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Virtual Teacher Newsletter No. 16 October 13th 2000
THE FREE ONLINE FORTNIGHTLY IT TEACHERS' NEWSLETTER
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Subscribe: cathy@virtualteacher.com.au (put 'subscribe' in the subject)
Or visit: http://www.virtualteacher.com.au
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Contact: cathy@virtualteacher.com.au
Website: http://www.virtualteacher.com.au
Newsletter Archives can be found at:-
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/archives.html
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CONTENTS
1. Welcome
2. Mind Candy
3. Webquests
4. New Printables - Olympic Merit Certificates, Round Tuits
5. Technical Stuff - Eudora and Netscape
6. The Science Spot
7. oz-Webquests
8. Great Sites
9. Readers' Requests/Comments
10 Next Issue
11. Code of 'Netizens'
12. Tips
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1. Welcome everyone. Hi everyone. What a busy 2 weeks. After
watching the Olympic swimming, Catherine my daughter was quite
interested in Susie O'Neil, who was called "Madam Butterfly", after
swimming in the butterfly Olympic race. Just recently we saw an
advertisement for the coming opera 'Madam Butterfly" and Catherine
remarked, "Isn't it great they have decided to make an Opera about
Susie O'Neil. I love these little things children say - does anyone
have anymore examples, please send them in and share - I love a good
laugh.
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2. Mind Candy
SUBJECT: Tough Teacher?
A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the
upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at
all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he
found himself assigned to the toughest students in school. Walking
confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as
possible and then busied himself with desk work. When a strong breeze made
his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest.
Discipline was not a problem from that day forth.
Tracy Trimpe
The Science Spot
http://theramp.net/sciencespot/
"Tracy Trimpe" <mrstt68@theramp.net>
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"All children are gifted, some just open their packages
sooner than others."
Bob K
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Column/9885/index.htm
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"I want to know what good is a web search engine that
returns 324,909,188 'matches' to my key word. That's like
saying, "Good news, we've located the product you're looking
for. It's on Earth." -Bruce Cameron
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Q: Why don't anteaters get sick?
A: Because they're full of antibodies!
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I misplaced my dictionary. Now I'm at a loss for words.
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Sign on Closed Nuclear Power Plant - "Gone Fission"
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A wise schoolteacher sends this note to all parents on the
first day of school:
"If you promise not to believe everything your child says
happens at school, I'll promise not to believe everything
he says happens at home."
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3. Webquest I love them
Rainforests some great links as well as a webquest
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/rainforests.html
Mythical Creatures Webquest -the students love this one.
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/mythical.htm
People and Their Beliefs
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/beliefs.html
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4. New Printables
Olympic Rewards and also a RAK Attack. these award certificates can
be photocopied on coloured paper and they look great - or the
children can colour them with textas. They can also be reduced in
size and copied onto adhesive paper to make them into stickers. My
personal favourite is the RAK ATTACK. enjoy
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/awards1.pdf
A ROUND TUIT FOR YOU
I am pleased to provide you with your very own Round Tuit. Guard it
with your life. These Tuits are very rare, especially the round
ones. For weeks you have been saying, "I'll do this as soon as I get
a Round Tuit." Now you have one of your very own. All the things
that you have needed to accomplish can now be done; as now you have
it, your very own ROUND TUIT.
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/tuit.pdf
This is a very old idea I found at the bottom of some old papers - to
the point and a bit of fun.
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5. Technical Stuff
Eudora 5 is now available and has mood indicators that flame email
with obscene language, as well as a few other interesting extras. Its
free with the advertising - which I find quite interesting anyway as
it included tutorial information for Eudora many interesting sites I
like visiting
http://www.eudora.com/
Netscape 4.75 is now available and is the last in this series prior
to the release to Netscape 6 which is still in beta testing at the
moment.
http://home.netscape.com/computing/download/index.html?cp=hop10te4.1
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6. The Science Spot
Tracy Trimpe from the Science Spot sent me the great joke above. I
checked out her site. What a great site it is. Tracy outlines
simple, interesting science experiments and ideas, many of which
include student worksheets. These can be just printed out and
students set to work on them. This is just the sort of site that the
Internet is all about. Not a lot of pictures, but a fantastic
resource for teachers and a time saver to boot.
http://theramp.net/sciencespot/Pages/sciroom.html
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7. oz-Webquests
I have mentioned this wonderful resource in previous newsletters.
