June 2003

Monthly Newsletter from TEAMS Distance Learning and MathStar

Greetings Friends!

Many of us welcome a time to rejuvenate and revitalize our energies. For some, this is the welcome summer vacation. I just returned from a quick driving trip covering 3500 miles in the Southwestern United States. I learned the names of cacti crossing the Arizona desert, spent lazy evenings fishing and birdwatching on a cattle ranch in Texas, and hiked down into the depths and wonders of New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns.

I learned about discoveries at Columbia University’s Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert. http://www.bio2.edu/
Here, in a sealed environment, scientists, students, and other researchers experiment with biomes, systems, and the environmental impact of humans. I found it fascinating that although plants grew well in this artificial environment, trees and plants would grow to a certain height, and then fall over. The missing component in recreating the Earth’s natural biosphere was wind. They brought in large fans and discovered how the added breezes helped to strengthen the plants’ roots enabling them to grow taller.

Those of us in education continually find ourselves in a state of adapting, adjusting, facing stiff winds (sometimes of hurricane force), severe budget cuts, and great challenges in meeting the needs of individual students. We face new research every year telling us what’s best for kids, juggle new textbooks that need supplemental information just to meet standards, and face a new group of students who often come ill-prepared for the ever-higher academic expectations. But, amazingly enough, most of us come through the winds stronger than ever, with greater resolve to do better with less; we become survivors, thrivers, and facilitators in creating the “aha!” moments in our educational environments.

This will be our last Cyberscoop issue until September, 2003. May you find time to read a good book, browse the many Web resources on the TEAMS pages, grow a garden, spend time with loved ones, ponder the wonders of the universe, and take in some “aha” moments of your own.

Here are this month’s resources:

Administrators

Better Readers at Hand
Article explains how mCLASS handheld computer software assists in assessing and correcting reading problems to facilitate reading improvement in Texas area schools.
http://www.wirelessgeneration.com/web/news_dallas.html

Educators Resource Directory
The 2003/04 edition would be a valuable resource addition to any school or district library. This directory includes information about professional associations and organizations, conferences, financial resources, government agencies, publishers and publications, school supplies, technology resources, and more.
http://www.greyhouse.com/education.htm

eSchool News Discussion Forum
Join in the discussions or read what others have to say about current educational trends.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/ubb/index.htm

National Differentiated Instruction Conference
Staff Development for Educators and National Geographic School Publishing are presenting a conference July 20-23 entitled “Theory into Practice”.
http://www.differentiatedinstruction.com/

National Staff Development Council
Geared toward educators with an interest in professional development online and toward parents who want to know more about school improvement.
http://www.nsdc.org/

NCLB and the Diverse Needs of Rural Schools
One-third of public schools that serve rural areas may find it extremely challenging to meet the goals set up in No Child Left Behind. Gene R. Carter, director of ASCD, explains the need for “flexibility, equitable and adequate funding” rather than the “one-size-fits-all approach” of NCLB.
http://www.ascd.org/cms/index.cfm?TheViewID=1905

Professional Development: Staff Learning for Student Results
NCREL provides resources to help you plan meaningful professional development for educators. Site includes a link to NCREL’s professional development toolkit, available in a free print version online.
http://www.ncrel.org/pd/index.html

School Technology Buyer’s Guide
Free online, check out the best of what’s available from over 3000 vendors. “Find everything you need to know and everyone you need to reach- in seconds.”
http://www.mediabrains.com/client/eschooln/bg1/search.asp

Some Characteristics of Learners with Teaching Implications
Discover how adult learners are different from youth learners and find out what you need to consider in teaching teachers if you are involved in professional development or distance learning programs.
http://www.rit.edu/~609www/ch/faculty/learner.htm

Technology Gap Forces Flexibility in Teaching
This article highlights how one school has met the challenge of the digital divide by assuring that technology is used among the student body.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5909965.htm

Videoconferencing
Find out what you need to know for effective videoconferencing such as equipment needed, protocol, instructing users, and more.
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/intro.html

What is Your Professional Development IQ?
Take this short multiple-choice survey to check what you know and how you feel about professional development for teachers.
http://www.nsdc.org/library/pdiq.html

Yes, You Can
Interested in setting up a mentoring program involving students and the community? This archived site outlines the specifics for establishing community mentors to help encourage and motivate students to go to college.
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/YesYouCan/

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General

Ask Me Help Desk
Ask questions and get answers from real people for free. Topics include the arts, careers, education, family, health, science, culture, technology, and more.
http://www.AskMeHelpDesk.com/

