Virtual
Teacher Newsletter No. 100 20th November 2004 HAPPY 100th
BIRTHDAY
THE
FREE ONLINE FORTNIGHTLY IT TEACHERS' NEWSLETTER
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CONTENTS
1.
Welcome
2.
Mind Candy
3.
WWWinfo G-MAIL
4.
NEW PRINTABLES REPORT COMMENTS
5.
Technical Stuff 8 Billion Pages of Google
6.
Web Site Focus you Wouldn¹t Want to Be
7. CHRISTMAS
8.
Great Sites
9. Readers' Requests/Comments
10
Next Issue
11.
Code of 'Netizens'
12.
Tips
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1. WELCOME
EVERYONE.
100
ISSUES OLDHAPPY BIRTHDAY VT.
The
readership has grown from a few inservice participants
to all
of you, the 7,500 subscriber folk who regularly write in
to offer
great ideas, share outstanding successes, direct us
to brilliant
websites and ask questions and share in all the
advances
that are on offer to educators. Over the life of this
newsletter
software and hardware suppliers have begun to
invest
heavily in training for teachers at a professional level,
providing
seminars and free inservice to support the use of
IT
and computer technology in schools, in fact putting
something
back into education.
This ³Magic
Box² has changed teaching and learning in
profound
and amazing ways. New technology has opened
doors to
children for researching and accessing a world far
beyond
their own environment. Empowering them with the
ability
to direct and control their own learning and produce
quality
work.
In
the history of the world, increased access to information
has
always improved the literacy, numeracy and indeed the
total
education of the population.
Not
until books were mass produced did the majority of people
learn,
not until public libraries were established was research
and
learning available to all. The internet itself was developed
as a
research and communication tool.
VT
has, during its 100 issues, sort to bring the best to its
subscribers,
to confront, to question, to prod, to excite,
to
expose, to imagine.
Its a
passion that we will continue to explore for the next
100
issues, so hang on it¹s going to be quiet a ride..
³The
field of education is one of the few professions to
which
people feel a genuine calling. The
demands are
many,
and the pay isn¹t great. Educators are
continually
asked to do more with less. But there¹s an
unquenchable
desire that springs from the heart
a desire
to change and improve our society and our world,
one mind
at a time.²
(Edutopia,
2004 November/December pp9).
Here¹s
to the next 100.
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2.
MIND CANDY
Report
comments
FOR
THE SERIAL TRUANT
"The
name rings a bell but I can't put a face to it."
POLITICALLY
CORRECT COMMENTS
No
one fails a class anymore, he's merely "passing impaired."
You
don't have detention, you're just one of the "exit delayed."
These
days, a student isn't lazy. He's "energetically declined."
Your
homework isn't missing, it's just having an "out-of-notebook
experience."
You're
not sleeping in class, you're "rationing consciousness."
You're
not late, you just have a "rescheduled arrival time."
You're
not shy. You're "conversationally selective."
You
don't talk a lot. You're just "abundantly verbal."
You
weren't passing notes in class. You were "participating in the
discreet
exchange of penned meditations."
It's
not called gossip anymore. It's "the speedy transmission of
near-factual
information."
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3.
WWWinfo G-Mail?
As
part of Google's mission to organize the world's information
and
make it universally accessible and useful, we're testing an email service
called Gmail.
Gmail
is a free, search-based webmail service that includes
1,000
megabytes (1 gigabyte) of storage. The backbone of
Gmail
is a powerful Google search engine that quickly finds any message an account
owner has ever sent or received. That means there's no need to file messages in
order to find them again.
When
Gmail displays an email, it automatically shows all the
replies
to that email as well, so users can view a message in
the
context of a conversation. There are no pop-ups or untargeted
banner
ads in Gmail, which places relevant text ads and links
to
related web pages adjacent to email messages.
Cost:
Free
Storage:
1,000 megabytes
Languages:
Only available English during this testing period,
but
can be used to send and read emails in most languages
Access:
Free automatic forwarding and POP3 access
https://gmail.google.com/?dest=http%3A%2F%2Fgmail.google.com%2Fgmail
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4.
NEW PRINTABLES REPORT COMMENTS
Report
comments categorized into KLAs
http://www.occdsb.on.ca/~proj1615/nov.htm
Report
Card Comments for Elementary Art Teachers
http://www.dreamscape.com/ymrugg/Report_card_comments.htm
Report
Comments
http://expage.com/4reportcards
Comments
and Ideas for Reports
http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/endofyear/personalcomments061400.html
Sites
for report cards and comments
http://www.fvsd.ab.ca/stm/sites_for_report_cards_and_comme.htm
Report
Card Comments
Database,
suitable for Elementary / Junior High Reports. All comments are categorized
into Subject and Behaviour sections, making it easy
to
find the most appropriate comments, quickly.
View
the Database at :
http://www.gigglepotz.com/report.htm
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5.
TECHNICAL STUFF - EIGHT BILLION PAGES
Popular
Internet search engine Google has doubled the number
of
Web pages in its database and given Gmail free POP support.
