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The Connected Classroom

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

Monthly Archives: November 2010

19/11/10 HEC-TV Live! Presents The Giver: Bringing the Characters to Life

Upcoming free videoconference opportunity:
The Giver: Bringing the Characters to Life

Dates:  December 9, 2010 | Grade Levels: 6-10
Times: 10 to 11:00 a.m. CT or 1 to 2:00 p.m. CT

Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal winning novel The Giver continues to be read and loved by thousands of young people each year. In this third of a series of four HEC-TV Live! programs focusing on the novel, students will have the unique opportunity to meet the director and actors who are taking this classic story and bringing it to new life in their upcoming production of Eric Coble’s stage adaptation.

Have your students read the book this year? Will you be reading it later? Are you interested in your students better understanding the work of theatre professionals and how a story is translated through their eyes to the eyes of an audience member? HEC-TV hopes you can join them for this free program.

How do you take the vivid and compelling characters in The Giver and bring them to life in a stage adaptation? Find out by joining HEC-TV’s Tim Gore live from the Metro Theater Company’s rehearsal space:

• View a scene from the production- see elements of the set; meet director Carol North and members of the cast.
• Ask your questions of actors about how they formulated and performed their character- what clues from the novel have informed their performance? How do the director and actors work together to develop a performance? How do the characters interact on stage differently or similar to how they interact in the novel?

This series of programs is being produced in conjunction with Washington University in St. Louis and Metro Theater Company of St. Louis as they prepare and present a stage adaptation of the novel to be presented at Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University in January. Funding for the program is provided by the Missouri Arts Council.

Viewing and registration information can be found here.

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18/11/10 Engaging & Motivating Students with Your ActivBoard

Today Virtual Learning Center Director Nancy George taught our level 2 training for Promethean: Creating ActivBoard Lessons to Engage and Motivate Students. Participants learned the more advanced features of ActivInspire and created flipcharts.

This class will be offered again March 30, 2011, if you missed today’s session. There will also be plenty of Promethean ActivBoard sessions at the Midwest Education Technology Conference this February!

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18/11/10 Cultural Exchange at Cooperating School Districts Last Week

Last week, five educators (known as delegates) in the Open World Program, sponsored by the U.S. Library of Congress, came to Cooperating School Districts in St. Louis to learn more about our offerings. The delegates traveled from Russia.

The Open World Program is designed to promote public diplomacy through exchanges of cultural ideas and values and create a positive exchange of ideas and business approaches between professionals and leaders in Russia and the United States.

After meeting with CSD’s CHARACTERplus in the morning on November 11, the group met with Virtual Learning Center staff and coworkers from St. Louis’ RPDC. Topics discussed included New Links to New Learning, our instructional technology academies, TELE workshops, MELL (Migrant English Language Learners), data collection and professional learning communities (PLCs). School set up was also discussed- similarities and differences between the Russian school system and that in the United States. We hope to continue to meet & collaborate- over Skype.

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18/11/10 Videoconferences on World War II

Pearl Harbor today

There are many distance learning opportunities to learn about World War II. As the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor approaches, I thought I’d put together a list of some of the videoconferences offered by various content providers:

• A Day of Infamy: The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor from The National WWII Museum. Students explore Japanese and American motivations and actions through maps, primary sources, and role playing. For students in grades 5-12th. (The National WWII Museum conducts several videoconferences).

• WWII – War in the Pacific from Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial. While studying the role of the Battleship New Jersey in the Pacific, students will analyze the effect that the Iowa class battleships had on the morale of the average sailor, those on the home front, and the enemy. Short video clips of oral histories from those who served will enhance the educational experience, as well as clips of the battleship’s 16″ guns in action. For students in grades 4-9th.

• Inside the Vault: The Curators Series from Pacific Historic Parks. This is a program that allows students to view artifacts that are currently not on display. Fuchida’s bible, silverware off the USS ARIZONA, the Jitterbug trophy awarded at the “Battle of Bands” December 6, 1941, Admiral Kidd’s cup holder. Also on display are rare images from the 14th Naval District Historic Photo Collection. These photos illustrate the development of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attack and the massive salvage operation that followed. For students in grades 5-12th.