Creating a School Web Site
You still don’t have the school Website you envision? Here are some ideas to help you create just what you want.
http://www.wiredshire.org.uk/curricular-resources/projects/school-website.htm

Educator’s Resource Center
Resources to help you keep up with the latest in school technology.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/extendingit/

E-Mail in the Classroom
Lots of tips offering advice and teaching resources for using email with students.
http://www.hardin.k12.ky.us/res_techn/TEC/integrate/emailnclass.htm

Help in Their Hands
Article explaining how teachers are using handheld computers to assist learning in classroom reading instruction.
http://www.wirelessgeneration.com/web/news_monroe.html

Four NETS for Better Searching
Bernie Dodge has compiled an easy-to-remember method to assist you in searching the Internet. This is definitely a strategy to teach to students!
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/searching/fournets.htm

Frederic Remington
“The Color of Night” from works by Frederic Remington at the National Gallery of Art is accessible in this Online exhibit. Learn about the artist and his work as this exhibit travels to several museums throughout the coming year.
http://www.nga.gov/feature/remington/remington.htm

Inspiration// Kidspiration
Are you using Inspiration or Kidspiration at your school and want some fresh ideas? Jerrie S. Cheek has compiled these resources offering tutorials, curricular ideas, templates, and Internet projects.
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/inspiration.htm

Living in Extreme Environments
Join NASA Astronauts for a live Web-based discussion forum on June 19th from deep in the ocean as they experience an extreme environment in Aquarius, an underwater laboratory. If you miss the discussion, check out the archives.
http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/space/aquarius/2003/june.html

Math Literature Bibliographies
McMillan/McGraw-Hill provides lists of literary works appropriate for particular math strands in grades K-6.
http://www.mhschool.com/teach/math/mhmath/teachres/bibliography.html

NASA Quest Calendar of Events
Check out the NASA Quest projects for the summer or look back into the archives for some inspiration and learning.
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/calendar/summer03.html

NEA Works4Me Tips Library
Find tips to use in your classroom now or in the coming year from other teachers. Topics include teaching tips, getting organized, managing your classroom, using technology, and more.
http://www.nea.org/helpfrom/growing/works4me/library.html

Network Jack
Great educational summer savings available now through the end of September from 3Com for a Network Jack that turns one LAN connection into 4 additional ports.
http://www.mcdirect.com/3com/prd/redir?kc=USA0302ZLDNetwkJkDef_CustFirst-gen

On the Web: Communicating with Parents
Helpful resources offered by LEARN, the North Carolina teachers’ network, to help you use the computer more effectively to communicate with parents.
http://www.learnnc.org/newlnc/newteach.nsf/doc/parent-web?OpenDocument

PowerPoint98 in the Classroom
An eight-unit tutorial for K-12 teachers on how to use PowerPoint98. You'll learn about toolbars, laying out, saving, moving information, text, animation, transitions, and ways to teach your students to use PowerPoint for their projects.
http://www.actden.com/pp/

Professional Development
ASCD offers numerous resources for professional development including conferences, workshops, videos, online training, onsite training and multimedia projects to meet many needs.
http://www.ascd.org/cms/index.cfm?TheViewID=348

Sounds of the World’s Animals
How are animal sounds described and written in various languages? Listen to the animal sound, and see which language describes most closely what you hear.
http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/ballc/animals/

Symbols of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty contains many symbols of liberty. Do you know what they are and what they stand for?
http://www.nps.gov/stli/teachercorner/page8.html

Tapped In
If you haven’t participated in real-time discussions before, perhaps this summer is the time to start. The folks at Tapped-In provide great discussion topics with well-known educators, and helpful assistants to get you where you need to go on time. Bookmark the new schedule location to keep on top of what’s happening currently.
http://tappedin.org/cgi-bin/calendar/ti2calendar.cgi

Teaching American History Grant
The U.S. Office of Education Teaching American History Grant Program 2003 supports programs to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American history. It is geared toward students in grades 5, 8, and 11.
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OII/portfolio/historyresources/tahgrant.html

Timeline of Art History
The Metropolitan Museum of Art displays a beautiful timeline indexed by time period, location, and historical topic.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/splash.htm

Topics
Great ideas of thematic resources collected over many years of teaching and managing listservs from Jerry Taylor.
http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/taylor/topics/

WebTeacher
Need to brush up with a few tutorials? Web Teacher has some help just for you:
Macintosh version:
http://www.webteacher.org/macintosh.html
Windows version:
http://www.webteacher.org/windows.html

