Virtual
Teacher Newsletter No. 53 July 5th 2002 – Graeca sunt, non
leguntur
THE
FREE ONLINE FORTNIGHTLY IT TEACHERS' NEWSLETTER
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Newsletter
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CONTENTS
1.
Welcome
2.
Mind Candy
3.
WWWinfo Curency Converter
4.
New Printables - Egyptian Document
with Hyperlinks
5.
Technical Stuff – Seminars and Online Tutorials
6.
Web Site Focus – Questioning Skills
7.
PowerPoint 3
8.
Great Sites
9. Readers' Requests/Comments
10
Next Issue
11.
Code of 'Netizens'
12.
Tips
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1.
WELCOME EVERYONE. VT will be taking a holiday for a
couple
of weeks, you can expect the next newsletter on
July
27th. Read about the latest
complaint about Virtual
Teacher,
just make sure it doesn't/does(strike out whichever
you
prefer) happen to you. This week
has seen a great interest in
by
most of the folk I have worked with. This site is soooooo
fantastic,
and has even the most reluctant boys entranced.
I
have mentioned this site before – if you haven’t already
taken
a look, take a look. I finally
went to see Star Wars,
it’s
so amazing, all the digital effects and the blending of live
action
with digital sets, all shot on HD,
it’s seamless. This is a
landmark
film and Lucas is pushing the boundaries of digital
technology
with each new episode. Loved the
Yoda light saber
fight,
and I wondered why Obi Wan travelled all that way
through
space only to get caught in the rain on Kamino, surely
by
the time travelling through space in wonderful silver
spaceships
occurs, undercover parking would also have
been
invented. Take a look at all the
great sites about this
movie,
here’s one to start with.
http://www.starwarskids.com/noflash.html Have a great break.
==============================================
2. MIND
CANDY
triolet
(TREE-uh-lit, -lay) noun
A
poem or stanza of eight lines, having a rhyme scheme
ABaAabAB,
in which the first, fourth, and seventh lines are
the
same, and second is the same as the eighth line.
I
wish I were a jelly fish
That
cannot fall downstairs:
Of
all the things I wish to wish
I
wish I were a jelly fish
That
hasn't any cares,
And
doesn't even have to wish
'I
wish I were a jelly fish
That
cannot fall downstairs.'
Wish
to write your own triolet? Help is near:
http://www.writing-world.com/poetry/triolet.html
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SOME
LATIN QUOTES - IN CASE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SCHOOL MOTTO
Festina
lente - Hasten slowly
Et
rident stolidi verba latina - And fools laugh at Latin words
De
fumo in flammam - Out of the frying pan into the fire
Esto
quod es - Be yourself
Uno
viso, omnia visa sunt - Seen one, seen `em all
Abstineto
a fabis - Never eat beans.
Veritatem
imitare! - Get real!
Necesse
est aut imiteris aut oderis - You must either imitate the world or loathe it.
Ubi
solitudinem faciunt, pacem apellant - Solitude means peace
Audax
omnia perpet - The brave man endures all
Sapiens
nihil invitus facit - The wise man doesn`t do anything against his will
Nemo
fit casu bonus - Nobody becomes good by accident
Periculum
in mora - Delaying things can be dangerous
Parturiunt
montes, nascetur ridiculus mus - Much ado about nothing
Suum
cuique - To each his own
Si
Caesar viveret, ad remum dareris - If Caesar were alive, you'd be chained to an
oar
Perge
quo coepisti! - Finish what you started!
Manus
manum lavat - One hand washes the other
Nil
mortalibus arduum est - Humans think they can accomplish anything
Res
severa est verum gaudium - True happiness is a serious matter
Non
omnia possumus omnes - Everybody can't accomplish everything
Caveat
emptor - Buyer beware
Graeca
sunt, non leguntur - It's all Greek to me!
Balaenae
nobis conservandae sunt - Save the whales
Credo
Elvem ipsum etiam vivere - I believe Elvis is still alive.