• Auschwitz: Remembering the Holocaust from South Central Kansas Education Service Center High School students will examine the complexity of race and ethnic relations as experienced during the Holocaust through the gates of Auschwitz concentration camp. For students in grades 9-12th.

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17/11/10 Supporting Teachers’ Use of Videoconferencing Online Course this Winter

there is more than one way to go with videoconferencing!

The Virtual Learning Center wanted to share this great opportunity with you-

Description: Supporting videoconferencing in your school is critical to the successful use of your videoconference system. Discover how to bring authors, experts, scientists, and global peers to the classroom to enhance student engagement. Learn about the resources available and tips for scheduling and managing the videoconferences. Strategies for encouraging teachers to use videoconferencing will be shared. Network with other VC coordinators and practice with the technology. This online course from Berrien Regional Educational Service Agency is addressed to anyone who is the champion for videoconference in their school, district, or service area. This course is taught online via Moodle. Class assignments are posted in the discussion board. Participants are required to login regularly during the class. Learn more (requirements, costs, etc.) here.

About the Instructor: Janine Lim, PhD, has been coordinating videoconferencing for 22 school districts with 70 videoconference systems since 1999. This workshop shares the successful strategies of her school videoconference coordinators. Results and strategies from her recent research on videoconference coordinators in six countries are included in the course.

Technology Featured: Participants can choose which method of videoconferencing to focus on within this class: standards-based videoconferencing carts, rooms, or desktop software by Polycom, Tandberg, LifeSize, Sony, etc. OR Skype.

Sessions for 2011: February 28 – March 28
Learn more here.

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17/11/10 Microsoft Office 2007 & Your Classroom – 2011 Workshops

Practice ideas for using MS Office in your classroom and learn skills at the same time! Here are two popular classes offered by the Virtual Learning Center of Cooperating School Districts:

WINTER 2011 CLASSES:
Using MS Word in the Classroom Jan. 26 & 27    4-7pm    $149 CSD member; $189 non- member (One Grad. Credit Available) MS Word is a powerful word processing program that helps teachers create lessons, tests and letters. Students can use it for creative writing, basic reports or research papers. Learn the basics along with more advanced features such as inserting graphics, clip art, and spreadsheets, transforming text to html, and word art. Participants will also plan a lesson activity incorporating the use of Word such as having students create bookmarks that persuade readers to read the book. Learn how to help students create newsletters and brochures, and how you can create easy to use worksheets with embedded hyperlinks that can help support your students as they create their own projects.

Using MS PowerPoint in the Classroom Feb. 8 & 9    4-7pm    $149 CSD member; $189 non-member (One Grad. Credit Available) Learn everything from the basics to the more advanced features that make PowerPoint a great tool for student learning. You will have the opportunity to create your own PowerPoint presentation for use in the classroom to introduce or clarify a lesson. Learn how to create photo albums, adventure stories, and Jeopardy games. During the second half of the class, learn how to design student PowerPoint assignments that require higher order thinking skills, such as a poetry analysis presentation, and examine assessment methods that will help you grade these student assignments. Walk away with your own presentation and ideas for integrating PowerPoint into your classroom!

SUMMER 2011 CLASSES:
Using MS Word in the Classroom
June 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Using MS PowerPoint in the Classroom
June 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Using MS Excel in the Classroom
June 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

To register for these classes, visit the Technology section of CSD’s website.

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16/11/10 Challenger Learning Center- St. Louis Videoconferences

today's Challenger Learning Center-St. Louis videoconference from CSD

Today is the second of three days worth of videoconferences Robert Powell from the Challenger Learning Center-St. Louis is conducting from Cooperating School Districts. Robert did a couple back-to-back last week and is doing the same today and Thursday, too. To learn more about the Challenger Learning Center-St. Louis (and it’s videoconferences) visit this link.

