Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which many of today's scanners include, doesn't always work as well. Scanned text needs to be carefully checked because the text you copied may not have digitized as you expected. Perhaps the text wasn't clear enough for the scanner to read. Perhaps, for some reason, parts of the text didn't go in correctly. It's not a good idea, therefore, to scan a document and put it online without giving it a thorough once over. I use scanning only when I have to and almost always for photographs for which I have no digital copies. Even then I find scanning laborious. Every scanner I've used takes its time for both the preview and scan, and I've had lots of problems with scanners that don't work with my computers, especially when systems are upgraded. It's hard to keep up with what you need to keep your scanner (especially if it's an older model) working for you. For photographs, it's much easier and lots faster to send pictures from a digital camera into your computer. Today, you can get a digital camera that takes excellent photos for below $300. If you are only planning to put your photos online, less expensive digital cameras will do the job. Online photos do not need the resolution that printed photos do. With a digital camera, you can skip developing and scanning, and send your photos right into your computer. If, however, you need to get text into your computer and have no way you can get the text digitally, you've either got to scan or type. If you don't need to work with the text, you can scan the text like you do photos, which will give you a photo of the text. If you want the text available for use in programs such as Word, scanning with OCR is the best method. To be sure, it's usually quicker and easier than typing in text, and as you learn to work with your scanner, you'll get a better idea of what type of text works best with your scanner. Are scanners something every classroom needs? Probably not. But for teachers who need to put documents and photos in their web assignment areas, they are definitely a good idea. Answered by : Question: I'm a second grade teacher, and my students are just starting to get interested in email. What should I be teaching them about this subject? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : email, etiquette, primary, writing, standards Answer : It's important to teach your students that they should be using proper email etiquette. Even though your students are only in Grade 2, it's not too early to introduce the topic. In Grade 2, you'll probably be giving your students practice writing traditional thank you notes with pencil and paper and perhaps some short, friendly letters. As you teach this phase of the curriculum, why not add email letters to your course of study?Because email generally isn't covered in the curriculum and because parents and teachers often don't always see email letters their children send, email can degenerate into well? not what we school people and parents would approve of. Kids, although not usually as young as the students in your class, feel that they can stretch the etiquette envelope when it comes to email. Therefore, it's a good idea to make sure your children know how to use online communications correctly. That's not to say they won't abuse it from time to time when they get into the intermediate grades or higher, but they'll know what is expected of them. In other words, they'll have been exposed to the standards and will know the consequences of improper use of this communications tool. If this topic isn't introduced before they get heavy into email, their role models will be those who are emailing them or who are emailing others while they watch. That, for the most part will be peers and older brothers and sisters. They may get the idea that the language to be used in email is the shortcut language that's used in chat rooms and that anything goes language-wise in their "private" email. By practicing good models of email with young children, they'll realize that all email is not the same. If they are writing a thank-you note to their grandmother or a note requesting information from someone online, they should understand that the standards of writing are just like those when they are using pencil and paper. Of course, with friends they may want to use some of the shortcuts. You should let your students know that email is not private and that even though they think no one else can read it, that's not so. Parents and schools, in addition, are paying for their email access, so they should follow their parents' and school rules exactly or their email privileges may be taken away. Talk with your students about using inappropriate language in email and about writing things to others that may not be especially nice. Do some role playing with the students acting out situations in which email sent to peers was nasty or worse. Besides your work in class on this topic, send information home so that parents can follow-through on email at home as well. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Administrator Resource for Microsoft Office Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : administrator, Microsoft Office, templates, tools, Word, Excel, PowerPoint Answer : ISTE (International Society of Technology in Education) has a handy resource in book and CD format called "The Electronic Briefcase for Administrators." The 200-page book details the how-tos of using Microsoft Office for administrative tasks, and the CD (for Mac and Windows) gives users templates and tools for creating documents in a breeze.If you are a whiz at Office, you probably won't need to read the book, but you will find the CD tools timesaving. Those who aren't MS Office techies will find both the book and the CD valuable. Word templates to help with press releases, program planning, vision, evaluation plans, web site rubrics, workshop evaluations, professional development, daily bulletins, meeting agenda, student handbooks, staff surveys, etc. are available. There are Excel templates for data collection, expenses/mileage, inventories, budgets, software, surveys, standardized tests, and more. PowerPoint presentations featuring online safety, acceptable use policies, staff meetings, and copyright policies are also on the CD. The idea behind the book is to help administrators save time by giving them templates and tools that they can put to use right away. If an administrator, for example, needs to present information on copyright to teachers, students, and/or parents, a sample presentation is available. The administrator can use that presentation as a base and modify it to fit his or her school or district's policies. Other than checking out local policies, the work is done for the administrator. Instructions for customizing the presentation and for adding things such as clip are given in the book. For information on this resource, go to the International Society for Technology in Education site, http://www.iste.org. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Creating Wonderful Books on the Computer Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : computer books, digital, images, storybook, picture book Answer :If you haven't seen the books that you can create using iPhoto on a Macintosh, you're in for a treat. You can make the books a class project or you can do them as individual projects. However you do them, you and your students will love them. You've probably heard that these books can be expensive, for if you compile one and order it in a linen cover, a 20-page picture book can cost you more than $50. Even though these bound books are beautiful and would be wonderful for your own use, with a class, you probably won't want to get into anything like that. The good news is that you can create your books in the program and print them on your own. You just follow the directions up to the part where the ordering comes in. Instead of ordering, you save in pdf and print. Just be sure you have enough cartridges or toners to handle the project. If you are worried about all the ink it will take to print the books, it's best to limit the number of pages before the project begins or to make it a class project where everyone or groups of students do one page each. With the program, which comes free on Macintosh computers, you can create storybooks, picture books, photo albums, and even books that resemble catalogs. My favorite is the storybook, for students can add one or more photos along with their text on each page. Creating the books is a great way to encourage good writing and creativity. They also learn about editing text and photos. A simple photo editor comes with the program. For the pictures, students can use their own drawings perhaps from a program like Kid Pix, digital photos, or photos that have been scanned into the computer. Making the books is lots of fun for everyone, and the books become wonderful memories of a family, a story, a class, or a school year. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Filling in Outline Maps on the Computer Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : outline maps, PhotoShop Elements, map symbols, online maps Answer : Learning to work with outline maps on the computer can be fun with your elementary students. Get an outline map from National Geographic's Xpeditions site and download to your computer. It doesn't matter whether you select the gif for pdf format. You'll need a program such as Adobe's PhotoShop Elements. Open the map in the program.In PhotoShop Elements show your students how to select a color by clicking on the top color square and going to the Color Picker to select a color. Once the top color square has changed to the color they want, they can pick the bucket and fill in a state, country, lake, whatever. Then all they need to do is to pick another color and fill in the next part of their map. After they've gotten everything filled in as you want, have them add names to the map. They can do this by selecting the T for text and then clicking on the map where they want add state names, country names and so on. If the location is too small for a name, they can make a little arrow using the pencil tool and put the name in a place where it will fit. Using a program such as PhotoShop Elements, they can experiment with all sorts of creative ways to learn about maps. They can draw in products, add a box to describe symbols, draw land features, and add clip art or even their own drawings to their computer map. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Handling School Evaluations Paperlessly (Or Almost Paperlessly) Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : school evaluation, paperless, networks, email, chat, committees Answer : When going through a school self-evaluation in preparation for a full-scale evaluation by a visiting committee, much of the work can be completed on and through a computer network. Today's networks allow committees to work together without having to spend so much time in face-to-face meetings. Though access to email, chatting, and documents placed on a server, lots of time and paper can be saved.The busy teachers and administrators in your school will appreciate being able to interact though email and chat options, for these will often take the place of long after school meetings when everyone is anxious to get home to their families. Faculty and staff members who may have participated in previous evaluations (will be the first to tell you they love using the computer to help them with their committee reports. Here is an example of how it can be done: Have a beginning of the year introduction to the evaluation and how the school's computer network will assist. This should be a face-to-face meeting with everyone on the faculty and staff. At the meeting give out committee assignments and show where evaluation forms for each committee and individual faculty forms can be found on the network. Explain that the forms should be downloaded to individual computers where the work on them can be completed. If it's a form specific to one teacher, that form should be completed by the teacher and returned either by email to the evaluation chairman or put on a specific place on one of the school's servers. For the reports that need to be worked on by committees, the committee chairmen should take the lead. They may want to set up a face-to-face meeting for their first session using this session to discuss with committee members how the work can be completed using the computers and the network. After that meeting, committees can keep in touch and discuss their work through email and/or chat sessions. Some school firewalls cause problems with the allowing of chatting, so if you want to use this tech option, check with your network administrator. Make it clear to everyone that there will be help available for anyone who isn't as familiar with computer and network use as will be needed for the process. Keep in mind that some staff members may not understand how to find information on the network, may not know how to download forms, may not know how to attach documents in email, etc. Even though these activities may be covered in your face-to-face meetings or through email and chatting, some staff members will need individual help with the technologies. Set up guidelines for the following: 1. Where the forms are on the network. 2. How to work on the forms. (For example: Downloading to individual computers rather than working on forms on servers. Changing names of forms to fit the report being worked on.) Rules for working on forms will help avoid loss of information. 3. How to get computer help when needed. 4. How to use editing features in word processing. 5. How committee chairmen should work online with their committees. 6. What to do with completed forms. 7. How to submit evaluation information that is not on the computer. (School manuals, print reports, etc.) Once all the information is collected, because it is all in digital form, it will be easy to edit and assemble in time for the evaluation visit. Answered by : Question: Where do I look to find math symbols on the computer? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : math, arithmetic, symbols, mathematical notation Answer : It's not easy finding information on using math symbols with text on the computer. The best answer I've found was written by Dr. James Lengel of Boston University School of Communication. It clearly demonstrates how to find the right math symbol when using Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint.You can access the article at the following web address: http://www.powertolearn.com/articles/teaching_with_technology/index.shtml Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Finding Maps Online Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : social studies, maps, history, geography, reports, presentations Answer : If you are looking for sites online that include map collections your students can use for reports or presentations, try these sites:Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection: This is possibly the best map collection online. You'll find it very useful with older students, for maps of all types and for many different historical periods are available on this site. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps Countries of the World CIA FactBook: An excellent source for information on countries, the CIA FactBook also includes a map collection. The collection is updated yearly, so the maps are current. Maps can be accessed back to 1989. http://www.theodora.com/wfb/abc_world_fact_book.html National Geographic MapMachine: This is an outstanding tool for learning. With it students can visit places all over the world and even zoom off to a map of Mars. There's a custom feature that lets students enter information they want on their maps. http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html The Maps Section on Social Studies for Kids: This site includes links to other sites that include maps. http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com Xpeditions Atlas at National Geographic: If you need outline maps, this is the place to look for them. You can print or save to computer in PDF format maps of regions, countries, and states. You can select to have your maps in basic outline form or detailed with political and physical features. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html Altapedia Online: Altapedia has a fine collection of maps, but you'll need to subscribe to use them. The cost is a one-time fee of about $25. http://www.atlapedia.com/index.html The Fifty States: This site features folders packed with information about the states of the United States. There are links to map sites in each folder. http://www.50states.com/ Yahooligans Around the World: This site offers links to sections on states and countries. The state and country links all include links to maps. http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/around_the_world/ Answered by : Question: Hello, I'm looking for some research or guidance on how to allocate hardware resources within a school. My district is struggling with issues of equity among teachers. For example, a few teachers wrote grants to a district-wide foundation. The teacheers obtained Smart Boards for their classrooms. Now other teachers want Smart Boards, but the district can't fund them and the district-wide foundation will only fund the first two Smart Boards as a pilot. We are also struggling with issues of access. We have a few carts with 15 iBooks and an airport. Should we allow a small group of teachers to use the carts....so that way they will always have access. Or...should we open the carts up to the whole school to use...thus making it likely that teachers who want to use the ibook carts might not always be able to get them. Any thoughts on these issues would be helpful. Thanks! Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : laptops, smart boards, white boards, access, classroom, labs, carts Answer : I don't know of any research on this topic, but it's a problem that many schools today are facing. Computer and other hardware companies are often unrealistic about what equipment schools actually have and can afford. For example, I was writing for computer company and was part of an advisory group about web site content. The person leading the group (who worked for the computer company) said, "The room you are in is like most classrooms today." Even though this was a few years ago, the room was equipped with top-level computers, a projection system, etc. We in the schools know that perfect resources are often not available, and we adjust as best we can.My guess is that it's wise to give the Smart Boards to the teachers who wrote the grants. But if there are more than two of them, you'll have to decide which teachers will use them the most in their teaching. I've always thought that it's good for a few forward-looking teachers to try something first, for they can work out the problems, motivate others, and demonstrate effective uses of the technologies. Sometimes, as you know, giving everyone the same thing doesn't work, for all teachers aren't always ready to use the equipment they are given. It sounds like your other teachers may be ready, but even so, I think it's best to give the Smart Boards to teachers who worked on the grants, know how to troubleshoot problems, and already have wonderful ideas in mind as to how to use them. They'll help your other teachers get ready to use this technology when it becomes available to them. As for the labs of iBooks, you'll probably want to work with a few teachers at first to make sure they know how to efficiently use and manage the carts. No matter what anyone says, laptops aren't as durable as desktops, and your teachers responsible for them must be those who are good at promoting responsible and safe uses of these computers. Again, you'll want the first teachers using them to be ones who know how to do basic troubleshooting in case there are problems with the computers, network connections, peripherals, etc. These teachers can serve as models for use of the labs, and they can mentor other teachers in the portable lab use. Once the program gets going in your school, you probably shouldn't limit who uses the computers to these few teachers (unless they have specific need of them for their courses), but open it up to anyone who wants to use them (and knows how to use them) for lessons or projects. One caution about opening the signing up to everyone: Your teachers can get so busy with their classwork that they forget about the carts. Then the carts get almost no use. If that happens, you may want to look into having teachers sign up at the beginning of the year for the carts so that they will put that on their schedules or go back to giving them to the teachers who will use them. An open sign-up doesn't always work. It sounds to me like you have some wonderful equipment in your school. I wish you the best. There is, by the way, a question about placement of computers in labs versus placement in classrooms (cluster vs. non-cluster) that was asked previously. I've copied it below for your convenience, for it may be of interest also. ************** A tough decision. It all depends upon how teachers use computers in the curriculum. Science teachers, for example, who are accustomed to group work, often use computers effectively at each lab station, and social studies teachers who assign creative projects often fit group computer use neatly into their courses of study. Many teachers, however, continue to feel more comfortable using computers in a computer lab, probably because their lessons (not just computer-related lessons) require individual use of materials. That's why you'll often see students using computers in regular classrooms before and after school, rather than during class periods. In these situations, you'll see students using the computers to look up facts or heading to the Internet for information at times, but most of the time during the school day, the computers will be idle. Teachers, of course, will use them for email, lesson planning, and record keeping, but unless they understand how to use a cluster of computers or are willing to experiment with cluster use, a computer lab is probably a better option. If you want to turn your current lab space into classroom space and are worried about how your teachers will adapt to cluster use, consider the purchase of mobile wireless labs. This way, teachers will have access to "computer labs" in their classrooms and will have individual computers for each student. Here are a few ideas that may help if you decide to go with clusters: * Focus upon in-service education before installing the computers. This should include basic trouble-shooting of computers and projection systems and ideas for using clusters of computers in teaching situations. * Have some of your teachers who are experienced computer users, give short demonstration lessons. Peers can do lots to motivate and challenge each other. If necessary, invite someone in to do the demos, but make sure the person understands your teachers' needs relating to level of computer knowledge, classroom facilities and arrangements, content to be covered, etc. * Make sure your teachers understand how to use computers with projection by TV or LCD. Not only should they know how to do basic troubleshooting and connecting of the devices, they should understand how to use these teacher tools effectively. They should realize that it's not a good idea to think of computer projection like they do videotapes. * Check your classrooms before moving computers in to make sure you have the furniture, connections, and equipment needed to make this move work. * Think about how teachers will use computers in their classrooms. Have teachers help with design and placement. The word "cluster" brings the image of computers clustered together, but if several students will be working around each computer, will there be enough space? Perhaps a computers placed in different locations in a room would be a better idea. Do you want the computers arranged so that teachers can see what is on the computer screen? Unless you are using wireless connections, it's very important to consider arrangement before doing any installations. * Have a technician ready to help out when needed. Breakdowns will happen, and if they aren't fixed quickly, teachers will not plan with use of the clusters in mind. * Continue to observe what is happening with the clusters in the classroom. Provide additional help to teachers who aren't using the clusters. The idea is not that the computers will be used constantly, but that they'll be used effectively in teaching. As for the pros and cons: Computer Labs generally offer the advantage of a computer for each student. Computers in the lab can be used for group work or individual work. There is usually a "computer teacher" or "computer person" assigned to the lab to assist with lessons and software and hardware problems. Often this person teaches students the how-tos of software use. Computer labs often have more computer-related equipment (scanners, projectors, CD and DVD burners, expensive software, speakers, etc.) than may be available in classrooms. The downside of labs would be that teachers and students cannot always get into labs when they want, that teachers may become dependent upon the lab teacher for computer-related lessons, and that labs take up rooms that may be used for classrooms. Clusters offer more flexible use of computers, for computer labs are often heavily scheduled. They free space in schools for classroom use. They are excellent for group work, and because they are always available, they can help to promote integration of computers into the regular curriculum. Problems with clusters include maintenance and classroom set-up/space, but more importantly, use of the clusters in teaching and learning. (See above for specifics.) Answered by : Question: Are handheld computers being used with children with learning problems? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : special needs, learning disabilities, handhelds, palm, visor Answer : Yes, there is a study, for example, that you can read on the Palm site ( http://www.palmone.com ), which describes use of handhelds with students with learning disabilities. The students found the handhelds especially helpful in doing routine tasks that school personnel often assume students can do, but which special students sometimes have difficulty with. Using their handhelds, for instance, they could find out what was next on their schedule and what their locker combination was. Being able to retrieve information like this enabled them to go about their school day without worrying about what they might not remember.If you add a small keyboard to a handheld, the two devices combine to be great for note taking. Special needs students often have significant difficulty taking notes, and this allows them more flexibility than writing by hand. The photo and drawing tools on handhelds might also be beneficial in helping special students with this school task. In addition, teachers and students can beam notes directly into a student's handheld. Later, perhaps in the school library or at home, the special student can load the notes into a computer and work with them. This way, the problem of time, which often stands in the way of special students, won't be a problem. A number of software programs available for handhelds would be useful for special needs students. One of these is called "Word Complete," If a student types in the first letters of a word, the program gives suggestions as to what the word might be. There are other programs, but you'll want to check handheld sites to see what fits your needs. Answered by : Question: If you use handheld computers in the classroom or on field trips, don't you have to worry about the devices being lost? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : handhelds, palm, visor, loss, stealing Answer : Like the studies of students with laptop computers, studies of students using handhelds find that few are lost, damaged, or stolen. There seems to be a certain prestige that comes with giving students one of these devices, and students are, therefore, very careful with them. They proud to be carrying them around and don't want to lose them. In addition, cases with straps can be purchased, These help students keep track of their handhelds devices.Answered by : Question: What are the advantages of using handheld computers in the classroom? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : handhelds, palm, visor, portable, keyboards Answer : Handhelds such as the Palm and the Visor are being used in some classrooms. They obviously are easy to carry around, don't take up as much room as computers in crowded classrooms, and can be taken with students outside the school and on field trips. Besides all that, their cost is generally lower than that of traditional computers.I remember years ago while serving on a committee for Apple Computer that the company showed the committee a model for its first laptop computer. As you can guess, it wasn't terribly small. One of the committee members said, "That will be just what I need when it gets small enough to fit into my pocket." Well, with today's handhelds, his wish has almost come true. Handhelds can't do everything their bigger brothers can, but they can do lots. On today's handhelds, you can do much more than jot down your schedule. They can become graphing calculators, note-takers, skill builders for different subject areas, graphic organizers, cameras, recorders, game players, books, and much more. If you work with young children, you might want to check out the eBooks that work with the Palm handhelds ( http://www.palmone.com ). You might also want to look into the small, folding keyboards that connect to handhelds. These fold up small enough to be put into a pocket also. ? And when they are connected to a handheld, note taking, as you can guess, is easier. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Handhelds in Education Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : handhelds, Palm, PEP, SRI, research, PDA Answer : The Palm Educational Pioneer (PEP) program involved more than 100 teachers and their students and research hubs with 88 classrooms. The purpose of the program was to see what the acceptance would be of handhelds in the classroom. Those teachers who took part in PEP responded to a research study conducted by the Stanford Research Institute (SRI), located in Palo Alto, California.Palm and SRI announced the following results 2002: "89 percent said they found the handhelds to be an effective instructional tool for teachers." "93 percent said they believe that handhelds can have a positive impact on students' learning." "95 percent said their students were 'very' (66 percent) or 'fairly' (29 percent) comfortable with using the handhelds." "90 percent plan to continue using handhelds in the classroom post-study. "72 percent said handhelds are more easily used in the 'flow of classroom activity' than desktop computers." Additional findings announced that the majority of the teachers in the study felt that the handhelds helped students finish their homework, increased student interactivity and collaboration, and had "a positive effect on their teaching practice." Although a variety of programs are available for handhelds, most of the teachers thought that additional applications and peripherals were needed in order for students to get the most out of using handhelds in learning. Currently there are approximately 18,000 titles for the handhelds. Applications include teacher and administrator recordkeeping in addition to curricular-related software. At NECC, I saw an excellent demonstration of how graphing calculator functions could be easily handled using the touch screen of the handheld. Another demonstration showed how easily it was to do a presentation with a handheld. For more information about the PEP study, go to: http://www.sri.com/news/releases/03-06-02.html For more information about Palm handheld software go to: http://www.palmone.com/us/education/resourcelibrary/quickguides.html Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Instant Messaging Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : instant messaging, iming, chatting, video conferencing, homework Answer : Instant Messaging (IMing) has become a favorite activity for middle and high school level students. In fact, it's become so popular that schools have had to set up filters so that kids can't IM instead of doing research and other curricular-related activities when using school computers.One of the problems related to outlawing this type of interaction is that if a teacher wants to involve students in projects that include video-conferencing with students at other schools, the filters put in place to keep kids on target with their computer work will be in the way. School network specialists have to come to the teacher's rescue so that the computers to be used for conferencing will allow users to engage in real-time chats. In fall 2003, for example, three schools - one in Norway, one in the United States, and one in Canada - all experienced this dilemma, but each problem had to be handled separately because of differing the network setups and the filtering used by the schools. "There seemed to be no easy answer," according to one network specialist who was trying to open a port for the conferencing, "but we finally got it working after troubleshooting the problem for several days." IMing is also causing problems at home, where parents are finding that they need to set up rules for Instant Messaging. Some parents completely outlaw this type of chatting, some say there's to be no messaging until homework is completed, and others set up specific times when their children are allowed to engage in Instant Messaging. Two rules most parents agree upon are: (1) that IMing can only be with people their children know (not people they've met online,) and (2) that IMing may not be done when the kids are supposed to be in bed. IMing is great way to communicate, but it can be addictive. Kids love to interact with each other, and IMing is a perfect way to do it. There are lots of positives about its use by preteens and teens, but there are definite negatives, too. IMing another student to get homework and notes when absent, IMing with others when working on a group project, and IMing with relatives and friends are worthwhile activities. Problems result when kids engage in IMing when they should be doing their schoolwork or homework, engaging in family or school activities, or sleeping. It can't be very easy to get your math homework done, for example, while you are engaging in IM conversations with five different people at the same time. That's what some kids do. Often it's not just one friend they're talking with, it's several, and each conversation is a separate one. These kids may have dozens and dozens of people in their "Buddy List" (list of people they can contact online for an IM chat), which means that they are bound to find someone to talk with whenever they want. It's hard enough for schools to keep up with needs involving technologies and the curriculum, but keeping up with what kids are doing online is also important. Teachers and parents should be alert to the IM craze, but they should also realize that it may not be much different from the days when parents warned their teenagers, "It's time to get off the telephone and do your homework." Answered by : Question: What can technology do to facilitate culturally responsive teaching? Teachers who don't speak a student's native language may have difficulty finding out about the student's background knowledge, characteristics and interests. What might technology offer in this regard? (This question is also posted on the Culturally Responsive Teaching spotlight.) Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : Visual learning, graphic organizers, sound, inspiration Answer : Computer programs with drawing or graphic components that students can use will work well. With a program such as Kidspiration or Inspiration (www.inspiration), students can combine pictures with words (rebus form). This would be an excellent way for students to present information about themselves and their backgrounds. Because visual learning can be a great help to all students, not just those who speak another language, you might have all your students introduce themselves through such a program that offers these capabilities.Teachers can create their own Kidspiration or Inspiration products and add sounds to words they type. This way students could see and hear what was on the screen. Add a picture and visual help would be there also. Kid Pix or other paint programs could in addition be used, as could PowerPoint or HyperStudio. You might also consider having the students prepare information through digital photography. They might create slide shows or short videos that are autobiographical. You might invite their families in to help you with projects such as this. In fact, someone in the student's family or community/church group may be able to help out with translation and adjustment problems. More and more sites and software programs are available in different languages, mostly Spanish. My fellow expert, Diane Kendall, may be able to add more on this topic. Probably one of your best sources of help will be the students in your class. You can have them work in groups with the student who doesn't speak English, and they'll help that student not only get acquainted socially but with what the student needs to do in your classroom. Finding out about the student's background for your subject area would best, I'm guessing, be handled by your guidance department or school administration. Answered by : Question: Are there ways to use our computers for spelling? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : spelling, word processing, dictionary, speech, graphic organizers, primary Answer : Some teachers use a program such as "Kid Pix" for spelling. The children type their words in and then draw pictures about the words. Sometimes the children type in sentences on the page.With computer programs like "Kidspiration," "Inspiration," or "I Speak It", if children type in the letters with hyphens between them (h-o-m-e-w-o-r-k, for example), the computer will read the spellings whenever the children click on the words. Typing them in and listening to the spellings are great ways to get kids to work with the words. And the more they work with their spelling words, the better they'll learn them. Word meanings are often part of spelling lessons. Even young children can learn to go to a site such as dictionary.com and type in the word to find the meaning. Some sites will read the words to them. (You have to subscribe to dictionary.com to get the words read for you, but getting the meaning continues to be free of charge.) Speaking of meanings, it's always good to show your students how their word processor's tools can help them. Show them how to use the tool for spelling checking and how to use the thesaurus tool to get synonyms for words. If finding parts of speech is part of your spelling lesson, show your students how to find the parts of speech not only in the dictionary but also on sites like dictionary.com. The thesaurus option of a word processor also includes the parts of speech. Computers are also a wonderful tool for getting all those spelling sentences done neatly and nicely. If the children do them on the computer and not in their spelling book or notebook, chances are they'll take more time to edit them and perhaps they'll write more interesting sentences. There's not a lot of room for creativity in most spelling workbooks. Answered by : Question: Is there a way I access information from a site that is no longer online? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : url, sites, web, missing, searching Answer : If you saved the web address of a site that is no longer online, you can bring it alive again on your computer if you go to the Internet Archive site ( http://www.archive.org/ ). Just enter the URL and the site should come up.Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Running out of Printer Ink and Paper, too? Part V - Printing Parts of Web Pages Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : web page, printing, printers, copying, desktop Answer : Expert's Update - Running out of Printer Ink and Paper, too? Part V - Printing Parts of Web PagesIt's best to check your browser options for printing before you or your students try to print something from a web page. Copying what you want to the desktop and then printing is usually the best option, for many times you'll think you are just printing parts of pages and out of your printer will come entire pages and often more. This can be a big problem if the "page" is really many pages long and filled with colorful graphics. If you decide to print directly from a web page, you might try these ideas: --Limit the number of pages to be printed. For example, ask the printer to print "1-1" instead of "all". --If you have a PC, try right clicking on a frame you want and then clicking print.You can also try highlighting what you want and right clicking on it. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Running out of Printer Ink and Paper, too? Part IV - Some notes about copying Web Material Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : copying, downloads, web, text, images, copyright, teachers Answer : We often think of computer use as a way to save on paper and ink, but we consider the number of web pages printed, we realized we have a big problem. What follows are some helpful hints for saving on paper and ink.Some Notes about Copying Web Material Although you can copy information from most sites, some will not allow you this option. When you try to highlight and copy, it simply won't work. For information you can copy, keep in mind that sources need to be cited and that fair use of the material is extended for classroom use only. Teachers and students, for example, cannot use material copied for contests, beyond school projects, commercial endeavors, etc. Copyright material downloaded from the Internet cannot be used on your school or other web site without the permission of the author or company who holds the copyright. Copying material to the desktop or to a document is often a wise choice. Once you have the material available on your computer, you can then decide what you need to print. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Running out of Printer Ink and Paper, too? Part III - Copying Images Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : copying, images, web, paper, downloads Answer : Although we often think of computer use as a way to save on paper and ink, if we consider the number of web pages printed, we realized we have a big problem. What follows are some helpful hints for saving on paper and ink. Please feel free to share these with teachers and students.Copying images All you have to do to copy an image from a web site is to: --On a PC place the pointer/cursor over the image and do a right click --On a Mac place the pointer/cursor over the image and hold the mouse button down. Up will come a box that asks you what you want to do. In IE, for example, select Download the Image to Disk. You'll need to tell your computer where you want to save and what you want to name the image. Include source information after you do your copying. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Running out of Printer Ink and Paper, too? Part II - Copying Web Text Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : printer ink, copying, web pages, web text Answer : Although we often think of computer use as a way to save on paper and ink, if we consider the number of web pages printed, we realized we have a big problem. What follows are some helpful hints for saving on paper and ink.Copying Text When you find text you want to copy, instead of printing or saving entire pages, highlight the text, copy, open a word processing document in another window, and paste the text into the document. Be sure to copy and paste the url for the page along with the text. It's wise also to add the date you visited the site and other necessary information for source citing. This will come in useful, of course, if you want to go back and get more information from the site. Sometimes you'll see an option on web pages that asks you if you want to email the content to a friend. You can always email to yourself, and you'll have the content ready to use. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Running out of Printer Ink and Paper, too? Part I - Capturing Web Pages Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : web capture, printing, images, web text Answer : Although we often think of computer use as a way to save on paper and ink, if we consider the number of web pages printed, we realized we have a big problem. What follows are some helpful hints for saving on paper and ink.Part I Web Page Capture Go to Save As (under the File menu) in IE or Netscape and you'll be greeted with a window that contains areas to tell your browser where you want to save the page, what you want to call it, and how (what format) you want to save it. First, before trying to save anything, tell the computer where you want to put the captured material. Saving to a specific folder that is named so that you'll easily be able to find the information again is a good idea. Next you'll want to name the page. A name for the page will appear in the window, and you can save with that name if you wish. You may, however, want to change the name to one that might be easier for you to recognize. The final area you need to address is the one that asks you about format. You'll need to decide which way you want to save a web page or parts of it to your computer. If all you need is the text, saving as text (Plain Text) is a great idea, for you can open text files in your word processor. This option won't give you the color, images and formatting of a web page, but you'll have the text content. Generally, the first option given is the one that will allow you to save the page as it looks on your computer. This is called Web Archive. If you want more than text, this option will probably be your choice. Often there will be other options besides these in the Save As window that give you other choices for saving. If you have time, you might want to try each to determine the best possible option for what you want to capture. If you decide to download several of the alternatives to see the results, make sure to name them so that you'll recognize which format is which. Limiting what is downloaded can be done through selection of format. While text doesn't take much memory, if there's video, for example, on a page, the page can be a memory hog. Your hard drive only has so much memory available. Therefore, if you want more than a text download, investigate the formatting option or options that are listed between Text and Archive/Complete. Those using IE on the Mac can limit downloads by clicking on Options (will be in the window with Save As) and checking whether they want to download images, movies, and other items that are on the page. Do take time to look over the other tools for capture offered by your browser. Internet Explorer for the Mac, for example, offers a very useful feature called "Scrapbook" (link on left side of browser window). This unique option lets you "take a picture" of the web page you are visiting. Whenever you open your Scrapbook, all your "pictures," or clippings as they are called, are ready to open. You can, in addition, organize your Scrapbook just like your Bookmarks and Favorites. The Scrapbook is a terrific place not only for saving pages for your schoolwork, but pages that contain information you want to remember such as passwords, usernames, clip art, teaching tools, receipts, etc. Keep in mind that when you go back to use the pages captured, the links will work if you are connected to the Internet. If you are offline, the page will be static, but you will have the information on that page to use. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - The Teacher's Workstaton Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : workstation, monitor, desk, ergonomics, desk, classroom equipment Answer : With everything that must be packed into a classroom, it's difficult to make the teacher's computer workstation both accessible and comfortable. I've seen teachers' computers perching small children's desks, I've seen them pushed to far corner of the teacher's desk, and I've seen them positioned on a table in the back of the classroom. The teacher's computer needs to be placed where it is convenient to use and should be positioned so that the teacher can use it without going through physical contortions.Obviously all teachers need a workspace directly in front of their teacher's desk where they can complete the mass of paperwork that is often required. Although many former pencil and paper tasks are now being done with the assistance of computers, there are still lots of teaching tasks that must be done by hand. Therefore, placing the computer where it may work nicely in that workspace, isn't generally an option. But instead of placing the teacher's computer to the side of the teacher's desk where it has to be uncomfortable to access, on a table that may be too high for stress-free typing, or on a student desk that doesn't have adequate space for monitor, keyboard, and mouse, a computer station to the side of the teacher's desk may be the answer. The best solution would be for the teacher to have a swivel chair that can be used both for the paper workstation and the computer workstation. One of the problems will be finding the right sized table. It will need to be one that fits in the space available and yet has room enough on the top surface for the teacher to use the keyboard and mouse without moving them or the monitor. I've gone into some classrooms to help teachers with computer difficulties and have had to ask where they are hiding their keyboards and mice. "It's inside the desk," I remember one telling me. "Just pull it out and hold the keyboard on your lap and type." Another explained, "The mouse is on top of the monitor; you'll need to move the monitor over a bit to use the mouse." The mouse had fallen off the monitor and was dangling on its cable to the side of the makeshift workstation. It's important also to make sure the table is of a height so that the top of the monitor screen will be at eye level. Sometimes monitors can be adjusted. I have a 17" iMac, for example, that has a screen on wonderfully adjustable swivel arm. It makes it so much easier on my eyes, back and neck to be able to position it to my viewing level. Ideally the teacher's feet should be flat on the floor, and if they aren't, an inexpensive footstool or adjusting of the teacher's chair may be the answer. Answered by : Question: What is the Spatial Test Battery that is given on computer? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : spatial, test, battery, test, gifted, visual Answer : I first heard about Spatial Test Battery (STB) when the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Johns Hopkins University offered it as an alternate in the Center's annual testing for gifted children in Grades 5-8. It's a test that targets visual-spatial abilities. The only text is in the instructions. According CTY, "the tasks in the STB are figural, not verbal or mathematical." Apparently the test is an excellent one for those who excel at mathematics, science and technologies. Again according to CTY, "As we move into an ever more technology-driven world, spatial ability will become increasingly more important."The test should be, in addition, a good one for students who do well in art and design, those who understand how things work, and those who are adept at seeing patterns. The STB might also prove to be a good measure of talent for those students whom you know are quite bright, but do not do well in traditional testing. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : homework, Web, online, assignments Answer : Should Schools Require Teachers to Put Homework Online?I've been asked many times lately about whether schools should require teachers to place their homework online. It sounds like a good idea and can be, but there are also negatives connected with it. Let's suppose a school decides that all its teachers should put assignments on the school Web site each night. School personnel may soon find that some teachers are good at keeping up with the homework listings, but others aren't. They may also find a difference in the quality of what is placed online. Did the school take the time to show the teachers what is expected of online assignments? Do all students have access to online homework? Does the school have the personnel to check to make sure the assignments are there and if the assignments are written carefully? If parents and students are told that homework will be online, there will be problems if it is not consistently there. Some teachers excel at placing homework and resources online. They enter links to sites they want students to use, they list resources, give test schedules, and they provide information on projects, field trips, and whatever is needed by their students. This type of online information can be especially valuable when students are absent, when parents want to know what is due when, when students are confused about an assignment, and when students need to link to specific sites assigned by the teacher. Some school leaders worry not only about whether teachers will keep Web information up-to-date and in good order, but also whether students will pay less attention to what teachers say about assignments in class because they know they will be available on the Web. Considering that assignments should arise out of classwork and that teachers often have discussions about upcoming assignments in class, will having assignments online be a problem for teachers? Those teachers who have Web sites that contain their assignments think not. They see the web as an additional and valuable tool for them and their students. In addition, no one can argue that it's much better for students to be able to link to teacher-suggested sites from the Web than it is to have students copy down the sites in their home assignment booklets and then type them into their computers and link to them at home. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : children, safety, Internet, online, web Answer : With the concern about Internet safety for children, parents often appreciate web addresses for sites that target Web safety. Here's list that teachers can share with parents.http://www.Safekids.com http://www.safeteens.com http://www.missingkids.com http://disney.go.com/cybersafety/ http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/internet/index.html http://www.childrenspartnership.com http://www.getnetwise.org http://www.ftc.gov/kidzprivacy http://www.familyguidebook.com http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguide.htm Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Why Surge Protectors? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : surge protectors, line filters, power spikes, computers, lightning Answer : It's important that when you hook your computer(s) up in your classroom that you make sure you are connecting it and the peripherals that go with it to a reliable Surge Protector. A Surge Protector should shield your computer from many of the surges and spikes in power that can damage it both little by little and sometimes in one terrible jolt. Gone may be your computer along with its memory if the overvoltage is high enough.If you already have a Surge Protector for your classroom computer(s), as many teachers do, check to make sure that it provides surge protection and is not simply a strip designed plugging in all your electronic devices. A good Surge Protector will probably be in the $30 price range, have a UL seal with the TVSS (Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor) listed on it, and include a light (not the on-off light), which indicates that it is functioning correctly. Some protectors include jacks for phone lines (because power surges can come through telephone lines as well), some have a few outlets conveniently spaced for those larger plugs, and some come color-coded (with wire labels) so that you'll easily be about to tell which plug is which. Do keep in mind that no matter how good a Surge Protector is (and some cost up into the hundreds of dollars), none can save you from a lightning strike. Only unplugging your computers and related devices from all the sources (electrical, telephone and cable lines) that can cause problems will save them from extreme power surges. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Headphones in the Classroom Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : headphones, earphones, noise, health, computers Answer : Sounds coming from a lab full of computers or even from one computer in the classroom can be annoying and distracting to everyone including teachers and students. The answer to the dilemma is headphones, but many school administrators and parents have concerns about the health dangers of using such devices in the classroom. When student after student uses the same set of headphones, there can be danger of transmission of lice or infection.To the rescue have come companies such as Califone, which provides headphones that address health concerns. Schools can purchase what are called "Storage Headphones" that come prepackaged in plastic bags that can easily be labeled. This way a bag and headphone can be personalized for each student. Individual purchases of the "Storage Headphones" cost less than $6, and the cost goes down with the purchase of multiples. Of course, schools could create their own packages of headphones, but the Califone package is handy and saves school personnel time. Also on the market are higher priced headphones that have ear cushions that can be removed for cleaning. These are generally in the below $15 price range. To check on some of these headphones, go to http://www.califone.com. Answered by : Question: EXPERT'S UPDATE Computer Mice for Young Children Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : hardware, mouse, mice, preschool, primary Answer : Until I spotted KidzMouse at the National Education Computer Convention in June, I didn't realize that anyone made "mice" for children. The KidzMouse company sells mice that are just right for children's hands. They are small and round with large buttons that work with a simple squeeze. Children love them because they "feel good" and come looking like their favorite bugs (ladybugs, bumblebees) and television characters (Winnie the Pooh, SpongeBob SquarePants, Mickey Mouse, etc.). Teachers and parents will appreciate the device because it is fitted with optical technology that allows accurate tracking for little hands and makes the mouse maintenance free.I tried out a Cookie Monster © KidzMouse on my computer at home. All I had to do was to unplug my mouse from the USB port and plug in the Cookie Monster. Right away, he was waiting to go to work as my computer curser. It's truly plug and play and works on both PC and Mac. Although my hands are not large, I do have long fingers, which made KidzMouse, although it is advertised for ages 2-102, uncomfortable for my hand. Besides preschoolers and primary students, adults and older students with small hands will find KidzMouse size appropriate. Some of our five year olds also tested the Cookie Monster mouse for me. It was an instant hit, as all the children in the kindergarten class I visited wanted to use the computer with the Cookie Monster. As I watched the youngsters use the device, I saw that it was indeed perfect for them. Of course, they can use regular computer mice, but if you're looking for something just right for this age group, KidzMouse is a good idea. Cookie Monster was priced at $26.95, but some of the other KidzMice cost ten dollars more. If you are interested in finding out more about this clever product, go to http://www.kidzmouse.com. Answered by : Question: What is your opinion about the idea that using computers will mean the end of good cursive writing? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : cursive writing, word processing, handwriting, manuscript Answer : There will come a day when all students will have ready access at all times to computers, keyboards, and printers for writing, but that time is certainly not here, at least in most schools. Even if it were, there would continue to be a need for students to learn how to use both manuscript and cursive writing, in addition to computer writing. And even with access to digital "notetakers" or with a computer that can understand speech, students will need to learn writing skills, at least in the near future.Today most schools teach cursive writing at the elementary level, usually beginning in Grade 3, although some schools begin cursive by the end of Grade 2. When the students are learning cursive, their writing after some practice, looks very nice. They are proud of it and work hard to make each letter perfect. However, by the middle school years, the cursive writing of most students has deteriorated. They still know how to form the correct letters, but they are in too much of a hurry to do so. It's not the computer that causes this problem, for sloppy handwriting was certainly present before we started using computers in education. Good cursive writing depends upon student interest in creating beautiful handwriting and teacher and parent insistence upon neatness and readability of student handwriting. One can hope that use of computers for most day-to-day writing will thrust handwriting to the new level, one that features using the best cursive for something special such as invitation acceptances, old fashioned letters, thank you notes, notes of congratulation, etc. Perhaps students won't use their cursive as much as they did in the past, but maybe when they use it, it will be readable. Answered by : Question: What are the best ways to use Internet video cameras with students? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : Internet video cameras, video conferencing, projects, online learning Answer : One of the best uses for Internet video cameras is for student projects where classes from different schools or even different parts of the world interact with each other. While students enjoy discussing projects such as the environmental cleanup, favorite books, or math challenges with other students via email, adding the video element makes the project even more interesting.With these cameras, which cost about $150, schools gain the capability of using video-conferencing in education. Groups of students and/or teachers who are not in the same location have the ability to communicate though live video. The little cameras, in addition, capture more than what those who are using them look like. Think of how students who are not in the same classroom or perhaps even in the same region or nation can do science experiments together, practice speaking a foreign language with native speakers, solve math problems cooperatively, learn about each other's neighborhood or culture, etc. Aside from student use, the cameras can become powerful tools for teacher and administrator in-service education. Consider the value of discussions with master teachers about curricula and methods, demonstration of best practices, and video conferencing for the brainstorming of ideas. In both schools and homes the cameras are a wonderful way to communicate with others. Senior citizens in a retirement home, for example, would very much love to have a "video conference" with a group of students, and grandparents would surely enjoy a video chat with their grandchildren. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Focus on Standards Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : standards, database, pulliam, academic achievement, teacher skills, instructional plan Answer : Expert's UpdateFocus on Standards At the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), Children's Software Press editors met with representatives from The Pulliam Group. This company provides a computer-based product that helps schools improve academic achievement though a focus upon standards. What "Focus on Standards" does is to help school leaders use collected assessment data to adjust instruction as necessary through a standards-based instructional plan. It was developed by two school district superintendents and is based upon what they felt was needed for schools to better employ available data and teacher skills to help students learn. Focus on Standards is already in use in a number of California schools and has just recently become available for all states. One of its schools, Disney Elementary in Burbank, California was recently recognized by President Bush for outstanding educational reform. In 1999, it had been considered a low-achieving school. If you are interested in finding out more about this program, go to The Pulliam Group site at http://www.pulliamgroup.comm/Standards.htm where you can download a brochure in pdf format. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Print Materials to Accompany Software Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : software, language arts, science, stationery, reading, visual, organizational, graphic organizers, r Answer : At the National Education Computing Convention in Seattle (2003), the news from a number of the software companies was that print materials were being added to their collections. The old favorite Reader Rabbit, for example, now has print materials to accompany it, as will other software from Broderbund (The Learning Company). Reader Rabbit workbooks are available for Grade 1, Kindergarten, phonics, and colors and shapes. There's also a Reader Rabbit site ( http://www.readerrabbit.com ) that offers ideas for print materials.Inspiration, Inc., which produces the very popular visual learning, organizational software Kidspiration and Inspiration, now offers subject-specific print materials to enhance use of Inspiration in class settings. These materials feature standards-aligned lesson plans in the curricular areas science and language arts. There is also a Kidspiration Activity Book for use by teachers of students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. These print products offer excellent suggestions for using for brainstorming, webbing, diagramming, critical thinking, concept mapping, organizing, and outlining into daily lessons. Both Kidspiration and Inspiration have been updated and are available for Mac OSX. Check with the company about free upgrades. Although not a print-based product, Stationery Studio from Fablevision, is a neat little program that allows teachers and students to print unique paper that can be used for reports, essays, projects, and teacher-generated materials. Users design their own stationery or paper backgrounds using the program's extensive library of images, designs, lines, fonts, etc. They can print their creations in order to use them as stationery for their manuscript or cursive writing or create complete word-processed reports on the stationery without ever leaving the Stationery Studio software. This product was created by Peggy Healy Stearns (Graph Club, Diorama Designer from Tom Snyder Productions), an educator who knows how to produce products teachers can use. My teachers look one a sample I showed them and demanded that we purchase a site license. We did. If you'd like to learn more about these products go to: Reader Rabbit: http://www.broderbund.com/ProductGroup.asp?CID=707 Inspiration and Kidspiration: http:://www.inspiration.com Stationery Studio: http://www.fablevision.com Answered by : Question: Students love to use computers for reports, but they are often more interested in creating exciting graphics than in adding the text they need. How have you dealt with this problem? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : presentations, graphics, text, reports, projects Answer : You're right. I've certainly experienced the same problem. A number of years ago, I watched and wondered whether computers would ever be used effectively in the curriculum. Students were using computers before and after school, but for the most part, not during class. To make something happen, I designed a Grade 6 social studies course that featured computer units throughout the school year. During each unit, the students were to create an individual or group project featuring the content. I picked a new teacher, who was open to innovative ideas, to teach the course. The computer teacher and I stood by to assist, but with her social studies classes scheduled in a computer lab, the teacher did nicely on her own. Immediately, however, she noticed the problem you mention. The students loved using the technologies, but this love extended mostly to creating graphics, not text. Students would spend entire periods designing intricate animations and presentations and beg to stay after school to work on graphics part of their projects. No one begged to work on the text. Parents were amazed that their children wanted to stay after school to work on social studies.It didn't take us long to decide that guidelines had to be set for exactly what was to be required in the reports or projects. If the assignment was to create a newspaper, for example, the teacher specified the number of articles (and their length) before the unit began. She made sure all her students knew exactly what quality she expected in the reports. Before the students jumped into finding information and designing their projects, they were made aware of the requirements for content, spelling, grammar, editing, graphics, deadlines, presentation, source-citing, etc. Once the guidelines were in place, students still spent a great deal of time working on graphics and design, mostly out of class, but they included in their reports the content that was specified. In the years that followed, although the technology resources and use of online content have mushroomed, the problems remain the same. Just this summer a science teacher complained to me about her problems with using computers for reports. "If I let them, some of my students would spend all their time creating an intriguing digital video to introduce their lab reports and forget about what goes into the actual lab report. I have to be careful to let them know exactly what I expect." To be sure, we don't want to thwart the excitement of students' use of technologies, but we do have to set guidelines for the students to follow. Answered by : Question: If I purchase a new digital camera, will the photographs be of a high enough quality for printing in newsletters and newspapers? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : digital cameras, publications, publicity, news Answer : The answer to your question depends upon the type of camera you purchase. Although quality of digital photos in general is getting better and the prices of digital cameras are coming down, costs for high-level digital cameras can still run you into the thousands of dollars. If you want pictures that are a fairly good size (maybe 6" by 5") and in 200 dpi or 300 dpi, chances are you'll need to purchase one of the more expensive digital cameras. I have a Nikon that takes excellent digital photos, which are perfect for school publications. The photos are also of the quality demanded for some news releases. The cost, however, was close to $2800 (with all the attachments). I could have purchased a nice, lower level digital camera for several hundred dollars.If you aren't an expert with cameras and are looking for a good digital camera for your school or home, I suggest you talk with a professional photographer who uses a digital camera. That's what I did when I knew I was needed a better quality digital camera to capture the activities of our students at school. I told the photographer what I needed, and he went with me to his favorite camera shops online. He was also a wonderful help with attachments that I needed. Be warned that if you are looking for high quality photos, you'll probably need a camera that requires attachments, and if you don't know what you're looking for, that can be a problem. I needed a lens, a memory card for the photos, an additional flash attachment, and a device to load the photos into my computer. I think, in the long run, that the product will save our school lots of time and money. We won't be paying for film and development and we won't be spending so much time scanning. Scanning, as you may know, can be very time-consuming, especially if you have a number of photos to scan. What we were doing before we purchased this camera was to take photographs with a traditional camera, get them developed, and then scan them into the computer. Now all we have to do is to take the photos with the digital camera, put the photo memory card in the device and the photos go directly into the computer. It's a great time-saver. Once the pictures are on your computer, you can edit them using software such as PhotoShop, and they'll be ready for insertion into your newsletter publication or to be sent to newspapers. These cameras help tremendously with school publicity, for getting photos ready for publication becomes a cinch. They also are handy when you need photo-ready copy for the company that will be printing your newsletter or magazine. For photos you are planning to use on the web or in email, you won't need a camera of this level. Almost any digital camera, no matter what the cost, will do. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update - Adding Pizzazz to Computer Reports Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : creative, reports, enhance, software, animation, thinking skills, talking Answer : Expert's Update - Creative Software IdeasLooking for something to add some excitement to student reports or to your home assignments? Today, it seems, we think in terms of the all-encompassing educational software product, the product that has so many uses we'll never get around to learning or using all of them. Once in a while, however, we'll discover a product that does something we can describe in one sentence and that we know will be perfect for student motivation. At the National Education Computing Convention I came across a neat little program that can in a few minutes make still images talk. The images can be historical or scientific, snapshots you've taken of people or animals, or whatever you want to use. All you'll need are clear head and shoulders shots of what you want to bring to life. Put your images into the computer, and you or your students will be really to begin. As I looked at the software at the convention and worked with it at home, I realized its potential for adding pizzazz to school projects. Students would definitely take to it. Imaginative reports (or perhaps your teacher assignments) might have, for example, Shakespeare spouting some of his most famous quotations, Thomas Jefferson working on the Declaration of Independence, or an endangered animal talking about habitat. Students could, in addition, create talking images of themselves that would explain certain parts of their reports. On my first try with the software, I was able to create an animated talking character in about 20 minutes, and after I finished, I was eager to try another. I did, and this time it took me less than 10 minutes and was lots of fun. All you have to do is to match a "frame" to your selected character's face. This is accomplished by moving little points that come up automatically on the screen. Then you add the words you want the character to say by selecting how you want to enter the words. I selected to type my words in and use a computer voice to speak them, but I could have recorded my own voice or selected a natural speaking voice. The program then synchronizes the image's mouth and facial expressions with the words. The mouth moves, eyelids blinks, and muscles of the face seem to work as they should. Your finished talking images can then be used in PowerPoint or other presentations, placed on websites, or sent via HTML mail. They can also be used as self-running .exe files. The possibilities are intriguing. To assist educators, Reallision, the company that offers this product, also offers Math and Science ImagePacks that include images of characters that are studied in traditional school courses. If you'd like to take a look at this software, head to http://www.reallusion.com or http://www.education.reallusion.com. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update How often do you have to update computers in classrooms and computer labs? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : update, computers, replace, technology, purchase Answer : Opinions vary on this question, and I guess, there are can be no exact answers. In general, you'll need to update if your computers are not doing what you want them to do, but of course, you'll need to be able to afford whatever updates you need to make. Sometimes you can save money by upgrading only the parts of the computer that really need attention. Our technologies person often replaces hard drives and adds memory, giving our older computers new life. We've found it much less expensive to upgrade on our own rather than having a computer company come in and do it for us.Finally, however, you'll have to go with new computers. The good news is that computers and memory are coming down in price. The bad news is that upgrading may result in the need for new software, which can be very expensive. Don't forget to look into what it will cost you to purchase new software and licenses. We try to upgrade each computer lab once every three years and recycle lab computers that are replaced to other parts of the school. This works well, for older computers can be used nicely for web searches, word processing, etc. They may not be able to do all the graphics and video that newer computers are capable of, but they are very useful in most classrooms and add to the number of computers that can be used in these rooms. Once our computers are no longer useful for our program, we donate them to a local community organization. Your people who do graphics, publications, video, etc. on computers will probably need upgrades more often than others. You want to be sure to talk with these people about what they are planning to do with the students and technologies. Likewise, you'll want to see that your teachers, administrators, and secretarial staff have computers that can easily access the information they need. Sometimes with older computers this access can be so slow that a computer is virtually useless. The computer has to be able to work fast enough to take advantage of the school's network, software, and telecommunications options. If it isn't, a new computer is needed. Keep in mind that some teachers find great ways to use older computers. One of our teachers still has an Apple II computer going with her favorite computer program, which the children, by the way, love. She also has other computers in her room that connect to the Internet. Therefore, teacher preference adds another ingredient into what to do about purchasing. Get whatever teacher input you can before replacing what may be a favorite computer that continues to fit neatly into the teacher's toolbox. - And when you upgrade your computers, don't forget to check to find out if your printers, scanners, and other peripheral will work with your new computers. Answered by : Question: Here's another question about computer lab cleanliness. How do you keep the keyboards clean, especially when young children are using them? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : keyboards, computers, cleanliness, sanitation Answer : The first step to keyboard cleanliness is clean fingers. Talk with your teachers and computer staff about insisting that students wash their hands with soap (don't let them avoid the soap) and water before working on the keyboards. While this may be impossible at times, it's best to remind students that sticky fingers aren't allowed on school computers. Of course, it's not just sticky fingers that are the problem, it's fingers that have covered sneezes, touched desktops and faucets, been in little mouths ? you get the idea.In addition to a stress upon cleanliness, you'll want to tackle keyboards and mice with anti-bacterial wipes, alcohol prep pads, or other recommended cleaning techniques. Before doing any cleaning, however, turn off your computer or detach the keyboard from your computer system. Some people recommend putting alcohol on a Q-tip, and using that instead of wipes to clean between the keys. I prefer wipes because you've got to be careful not let the alcohol run between the keys. Keyboards can't stand liquid spilling into them. I had heard that many times, but experienced it first hand, when spilled iced tea resulted in my need to purchase a new keyboard. Beware of wipes that come in those plastic containers; the ones at the bottom can be too saturated with liquid to use. You'll probably do better with individually wrapped wipes or alcohol prep pads. (Note: I've read that use of alcohol on keys can begin to remove black lettering, but I haven't experienced that myself and have been using alcohol prep pads (purchased at the drug store) for some time. My advice is to wipe gently; don't scrub. Here's an article on this topic: Keyboard Cooties Make You Sick http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/TechTV/techtv_KeyboardCooties030326.html Answered by : Question: Although our Lower School computer lab looks clean, when the light shines on the monitors, there are fingerprints all over them. What do you suggest we use to clean the monitors? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : monitors, cleanliness, computer, fingerprints Answer : Hi Celeste,I know exactly what you mean. Children can't help touching the monitors, and those fingerprints are all over the screens. Because monitors collect lots of dust in addition to fingerprints, I usually use a type of wipes that are anti-static. Not only do these remove fingerprints, they also help keep your monitors from gathering dust. You can find an abundance of different types of products of this kind by doing an Internet search with keywords such as anti-static, montior, screen, cleaning, and wipes. Wipes are also available at online computer stores such as Micro Warehouse ( http://www.warehouse.com ) and at office supply stores such as Staples ( http://www.staples.com ). Answered by : Question: At what grade/age would you recommend the use of laptops in elementary classrooms? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : laptops, desktops, elementary, primary, computers Answer : Much of the answer to the question will depend upon what type of laptops we are talking about and the teachers who are going to use them with children. Some laptops are heavy (much bigger than you think they should be), and some are quite fragile. A mobile lab, for example, that is appropriate for middle and high school students may not have computers that will be the best fit for children in the primary grades.While wonderful teachers can make anything work in their classrooms and laptops are great for selected projects at all grade levels, I'd suggest that it's generally best to use desktop computers as your main computers in classrooms below Grades 3 or 4. You'll have to gauge the maturity of the students, however, for I know some very young students who would be great candidates for using laptops. I also know others that I don't think I'd trust with a laptop. On the plus side for younger students, laptops can be ergonomically better for the students, for they can be more easily placed in situations where children can use them without straining necks to look at monitors and straining wrists and arms to maneuver mouse devices. They also offer flexibility for projects where students can't be at desktop computers in classrooms and labs. With elementary level children you might also want to consider some devices such as those offered by AlphaSmart. These have some of the capabilities of computers and are much more durable, less expensive, and only need small batteries. ? But I wouldn't, in most cases, select them in place of desktop computers. You also might want to think about what facilities you are going to have for printing. Younger students, whose compositions and artwork tend to be more simplistic, often do more printing, more rapidly. This is more easily done from desktops, or you'll need to figure out how they can plug in or send their projects wirelessly to print from laptops. The teacher element can be a significant factor when deciding about use of laptops. Even in middle and high school classrooms if you don't have teachers who are good at setting standards and effectively monitoring use, there will be problems. Laptops are easy to use, but they seem to have more problems than desktops, especially when many different people are sharing them. I can think of many elementary, even primary level teachers, who would do wonders if they had a mobile lab or a set of laptops to use with their students. As with students, I can think of other teachers who couldn't handle, or wouldn't want to handle, use of laptops in their classrooms. Besides thinking about the type of laptop and teacher monitoring of their use, you'll want to consider how computers are expected to be used at the different grade levels. Would purchasing laptops make a big difference in learning? If not, I'd opt for desktops that are placed so that young students can access and use them without difficulty. Answered by : Question: Expert's Update Using Digital Video in the Elementary Classroom Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : digital video, reports, elementary, creative, thinking skills, literature Answer : If you haven't tried using digital video with young children, you might want to add this tool to your teaching repertoire. Children have a great time learning while filming and editing, and they come up with amazingly creative ideas for reports and projects when using this technology.Learning to make digital movies is not as difficult as it may seem. In fact, it's extremely easy if you have the right equipment. Using digital still and video cameras, traditional cameras and scanners, and iMovie software, I've done a number of video projects with elementary level students. Recently I worked with a group of third graders on a book report project in which they used video, photographs, and drawings to create a movie. The only problems encountered were some "shaky" video and what video to include in the final product. Using the cameras and software seemed intuitive to them. Cutting video was not. They wanted to keep everything in ? especially bloopers that no one else would ever understand. (Note: The older the students, the better they seem to be at cutting video ? but not always.) In order to introduce this new idea for creating reports, I worked with the whole class on the same book and video product. The children were divided into groups, and each group had the opportunity to act out different parts of the book while using a variety of cameras (traditional, digital still, digital video). They also drew digital and traditional pictures of scenes in the book. Once all of the filming and drawing was completed, all the files were loaded onto the computer. Although the children did some of the scanning of traditional drawings and photos and some of the loading of video clips onto the computer, a good deal of this work was done for them. Experience has taught me that it takes too much time to have children loading all the resources collected. Therefore, to move the project along in a timely manner, scanned photos and drawings were waiting for them on the computer, as were rough clips of video. The children still had to enhance and crop photos and drawing and cut rough video clips. The next step was to have the groups work one at a time at the computer where the resources were loaded. Each group took a turn putting the resources in order and adding titles, transitions, special effects, audio, etc. They edited by going through their movie to determine if it told the story as they wanted and if the titles and explanations were correct. The project generated enthusiasm for report creation and for finding out exactly what happened in the book. It was not unusual to see the children going back into the book to find exact facts and sequences. Using the technology tools for a creative project such as this also allows for differing learning styles and levels. Children could create in ways that they felt successful, and by having everyone's resources on the computer to work with, they experienced the value of the input of others in their work. Introducing the concept of creation of reports (not just book reports) in a unique way offers students ideas for reports they will complete on their own in the future. This project idea can, of course, be adapted for use in many subject areas, for individual reports, and for group reports on different topics. Needs include having time available for video projects and having the equipment available to create student videos. Answered by : Question: What research-based models suitable for middle schools do you know of that have significant technology components? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : middle school, technology, research, teaching, teachers Answer : It was over twenty years ago when I did a research project for my dissertation that included middle school (seventh grade) student use of software to learn about the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. The study involved two small classes, one a control group that learned about the battle through traditional methods (directed reading, teacher questions, worksheets, etc.) and the other, a group that used what would be considered today a very primitive digital learning game that I created. Even back then, it was obvious not only from the scores on a traditional test of the material, but also in the enthusiasm of the students, that the computer method won. It could have been, of course, that the method was simply something different, but I ended up doing the computer phase with the other group, too, because of demand.Since that time, I have not kept up with models of learning for middle schoolers (Diane Kendall's field and mine is more that of tech integration into the curriculum), but I know of some general research that might help. Bottom line, in my opinion, is that a good teacher makes the difference no matter what the model, and that shows up in so many of the studies. It doesn't matter if it's integration of tech or some other learning tool such as a book, teacher use of these tools with students can't be underestimated. Think of the teacher who has students do research on the web, but requires traditional, hand-written note cards to be submitted for a paper. Think of how many teachers tell middle schoolers to search the web for an assignment without giving the students guidelines as to where to begin their searches. What has to be decided is if using tech is a better way to go about teaching, not just fitting in tech for tech's sake. Some of the best projects for middle schoolers are projects that team classes from around the world (Global Schoolhouse, SchoolNet Global, KidLink, etc. and projects that put the energies of Middle Schoolers to work. They love to interact with other students and do presentations, digital movies (check the Apple site for models), newspapers, digital book reports (check the Children's Software Press www.childsoftpress.com for a model), and all sorts of projects that involve action with ideas, multimedia, and course content. The problem with some of these projects is that guidelines are not carefully set by the teacher (and here we come back to the quality of teaching), and oftentimes projects will not be on target with the assignment (See J. Lengel's "How to Evaluate a Multimedia Project" on the Cablevision Power to Learn site for Educators at www.powertolearn.com) and may lack text needed to back up multimedia (many kids would rather add pictures, make movies, create animations, design web pages, do PowerPoint, etc. than write essay-type content.) Here are a few sites you may want to check: Knowledge Loom's resources (can lead you to others also) West Virginia Study Results http://www.mff.org/edtech/article.taf?_function=detail&Content_uid1=127 (Higher scores for eighth graders in problem solving and critical thinking ? if teachers know how to use tech ? therefore teacher training important. Tech was integrated into the program. Computers in classrooms were more effective than in labs in promoting confidence and competence of teachers.) Middle Schools to Watch http://www.schoolstowatch.org/jefferson/jexcel.htm http://www.schoolstowatch.org/thurgood/texcel1.htm (Two good schools that use tech.) Project-Based Learning with Multimedia http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/PBLGuide/WhyPBL.html (You might want to check more into the project-based learning, for it often includes tech.) Overview: Research on IT Education http://www.iste.org/research/reports/tlcu/overview.cfm Meridian Middle School Online Tech Journal http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/archive.html (A number of articles on Middle School models of uses of tech in classrooms, but not necessarily research-based.) Constructivism in Teacher Education: Considerations for Those Who Would Link Practice to Theory http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed426986.html (I think the Apple site has material on constructivism. Constructivism is another topic to research. Check the Education section.) CEO Forum Key Building Blocks for Student Achievement in the 21st Century http://www.ceoforum.org/reports.cfm?CID=3&RID=6 Research on Tech in Ed http://www.apple.com/education/k12/curriculumsolutions/research/ Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow http://www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot/ (A 10 year study that ended in 1998, but still has valuable findings for all levels.) Reading http://www.mff.org/edtech/article.taf?_function=detail&Content_uid1=278 (Also evaluated tech use in reading.) Good Teachers ? High Achievement http://www.mff.org/edtech/article.taf?_function=detail&Content_uid1=273 Books by William Bozman and Donna Baumbach, Educational Technology: Best Practices (give many examples of uses of tech at all levels. Not necessarily research-based, but teacher tried.) Success stories from George Lucas Foundation http://glef.org/PBL/ Higher Math Scores http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc98/ets/ets-n.htm Check the Tech Counts reports. Check Education Week's National Survey of Software/CD-ROM, and Internet Usage. Answered by : Question: What can I do about spam? It is becoming a real nuisance as well as a menace! Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : spam, email, Answer : Spam is annoying, time consuming, and well - there ought to be a law about it - but there isn't much on the books at this point. So what can you do to protect yourself and your kids who are out online more and more these days? Here are some quick tips:1. Watch where you leave your calling card. Only give your email address to people you expect to correspond with. Remind your kids to do the same. 2. Post your email address in public sparingly. If you or your kids like to chat, sign guest books, participate in newsgroups, leave messages on boards, or need to have your address out in the spotlight on a Web site you might think about having one address for that purpose and another for "real" mail. 3. Choose a complex email address. For years I have had an account on America Online with just my initials. Now between the volume of junk mail and the missed messages sent to someone else with an email address just one letter off from mine, I am slowly going over to using something with a bit more complexity to it. It's like a password - choose a collection of letters and numbers if you can. That address is a lot less likely to get spam. 4. Spell it out. It may sound like science fiction but there are harvesting robots out there who spend hours pouring over sites looking for loose email addresses. If you are corresponding with another human add a little something to your email address that only other humans can read and understand. For instance, a robot can read diane@example.com but only a human can read and understand dianeATexampleDOTcom. 5. Fake it. Many web sites require a sign-in with an email address, but do they really need it in your case? If you don't want to hear from the site (and don't need a confirmation email or tech support), don't give a real address. 6. Share carefully. Make sure you know what registering on a Web site really entails. Who will they be sharing your email address with? Read the fine print of their privacy policy. 7. Unsubscribing isn't the answer. Ever tried to unsubscribe or take your name off of a mailing list? It's a nightmare of endless links to sites that are supposed to help you get your name removed but may instead just add your name to more lists. Just think, now you've confirmed that someone who actually reads email checks in at your address. 8. Caveat Emptor. Buyer beware! No matter how enticing the offer - instant weight loss, freedom from bill collectors, free money - don't get caught. Even if the deal isn't a scam - which many of them are - remember that responding means more spam in your mailbox. 9. Consider the options. Make sure you opt out of everything you're not absolutely sure you want to receive when sign up for or buy something on online. 10. Use a spam filter. Even if you and your kids are careful in giving out your email address, you are going to get spam. If you just seem to be getting more than you can handle, try a spam filter. Answered by : Question: I have a grandchild who is supposed to do an online project on how fast and far email travels, but I am concerned about passing out our email address. Are there any alternatives? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : email, technology projects Answer :One increasingly popular and effective way to avoid this kind of situation with this kind of school project is to use a disposable email address (DEA) service. This is how it works. You use one of the services to generate an email address for the project. The service then forwards any email sent to this address to your real email account. You (or your children) never have to reveal your real address except to the service. Just remember if you get a message on a disposable account and you reply to it (remind your children of this, too), you will probably end up revealing your real address in the From: field.