Hostes
alienigeni me abduxerunt. Qui annus est? - Aliens abducted me. What year is it?
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SOME
JOKES FOR THE CLASSROOM
How do
computers make sweaters ?
On
the interknit !
Why
was the computer in pain ?
It
had a slipped disk !
Why
was the computer so thin ?
Because
it hadn't had many bytes !
Why
did the mouse sit on the computer ?
To
keep an eye on the mouse !
What
sits in the middle of the world wide web ?
A
very, very big spider !
What's
small, expensive and being constructed at Greenwich, London ?
The
millennium gnome !
==============================================
3.
WWWInfo
Currency
Converter
Converts
from any currency to any other currency.
This
site is also a fantastic geography site.
Take
a look, you'll love it.
=====================================
4.
NEW PRINTABLES
Ancient
Egypt document. Download this page
and use it
From
word, the links are all live.
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/egyptian.doc
If
the page isn’t immediately available check back in a few days
-I
have had some uploading problems.
Links for it will also be available
from
the pd and history pages.
==============================================
5.
TECHNICAL STUFF
I
have added some new FREE tutorial links to the Teacher
Professional
Development site -
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/pd.html
under
FREE IT Tutorials - check them out - and do a few
free
tutorials - some great ideas.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adobe
Free Seminars – Endless Possibilities
These
are great shows, don’t miss out.
Auckland:
- 22 July
Stamford
Plaza
Sydney
- 24 July
Star
City
Melbourne
- 25 July
Sofitel
Melbourne
Brisbane
- 26 July
Convention
and Exhibition Centre
Perth:
- 30 July
Burswood
International Resort Casino
Adelaide:
- 31 July
Novotel
Adelaide on Hindley
Canberra:
- 2 August
National
Convention Centre
http://www.pacific.adobe.com/events/TTT.html
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Fancy
a little free online learning this holiday then check out-
Great
lesson resources from Discover Tased
http://www.discover.tased.edu.au/netlearn/courselst.htm
http://www.discover.tased.edu.au/ec/teachers/intranet/creating.htm
http://www.discover.tased.edu.au/ec/teachers/kidpix/index.htm
http://www.discover.tased.edu.au/ec/teachers/publisher/publisher.htm
==============================================
6.
WEBSITE FOCUS – Questioning Skills.
Critical
Thinking Across the Curriculum
http://planet.tvi.cc.nm.us/ctac/resources.htm
Bloom
et al's Taxonomy of Cognitive Processes
http://edtech.clas.pdx.edu/presentations/frr99/blooms.htm
Learning
Styles
http://www.tecweb.org/eddevel/blooms.html
==============================================
7.
POWERPOINT 3 - Give your
presentation Interactivity.
1.
Using Hyperlinks. Hyperlinks can
be used in powerpoint to
a)
jump to another page in the slide show
b)
link to a document
c)link
to a webpage or email address, in fact just about anything.
Highlight
the text, button or picture, goto insert/hyperlink. this will
bring
up a dialogue box, explore this dialogue box, Mac and PC
versions
vary, however all contain options as stated above
2.
Ungroup regroup animation. This is
very cool. Select your
clipart
picture, goto draw tools, select ungroup.
You can then
select
a small section of the clipart, say a hat or champagne cork,
and
animate it separately, or animate the entire piece of clipart - goto
slideshow/animations/custom. In the window you will see all the
individual
sections of the clipart numbered, select if you wish or
just
a few and animate them.
Use
the regroup tool to regroup some of the clipart and animate
a
smalls section as a single piece.
3.
Action buttons. These can be used
to give the powerpoint
presentation
more interactivity. They can be
used just like buttons
on a
webpage. Goto Slideshow/action
buttons - here you can select
the
type of button you want or design your own. Once selected
draw
the button on your slide. Immediately a dialogue box will
appear,
select the hyperlink destination and Bob's your Uncle.
==============================================
8.
