Tapped In Newsletter: December 2005

...On the Tapis
December 2005
Issue 97

In This Issue

[1] Warm Wishes for the Holiday Season from the Tapped In Team
[2] Member Perspective: Barbara Morris
[3] Tapped In Technology Tips
[4] News Nuggets
[5] Tips and Comments from the Experts
[6] About ...On the Tapis

Quote of the Month - "The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think." - Bill Beattie

[1] Warm Wishes for the Holiday Season from the Tapped In Team

The TI team of staff, discussion leaders and helpdesk volunteers wants to thank you for being part of the Tapped In community. By logging in for one or more calendar events each month, joining and participating in one of the over 700 special interest groups, or just receiving and reading this Tapis newsletter, every member in Tapped In brings something valuable to contribute--a new perspective, knowledge to share, a question, or enthusiasm for teaching and learning. As a community, we see how much you care and want to help others reach their full potential as an educator. This caring is what sets Tapped In apart from other places. We hope that you find value in being able to share and learn with other educators online in the community.

Member Perspective: Barbara Morris

My name is Barb Morris and I am a library/media specialist at Iveland Elementary School in Overland, MO. I also am an adjunct professor teaching two Library Science classes at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. My school librarian job includes being a faculty sponsor for our television crew, consisting of fifth grade students who tape events going on at our school and then edit the tapes and create a news show about our school. The program is called ITV (Iveland Television). Over the ten years this program has been in existence, it has grown to include three to six of our students (with two teachers accompanying them) doing a presentation about ITV at the Midwest Education and Technology Conference each Jan./Feb.

Barb's Perspective
I first became introduced to Tapped In during the spring semester of 2002 through a class I was taking from the Univ. of MO-Columbia. I was working on my second Masters Degree, this one in Educational Technology. My first Masters was from the same university three years earlier in Library Science. My Professor, Jane Howland, had invited the author of our textbook, Judi Harris, to join us in Jane's office in Tapped In for a chat. I was very impressed that the author would meet us, and that we were actually getting to talk to her about our book and class.

Read Barb's Perspective online.

[3] Tapped In Technology Tips

Using the Tapped In Calendar of Events
Did you know that the calendar that you access when you log in to Tapped In (click on the Tapped In tab and then the Calendar subtab) gives you more information than just the time of the event? Once you set your time zone on the calendar (see the link at the top of the calendar page), you will see all events in the Tapped In interface in your time. By clicking on an event topic, you can view a description of the event and see who is leading the event. The door icon next to the name of the room where the event will take place is a passageway or link directly to that room. Please remember that all calendar events are held as real time discussions, so log in a few minutes early if you think you may need help finding the event.

[4] News Nuggets

SchoolArts November and December issues include articles by Tapped In members Nancy Walkup, editor, Pam Stephens and Craig Roland.
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Tapped In member Jill Gurr, founder of CreateNow!, was featured on a recent "NBC Nightly News" segment, "Making a Difference," with Brian Williams. The show focuses on "People changing the world from the ground up."
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John Platt has obtained some scholarship money that can be applied for tuition to the new and improved online Juvenile Justice Educator Training (JJET) program, which is specifically designed to provide online courses for teachers in the correctional ed setting. Current JJET students who have taken courses with JJET at the Masters level may apply their completed courses to this program which will, upon completion, lead to the awarding of a MS in Ed., and of course an opportunity to complete a certification in Special Education. For more information contact John at jplatt@uwf.edu.
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Thanks to Tapped In member and leader of the K-3+ Resources Group Susan Roseman for pointing out a podcast featuring an interview with Tapped In member Camille LoParrino in which Camille mentions her experience as a guest during one of Sue's K-3+ discussions in Tapped In as well as a TI experience with Bernie Dodge and WebQuests.. Tapped In is described in glowing terms. Listen to episode #15.
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Tapped in member Elizabeth Hanson-Smith and the members of the EVO coordination team (many of whom are members of Tapped In and the Webheads in Action Group in TI) announce the CALL Interest Section of the international TESOL professional association is pleased to offer the opportunity to participate in the Electronic Village Online (EVO) 2006 season. This is a professional development project and virtual extension of the TESOL 2006 Convention in Tampa Bay, FL. The intended audience for this project includes both TESOL 2006 participants and those who can participate only virtually. You do not need to be a TESOL member to participate in a free, six-week, wholly online session of the EVO, Jan-Feb, 2006. Please visit our TESOL Announcement Web page to select one of a dozen sessions on a variety of topics.
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Do you have a News Nugget about yourself or another member of the Tapped In Community? Send your News Nugget to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org.

[5] Tips and Comments from the Experts

Three cheers for Tapped In member Amy Agostino who wins the comment of the month award for this post to ContactUs! "I believe this website is a wonderful tool to use for our classrooms. We teachers need to rely on one another to share great ideas on how to improve our students test scores. We shouldn't be shy of asking one another for help. I think instead of spending money on actually going to seminars schools need to be aware of this lovely website and see what it has to offer. All the seminars and experts are right at our finger tips."
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If you have a comment or experience to share with the Tapped In community, please submit the information to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org or post it to How You Use TI.

[6] About ...On the Tapis

Past issues of ...On the Tapis newsletters are available online.

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