Wireless Generation introduces mCLASS
Want to find out the latest in school assessment tools? Check out this observational assessment tool using wireless handheld computers that will quickly tabulate results and provide reports for teachers, parents, and administrators.
http://www.wirelessgeneration.com/web/products.html

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Grades K-2

Bedtime Story
Find full-text versions of classical favorites including full-color illustrations.
http://www.the-office.com/bedtime-story/
One of my favorites is Alice in Wonderland
http://www.bedtime-story.com/bedtime-story/classics-aliceinwonderland.htm

Cooking With Young Children
Try recipes that require no heat source, simple meals, or recipes for playdoughs and goops.
http://members.aol.com/sgrmagnlia/index.html

Ladybugs
Loads of resources all about ladybugs, from coloring pages, to facts, to puppets, to math curriculum, to Web Quests, to thematic units, to screen savers, to online activities, and more. Jerrie S. Cheek from Kennesaw State University has compiled these resources.
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/ladybugs.htm

Mrs. McGowan’s First Grade
Find some great ideas shared by Mrs. McGowan from her first grade class in Spring Lake, New Jersey. You might find some ideas to use in your classroom!
http://www.mrsmcgowan.com/index.html

Top Ten Things Dad Really Wants
Family Education Network provides some suggestions for items your students can make for dear old dad.
http://news.fen.com/article/print/0,1303,22-15712,00.html?obj_gra

Toy Store Grade 1
Set up a Toy Store to help young students gain experience in math and economics.
http://www.mhschool.com/teach/math/mhmath/teachres/mathideaofthemonth/mathIdea.php3?II=4135859

Web Quests for K-2 Students
Jerrie S. Cheek offers links to a wide variety of Web Quests specifically for younger children. Choose and bookmark some you might want to use in your classroom.
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/k-2wquests.htm

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Grades 3-5

Astronauts’ Dirty Laundry
How do the astronauts take care of their dirty laundry? The answers might surprise you in this article from NASA’s New Science magazine.
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/news/2003/news-laundry.asp?list8549-153

Create a Graph
Presented by the National Center for Education Statistics, this site helps you create an area graph, bar graph, a pie chart, or line graph.
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/

The Dig
Learn about archeology in this ThinkQuest Junior entry. Discover how archeologists search with what tools and resources, and find out how they know where to dig.
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001645/

Echo the Bat
Find out about bats through the adventures of Echo, a young Big Brown Bat who gets lost and confused after a forest fire and learns to find his way home.
http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/intro/story.html

Empty Oceans, Empty Nets
This PBS companion site looks at the dilemma caused by fishing all the fish out of the sea. Some areas have an abundance of fish while others are coming up with empty nets.
http://www.pbs.org/emptyoceans/

Father’s Day Word Search
An Online word search for student fun and learning.
http://wilstar.com/holidays/puzzles/fathpuzzle.htm

Ghost Forest
Book for children and adults full of fantasy and fun.
http://www.ghostforest.com/index.htm

Gamequarium
Games for students in preschool through sixth grade. Activities include language arts, social studies, holidays, math, brainteasers, music, Spanish, safety, science, and more.
http://www.gamequarium.com/index2.htm

Maggie’s Earth Adventures
Accept Maggie’s missions and explore and learn about the wonders of the Earth.
http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/intro/story.html

Red Rock Adventures: A Teacher's Guide to Canyon Country Outdoor Education
Provides 100 science activities for Grades 1-6. Topics include the water cycle, air and weather, rocks, seasonal changes in plants and animals, habitats, ecosystems, biodiversity, geological features and geographical concepts, and microorganisms of the desert and wetlands.
http://www.nps.gov/seug/ccoe/guide.html

Ruth Cote Clemente Science Center ExploreAtron
Explore physics, technology, the Earth, space, weather, Florida, and more.
http://www.artandscience.org/sciencecenter/

The Science of Cooking
What happens when you bake loaf of bread? Find out from the accidental scientist at the Exploratorium. Learn how eggs cook, and find out what makes a cucumber a pickle.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/

Secrets @ Sea
An online mystery adventure for students in grades 4-7 from Engaging Science in Canada. Topics include food webs, bioaccumulation, killer whales, whales, salmon, plankton, herring, tides, estuaries, salinity, ocean currents, and more.
http://www.secretsatsea.org/

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Grades 6-8

Biography Maker
Another gem from the Bellingham School District gives you support in writing a biography from start to finish using clearly defined steps.
http://www.bham.wednet.edu/bio/biomak2.htm