GREAT SITES
Fantastic
Site from NOVA
Tales
from the hive, see the bee dances, the anatomy of the
hive, what's the buzz about bees. A wonderful
site
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bees/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOT
SITE
Walking
with Prehistoric Beasts
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/beasts/beasts.html
Welcome
to the last 65 million years on Earth, which ushered in the rise
of mammals,
the freezing of the climate and the arrival of humans. Learn
about
the players (creatures from the Cenozoic Era), their habitat and
the
science behind these discoveries. Interactive features on this site
allow
students to Build a Beast from skeletal remains, view the changing
environment
of the creatures, and e-mail a scientist with unresolved
questions.
Grade
Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content
Area: Science (Life Science), History & Social Studies
(Geography)
Application
Type: Resource, Activity
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Lesson
Plans and themes from the ABS
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History
of the Mouse
http://www.bootstrap.org/engelbart/hist_pix/index.jsp
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Webquests
http://www.nanangoshs.qld.edu.au/home/resource/AusWeb.htm
http://www.occ.act.edu.au/home/itpd/webquests/intro.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's
an excellent science-email resource which is free (at present anyway)
Science
by Email is a CSIRO service for Double Helix & Scientriffic readers
Science
by Email offers a weekly newsletter featuring science news, activities
and
more. Starting February 2002, they
have been running online web-chats
with
scientists.
If
you'd like to receive this free service, you can sign up using the subscription
form.
Subscription is currently open to everyone, but, in time, it will be limited
to
Double Helix members and Scientriffic subscribers. Subscription to Science
by
Email is absolutely free. Web: http://www.csiro.au/sciencemail
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Geography4Kids
http://www.geography4kids.com/index.html
As a
follow up to Chem4kids (Blue Web'n winner in 1997), Kapili.com has
created
geography4kids and biology4kids (http://www.biology4kids.com/
These
sites bring science basics to the level of elementary or middle
school
students. One great feature of Geography4Kids.com is the VR
(Virtual
Reality) shots of geography landforms. Check out the Examples,
where
students can click on a link in an index to get an image of the
object
described.
Grade
Level: Elementary, Middle School
Content
Area: Science (Earth Science/Life Science)
Application
Type: Resource
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Worksheets4Teachers
http://www.worksheets4teachers.com/
Be
Creative! Access these easy to use, online tools that let you develop
your
own worksheets effortlessly. Or, look for a worksheet by exploring
links
to existing worksheets and maps for all ages of students.
Grade
Level: Adult/Professional
Content
Area: English (General), History & Social Studies (General),
Mathematics
(General)
Application
Type: Tool
==============================================
9.
READERS COMMENTS/REQUESTS
Cathy
Your
virtual teacher newsletter is a pain!
I am
supposed to be on leave from school at the moment, but I find I spend
an
inordinate amount of time following up many of your leads and gems and
tips
and tucking them away either in my memory or on a document. Some break
from
schoolwork I am having...and I am blaming it on your newsletter which
still
arrives in my mailbox.
Thank
you for being such a pain!!!
By
the way, where can I find something on keyboard skills or learn to type
stuff
on line or software? I know you
referred to something some time ago,
but I
can't find it. Can you help,
please.
Yours
holidayingly
Terry
Thompson
Busselton
PS don't
you dare strike me off the mailing list!!
Hi
Terry
Sorry
about the holiday. My site now has
a search engine which can
be
used just to search the VT site for anything you want. Try these
sites
for free online typing:-
ciao
cathy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Help:
I am a first year teacher who needs to teach a unit of work
on
Rainforest to grade 5 students. As I am also the grade computer
teacher,
I would like to integrate the Rainforest theme into my computer
lessons
as well as teaching it as a HSIE
lessons.
Can anybody help???
Thanks
Wade
Hi
Wade,
Use
the Virtualteacher webquest at:
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/rainforests.html
ciao
cathy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear
Cathy,
Would
you know where I can get some information or tutorial
learning
on KidPix Delux 3? I know by the KidPix internet site
that
Australia has been using this program.
