SJEDS Tech Connect

Egypt VoiceThread- over 300 voices, documenting our school's journey to Egypt.

This school year, TechConnect was marked by collaborative projects among grade levels, school wide and across subject areas. These were accomplished by introducing web 2.0 tools that foster content, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Through video, audio and written content, produced through different media, students became part of a bigger learning community. Seamless integration of technology and classroom curriculum was fostered through collaboration between classroom & resources and especially our drama teacher.

ELC students pointed and clicked their way through age appropriate websites that foster letter recognition, math practice and global awareness. Their fine motor mouse skills improved with specific activities that built a strong foundation. Free play time on the computer is especially important to encourage exploration and problem solving and increase their comfort level. Please take advantage of following pre-selected links from your student's teacher's blogs.

Meet the first graders, our school experts in PowerPoint. They have been working hard on their Bug presentation. Their creativity is evident in every slide. Images and colorful backgrounds are just a few highlights. Skills such as text manipulation with highlighting, spell check, font size and spacing were practiced without them even noticing. Next time when you are preparing a presentation for work, ask your student to help you!

Second graders in turn have been working with word processing. They are using shortcuts and are getting comfortable with basic skills such as entering and deleting text, spacing, alignment, different fonts and sizes and spell checking. Mrs. Davidson and Mrs. Bennett have created incredibly cute video clips with their students' president puppets. Don't miss out in viewing them on Mrs. Davidson's classroom blog.
Our third graders worked on a Black History project. They created a PowerPoint presentation in TechConnect and learned about basic editing and formatting functions by customizing a presentation layout created Ms. Barnwell. Mrs. Wrenn checked out one of our Neo keyboards and took it to the Tree Hill fieldtrip. Students were thrilled to be “in field” journalists and took us along with them "virtually". Please take the time to read about their exciting adventure on the classroom blog.

Each student in fourth, fifth and sixth grade has received a memory drive that they are taking back and forth from home to school. In the next few weeks before school is out, they will practice getting comfortable with saving and retrieving documents between computers. Fourth graders have been working hard on their explorer unit. Mr. Foster has created a virtual Mixbook for his classes. Each group has been assigned an explorer and is in charge of creating a double page layout, including images and background information. During this collaborative class project students, became aware of copyright vs. public and creative commons images available on the web, as well as practiced saving, browsing and uploading files. Sixth graders have been incredible storytellers by writing the plot and acting in their first documentary. They have used slide transitions, sound and music files, as well as recording skills to edit images into an Egypt story movie clip for their first grade buddies.

Please continue to explore TechConnect's Resource page with your child. You will find many different productivity and entertainment sites and tools that will support and foster your child's technology comfort level.

Wednesday morning we had a Parent Association meeting held  in TechConnect, discussing Digital Safety and Awareness for parents and students.

Thank you to Kate Olsen for her wonderful resource list on  Parent Workshop Resources Wiki

MySpace

• MySpace
• MySpace Parent Page - also see additional links in the sidebar of the MySpace Parent Page
• MySpace Safety Videos

Other Popular Sites

• Facebook - social networking
• YouTube - videos + networking
• AIM - AOL Instant Messenger

Parent Resources

• CyberSafe Kids, CyberSavvy Teens
• Parents - Safe Surf
• SafeTeens
• CyberSmart!
• Growing Up Online - PBS Frontline
• WiredSafety Parent Page
• Easy Way to Monitor Your Child on MySpace - CoolCatTeacher Blog
• IKeepSafe.org Parent Resource Center
• Understanding a Child's Virtual World (includes videos) - Incredible Internet/Qwest
• Is Your Child Using YouTube? - Vanessa Van Petten
• NetSmartz411:Internet Safety Help (answers to common questions)
• I-Safe Parent-to-Parent
• WebWiseKids Parents Site
• Stop Cyberbullying - Parent's Role
• NetSmartz Real Life Stories - includes videos and news stories
• Safe Kids
• Wired Kids

—In the News

• "Digital Kids Ditch Homework for Networking" The Guardian, March 3, 2008
• "How Dangerous is the Internet for Children?" New York Times, February 28, 2008
• "Six-year-olds 'Addicted to Technology'" Herald Sun, February 29, 2008
• "Social Networking Sites Offer New Ways to Connect" Onalaska Life, February 28, 2008
• "Harvard Scholars to Explore Net Safety" New York Times, February 28, 2008
• "Social Networking Sites, A Parent Trap?" WDTV5, Bridgeport/Clarksburg, WV, February 25, 2008
• "What's the draw of MySpace?" The Daily Aztec, February 26, 2008
• "Study Rejects Internet Sex Predator Stereotype" MSNBC, February 18, 2008
• "Drunken College Immortalize their Nights on Facebook" ABC News, February 19, 2008
• "Students Stage Fights to be King of YouTube Ring" Wichita Falls Online, February 18, 2008
• "Some Give up MySpace and Facebook for Lent" The Virginian-Pilot, February 17, 2008
• "Facing up to the future" Herald Sun, February 17, 2008
• "Is MySpace Good For Society? A Freakonomics Quorum" New York Times, February 16, 2008
• "Social Networking Sites Safer than IM or Chat Rooms" - Washington Post, February 1, 2008
• "Generation MySpace Getting Fed Up" - Business Week, February 7, 2008
• "MySpace Bug Leaks "Private" Teen Photos to Voyeurs" - Wired, January 17, 2008

