let’s make it a hit Friday, October 31, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Links, VLC Programs.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, digital movie making, digital storytelling, Midwest Education Technology Conference, Show Me a Movie
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Show-Me a Movie is an annual digital storytelling contest for Missouri students to demonstrate their creativity & digital movie making skills. Based on curriculum and with a content focus, videos will showcase what students know, care about, and are able to do. What does your class have to say?
There are 3 divisions: Elementary: Grades 2 – 5; Middle School: Grades 6 – 8; High School: Grades 9 – 12. There are 4 categories: Show Me Something New; Show Me a Story; Show Me a Challenge; and Show Me Your Community.
Each 2 minute video is judged in five categories by a panel: Content, Creativity, Storyboarding, Videography for Live Action or Videography for Animation, and Reflection.The deadline to submit the 2 minute movies is December 15, 2008
at 5 o’clock - JUST SIX WEEKS AWAY!
Mailed entries must be addressed to:
Show-Me a Movie
Cooperating School Districts
1460 Craig Rd.
St. Louis, MO 63146
(E-mailed entries should be sent to mbogart@csd.org – remember to submit the paperwork before 5 p.m.)
For complete rules and details, like teacher checklists, please visit http://www2.csd.org/showmemovie/index.htm. Winners will be showcased at a reception during METC 2009. Questions about Show-Me a Movie? Contact Martha Bogart at 314-692-1258.
Promethean Training Available Next Week at Cooperating School Districts! Friday, October 31, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Links, Promethean Activboard, Tech PD, VLC Programs.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, Midwest Promethean Users Group, MPUG, Promethean Activboard, Tech PD, tele
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Transforming Learning with a Promethean Activboard
This class is for beginners; no prior knowledge of Promethean is required.
Day Classes (9am-4pm): November 6 | $125 CSD member; $195 non-member
St. Louis area teachers, come to the technology enhanced learning environment and learn how to use this new technology tool in your classroom. The Promethean Activboard combines the look and feel of a regular whiteboard with the power of a computer. Discover how to develop lesson plans that make use of it and motivate students to learn!
All tele classes held at:
Cooperating School Districts
1460 Craig Road
St. Louis, MO 63146
to register: www2.csd.org/tele
Remember, we also offer MPUG, the Midwest Promethean Users Group, meeting coming up in November! Any Promethean user is invited to participate.
Technology Integration in the Classroom Podcast Thursday, October 30, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Conferences, Distance Learning, Links, podcast, Tech PD, VLC Programs, Web 2.0.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, Distance Learning, Education, Midwest Education Technology Conference, New Links to New Learning, podcast, public education, Tech PD, Technology Integration in the Classroom, tele, videoconference, Virtual Learning Center
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The latest podcast offered by Cooperating School Districts features the Virtual Learning Center’s Director, Ruth Litman-Block, on the topic of Technology Integration in the Classroom. Past issues covered include High Cost of Fuel and its Impact on Education and School Reform.
Future topics include Preparing Students for the Global Workplace and Public Education and the U.S. Political Landscape. For additional information or to request a specific topic to be covered, contact Kathleen Woehrmann at kwoehrmann@csd.org. To listen to all of CSD’s podcasts (or to subscribe to them), visit “ABOUT US: PODCASTS” on the CSD website, www.csd.org.
It’s Alive! Monster Madness! Thursday, October 30, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Blogs, Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Distance Learning, Links, Videoconferencing, Web 2.0.Tags: Distance Learning, Monster Match, videoconference
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Take a look at this! Great collaboration taking place in/between schools in Michigan and Texas: Monster Match! “This project, coordinated by EDLINK 12, is designed for grades PreK-7 and is open to Janine Lim‘s and Roxanne Glaser‘s schools ONLY since this is a pilot project. Two classrooms will be paired up and each class will create a monster using “Monster-Match Approved” materials. The class will then write a description of their monster and post it online. Classes will then create a second monster and see if there is a monster match. Both classes will meet via videoconference to compare the original monsters with the recreated monsters.”
Click here to see some of the monsters created by the kids.
A Halloween Read Thursday, October 30, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Collaboration, Distance Learning, Links, Videoconferencing, VLC Programs.Tags: Amy Sklansky, author visit, children's book, classroom Halloween activities, Halloween book, Karen Dismukes, New Links to New Learning, Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans: Poems for Halloween, teacher features
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New Links to New Learning author Amy E. Sklansky is the author of several books, like The Duck Who Played the Kazoo and Where Do Chicks Come From? She is also the author of a great poetry book (illustrated by Karen Dismukes) to read this time of year, Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans: Poems for Halloween. 
