Week+of+April+12,+2009

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To view the videos below, make sure you use your override first, like for [], and then the videos will work automatically for you.

=Interesting Web Sites= [|UVA|iTunes] : UVA has just joined the iPod/iTunes world of education. iTunes currently hosts dozens of colleges and universities where professors post their lectures for the world to listen to for free. You can listen to them on your iPod (mp3 player) or straight from your computer.

It has 33 topics including: Share the Skies (Astronomy), Teaching Mathematics, Internet Safety, Creative Learning in the Classroom, Discovering Jamestown and dozen's more. You can subscribe to each podcast and listen when you want, or better yet, have your students listen to the podcasts on their own.

Here's an interesting commercial about this kind of thing: media type="youtube" key="e50YBu14j3U" height="344" width="425"

[|Tweenbots] : nothing important, just funny/interesting.

[|Visual Dictionary] : A great way to get your kids to understand terminology better.

[|ProCon] : I'm a big supporter of class discussion and debate. Whether it's started, concluded, or totally done within a discussion board and/or done as a live classroom conversation, having students discuss issues within the context of your classroom is valuable. This site offers a list of issues that gives both sides for the students to read about first. For example, here is a milk debate: []. I've also found that to have a good classroom debate, it's often best to have students write their thoughts down first. I also prefer some sort of order/rules in a conversation, e.g., Only one student speaks at a time. I've often made corners of a room "Strongly Agree," "Agree," "I don't know," "Disagree," "Strongly Disagree." And, I don't allow people who move to the "I Don't Know" without explaining why they don't know. There are legitimate reasons to not know, so I ask them. So, if you want to have a good classroom discussion, check this site out.

=Teaching Tips= I like this video, based on the Kaplan video above. A keynote speaker I listened to from Michigan State, [|Punya Mishra], mashed this up and it it better explains the use of technology in the classroom. media type="youtube" key="_uozG9td6AE" height="344" width="425"

=Student Work= Mr. Allred wanted his students to collaborate on a screenplay for his English class. The best way to do this of course is by using one document that everyone used, instead of 30 documents that got merged into one somehow. So, I should him [|Etherpad]. It allows up to 8 students at a time to write in the same document at the same time with immediate results. Google docs could be used also, but it doesn't give the immediate result, meaning, when you watch your neighbor type, you'll see the words on the screen simultaneously. This has made it very easy for his class to complete this task which will still take weeks to complete.

A sample is pasted above and here's the script so far: [|http://etherpad.com/hboscreenplay3]. This method of writing allows for writers and editors. The different colors signify different writers. What Mr. Allred is asking is that students initial their work.

I've used this for two meetings and I think it's useful. I paste the agenda into the site, it will create a free website for you, and then people can type directly into the agenda comments, answers to questions, and anything else. It's a great way to get more input from people and also a written record of what happened which others can read later.

=General Notes= iTunes University carries the following colleges/universities: American University, Boston College, Cambridge University, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Lehigh, London School of Economics, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oxford, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley (but really, don't send your kids to that one), UCLA, Vanderbilt, Yale, and dozen of other schools.

Do you think President Obama's and Education Secretary Arne Duncan's plan for longer school days and school years will work? Here's a good response, []. This would be a good conversation to have at HHS, do our students need to be in school longer and for more days? Nations with longer school years (not necessarily longer days do have high achievement on areas other than test scores).

=School Space= RSS is probably one of the most important developments on the Internet equal to the development on the Internet. This picture probably summarizes RSS the best:

Basically, here is how it works. Most web sites change their content regularly, some minute by minute, some weekly or monthly. These web sites, often, can be subscribed to just like a magazine is which arrives in your mailbox. Sites use RSS (real simple syndication) as the tool to subscribe, just click the button, and you're subscribed. Then, you can be caught up on all the updates quickly, easily, and for free. The other thing you need is a reader (like a mailbox for your magazine to be sent to). Google offers a reader for free and so does School Space.

In School Space, you can copy the RSS feed (which looks like a web address) and you will receive updated information in your School Space account every time that web site updates itself.

For help, let me know. Also, here's another explanation of RSS: media type="custom" key="3659069"

=Reminders= It's a good idea for you to create PDF copies of your eClass grades. This should be done every time teachers export, but many teachers don't. To do this, go to eClass and then Report>Group Reports>choose all assignments and all students>Click Print>Chose Adobe PDF>Click OK>Name your document "5th block print out MP3" or something like that>Save in My Documents somewhere safe.

At this point of the year, you don't want to lose grades because of a computer malfunction and this is the best way to keep track of your grades without printing dozens of sheets of paper.

Laptop collection:
 * Senior Early Collection: May 7-11th


 * ALL SENIOR COMPUTERS MUST BE IN BY MAY 27TH - NO EXCEPTIONS!!!**


 * 9th grade  	May 28/29
 * 10th grade  	June 1-2
 * 11th grade 	June 3-4


 * SOL Testing**

=TAC Minutes= TAC meeting notes

We met for the last time. The meeting notes will also be available at the administrative services web page on the http://www.henrico.k12.va.us website in a day or two.

A short version of the notes follow:

Redistricting is down to two proposals, for which the school board will have three public comment sessions in high school auditoriums before deciding which proposal to choose (or modify at the board’s will).

High school computer initiative is down to two proposals, from which the board will choose at the NEXT board meeting. We should know next week. Both proposals are for four year turn over with all new batteries after two years. There will be teacher loaners built into the contract.

The budget is in the same place as last month. NO STAFF REDUCTIONS, NO PROGRAM CUTS, NO SALARY INCREASE. The newspaper article 4/15 indicating that we have 54 million is a play on words. The money has been ear-marked for projects (including planning and land for the new east end high school) but has not been spent yet. There is no extra money. The new east end high school will not be built until a new millage has been passed; it will not open in 2012, nor, probably 2013.

The newspaper was out of line highlighting Tucker as a place one would not want to attend. They complained about classes and sports at Tucker. Mr. Morton reminded us that one can get a quality education at every school if one takes advantage of opportunities.

There was one AP question about an AP audit that was not approved by college board when an identical plan was submitted and approved by another teacher. Contact the principal if that should occur, who will contact Eric Jones. There were many questions from elementary schools that you are invited to read at the administrative services web page on http://www.henrico.k12.va.us