There is a BIG online world out there! You get to be part of it via the computer, a cell phone, AIM, an Xbox, Wii, or on Social networking places like Webkinz, Build-a-Bear or Club Penguin. The online world gives us an incredible opportunity to search for information, entertain us, communicate with others, connect with people from other countries and cultures.Where ever you are or however you choose to connect to these places, you always have to play smart and keep yourself and your friends SAFE.

Here are a few guidelines that you need to keep in mind. If ever in doubt, ALWAYS ask your parent, teacher or other trusted adult how you should handle the situation.

• Never publish online the following information:
  • Address
  • Last Name
  • Password
  • Phone Number
  • E-mail address
  • Detailed physical description
  • Detailed location where you can be found on a given day and time
  • Photos of yourself
• Never share your user name or password with anyone besides your teachers and parents. Never log in as someone else.
• Think before you post: Make sure what you write is appropriate to put online.
• Always tell the truth on your posts and comments.
• Be cautious about email messages from anyone, asking you for detailed personal information or attempting to arrange secret meetings. Talk with your teacher and parents immediately if this kind of situation arises.
• Online work is NOT private. Never say anything via email, chat, blogs, or on wikis that you wouldn’t mind seeing on the school bulletin board, or in the local newspaper. Make sure you can be proud of your online work and it would not embarrass you if your grandmother or teachers read it.
• Capital letters are regarded as “SHOUTING.” Don’t be offensive, and don’t ever use bad language.
• Never use a computer to harm other people. Never snoop around in other people’s files. Never use a computer to steal.

These “Rules of Netiquette” were adapted from Grade 3 Blog Pals who in turn adapted from the following publication: John, El Paso, TX Internet Driver’s License: Internet Guide and Workbook,Classroom Connect: Lancaster, 1997.

Kindergarten and First Graders. Do you want to practice your keyboarding skills? Check out this cute site called "I do Tricks" . You will see this cute little dog.

By typing in commands, you can make him do tricks. Try it out. Here are a few commands to get you started. Make sure you type the words accurately.

• jump
• roll over
• speak
• beg
• paw
• down
• shake
• fetch
• play dead
• kiss

What is an avatar?

An avatar is a computer user's representation of himself or herself. We need to be careful when representing ourselves in any form online. You do not want to use a photograph of yourself, that might identify you to others how you look, how old you are or where you live. You also do not want to name your avatar with your full name. First names are defining without being revealing, unless you have a very unique first name.

There are many different ways how you could create you own avatar. You will use them when you write on a blog, in a VoiceThread (digital storybook), or participate in a chat or discussion forum.

You can create an image on the computer using a drawing or illustration of yourself, use clip art or take a digital picture of an object, such as a guitar, football, that you identify with. Be creative.

Here are some examples of great avatars:

You can create your own avatar on this site too :

• Build your Wild Self

Today starts the first TechClub session. Come back to our blog frequently to see what these fabulous 3rd-5th graders are playing and working with.

Here are the dates we will be meeting in TechConnect:

• 1/30
• 2/6
• 2/13
• 2/20
• 3/5
• 3/12
• 3/19
• 4/2
• 4/9
• 4/16

Our Second Graders are learning about the Solar System. They have done research on the web and are creating a collaborative knowledge bank of what they have learned on this VoiceThread. Listen to their voices as they sing the planet song and comment on facts about each planet.

This week Mrs. Tolisano, Mrs. Corso, Ms. Dawson and Mrs. McGee traveled to Orlando for the Florida Educational Technology Conference. There were thousands of people from all over the US and the world in attendance. Several leaders in educational technology spoke to us about integrating technology into learning for children and adults. It was an exciting few days filled with new ideas and tools. We loved being the students and look forward to sharing our knowledge with our colleagues when we return to school!

Want to create your own flag? Get inspired and learn about different flags of the world. Then share with the world your creation. Go to  We Are Multicolored!

There is nobody quiet like you. You are one in seven billion. So make your own flag.

Can you guess which countries make up my flag?