Skip to content

The Connected Classroom

“Information on and from Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis' Learning Division”

Monthly Archives: May 2010

27/05/10 Spotlight on the Gulf Spill with Philippe Cousteau Web Event

Register your class to attend an online event about the Gulf Oil Spill.

Join Philippe Cousteau, grandson of the legendary Jacques Cousteau and Discovery Education Chief Spokesperson for Environmental Education, as he takes you and your students to the Gulf through pictures and stories from his recent trip to evaluate the effects of the Gulf Oil Spill.

During the webinar, Cousteau will discuss the effects on regional wildlife and ecosystems as well as focus on how the oil spill will affect us now and into the future.

Spotlight on the Gulf Spill, How it Affects Us Now and in the Future: Questions, Answers and More Uncertainty takes place Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 12 PM CT/ 1 PM ET.

Tags: , , , , ,

27/05/10 What’s Your Digital Footprint?

Understanding Your Digital Footprint
June 10 | 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
$149 CSD member; $189 non-member
(One Grad. Credit Available)
Register here.

Do you know what type of digital footprint you are creating? Anyone using the web and mobile devices leaves a digital footprint. We teach our children how to be safe within the physical community, but what about safety norms for communicating in this highly digital age? Class time will include:

  • Discussion about social networks
  • Resources for using the Internet
  • Tips on guarding your identity
  • Netiquette and posting information to the web
  • Creating a code of conduct for your digital presence

27/05/10 Complimentary Workshop at Fox School District for K-12 Educators

The VLC received this information that we’d like to pass along:

The Fox C-6 School District invites you to join them at their half-day neuroscience seminar on Tuesday, June 1.

Fox School District, recipient of Missouri’s “Distinction in Performance” award for the past nine years, and one of the rare Missouri districts to get a school off of the school improvement list, has implemented a neuroscience-based intervention to accelerate learning for their at-risk students. By strengthening student memory, increasing ability to focus attention, accelerating the speed of mental processing skills, and enhancing the brain’s ability to sequence and organize information, at-risk Fox students are showing impressive achievement gains.  Fox administrators are pleased with the progress of their students utilizing these principles of “Brain Fitness” to accelerate learning.  District leaders have set a goal to learn more about what current neuroscience says about increasing achievement.  To support this goal, the district has chosen to bring in experts to provide this neuroscience seminar to St. Louis area district leaders.

You are invited to attend on June 1, from 8 to 11:30 a.m. at the Fox Service Center in Arnold.  This event, associated with Scientific Learning, will be attended by superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum directors, Title 1 directors, SPED directors, school improvement facilitators, building principals, educational consultants, and DESE consultants.  Please RSVP by May 28th to Tracy Baker at  817-295-0912.

Tags: , ,

26/05/10 June 8 Podcasting Class @ CSD

On June 8, take Empowering Students Sound & Voice with Podcasting from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Come find out what all the talk is about!  Learn how to record digital audio broadcasts, edit them, and upload them to the web.  Teachers can use this technology to create podcasts of their lectures and class discussions so that students can listen to them again for reinforcement.

click here to register

Explore the many ways these easy-to-make audio files increase student learning and engagement, especially for those students that need differentiated instructional methods. Examine examples of how educational leaders are using podcasting to communicate to parents, staff, and community. Participants will learn how to create lessons for their students that require them to create their own radio broadcasts, performances, interviews, reading logs and more.  Bring a lesson idea and draft of a script, or use one provided, and walk away with your own original podcast!

Participants will be shown examples of for student work and teacher professional development. Examples may include Book Talks, Literature Circles, Science Logs, Art Critiques, Historical Audio and Tutorials. Using podcasting, you can explain math and review concepts, record student readings and musical creations to increase student achievement and promote communication.

The cost is $149 for CSD members and $189 for non-members.
(One graduate credit is also available).

Remember, you don’t need an iPod or handheld to be a part of podcasting– you can listen right from your web browser. Whatever personal device you may use to listen to podcasts, learning is certain to happen.

Tags: , , ,

26/05/10 one last mission for the school year

Today the Challenger Learning Center St. Louis‘ Robert Powell is coming for the last videoconference of the 2009-2010 school year.

He’ll connect with a school in New York later this afternoon. Yesterday, Robert connected over videoconference to third grade students in Pennsylvania. He is often asked how many times he’s been to outer space; he has to respond, honestly, that he hasn’t.

Robert does know a lot about space and life there for astronauts. He discusses how the body changes while in space, and the kinds of foods astronauts eat. Can you identify the food he’s showing the students? (To learn the answer, click on the “comments” section of this post!)