On Amy’s website, she has a section called “Teacher Features” which outlines great ways to prompt writing in the classroom! It’s definitely worth checking out!
Amy’s next videoconference is in January. Want to learn more about her distance learning work? Click here to read up on her past programs.
it’s a happeNING place Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Collaborations, Conferences, Distance Learning, Links, Tech PD, VLC Programs, Web 2.0.Tags: Ning, social networking sites, Twitter, Web 2.0
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The Midwest Education Technology Conference has a Ning! What is a Ning? A Ning is a space on the web for people to create their own social networks. The METC Ning is a place for those interested in and/or planning to attend the conference to communicate and collaborate before, during, and after METC. It is a great place for the conference presenters, planners and participants to interact! If you are not able to attend the conference in person, the Ning, along with METC2009 Twitter updates, will keep you current on the conference happenings and provide valuable resources & information from its member community. How do you join? Visit the URL and click on “sign up.” The METC Ning URL is http://metcstl.ning.com/.
Eight is Great! Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Distance Learning, Links, Videoconferencing, VLC Programs.Tags: ACT prep, Cooperating School Districts, New Links to New Learning, The Princeton Review
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We’re very pleased to share that many students participating in the last ACT Prep over videoconference class significantly raised their practice test scores- in one case, a student raised her over all score eight points! During the five week course (taught by a Princeton Review instructor), participating students took three practice tests, one before the class started, the second during the middle of the course, and the third at the end of the course- one week before the real ACT. Students were able to see their scores within a few days of taking the test to see their strengths and weaknesses. They also had twenty hours seat time with the instructor, and they were also able to email him between videoconference connections with questions. Homework was assigned as well, and tips and tricks were given for mastering the standardized test. Sound like something you are interested in?? We will be offering an ACT prep class for the February ACT- look out for those dates on this blog!
Life’s a Beach! Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Distance Learning, Links, Tech PD, Videoconferencing, VLC Programs, Web 2.0.Tags: animation, Bill Dallas Lewis, computer graphics, Cooeprating School Districts, Distance Learning, Dr. Seuss, Flash, New Links to New Learning, PhotoShop, technology integration, videoconference, Virtual Learning Center
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Join author/computer illustrator and New Links to New Learning content provider Bill Dallas Lewis live from Mexico for an interactive distance learning experience you will not forget! Bill teaches students- and 
educators- how to incorporate illustrations and animation into writing- using Photoshop and Flash!
A Dartmouth College graduate and trained in Silicon Valley, multitalented & good-natured Bill shares with students the importance and fun of reading, and the joy of writing! From his home office (or on the beach!) in Puerto Vallarta, he shares the exhilaration of taking your creation to the public, be it friends and family or the world, via computer graphics. You can see his work at www.sillybilly.com. Bill offers different 4 presentations, with most at a cost of just $175! All dates & times are upon request. Prior to each videoconference, Bill communicates with the participating teacher to personalize each v/c experience!
To read more on Bill Dallas Lewis’ interactive videoconferences, visit: http://www2.csd.org/newlinks/programdesc.html
His most popular session is “Program #1 FOR STUDENTS (2-12)”:
In this single, one hour presentation, Bill shares with students that he went to school where Dr. Seuss did. He shares how he read all he could about Dr. Seuss, learning about writing. Bill then graphically takes students through the writing process and the rewriting process. Finally, Bill demonstrates how he uses state of the art, computer graphics applications that make any thing look real, from image manipulation, to animation, to sound. He lets students know that he has all this fun because he reads a lot. Cost: $150 for New Links members; $175 for non-members.
Excelling in the tele Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaborations, Links, Tech PD, VLC Programs.Tags: Cooperating School Districts, Excel, Tech PD, tele, Virtual Learning Center
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Stacey Franks Excels in teaching technology
Today Stacey taught staff from Riverview Gardens School District the fine points of Excel today. She had a group in the tele this morning and another one in the afternoon. Here are a few snapshots:
Author Visits with New Links to New Learning Monday, October 27, 2008
Posted by Rebecca Morrison in Classroom Technology, Collaboration, Links, Tech PD, Videoconferencing, VLC Programs.Tags: author visit, Carolyn Lesser, Cooperating School Districts, New Links to New Learning
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Author and teacher Carolyn Lesser‘s interactive videoconferences are all upon request (costs vary per program); if you are interested in her programs through New Links to New Learning, contact Program Coordinator Rebecca Morrison at rmorrison@csd.org. You can learn more about Carolyn by visiting her website, www.carolynlesser.com and by searching her name here on The Wired Classroom.
Carolyn has a menu of videoconference programs you can see here! She works with staff and students.