In a
posting on the company's own blog on Wednesday,
Bill
Coughran, vice-president of engineering, announced that
Google's
index now exceeds eight billion pages.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,39020369,39173340,00.htm
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Free
Report Writing Software for Teachers
http://www.rayslearning.com/report.htm
Software
Teachers
Report Assistant
Windows
95/98/ME/NT4/2000
Free
time saving utility for teachers who word process
student
reports. Produces individualized reports in the
shortest
possible time. Complete with an online database
of
teacher comments.
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Don¹t miss out on the
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS CONFERENCE
The University of
Wollongong Faculty of Education and Apple
Computer
Australia will hold the 16th Annual Innovative
Technology
Schools Conference (ITSC) from 1-3 December
at the University
of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia.
ITSC is a unique
professional development opportunity for
educators from
around the Asia-Pacific region. Working with
experienced
facilitators in a variety of areas, you can select
workshops that
relate to your passion, and that fit your schedule.
3-Day Program
Attendees to the
3-day program work in a small group with
fellow educators
on a selected project. The workshops are
designed to cater
for a variety of skill levels, from novice to
³guru² and will
give you 15 hours of invaluable hands-on experience.
1-Day Program
For
more time-constrained delegates, the 1-day workshops on
Thursday,
2 Dec offer the perfect blend of intense study in a
quick
1-day format.
THE PROGRAM
http://www.itsc.uow.edu.au/programme.html
REGISTRATION
http://www.itsc.uow.edu.au/registration.html
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6.
WEBSITE FOCUS You Wouldn't Want To
Be... (Salariya Web Books)
http://www.salariya.com/web_books/pages/web_books.html
Created
by The Salariya Book Company, these innovative titles use a
unique
combination of information and humor to describe life in earlier
times.
Web users can interact with the characters by simply moving the
cursor
over them, to see their thoughts and comments as each story
unfolds.
The Books are based on titles in
the "You Wouldn't Want To
Be.."
series, which is published in the UK as "Danger Zone". Current
titles
are: 1) You Wouldn't Want To Be A Roman Gladiator! You are an
unfortunate
Gaul, captured by the Romans, trained as a gladiator and
then
sent to fight in the arena. Will you survive to fight again? 2)
You
Wouldn't Want To Be A Polar Explorer! Join Ernest Shackleton's
expedition
to icy Antarctica as a polar explorer!
3) You Wouldn't Want
To Be
An Egyptian Mummy! Find out what happens to you when you die in
ancient
Egypt and are turned into a mummy!
4) You Wouldn't Want To Sail
on
the Waling Ship Essex! You are a
14-year-old cabin boy who learns
about
whaling the hard way. Will you live or die when a whale sinks your
ship?
Quick, easy, fun reads with historical fact thrown in.
Great
wrap up site for studies of Egypt, Rome, Antarctica and Whaliing.
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7. CHRISTMAS
Here¹s
a selection of Websites all about Christmas, craft, stories,
history,
activities. If you have any other suggestions
please send
them
in for the next issue.
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/christmas.html
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8.
GREAT SITES
HOT
SITES
Games
Games and More Games for the end of year slow down.
http://easymemory.my-free-games.com/
also
downloadable
http://www.firstscience.com/SITE/games/memory.asp
http://www.allstarpuzzles.com/memory/00007E.html
uses
road signs!
http://www.thekidzpage.com/freekidsgames/memorygames.htm
http://www.madmonkey.net/page.cgi/showgame?id=1669
http://www.bullseyesgames.com/memorybirds/index.shtml
http://easymemory.my-free-games.com/free/games/online/Pokemon.html
http://www.chevroncars.com/wocc/play/inst.jhtml?MediaId=MatchMe
Downloadable
games - http://www.alex-soft.net/
http://www.myparentime.com/games/games30/games30.shtml
http://www.gamealbum.com/keyword/memory/
http://www.hotlib.com/products1.php?id=15564
http://www.worldssp.net/software/123-Free-Memory---Card-Games-Collection.htm
http://www.softpile.com/Games/Kids/Review_00271_index.html
http://www.acid-play.com/download/another-world-memory/
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9.
READERS COMMENTS/REQUESTS
Hi
Cathy,
I am
writing you on behalf of ETS (Educational Testing Service)
and I
thought you'd be interested in some important news
regarding
the launch of ICT (Information and Communication
Technology)
Literacy Assessment http://www.ets.org/ictliteracy/
ICT
is an online test that measures students' ability to find, use,
manage,
evaluate and convey information through the use of
commonplace
computer technology in academic and workplace
settings. The test is aimed at community college
and 4 year
students
who about to enter the workforce or progress to the
next
level in their educational career.
The
test is aimed at community college and 4 year students
who
are about to enter the workforce or progress to the next
level
in their educational career.
Equipped with a PC and
pencil
and paper for note-taking, students are called on to
respond
to sixteen tasks over the course of the two-hour
online
test. The test identifies the
range of ICT tasks a student
can
perform, such as extracting specific information from a
database,
developing a spreadsheet, or composing an e-mail
summarizing
certain research findings.