Your
site has all I ever need or connections to others.
Thank
you,
Irene
Gordey
teacher
in Canada
Hi
Irene,
Atomic
Learning has some excellent online lessons including
some
in Kidpix Deluxe - this site requires a $50USD subscription
rate
per annum. Reading manual is a great source of ideas.
Also:-
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/KingsParkES/technology/lessons/index.htm#Kindergarten
http://www.kidpix.com/edu_links.htm
http://www.mtlakes.org/ww/tech/webtools/kidpix.htm
Basically
I find the best method with Kidpix is to work out what
you
are trying to teach - for me it is mouse control, and use of
specific
generic tools.
Therefore
I tend to introduce a new tool each lesson with a specific
subject
in mind eg:-
For
Kindergarten:- Using the Draw tool, select a thickish brush,
and
select a colour.
Draw
your own face, add eyes, nose etc.
Change the colour of
your
brush as you go.
For
Year 1 - Draw yourself, full body, use a thickish brush for the
outline,
vary the thickness of the brush when adding features.
Use a
variety of colours, use the fill tool for the clothing. Discuss
Open
and closed shapes.
I
also like to integrate art and Kidpix for one term. Looking at:-
1.
Van Gogh Self Portraits – Draw Self Portrait - Draw your own
self
portrait (revision of above using more colours)
2.
The Mulberry Tree – Van Gogh (using thick brush strokes of a variety of
colours)
3.
The Kiss – Klimt – patterns (;using the fill tool)
4.
Bruegal – children’s Games (using the stamp tool and a background)
5.
Composition # 8 Kandinsky –
(Lines tool and shape tool)
6.
Gilliland – Study for Still Life 2 – Closed shapes(AUST)
7.
Coburn – Goodbye Little Yellow Bird II – closed irregular
shapes(AUST)
Goodluck
Ciao
cathy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello
Cathy,
Thought
you might like to know that on your Australian page,
the
links under the Government heading are not working - they
have
been moved etc.
Thankyou
so much for the most wonderful site!!!!
I constantly
send
it on to a whole range of people that I know will be interested.
How
do I find a list of other such pages that you have made available?
Cheers
Susie
W.
Hi
Susie,
The
Government links on the Australian are now fixed, with a few
new
ones added. Let me
know if you notice anything else that doesn't work.
You
can use the search engine on the directory page to look
for
materials. The links to all the
major links pages are on the
directory
page - I constantly add to them.
Also the Teacher
Tools
page has many resources on it as well - all worth looking
at if
you have the time to browse.
ciao
cathy
------------------------------------------
I Hi Cathy,
Another
great free downloadable website is the Nestle's http://www.daisymaths.com.au>www.daisymaths.com.au
Regards
Wendy
Armstrong
Harvey
W.A.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear
Cathy
What
a wonderful attitude you have to share IT information –
brilliant!
I teach ICT to students aged 13-18 at a college of
1300
in the south-west of England. You always give such
useful
links. Recently I notified the Science Department about
"Froguts"
- the older students claimed it was the best website
they'd
ever been to.
I am
very keen to share knowledge, too - thanks again.
Gill
Priddy :-)
http://www.froguts.com/frog/index.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where
can I find a great technology curriculum guide for 5th
and
6th graders? My Texas school district is in the Stone Age.
I want
to do an integrated computer lab.Thanks.
Hi
Susan,
Check
out the programming documents at
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/teachtool.html
There
is a full school program K-6 there - also the other
documents
are worth a look. All free all downloadable.
ciao
cathy
==============================================
10. NEXT ISSUE Full of surprises,
I’ll be looking at the picture
editing
tools in Microsoft Word as well as some great new websites.
Have
a great Holiday
ciao cathy
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
==============================================
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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==============================================
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a growing audience of teachers, by
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Teacher Newsletter or on the Virtual Teacher site.
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For
information about inservice and training contact me at
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==============================================