Answered by : Question: If, for their assignments, students use sites that give reviews of literature, solutions to math problems, sample science projects, etc., should this be considered cheating? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : assignments, reports, projects, help sites Answer : A great question.If a student goes Spark Notes (www.sparknotes.com) or another Cliffs Notes-type site, for example, and copies the text there for a book review or book report instead of reading an assigned book, that's cheating. However, if the student reads the book and needs help with ideas, going to Spark Notes could be helpful for homework. It would be like going to any other information site to get facts about a book. Of course, if a teacher specifies that students are not to use these types of site, then that answers the question. It's the same for a site such as Hot Math (www.hotmath.com). Hot Math lists lots of current math textbooks, mostly targeting pre-algebra and higher texts. Students can look up their book and find solutions and answers to all the questions in their book. If a student goes to a site like this and copies the answers, that's a problem, but if the student uses the site to get help with how to solve a problem, that's a good idea. By the way, not all math texts are up on the Hot Math site yet, but the authors intend put all questions in all math texts online. (Note: After the 2002-2003 school year, Hot Math may be by subscription only, but it's free as of this time.) Parents I've talked with think the site is a great idea, for they want their children to be able to get immediate help with math. There are other sites that provide historic outlines and timelines and answers to questions about science, math, etc. Students need to be taught how these sites should be used, and how to cite information they find online. They are, by the time they are in high school, going to find sites to help them with homework, projects, and reports. What we need to do is to make sure they know our expectations related to use of Internet sites and follow through with supervision of how sites are used. Answered by : Question: What are some the best homework helper sites for high school students? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : homework helper, reference, reports, projects Answer : Here are a few sites to get you started:Ask Dr. Math http://mathforum.org/dr.math/index.html Question and answer service. Hot Math http://www.hotmath.com How to work problems in current textbooks. The Perry-Castanada Library Map Collection http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/Map_collection.html This one has an excellent collection of maps of all types that can be very useful in reports. National Geographic Society Http://nationalgeographic.com http://www.nationalgeographic.com/world/ Always a wealth of information for homework projects. Bartletts Familiar Quotations http://www.bartleby.com/100/ Find the quotes you want. BigChalk http://www.bigchalk.com/ Comprehensive subject-oriented search for information. The Amazing Picture Machine http://www.ncrtec.org/picture.htm An index to pictures available on the Net. Convert- me.Com http://www.convert-me.com/en/ It's always helpful to know a good site when you need to make a conversion. WhoWhatWhen: Interactive Historical Outlines http://www.sbrowning.com/whowhatwhen/index.php3 Excellent for social studies assignments. Infoplease.com - Homework Center http://www.infoplease.com/homework/ Some nice reference sources. American Library Association http://www.ala.org/parents/index.html List 700+ "Great Sites. Be More Creative http://www.bemorecreative.com Lots of quotes and other information that can be used to enrich reports. Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com Look up words, find rhymes, etc. Biography.com http://www.biography.com/ Good place to start for biography-type reports. The History Net http://www.thehistorynet.com/ Nice for checking on historical topics. NASA http://www.nasa.gov The best for topics related to air and space flight, the universe, etc. The History Channel http://www.historychannel.com/ Another good source for social studies information. You might also want to head to some of the online encyclopedias such as Britannica and Encarta. Both offer a great deal of free information with additional information available through subscription. Includes 700+ best sites. Answered by : Question: How would you address the statement from students and parents, "Too many teachers are using powerpoint for instruction? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : PowerPoint, lectures, Answer : I understand that a couple of years ago the U.S. Army tried to put a ban on PowerPoint presentations because this was the approach that every second lieutenant on up wanted to use for EVERY meeting and people were beginning to fall asleep! This same kind of overkill may be happening in the classroom too. My daughter, who is a freshmen in college, happened to comment on this when she was home for spring break last week. She really likes the classes where the notes are already done for her in PowerPoint and then the professor extrapolates from them with interesting side notes and embedded multimedia presentations to illustrate various important concepts/points. On the other hand, she hates those professors who just do text filled PowerPoint outlines and then stand up and read the same information to the class. She also appreciates those professors (from either category) who put their PowerPoint presentations on the Web so that if you miss a class you have a fighting chance of getting the right notes.Obviously, like everything else in life, variety is the spice of life. If every teacher does nothing but text filled PowerPoint presentations, and just reads off the screen day-in and day-out, then they are going to fall flat. PowerPoint is a great tool but too many people - teachers, army officers, those in business, etc. - think that a text filled PowerPoint presentation shows that they really know how to use the computer. PowerPoint and computer literacy is so much more than that. We need to do staff development to make sure teachers know how to use PowerPoint effectively. In the process I think you will see them move on to other ways to use the computer because they will understand more about multimedia, simulation, databases and more. And - hopefully as a byproduct of this increased understanding and comfort level- teachers will let and lead their students to do more with technology as well. Answered by : Question: What are some pros and cons on computer labs vs. cluster computers in the class in elementary schools? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : computer labs, clusters, mine-labs, groups of computers Answer :A tough decision. It all depends upon how teachers use computers in the curriculum. Science teachers, for example, who are accustomed to group work, often use computers effectively at each lab station, and social studies teachers who assign creative projects often fit group computer use neatly into their courses of study. Many teachers, however, continue to feel more comfortable using computers in a computer lab, probably because their lessons (not just computer-related lessons) require individual use of materials. That's why you'll often see students using computers in regular classrooms before and after school, rather than during class periods. In these situations, you'll see students using the computers to look up facts or heading to the Internet for information at times, but most of the time during the school day, the computers will be idle. Teachers, of course, will use them for email, lesson planning, and record keeping, but unless they understand how to use a cluster of computers or are willing to experiment with cluster use, a computer lab is probably a better option.
Answered by : Question: I just received approval for the purchase of handheld devices which I intend to use with my fifth grade class. I have no idea how to make these a part of my daily instruction. Can you give me some ideas about where to begin as well as tell me about any resources that may be helpful? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : handhelds,mobile computing, Answer : Hi Judi,There are lots of ways that PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) or handhelds will be useful to you class. Since I don't know where you want to start though I'm going to give you a couple of general suggestions and then refer you to other resources. Obviously PDAs are great for keeping students organized. With the built-in calendar and notepad students can keep all their information about assignments and when they are due all in one place. They can also upload and download documents on them so that they can digitally transport papers and other assignments back and forth from home and school and even edit them right on the PDA.(Great for 5th graders who often have trouble keeping track of their assignments!) Additional software like Documents to Go from DataWiz can be very helpful in this regard especially in handling Microsoft Office applications. The built calculator function is also very useful.You might also look into some of the shareware graphic organizer programs out there that will help kids to organize their thoughts for a paper or project right on the handheld. Entire books can also be loaded onto PDAs and read anywhere, anytime with the backlite feature of most PDAs. The advantage here is that with a built-in dictionary on the PDA students can instantly look up words they are unfamiliar with or make notes on certain pages or features of the book all without the detriment of writing in a book. Books carried this way are also very light weight and can be pulled up to be read most anywhere. For a selection of books available for PDAs see http://www.palmdigitalmedia.com/home.cgi . You might also be interested in the 250 of the Greatest E-books for Palm OS by Michael Schneider that includes many of the classics read in classrooms all for less than $20. See http://software.palm.com/ for more details or email mike@250ebooks.com For more content area specific suggestions I suggest looking at the education portion of the Palm site at http://www.palm.com/education/ . There you'll find a full listing of software applications complete with reviews. Also take a look at the success stories about using PDAs as part of mobile writing labs, for teaching about using databases and more. ISTE (The International Society for Technology in Education) also has a new book out called "Palm Held Computers - A Complete Resource for Classroom Teachers" that you should find helpful. You can read more about it at http://www.iste.org. Answered by : Question: What's the best way to learn how to use technology in the classroom? I know there are lots of good and creative thigs I might be doing in my social studies class, but how do I find out what's possible, what works, and how to use it? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : social studies, technology activities Answer : Thanks for your question. More than seventeen years ago I co-wrote a book called "Using Computers in the Social Studies" (Teachers College Press, 1986) and your question prompted me to get out a copy and take a look at how many of the things we predicted for social studies education have come to pass. We didn't know about the Internet in those days but beyond that we did a pretty good job of divining what might be. We were especially right when it came to discussing how computers would help students reach out into the world for more information about the past, present and future.Actually many of our recommendations about how to implement technology in the social studies classroom are still valid. First, to do truly good and creative things with technology in your classroom you need to gain a certain confidence about the computer yourself. Use it to do everything - your lesson plans, your prep for your lectures/discussions, your presentations, your checkbook at home, to take a look at the weather, your stocks, or where you wish you could go on vacation and any other daily/weekly tasks. The more you know about using it, and the more comfortable you are, the easier it will be to gain the inspiration you need to implement it in your classroom. Also don't be afraid to ask for help - from the computer resource teacher at school, from other teachers doing good stuff with technology and your students. Remember, we are all still learning about technology -- even those who call themselves experts. Next, go to the NCSS (National Council for the Social Studies ) http://www.ncss.org and ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) http://iste.org sites and read about how technology is being used in social studies classrooms. Check out the information on this site, the Knowledge Loom also. Stop off at the Tom Snyder Productions site at http://www.tsp.com. There you'll find out all about how to do computer driven simulations like their Decisions , Decisions series (available both on CD and online) and other social studies activities that compliment and enhance your curriculum. By the way, they are easy to set up and do, students find them fascinating, and they directly correlate to standards. Think about the assignments you give your students too. Having computers means that you should be able to ask more of them since their access to the "facts" is easier. So ask higher level questions - not just who, where ,when and what but how and why and what is their opinion based on their research. If they need a more guided experience on line have them do a web quest. You can see samples at http://webquest.sdsu.edu/. Ask them to do more "real world" writing by creating brochures, journal entries, newspaper articles, PowerPoint or Keynote presentations and creating them on the computer. Do more with them with images - there are millions of current and historical pictures of people , places and things on the Internet. Encourage them to be history detectives. And that reminds me, don't just ask them to do a current events assignment by looking up an article and writing a summary - ask for relevant and supporting pictures, maps, facts, and other details that they can dig for easily on the Internet and add quickly to their assignment to enhance their understanding and make it more relevant. I could go on and on but I think you can see that adding technology to your classroom is partly access to the right information and partly attitude. If you are comfortable with the technology you will always be inventing new ways to use it in your classroom. Be sure to check out some of the answers to other questions in this section for other ideas on how to get started with technology in the classroom. Answered by : Question: In my art class primary school students use the most basic paint program--it is found in the accessories panel of my PC. I like this program because it lacks the distracting bells and whistles of some of the commercial programs Students concentrate on learning the well designed menu and making good drawings using both mouse and tablet/pen. One of my computers has a damaged paint program; I would like to know if I can purchase a similar basic paint program to replace it. Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : art , paint programs, art and technology Answer :Without knowing the specifics of the program you are talking about, here are a couple of ideas:
Answered by : Question: In our elementary school we have several computers in each classroom; we also have a computer lab staffed with a computer specialist who teaches a full load of classes. As in any busy organization, we find that our machines need lots of tender loving care, updating and repair; there never seems to be enough time to do that thoroughly. Do you have any tips for maintaining equipment when time and money are in short supply? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : computer labs, troubleshooting, tech help, equipment, repair, upkeep Answer : I know what you mean. We have a difficult time keeping our classroom computers going, too. At the beginning of the school year, however, we give out Diane Kendall's "Troubleshooting 101: What to Do Before Calling for Tech Support." You can find a printer friendly copy of these suggestions on CableVision's Power to Learn site. Go to http://www.powertolearn.com, then select Parents, and then Parenting with Technology, and you'll find this resource among the articles. It helps teachers, administrators, and other staff members get used to tackling simple problems on their own. I think it's important that they understand that they must be the first line of troubleshooting. While you probably won't want a trouble-shooting novice messing with settings and all that, they certainly can do basic troubleshooting such as making sure connections are secure, restarting, being careful when handing CDs, throwing away documents that aren't needed, being careful what they download from the Internet, not letting the kids print everything, etc.Your computer lab specialist or someone in your school who understands how to update software and systems might teach these skills to a parent volunteer or an aide who can help out when needed. We found, for example, that person who was helping with custodial and set-up duties in our library was quite adept at keeping our library computers going. She was learning on her own, and did such a great job of that that now her all duties focus upon computers. You might introduce some of your most tech-oriented teachers to places online that help solve computer difficulties. Hardware and and software sites often have support areas and FAQ lists that work for some problems. For example, look for Microsoft Knowledge Support Base for Microsoft products and Apple Tech Exchange for Apple-related issues. Other helpful sites what you and you teachers may find helpful include: CNet ( http://www.help.com ), Computer Hope ( http://www.computerhope.com ), Everything Computers ( http://www.everythingcomputers.com ), Computer Tips ( http://ctips.com ), and MacTech Magazine ( http://www.mactech.com ). Some of these sites have bulletin boards or discussion groups where you can post a question for someone to answer. There are, in addition, listservs and chat groups that may be able to help with problems. You won't get immediate answers using this method, but you may get answers. Some of these include: ZDNet Community ( http://www.zdnet.com/community ), Google Groups ( http://groups.google.com ), and Tweaktown Forums ( http://forums.tweaktown.com ). I think the bottom line is to teach your teachers the basics of troubleshooting and care of computers and software. I remember sending a second grader who was very good at tech to help a fourth grade teacher. "I told her," he said proudly, "to always remember to put the cables in. That was her problem." This young man has now graduated from college, but the problems remain the same, don't they? Answered by : Question: My teaching partner Angie just asked a question about getting organized to use computers with our second graders, but I'd like to know how to find the time in a busy schedule to really make use of them. Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : teaching, primary, technologies, computers, organization Answer : To find time for computer integration into the curriculum, you need to rethink your teaching units and lessons to determine if use of technologies will enhance your teaching and the students' learning. The idea is see if using tech as a tool for learning for some of your lessons will work better for you than what you are currently doing.Perhaps the easiest subject to begin thinking about is social studies. The primary curriculum usually includes reading information in texts and library books, discussion of the material covered, and taking tests or having the children write reports/do projects. Consider that many of the reports/projects and much of the learning of information can be accomplished with computers. Young children can learn to use information and links online, do computer presentations, and add pictures to their word processing. With today's technologies, they can create their own short videos about what they are studying, make dynamic timeslines, and even do crafts-related projects such as dioramas. I realize that these ideas may take more time than you are used to spending on the target topics. However, what you need to consider is whether by having the children use the information, as they will do when creating on the computer, is better than always having them read the material and memorize for tests. It's a good idea to do some units where computer and other types of reports are the mode, and others with traditional reading, discussion, and testing. Children today must be introduced to many types of learning styles. Finding time for anything new is always a problem, but there is always time for methods that work. Besides social studies, think about the many possibilities for use in subjects such as language arts, science, and art. Technology can be used across the curriculum, but you'll need to find what works best for you. You might want to look at the answer to the question sent in by your teaching partner, Angie. The problems of time on computers and making time to use computers are often similar. Answered by : Question: I'm a second grade teacher, and I like to use computers with my students. My problem is how to plan ahead for using computers because I have to sign up to get extra time in the computer labs. What are other teachers doing to make sure they are using tech with young children? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : computer use, labs, time on computers, scheduling, one computer classroom, wireless labs Answer : Hello,I know it's difficult to arrange enough time using computers. Classroom teachers are so busy and signing up for extra time in computer labs adds just one more thing to get done. What some schools and teachers do is to plan ahead for additional lab time, perhaps even during in-service time before schools starts for the year. If you are an experienced teacher, you know about when you begin your different units throughout the school year. Work with your technology teacher/coordinator or the person who schedules lab time to schedule sessions beyond your regular periods. As you know, the timing of units is not an exact science, and you many find that sessions you scheduled aren't exactly where you want them. Nevertheless, it's better to have them on the calendar so that they are available to your students. If you get a great idea for using tech and there isn't time available for your class in a computer lab, you might want to do a web search using the keywords "one computer classroom." You'll come up with ideas that other teachers and school systems are using when they don't have enough computers available to let each child use one. You might also travel to the Tom Snyder Productions site ( http://www.tomsnyderproductions.com ) where you can find a book on this topic and other information about using TSP software in situations other than in computer labs. With the coming of wireless labs, teachers are finding greater access to computers for their children. If you don't have these in your school at this time, they probably will be coming in the future. Then you'll be able to roll the lab cart into your classroom, hand out laptop computers and let the children go to work. Of course, you'll still have to schedule using portable labs, but access should be greater because you can use the computers in your classroom and not have to worry about going to a computer lab. The best suggestion, however, is to talk with the person who schedules lab time so that you are familiar with times when the lab is free. For example, the lab may be empty when the lab teacher has a free period or lunch. These would be times you can use the facility if you don't need the help of the lab teacher. In addition, there are most likely other periods or other days when the lab(s) is not heavily scheduled. Knowing these things will help you rearrange your teaching schedule to get more time on computers. Answered by : Question: About 4-5 years ago, I researched dyslexia and different types of treatment. Some of the newest treatments "on the market" at that time were software programs. Are these programs still available and have they been found to be effective? Is the software considered to be a viable part of servicing a dyslexic student or do teachers and tutors still rely on the "tried and true" methods only? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : dyslexia, reading, learning problems, software, assistive Answer : I think the software you are referring to is Fast ForWard, and it has met with some success here in Houston and other places. You can read more about it at http://fastforward.com.for. Like everything, it is for the right child at the right time.We've actually had some success with an old piece of software called Word Munchers from MECC that reviews all the various word sounds. Speech-to-text word processors such as Via Voice from IBM and Naturally Speaking from Dragon Systems are also useful with older kids. Just type those titles into any search engine to find the software and get the best price. If you aren't familiar with the many software resources of Don Johnston who has pioneered many of the adaptive and intervention software resources for kids with all kinds of learning differences, you should check the site at http://www.donjohnston.com. You might also want to look into assistive technologies such as mini-scanners and talking browsers. Some sites that might be useful to you include: the International Dyslexia Association ( http://www.interdys.org ), The Learning Disabilities Association of American Resource area ( http://www.ldanatl.org/Resource.html ), and The Alliance for Technology Access ( http://www.ataccess.org/ ). On a brief scan of these sites, I thought the ATA site seemed to have the most extensive information on devices and vendors. My writing partner Diane Kendall recently completed an article evaluating a mini-scanner and its helpfulness to those with reading difficulties. You'll find that piece on CableVision's Power to Learn site ( http://www.powertolearn.com ). Select the Parent's area, and then Gadgets. For the most part, however, I think teachers and parents continue to use traditional methods to help students. Help and encouragement are so important for these students as is time with them. Keeping up their self -esteem is essential. Answered by : Question: What software would you suggest for very bright kindergarten students? I need programs that will challenge children who have well-developed reading and math skills. Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : math skills, reading skills, writing skills, kinderagarten, gifted/talented, logic software, childre Answer :Variety, variety, variety is the best flavor of software for the kinds of kids you are describing. Multiple activity titles have lots of variety - try using some of the Reader Rabbit (The Learning Co.), Reading Blaster or Jump Start ( both from Knowledge Adventure) titles for first, second and even third grade with these kids to cover the basic skills.
For math a title like Sunburst's Math Arena can't be beat - it includes computation as well as math puzzles and is good for students in all the elementary grades so kids can work up through the levels.
For this age group I also love titles like Moop & Dreadly in the Treasure on Bing Bong Island (Hulabee) or Pajama Sam You Are What You Eat From Your Head to Your Feet (Humongous) or the I Spy Series (Scholastic New Media). These are logic games and help kids with observing details, sequence, and problem-solving. Also use the talking abilities of a word processor like Microsoft Word to help get young writers become more independent.
