Fall 2008 (Volume 8, Number 4)
SCORE IT with Graphic Inquiry, Standards, and Deep Thinking
We live in a high-tech, multimedia world, yet most of our classroom activities still emphasize print communication. Even inquiry-based approaches to learning often stress writing lists of questions, reading texts, and writing papers. We know that many of our young people are motivated by graphic communications. There’s a need to explore the potential of graphic inquiry in teaching and learning. Use technology to support graphic inquiry to address standards and promote deep thinking. This winning combination focuses on Storytelling, Communication, Organization, Representation, Evidence. Learn More
Strong Nests, Successful Students: Skills & Strategies for 21st Century Learning
Birds are constantly rebuilding and strengthening their nests. Strong nests provide a nurturing environment for chicks to grow. Are you building a strong foundation for your students? Explore practical ideas and strategies for addressing the skills needed by 21st century learners. Through collaborations among media specialists, technology coordinators, and classroom teachers, we can motivate and challenge students across the curriculum. Learn More...
Summer 2008 (Volume 8, Number 3)
Get Fit: Fired Up about Information and Technology - All-Day Workshop Version
WebQuests to Web 2.0: More than a Decade of Technology Ideas
Learn to connect the best technology approaches of the past with the potential of new technology to build effective, efficient, and appealing learning environments for today's young people. Learn More...
Beyond Googling: Applying Google Tools to Teaching and Learning
Google is much more than a search tool.
From identifying quality text, audio, video, and images resources to exploring our world with Google Earth, learn practical applications of Google Tools in teaching and learning.
Caldecotts Connections: Thematic Book-Internet Links Revisited
Illustrations are a powerful way to draw children into the world of reading. Explore how to connect Caldecott award-winning books with online resources and technology-rich classroom projects. Participants will leave with book lists, web addresses, and software titles that can lay the foundation for your technology connections. Learn More...
Literature Ladders: Linking Books and Internet Resources Revisited
Use books for children and young adults as the focal point for technology-rich thematic activities. From historical fiction to contemporary issues, popular literature can bring reading and the world alive for students. By adding the power of Internet, educators can build information-rich thematic technology connections and practical classroom projects. Learn More...
Intellectual Freedom for Youth: Social Technology, Social Networks, and Collaborative Tools
Where do you stand? Explore how school library media programs and other educators can address key issues related to intellectual freedom and social technology for young people. Learn More...
Spring 2008 (Volume 8, Number 2)
Meeting the Needs of All Students: Success through through Differentiation & Technology
This
online course (updated from an earlier version) explores ways to use the Internet to locate quality materials
that will help you address individual differences in your classroom. In addition, ten tips are provided
for connecting students to the learning environment through technology-rich
resources.
Learn More...
Digital Comics, Graphic Novels, Sequential Art, and Technology-Enhanced Learning
Let's address standards, challenge students, and instill a love of learning in young people through engaging, visually-rich resources and activities. Learn to integrate the growing body of quality print and web-based graphic reading resources for young people across the K12 curriculum. Beyond the superheroes of traditional comics, today's graphic communication projects help students synthesize and apply digital scraps, primary source documents, photographs, charts and graphics, and other visuals to create meaningful communications. Design standards-based activities that use traditional and emerging comic software such as Comic Life and online tools for producing graphic novels and other forms of sequential art for sharing students understandings and alternative assessment. With today's digital tools, you don't need to be a expert illustrator to use and create attractive and powerful digital comic projects across content areas. Learn More...
Headwaters of Ideas and Information: Tracing the Technology Flow
How do I help young people distinguish fact from fiction when the lines drawn by news and entertainment are often blurred? How do I determine the origin of information found on the web? What skills are needed to weigh arguments and draw conclusions? How are wikis created? Should wikipedia be used as an information source? The key to addressing these questions lies in helping students understand the inquiry process, how ideas are generated, and the process of tracing the origin of information. This session provides practical ideas and examples to help students manage the technology, evaluate information, and synthesize ideas to become information fluent. Learn More
Winter 2008 (Volume 8, Number 1)
Reading, Writing, and Wikis: Nurturing a Sense of Wonder Across the Curriculum
Combine collaborative technologies with effective teaching strategies to promote critical and creative thinking. From WebQuests to technology-enhanced Literature Circles, young people can become creators and contributors along with consumers of the Web. Use collaborative documents, concept maps, and wikis along with other technology to bring literature and learning alive. Learn More..
Technology Treasures: Finding the Hidden Jewels
People often ask, how do you find all those great technology resources and ideas? How do you stay current when technologies change so quickly? How do you maintain a passion for teaching and learning?
This session provides a dozen practical ideas for keeping up with the latest resources, learning technology tricks, and dealing with professional information overload. If you're drowning in blogs and yearning for easier ways to find those hidden technology jewels, come with me on a technology treasure hunt. Learn More
Technology Transformations: Digital Tools and Practical Projects that Activate Learning
Address standards, challenge students, and instill a love of learning in young people through engaging, innovative technology-rich resources and activities that don't take much time, but have high impact across content areas. Help students evaluate, synthesize and apply classroom content to address essential questions using digital scraps, primary sources, photographs, charts, graphs, audio, video, and other multimedia elements to create meaningful and powerful communications using free and low-cost tools. Transform the teaching and learning process!
In this workshop, you'll learn to design standards-based activities that use traditional and emerging software and online tools for addressing essential questions, producing practical projects, sharing student understandings, and applying alternative assessments. With today's digital tools, you don't need to be a expert illustrator, photographer, or videographer to create attractive and powerful digital projects across content areas. Explore innovative approaches to using multimedia tools that don't take much time, but have high impact. In addition, learn new tools for creating motivating projects such as e-scrapbooks, graphic novels, comics, and great media, history, or science fair projects.
This workshop will help you explore the possibilities and identify realistic ways to transform your traditional reading, writing, and subject area assignments into dynamic and motivating learning experiences that incorporate visuals, audio, and video elements. Learn about emerging technologies associated with Web 2.0 such as wikis, blogs, podcasts, and video sharing. Also, explore ways to use traditional tools like Microsoft PowerPoint in new ways. Regardless of whether you are a beginner looking for ways to enhance your teaching or an experienced technology-using-educator seeking new ideas and applications, this workshop is for you. Learn More...