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16/11/10 Invite an Author Into Your Classroom Via Videoconference

Author of five books for elementary-aged children, Amy E. Sklansky led nearly 20 videoconferences last school year from Cooperating School Districts, speaking with schools across North America, from St. Charles, Missouri to Canada.

She’ll be presenting at the 2011 Midwest Education Technology Conference, too. In her Tuesday session, you can hear how a videoconference works from the presenter’s side: what teachers can expect during an interactive program and how videoconferencing can enhance curriculum. In addition, attendees will learn about the three videoconferences Amy offers to elementary schools through New Links to New Learning, as well as the techniques and tools she uses during the videoconference to keep the participating students engaged and motivated.

To see other distance learning sessions offered at the upcoming METC, visit this link.

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16/11/10 METC Precons: Full-Day Multimedia Sessions

There are several Midwest Education Technology Conference preconference workshops to choose from this year! Three full-day workshops focus on digital storytelling/multimedia/media literacy.

Descriptions for these precons (and that platform they are using- Windows or Mac) are listed below. To see a complete list of all the METC 2011 preconference workshops, click here.

Tech Level: Intermediate – presented by Jon Orech
The Power of Digital Storytelling (Windows)
Come learn the transformative power of digital storytelling. In this workshop, participants will learn 7 elements of digital storytelling, see samples of digital storytelling, participate in a “story circle,” be introduced to filmmaking terms, know where to find images and music, know how to give credit for photos, and create their own digital stories. Participants should bring a one-page personal story of an event that impacted them and 10-15 accompanying digital images.

Tech Level: Intermediate – presented by Chris Ingram & BJ Mork
The Student Video Resume: a Multimedia Production (Macintosh)
Experience the process used with students to create video resumes and other types of presentations. When middle and high school students create video resumes, they not only prepare for job interviews but also build self-awareness and self-esteem. Elementary students can use video as a cumulative lesson/unit product or create “a story about me.” Attend this workshop and create your own video resume or story; then take the process back to your classroom to your students. The facilitators will share pre and post surveys used to collect data regarding knowledge related to targeted skills in the NETS-S. Attendees will develop their own data collection tools to meet their specific needs.

Tech Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced – presented by Jerri Davenport
Connecting Digital and Print Literacy: Creating Book Trailers (Windows)
Producing book trailers motivates students to engage with books in a way that transforms their involvement with reading connecting print literacy with digital literacy. Book trailers expose students to a real-world digital marketing strategy. Participants will make book trailers using PhotoStory 3, a free Microsoft download (or a program of their choice). Learn how to help students select their audience, and decide how to construct their message to accomplish the persuasive goal of the trailer. The workshop will touch on copyright compliance issues and time will be given to find acceptable images and music. Voice-overs using the free download Audacity will be demonstrated. Skills covered can be applied to any subject and grade level.

The Midwest Education Technology Conference is a program of Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis.

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15/11/10 “Distance Learning Leading the Way”

The United States Distance Learning Association’s 4th Annual Conference is May 1-4, 2011. The 2011 theme is “Distance Learning Leading the Way.” The submission deadline for call for proposals is December 17, 2010. The conference takes place at The Hilton at the Ball Park in St. Louis, Missouri.

According to USDLA,  proposals are now being accepted based on the conference theme.  USDLA invites your proposals and participation in this exciting and important event.  There is also a unique opportunity this year to present your session in our virtual classroom setting, which means your session will be viewed by face-to-face attendees as well as those attendees joining us virtually. You will be able to note an interest in the call for proposal link.

USDLA Conference Tracks
You are invited to submit proposals that address any of the conference topics outlined below. Please remember to incorporate the overall conference theme when possible.

• Track 1: Leading Distance Learning in the 21st Century
• Track 2: Research and Evaluation Processes
• Track 3: Professional Development
• Track 4: Best and Promising Practices in Distance Teaching and Learning
• Track 5: Technology: Changes and Challenges

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