To learn more about the Challenger Learning Center St. Louis, visit their website, http://www.clcstlouis.org. Right now, they offer two videoconferences through Cooperating School Districts: Day in the Life of an Astronaut and The Body in Space.

26/05/10 Vendor Showcase this summer for CSD Members

Bena Kallick

The Virtual Learning Center, along with the RPDC and St. Louis Area Curriculum Coordinators Association (SLACCA), will hold two vendor showcases for Cooperating School Districts members this summer.

The first showcase for CSD members to participate in will take place Friday, June 11, and features Virtual K-12 Learning vendors, including:

• Acellus  • Aventa Learning  • K12 Virtual Schools L.L.C.  • SchoolTown  • SqoolTools  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln Independent Study High School

Meg Ormiston

Meg Ormiston will be a special guest speaker on June 11, sponsored by SchoolTown. Meg is involved in professional development activities focused on changing instructional practice in the classroom.

The second showcase will take place Monday, June 21, and features curriculum and professional development vendors, including:

• Elluminate  • PD 360  • Reading Plus  • Recorded Books  • SunGard Public Sector | K-12 Education (Performance PLUS) •  The Master Teacher

Dr. Bena Kallick will also be a special guest speaker on June 21, sponsored by SunGard Public Sector | K-12 Education. Dr. Kallick is a curriculum and assessment expert. Like Meg Ormiston, Bena Kallick speaks across the country to educators.

CSD members, to register for the June 11 showcase to learn more about the listed Virtual K-12 Learning products, click here. To register for the June 21 showcase to learn more about the listed curriculum and professional development products, click here.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

25/05/10 Search N Stuff: Exploring Google & Even More Apps

Save time and become more efficient! In this full day workshop, participants will learn advanced search techniques, develop a custom search, and discover easier ways to find images, resources and websites you want.  You will discover how to develop your own online calendar to access anytime, anywhere. Find time to read books, blogs and other helpful resources by creating an RSS feed to your favorites. Then discover Even More Apps!  These applications are the hidden treasure of Google. Do you know about Wonder Wheel, Alerts, Sketchup and Picasa? Learn shortcuts around the many Even More Apps.

We will also spend the day learning about Google Labs and explore this “technology playground.” Through this full day of learning, participants will be empowered by creating their own Custom Search Engine, understand the power of Google’s Online Calendar and be introduced to Even More Applications.

Brought to you by 3 of Missouri’s Google Certified Teachers, this class is a full day of instruction and learning. It will introduce participants to innovative ways Google tools can be used in education. Bring your own laptop to discover Google’s potential to drive student learning and Google’s online community focused on supporting educators.  All participants must bring their own laptop with wireless Internet capabilities.

This class is July 15 from  8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cost: $149 CSD member; $189 non-member
(One Graduate Credit Available)

Tags: ,

25/05/10 Where in the World: Teaching with Google Earth & Google Maps

tele | 7-12-10 | 8:30-3:30

Where in the World? Do you wish you could roam around Rome? Take a virtual train to Spain? Come find out exactly how Google Earth and Google Maps fit the needs of the curriculum covered in your schools.

You’ll find out how to make a KMZ lesson as well as find out how to effectively search for the ones that are already made! This July 12th class is taught by a Google Certified Teacher at Cooperating School Districts’ tele. Bring your own laptop with wireless Internet capabilities! ($149 CSD member; $189 non-member | one grad credit is available)

Register for Teaching with Google Earth & Google Maps  here.

Tags: , ,

25/05/10 New Google Docs Class @ CSD this July

On July 16, our new class, Online Classroom Collaboration with Google Docs, takes place in CSD’s tele from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $149 for a CSD member & $189 for a non-member. This class will be taught by a Google Certified Teacher!

Did you know that you could use the basic abilities of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel in an online collaborative environment? Are you interested in creating a variety of online forms for assessment through surveys, quizzes, and questionnaires? Would you like to create a classroom website or online collaborative environment?

In this full day of instruction, participants will learn how Google Documents and Google Sites can support learning 24/7. Bring your own laptop with wireless Internet capabilities. Also, 1 graduate credit from Lindenwood University is available if you choose with this course. Sign up today!

24/05/10 Classroom Projects Using Digital Photography Workshop

A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say. Find out how to use this powerful tool in the classroom. In this class, teachers will learn about the basics of using digital cameras and photography in the classroom. Come learn the parts of the camera, its basic operation, and possible activities that you can use with your students. Find out what can be done with digital images—how they can be enhanced, manipulated, and changed using basic photo editing software. Gain information about how to integrate images into lesson plans and classroom activities. Participants will be encouraged to develop a lesson that incorporates the use of digital images. Bring your own camera and photos, or borrow from us! This class is June 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Tags: ,

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 722 other followers