CyberScience
Mr. Demuro’s home page with resources for biology, chemistry, astronomy, oceanography, physics, and Earth science.
http://www.haddonfield.k12.nj.us./ms/demuro/

Day One and Beyond (6-8)
Book by Rick Wormeli is an excellent resource for middle school teachers. He goes into details including what to do the first week, how to handle discipline, setting up your classroom, grading, grouping, teaming, and dealing with homework, parents, assessment, and more. Read contents online or purchase your own copy of the book.
http://www.stenhouse.com/storefront/scripts/product/ProductView.asp?prodID=0355

JavaScript School Math Toolkit
Jeff LeMieux designed these math tools for his middle school math students to encourage them to practice math skills.
http://www2.whidbey.net/ohmsmath/webwork/javascript/js_tools.html

Paleomap Project
Watch animations of Pangea or see the way plate techtonics are causing the continents to move today.
http://www.scotese.com/

Patterns
Investigate patterns in mathematics in these lessons compiled from various sources by the Eisenhower National Clearninghouse.
http://www.enc.org/weblinks/lessonplans/math/0,1544,1%2DPatterns,00.shtm

Strange Physics of Foam
Foam will be studied during an experiment on the International Space Station. Read about the properties of foam and link to some fun with foams and bubbles.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/09jun_foam.htm?list630176

Web Quests 6-8
Spend some time checking through this list of Web Quests you might want to use with your middle school students. This collection is presented by Jerrie S. Cheek.
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/6-8wquests.htm

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Grades 9-12

17 Effective Activities for New Chemistry Teachers
Order this PDF resource for free to help new high school chemistry teachers with labs, research projects and activities.
http://misterguch.brinkster.net/HOT.html

Arizona Mathematical Software
Mathematicians at the University of Arizona provide free mathematical software for high school and college math students as well as toolkits for math teachers to facilitate instruction and learning.
http://www.math.arizona.edu/software/azmath.html

Conservator's Studio (Seattle Art Museum)
Interactively explore four paintings from the Mexican Modernism exhibition through the eyes of a conservator. Includes information about conservator's tools and a glossary.
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/interactives/mexicanModernism/enter.asp#

Free Stuff for Chemistry Teachers
Cavalcade Publishing offers these free resources for high school chemistry teachers.
http://misterguch.brinkster.net/freestuff.html

Land and Freedom
Free high school history and social studies lessons sponsored by the Henry George School of Social Science.
http://www.landandfreedom.org/

Microbes.Info
A microbiology information portal containing germ news, current disease information, feature articles, sections for general, environmental, food, industrial, medical, and veterinary microbiology, frequently asked questions, and links pertaining to microbiology.
http://www.microbes.info/

Physics Classroom
Hosted by Studyworks! Online and created by Tom Henderson, this site has lots of great stuff! Divided into three main sections: Physics Tutorial, Multimedia Physics Studio, and Physics Help. Within each section there are numerous lessons, animations, and quizzes.
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/

Pitsco's Guidelines for Hands-on Competitions
Thinking of hosting a science competition? Competition Guidelines from Pitsco consists of guidelines for 32 hands-on competitions. Print the guidelines in simple text form or download the full-color, printable document.
http://www.pitsco.com/Competitions/comprules.htm

Teaching Tools
Free teaching resources including video series about science and problem-solving, mathematics, science, and critical thinking skills, biodiversity, and wildlife habitats.
http://www.karolmedia.com/resources/free/freepgs/phillip.htm

Web Quests, Grades 9-12
A long list for you to peruse of Web Quests in all curricular areas appropriate for high school students.
http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/9-12wquests.htm

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Are you ready to look into distance learning courses over the Internet? Do you need professional growth hours, continuing education credit or do you just want to keep up with current recommended teaching practices? Check out TeachStar Academy’s courses found at:
http://teachstaracademy.lacoe.edu/catalog/catalog.html

If you plan to change district email or know you will be changing your email address over the summer, please let me know as soon as possible.

Do you know anyone who might want a copy of this free newsletter? Please forward it to your teaching colleagues. Encourage them to sign up at: /documentation/support/carole/subscribe.html
Archived issues are located at:
/documentation/support/carole/cyberscoop/archive.html

I always enjoy helping you find the resources you need. Please let me know if you'd like me to search for anything in particular. Thanks to many of you who have sent me suggestions for Web sites to include in our TEAMS resources. There are new sites appearing daily on our pages.

Happy Summer!!

Margie

Margie Burton, Web Cybrarian
burton_margie@lacoe.edu

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