Answered by : Question: I use Kid Pix in many wonderful ways with my kindergarten students, but I always have a couple of students who want to "bomb" their work before they get anything accomplished. Ideas? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : art programs, book making, art and technology, printable media Answer : When I used to demonstrate Kid Pix when it first came out, one of my favorite things to show teachers was the bomb feature - great ending for a VERY long day. But seriously, kids can get wrapped up in using it.One of the best ways we've discovered to get kids serious about what they make using Kid Pix is make their efforts part of a group project. For example, we have used KidPix to make alphabet books with each child responsible for making a page representing a letter. We've also combined these pages to make a slide show and even a set of playing cards for an alphabet version of "Go Fish". Nobody wants to be left out because everyone wants to show off his or her piece of the project. We've done similar things with books full of poems, recipes and pictures of class pets. Kids get serious when their little piece is going to be part of a bigger whole. Also try printing Kid Pix products off on different media besides paper. Printing on magnets, clear plastic decals that can be displayed on windows, fabric, greeting cards, stickers (full sheet), Shrinky- Dink (plastic that shrinks when heated), iron-on transfers and more can entice kids to put their best efforts into what they produce. It's not just another piece of paper that will go home and sit on the refrigerator until the next one comes along. For great ideas on printable media try the Micro Formats web site at http://www.paper-paper.com or look around the printable media section of your local office supply store. And don't forget - just because something comes out of the printer that doesn't mean it is "done". Offer glitter, beads, macaroni, and other objects that can be glued on the Kid Pix masterpiece to give it a 3-D look. The mad bombers will want to try their hand at that too! Answered by : Question: My students needs to improve professional writing skills to be able to write concise, correct, and to the point in 2-3 page assignments. What resources can you recommend? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : writing, thesis statement, composition, focus Answer : Hi Buck,Some links that may help your students with their writing: Conciseness (Purdue) - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_concise.html Writing with a Computer (Purdue) - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_computer.html The Five Paragraph Essay (Capital Community College) - http://cctc.commnet.edu/grammar/five_par.htm Outlining (Capital Community College) - http://cctc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/brainstorm_outline.htm The Principle of Composition (Capital Community College) - http://cctc.commnet.edu/grammar/composition/composition.htm Focusing (Writing Center at University of Richmond) - http://writing.richmond.edu/writing/wweb.html#focus Essay Writing - http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/oct97/boddy.htm Advice on Academic Writing (University of Toronto) - http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/advise.html Thesis Statement Handout (Rensselaer) - http://www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/writecenter/web/thesis.html Answered by : Question: What is the best service to keep my child from "wandering" around the internet into inappropriatie sites while she is searching the internet for material for 11th grade assignments? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : Internet, searching, filtering, assignments, safety Answer : Teachers who set specific parameters for assignments have fewer problems with web wandering. Besides offering help with where to begin searches, teachers giving web assignments should make sure students know what they are looking for on the web (perhaps through some pre-research using an encyclopedia article/textbook piece), show students how to select key words for web searching, help them set up their computers to store notes and other information, teach them how to use the "find" feature on web sites, and give them practice in using their web notes to put together paperless assignments. All of these skills help kids stay focused when using the web.The Internet can be very distracting, for with the wealth of resources available, there's always the thought that the "next" resource might be the perfect one. Students are used to surfing and often jump from source to source. To keep them from jumping into undesirable sources, you might want to check into what your Internet provider offers in the way of filtering, setting the safety options on your browser, or purchasing a filtering program such as CyberSnoop, N2H2 (server-based Internet service mostly for businesses and schools), SurfContol/CyberControl, and KidsGoGoGo & Kid Server PE. Students, however, are masters at getting around filters, which means that the only real control comes from the students themselves and teacher/parent supervision. With a junior in high school, you can't be and shouldn't be looking over her shoulder all the time. What you can do is to set guidelines for her use of the Internet keeping in mind she'll be using it not only at your home and at school, but also at the homes of friends. She should understand that if you learn she is not following the rules, there will be consequences. It often helps to keep up an on-going conversation about what you both are finding on the Internet, what problems you've faced, etc. Ask her for help. That always enables additional conversation about web use. Ask her if she's encountered any misinformation online. Ask her how she finds the content she needs. Here are a few links that might help: Searching the World Wide Web (Purdue) - http://owl.english.purdue.edu/internet/search/index.html Online Safety Downloads - http://www.missingkids.org/html/publications_list.html#Internet Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources (UCLA) - http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/help/critical/index.htm Librarians Index to the Internet - http://lii.org/ Filter Ratings - http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/reviews/kidsafe/1/sw_sum1.shtml Answered by : Question: I want to know if there are any current studies that compare student comprehesion rates of text on the computer screen with the same text in a book? My observations are that student comprehension is not as great when reading text on screen. In my experiences, when students look for information on the Internet, their understanding of what they've found is not as complete as information gathered from a text or the print encyclopedia. I usually wind up letting the students print the materials from the Internet so that there is a greater rate of comprehension. What has been found on this topic? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : web, Internet, comprehension, reading, research Answer : Although I'm not aware of any research on this topic, but I don't think the problem, if there is one, lies with comprehension of online content. For many people the wealth of online content is simply so tempting that they jump from resource to resource. If they were looking at content in a book or encyclopedia, generally they'd stay with that content before moving on to get to another resource. Perhaps that's what's happening when you have the students print the resources they find? The Internet can be very distracting because users may think that the next resource will be the "perfect" one.Experienced web-wise teachers often specify sites to use or give students "starter" sites where students are asked to begin research. They also set guidelines for use of online material, make sure students know what they are looking for on the web (like some pre-research using an encyclopedia article), show students how to select key words for web searching, help them set up their computers to store notes and other information, teach them how to use the "find" feature on web sites, and give them practice in using their web notes to put together paperless reports. All of these skills help kids stay focused when using the web. If you are not referring to web research, but simply to reading an article on paper vs. on the computer, I don't think there would be a difference, except perhaps with people who aren't oriented to reading material on the computer. It may be a problem with the set up of the computer screen or print that is too small. I've heard people say they can't edit their writing on the computer; they have to print it to see the mistakes. You don't usually hear kids say this, however. It's the adults. You'll find that a number of testing organizations are giving achievement tests online. The Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, for example, offers both testing on computer and online. Organizations like this might have data on the subject. I'm guessing that because they offer their tests both ways that they don't think there is a problem with comprehension of content read on the computer. If I hear of any research on this topic, I'll let you know. Answered by : Question: I have another question. Let's say one of my fifth grade teachers is planning to assign a book report. What suggestions can I give that teacher about encouraging students to use the computer to help them complete the reports? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : book reports, writing, creativity, use of technologies, use of computers, homework, reports Answer : Hi Celeste. This is an excellent question. Please feel free to ask as many as you want.There are some really exciting ways that fifth graders can use technologies for book reports. One class I know that did video reports using Apple's iMovie software is begging to be assigned more book reports. As long as your teachers set standards for what is required in the reports, these reports can be completed in many tech-connected ways. Have your teacher take a look at the interactive book report section of the Children's Software Press ( http://www.childsoftpress.com ). After checking it, your teacher will probably want the students to go through this exercise. It helps with learning to use the computer as an assistant in writing book reports and also give ideas for unique book report presentation. Although the computer can easily be used for writing traditional book reports, have your teacher consider letting students do book report presentations, cartoons, slide shows, digital videos, games, web content, etc. featuring the information that is required for book reports. Answered by : Question: I like to use email to keep in touch with parents, teachers and other school administrators. Some of the information in these emails may contain sensitive material that shouldn't be available to anyone but the the person or persons to whom I am sending the note. However I worry about the privacy of my email notes. Do you have any suggestions for making sure my notes are secure? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : security, encryption, email, e-mail, parents, privacy Answer : SECURITY IS A PROBLEMSecurity can be a problem with email, especially with content that is not meant to be shared. Although most of the time you won't have a problem, you just can't be sure that your email won't be read someone else. As a school administrator, you are right to be worried about the privacy of your email. Just check the information from MSNBC's E-Mail Invasion ( http://www.msnbc.com/news/wld/tech/brill/email_privacy.htm ). According to this report, sending email is like sending everything on postcards for all to read. TWO SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO First, I suggest that you always make sure that you are sending to the correct address. One middle school student I know got into lots of trouble when he mistakenly sent a "not-very-pleasant" note meant for another student to a teacher. Think of how badly you'd feel if a note about how a student was getting along was sent to the wrong parent. Once sent, you can't get the mail back. Be careful not to simply press reply when you are writing content that should be private. Perhaps the original note was sent to a number of people, but it would cause problems if your reply went to all of them. Make sure to check the address box carefully before sending. EMAIL ENCRYPTION FOR SAFETY If you are worried using email for sensitive content, it's best not to send the email unless your school or district provides software that can ensure privacy. Most of the time this will not be the case, but you'll want to check with your network administrator about it. There are companies that provide software for encrypted email. One of those is Ensuredmail ( http://www.ensuredmail.com ). If you go to the Ensuredmail site, you can download a demo of the system. The company sells both desktop and server encryption systems, but these are products that your school system would have to purchase for teachers and administrators to use. Kathy Hagar, the Network Specialist at Worcester Preparatory School in Maryland, was very impressed with what Ensuredmail can do. "It would be perfect for teacher-parent communication, sending report cards by email, teacher-administrator communication, etc," she said after evaluating the product. "I know how much we worry when we send email that must only go to the intended recipient." Answered by : Question: I think it is fine to allow my children to put words in alphabetical order using the computer, once I am sure that they can do it on paper. How do I justify this to teachers who continue to assign "ABC" order word lists? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : spelling, homework Answer : My guess is that you are talking about alphabetizing weekly lists of spelling words, rather than an exercise to teach alphabetical order. However, I'm not sure if you are referring to your children's typing the words into a word processing program or into a spreadsheet program. If they are using a word processor, they'll be going through the same procedures as they do when using pencil and paper. On the other hand, if your children type their words into a spreadsheet, the spreadsheet has the ability to alphabetize the words for them. A teacher who understands word processing shouldn't object to use of this for alphabetizing, but he or she may when it comes to having the spreadsheet program automatically alphabetize.But there are many sides to this dilemma. The teacher certainly can assign students to put words in alphabetical order as many times as he or she thinks is necessary. But there comes a point especially when students are in third or fourth grade when they have gotten the concept of alphabetizing down so well that this task - especially if assigned every week- seems redundant and without merit to both students and parents, and in the vast majority of cases, they probably are right. (I can only imply from your frustration that this is the stage where you and your children are at presently.) Spelling can be a deadly dull subject if the assignments aren't varied or don't seem to have any "real world" application. Sometimes teachers get caught up in following a spelling program and don't analyze what is being asked of the children amid a hectic school schedule. They are so busy planning for their other subjects that spelling seems to get short shift. It is very human to take the "If it's not broken, don't fix it " attitude especially if this is a spelling program they have followed before. The best approach would be to tell the teacher that you have found that your children are balking at this kind of assignment and were wondering if an alternative could be suggested. Try saying something such as, "Billy has become whiz at alphabetizing even though he hates to do it. I'm wondering if, instead of alphabetizing the words every week, if he could do some different projects with the words such as write a crazy story using them, try to discover if there are any similarities among the words on the list, use the computer to made designs with the words, create a computer quiz or game featuring the words, . . . ?" Most teachers appreciate this kind of feedback and will gladly make the necessary changes. If changes are not made, then you have to decide how to handle this homework situation with your child. Unless the teacher objects to how the assignment is turned in - typed versus handwritten - or directly asks you how it was accomplished, using the spreadsheet should not have to be justified. The words have to be typed in the computer to have them alphabetized - which is good practice in and of itself. But another conflict is unfolding here and it is part of a bigger saga called "Homework Meets the Computer." Students (and parents) are finding ways around or shortcuts for doing traditional homework assignments - like using a spreadsheet to automatically put words into alphabetical order. Teachers have to be aware of these new methods and use them to their own advantage. Obviously under these circumstances varying assignments is going to be important because students are going to figure out how to use computer tools to get around the mundane. Teachers are also going to have to come up with policies for what can and cannot be done on the computer and make those policies stick. But the most important thing about those policies is to make them realistic. It really comes down to when would it be better for students to learn how to do something on his or her own, on paper or in his/her head, and when is the computer the best tool for the task. Some of this may be sequential - like do it on paper the first time, and then do it on the computer - but always the goal of the assignment must be kept in mind. Sometimes process will be the most important thing and sometimes the product will be. Excluding computers from the homework process will not work nor is it realistic. The best course is to figure out when to encourage their use and help kids learn to make them their most practical and useful assistant. Answered by : Question: More and more teachers seem to be using technology in their classrooms, but often it's used as a tool for presenting student work attractively rather than as a tool for critical thinking and problem solving. Could you provide some examples of how technology might be used to enhance critical thinking and problem solving in the classroom? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : critical thinking, problem solving, graphing software, higher level thinking skills Answer : It would take a lengthy article or even a book to cover examples of all the ways technology is supporting critical thinking and problem solving across the curriculum, in all subject areas and on all grade levels. There certainly are numerous articles on the subject in current issues of all the educational technology journals and magazines.One of my favorite illustrative examples of how technology is enhancing critical thinking and problem solving in the classroom is how a simple piece of software is changing the way graphing is being introduced in the early elementary classroom. One popular technique over the years for acquainting students with how different kinds of graphs and charts look and function is to personalize the contents of the representations. Teachers do this by polling students about favorite foods, colors, pets, etc. or having students collect this information by doing their own polling at home or out in the schoolyard. Before the addition of technology to this procedure, the charts and graphs were drawn hastily and haphazardly on the classroom chalk or white board or on paper charts all around the room. These charts were hard to see, not drawn to scale, had to be limited in number because of space and time, could only be shown in a small number of formats, and the management of the project could be rather chaotic for the teacher. Also the culminating and critical thinking portion of the lesson - learning how to read and interpret graphs - could easily get lost in the struggle to complete the graphs themselves. Now with a piece of computer software such as The Graph Club from Tom Snyder Productions the whole process is streamlined. Titles for the for X and Y axises are entered, data is plugged in quickly, and then the computer displays graphs and charts, drawn to scale, that can also be changed with a click to bar, pie, line and many other kinds of graphs. All far faster than trying to get even one handmade chart up for display! The display itself can be on the classroom computer and viewed by small groups or on some kind of large screen display hooked up to the classroom computer. It could also be printed out on paper or overhead transparencies to be used on the overhead projector. Once students understand how the software works they can also make their own graphs on the computer using the software. Because it is so easy to generate these graphs in all different formats teachers can also proceed quickly to ask the students to think more critically about what the graphs show. They can also query what conclusions can be drawn, which graphs are best to use to illustrate particular kinds of data and even some discussion of how certain kinds of graphs are used to manipulate the kind of data shown in the media. These graphs can easily be used by small groups responsible for writing out explanations of their part of the polling. The graphs can be saved to email to absent students, or for viewing at a later time for comparison purposes. This software also makes graph making so straightforward that the teacher can informally use it anytime within a class discussion to visually represent opinions within the classroom. Further uses include making graph making part of small group projects and doing cross curricular activities involving graphing. Students can also graduate to more complicated graphing applications such as Excel. Besides showing how a software tool can enhance critical thinking and problem solving in the classroom, this example also illustrates how technology is elevating the kind of questions teachers and students can consider together in the classroom. Before getting data or the background information on a subject was the major part of an assignment, lab, or project. Now because of the Internet and other software tools getting the information and displaying it have become relatively easy. Teachers need to recognize this, change their assignments and presentations/demonstrations accordingly and set higher expectations for student analysis of the information. This is one of the many promises of technology that is already here for teachers. Taking advantage of this just takes some reevaluating of how current lessons are being presented and evaluated. All of that takes time certainly, but it is worth it to bring more critical thinking and problem solving into the classroom. Answered by : |
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