Tapped In Newsletter: April 2007
...On the Tapis
April 2007
Issue 113
In This Issue
[1] Member Perspective: Susan Roseman
[2] Volunteer Recognition Month!
[3] Tips and Comments from the Experts
[4] News Nuggets
[5] Tapped In Technology Tip
[6] The National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities
[7] National Essential Skills Study (NESS)
[8] TV Series Seek Teachers, Coaches and Professors
[9] About ...On the Tapis
The Tapped In community extends their deepest sympathy to our friends and colleagues at Virginia Tech.
Quote of the Month - "Service is the rent each of us pays for living -- the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time or after you have reached your personal goals." - Marian Wright Edelman
[1] Member Perspective: Susan Roseman
Sue, a member of Tapped In since 2003, has been an active community member, presenting her K-3+ Resources discussions on many topics. The K-3+ Resources group has grown to 250 members, one of the largest special interest groups in the Tapped In community.
Sue's Perspective
Teaching has always been my destiny and a crucial part of who I am. I started my career in education as a grade 3 classroom teacher in Montreal. My teaching experience has been almost exclusively in the primary grades at inner city schools in Montreal and Ottawa. After obtaining a Specialist in Computers in Education from Ottawa University I switched career paths and became an Educational Technology Integrator and Computer Contact Teacher. I enjoyed offering professional development to teachers and students. The concentration was on integrating the Internet and various applications into the curriculum.
I stumbled upon Tapped In while transitioning from a classroom teacher to Educational Technology Integrator and I was hooked.
Read the rest of Sue's perspective.
[2] Volunteer Recognition Month!
April is the month in which we officially thank the many volunteers who invest countless hours in the Tapped In community helping the TI members find classrooms, create special interest groups, bring their K-12 students to the student campus, and learn about the many features of the TI interface. Our volunteers also provide the events on the monthly TI calendars. Volunteers are the heart and soul of TI. They're the real people who answer questions, calm technophobes, and provide inspiration for innovative educators. Please be sure to thank those volunteers the next time you log in and have a question or participate in a calendar event. You can do this ANY month! If you're interested in becoming a volunteer, see the tech tip for April.
[3]Tips and Comments from the Experts
Thank you so much for inviting me to join your storytelling group last evening. It was truly a wonderful experience, and the feedback and ideas were so helpful to me. I had never joined an online group before in terms of a real-time conversation, and it was so much fun.
Sincerely, Bill Zimmerman
--------------
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 to How You Use TI.
[4] News Nuggets
The March issue of Learning&Leading with Technology has an article by TI member Nancy Willard entitled, "Should Schools Regulate Offsite Online Behavior."
--------------
Glen Bull and Debra Sprague contributed to the Editorial: "Research on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools: The Roles of Pedagogy and Content" in the CITE Journal, Vol. 7, Issue 1, 2007.
--------------
TI members Lynne Sueoka, Julie Duffield, Elizabeth B. Davis, Sara Armstrong, Glen Bull, Helen Padgett, and Sarah McPherson contributed to or wrote articles for the April issue of Learning&Leading with Technology.
--------------
TI member David Weksler attended and presented at the NCTM annual conference in Atlanta, GA in March.
--------------
TI member Lesley Farmer recently wrote a tech column, "Going Online for Professional Development," for the California School Library Association Newsletter. The article describes TI and Lesley's monthly Targeting Librarians discussion.
Congratulations are extended to Lesley for receiving her 21st book! Human Side Of Reference And Information Services In Academic Libraries.
--------------
The March issue of SchoolArts Magazine has articles by two TI members: "Online Guide to the New York Art Scene" by Craig Roland and "Where Students Teach, Student-Teacher Survival Guide" by Pam Stephens.
--------------
The April issue of SchoolArts Magazine has articles by TI members Pam Stephens and Craig Roland.
--------------
TI member Rushton Hurley presented on using video to engage students, as well as on the free, online library that his nonprofit has built, at ASSET (Long Island), TechEd (Los Angeles), and SITE (San Antonio).
--------------
TI member Craig Roland has created Art Education 2.0 for art educators at all levels who are interested in using digital technologies to enhance and transform teaching and learning in their classrooms. The aim of Art Education 2.0 is to provide a safe and comfortable environment in which its members can pursue shared artistic and educational goals.
--------------
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] Tapped In Technology Tip
Becoming a Tapped In Helpdesk Volunteer
Whether you have one hour a month or one hour a week to volunteer in the TI community, your contribution will be greatly appreciated! Interested volunteers are asked to join the Helpdesk Central group and read the information and resources posted in the group room. All volunteers are assigned a mentor with whom they collaborate until the volunteer feels comfortable enough to be at the helpdesk on their own. If you have any questions, log in and see if there are any helpdesk volunteers in reception. If there isn't anyone there, that's because we need volunteers for that time slot! If there is a volunteer at the helpdesk, ask them what they think of the benefits of volunteering.
[6] The National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities
The National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities has established an on-line group community in TI for the Jo Taylor Leadership Institute. The purpose of this space is to encourage continued momentum for discussions concerning action research in the classroom and national collaboration once the conference concludes. While visiting this community, you will find copies of information discussed at the 2007 JLTLI Education Strand. And you will find a learning community encouraging professionals to embark upon action research to upgrade instructional outcomes for students with visual impairments. One goal is to support and encourage professionals to begin and continue using action research strategies to make decisions in instructional programming. A second goal is to foster group collaboration throughout the U.S. to enhance quality instruction through both program research and classroom action research studies. If you would like more information regarding this community, contact Mary Ann Siller, National Project Manager, Professional Development, siller@afb.net
[7] National Essential Skills Study (NESS)
You are invited to contribute to American education by taking part in a free online survey to determine what is most important for students to know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school. Just launched, the National Essential Skills Study (NESS) goal is to have 15,000 survey-takers by June so results can be released at the Model Schools Conference. The NESS results will enable a school or district to address a common concern in the United States today - the overcrowded curriculum. A complete description of NESS along with a podcast and the actual online survey can be accessed here. You may complete the survey in any or all four subject areas, although we encourage you to take them all. Please contact Deb Light at DebbieL@leadered.com if you have any questions. (Thanks to TI member Paul Bohac for submitting this information.)
[8] TV Series Seek Teachers, Coaches and Professors
[Note: TI was contacted by the casting producer asking if we would publicize a call for teachers for next season's show. Although clearly unrelated to our professional mission, we took a risk and agreed to help them as an experiment. If the teacher Bachelor or Bachelorette is selected on the basis of our publicity, the show will offer TI a reward of $5,000, which we will use to reward our amazing help desk and ASO volunteers. The Tapped In Team welcomes your comments, questions, or concerns about our decision.]
Next Entertainment and Warner Horizon, producers of ABC's series "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," are searching for America's most eligible men and women for a new season of the popular reality romance show. The producers are seeking teachers, coaches, and professors who are ambitious, charming, successful, and ready to find true love! For more information or to download an application please log on to: http://www.thebachelor.tv or call "The Bachelor" hotline at 866.739.3150. Direct Contact: Chris Hazel chris@kasstinginc.com.
[9] About ...On the Tapis
Past issues of ...On the Tapis newsletters are available online.
Contact us if you have any questions about your subscription, password or user name, or if you have any news items that you want to share with the community for ...On the Tapis.