If
you are interested in speaking with Terry Egan, ICT Project
Manager
at ETS about this initiative please let me know and
I can
coordinate. In addition, please
consider posting this
news
on your website and or contacting me for further information.
Thanks
in advance for your time and any questions, please let
me
know.
Best,
Katherine
Foster
On
Behalf of ETS
katherine@connors.com
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ETS
Launches ICT Literacy Assessment, an Online Measure of
Student
Information and Communication Technology Proficiency
ETS
and Seven Charter Colleges and Universities Design
Criteria
for
ICT
Assessment for Higher Education Use in the U.S.
Princeton,
N.J., November 8, 2004 - Educational Testing Service
(ETS)
today announced the launch of the ETS ICT (Information
and
Communication Technology) Literacy Assessment, a
simulation-based
testing program that measures postsecondary
students'
ability to define, access, manage, integrate, evaluate,
create
and communicate information in a technological environment.
Unique
among literacy assessments, the ETS ICT Literacy
Assessment
measures multiple aspects of ICT proficiency.
Rather
than pose multiple-choice questions, it requires test
takers
to use basic technology as a tool to arrive at solutions.
In
that way, the test demands that students use technology to
perform
information management tasks, such as extracting
specific
information from a database, developing a spreadsheet,
or
composing an e-mail summarizing research findings.
Equipped
with a PC in a proctored environment and pencil
and
paper for notes, students are challenged to respond to
16
tasks over the course of the two-hour online test.
The
test is an outgrowth of work done by an international
panel
of experts ETS convened three years ago to study
the
growing importance of existing and emerging information
and
communication technologies and their relationship to literacy.
In developing this new test, ETS
partnered with seven leading
colleges
and universities to form the National Higher Education
ICT
Initiative. Guided by insights and exploration into information
and
technology literacy, the group identified the testing criteria
for ICT Literacy Assessment.
Next
semester, ETS and the seven institutions will work with
colleges
and universities across the U.S. on the first test administration.
The
goal of this first administration is to aggregate results for
measuring
the performance of particular groups, followed by
aggregate
score reports beginning in June 2005.
"As
community colleges become the starting point for more students,
maintaining
a high level of proficiency in information and
communication
technology is critical for students' educational
and
professional advancement," says Teresa Egan, ICT Project
Manager
at ETS. "When students transfer from two-year to
four-year
universities, they must demonstrate the high-level
research
skills and ICT proficiency required by such institutions."
For
students, the ICT Literacy Assessment provides a gauge
of
how well they can use information and communication
technology
as a practical resource. For two- and four-year
colleges
and universities, the test will help them better plan
resource
allocation, focus on specific areas of student
improvement,
and report to accrediting agencies as increased
value
is placed in ICT proficiency.
"Given
the remarkable extent to which information and
communication
technology has transformed the classroom,
the
workplace, the global economy and our lives, it is critical
that
schools have at their disposal an effective means for
measuring
a prospect's information literacy," says Linda Tyler,
Group
Executive Director for New Product Development in the
Higher
Education Division at ETS.
For
more information on the ETS ICT Literacy Assessment
visit
http://www.ets.org\ictliteracy
ABOUT
ETS:
ETS
is the world's largest private educational testing and
measurement
organization. As a nonprofit corporation, our
mission
is to advance quality and equity in education by
providing
fair and valid assessments, research, and related
services
for all people worldwide. Our products and services
measure
knowledge and skills, promote learning and
performance,
and support education and professional
development.
Founded in 1947, ETS today develops,
administers
or scores nearly 24 million tests annually in
more
than 180 countries.
By
Cara Branigan, Associate Editor, eSchool News
November
5, 2004
LET
ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS??
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10. NEXT ISSUE - Last Issue for the
year, send in your great
stories
and sites, and any great Christmas ideas or end of term s
olutions.
ciao
Cathy
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11.
Code of the 'Netizens'
This
Newsletter is not free, despite the misleading advertising
above.
The Fee is now due. Each week you must help one
colleague
on the Internet who has less knowledge than you.
Help
that person even if you have to visit their classroom or
do a
little research and get back to them. Trust me, this will
help
a lot of people get their computer classrooms running better.
OK
I'm trusting you!!!
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12.
TIPS
1.
Double click on highlighted URLS to open in browser.
2.
Send in your Questions, Questions will be published with
Answers,
send in your Answers, if you have expertise to share.
3.
Nominate a brilliant site for review and inclusion in this
newsletter.
4.
Nominate a fantastic school site for review and inclusion in
this
newsletter.
5.
Make contact with other schools using fantastic programs.
6.
Prepare and innovative article for this newsletter.
7.
Tell 2 colleagues about this newsletter.
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The
opinions expressed here are purely those of the editor,
Cathy
Brown. All other small print clauses apply. Such as:
Use
at your own risk. Nothing in life is guaranteed. If it doesn't
work
for you send me an email.
Editor:
cathy brown mailto:cathy@virtualteacher.com.au
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