Bernie Dodge and Tom March have been
working since early 1995 to develop the WebQuest as one strategy for
effectively integrating the Web into classroom instruction. At this
site there is information on developing your own webquests and also
an Australian database of Webquests. There are many useful webquests
produced internationally but it is great to see some Australian
resources being developed in this area.
http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/projects/webquests/index.html
Check out their information on using the Internet in the Classroom
http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/presentations/umb1.html
And also their' good reasons for using the Internet' section.
http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/training/why1.html
This is the sort of excellent educational site that really helps
schools become IT literate, GO THERE
Bookmark this site and go back often.
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8. Great Sites
I'd like to nominate my site for consideration to be
included in the "Great Sites" section of your Newsletter.
You can find my site at:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Column/9885/index.htm
Site title:
Links 2 Learning 4 Educators (L2L4ED)
Site Description:
Dynamic gateway for K-8 teachers, parents and students
seeking internet resources to use in the classroom and at
home. 5000+ links arranged into about 70 intuitive
categories. User friendly, extremely easy to navigate.
Thank you for your consideration.
Bob K
This is a fantastic site of links Bob. The links I tested were all
OK and there are some wonderful resources here to look at. Mostly
Bob has categorised them into subject areas so that topics are easy
to find. Thanks Bob
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9. Readers Requests/Comments
I would love to receive info from you. I have tried to send to you
before - but confess to being no techno-expert !!
I am teaching last year of pre-school and in Jan I will be teaching
the first year of 'formal' education here on a farm in Raffingora,
Zimbabwe. So ANY help would be MUCH appreciated.
Thanks and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards
Lisa Hulley
Welcome Zimbabwe - we'd love to hear about your teaching experiences
in Raffingora

Hi Cathy,
Thanks for publicising TheSchoolDaily in your most recent newsletter.
Your account of the Games was great. My sister in Sydney e-mails me
regularly about the wonderful spirit there. NZ's meagre total of four
medals took a boost when Maori Jai Taurima won silver in the long
jump. We have an article in TSD on Monday about Cathy Freeman's
wonderful race for reconciliation.
Kind Regards,
Defyd Williams
editor
http://www.TheSchoolDaily.com
I saw the first gold NZ won in the rowing - and today Cameroon won
their first ever gold in Men's soccer - I love this sort of stuff.
My the children went to the 'Nike' games at the Fox Studios in
Sydney and entered 3 competitions - for Speed, Agility and Accuracy -
and they came away winners - like everyone else who played - the mood
is fantastic here at the moment - I have included some school awards
based around the Olympic theme in this newsletter- to spread it ever
further.
I've been enjoying your breakfast for the brain questions and often
put them into lessons at the schools I visit. Keep up the great work.
Cathy
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Hi again,
I just thought of something else that I need to investigate. How do you use
the internet within the curriculum? What are the advantages (if any) of
using the Internet in the classroom?
Thank you for you time
Katrina
This list is hosted by oz-TeacherNet, The RITE Group, Queensland
University of Technology.
http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/projects/
TEFA Primary Technology
Hi Katrina
I teach technology to Years 1-3... I utilise the Internet, in
consultation with the classroom teacher, so as to incorporate the
current class theme. The bank of resources I am building up can be
viewed at:
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/denise/default.htm
Our school policy has a number of computer skills to be taught at
each year level, as well as meeting curriculum requirements, so I
find this, for me, the most practical way. I have also involved these
classes in travel buddy programs, epals & book raps introducing &
utilising email. When I had my own class I incorporated technology
into my planning in this way also. I use resources other than the
internet also, but there are so many resources on the net that I find
very suitable for young children.
Webquests are also a great way of using the Internet - more about
these can be found at:
http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/projects/webquests/index.html
(this fantastic resource is reviewed above)
& one I have made myself can be found at:
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/denise/Frogs.htm
This frog site is a fantastic site - well done - the worksheet is
great and works well with the links. Try it on your class.
I am also co-ordinating an extended learning program with Year 6
students on web page design (the planning & results of which can be
found on my site under "projects").
I hope this helps with your query. I don't know if this is the best
way to incorporate technology & the curriculum, but I have found that
it works for me as both a classroom teacher, & in my present position
teaching technology, & the children are certainly highly motivated to
learn.
Regards
Denise O'Mara
http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/denise
denise0@tpg.com.au
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Dear Cathy,
Greetings again from StartSpot Mediaworks! As you may know, we
publish a growing network of category-specific information portals,
featuring only the most useful resources on the Web. I subscribe to
the Virtual Teacher newsletter and recently contacted you about
HomeworkSpot.com, our new K-12 homework resource centre. Just today,
we launched MuseumSpot.com, which I think your readers would also
enjoy.
MuseumSpot.com (http://www.museumspot.com), a free online cultural
information centre, combines engaging editorial with a high-utility
collection of the best museum-related resources on the Web in one
user-friendly spot. Designed for art enthusiasts, families, students,
teachers, curators, historians, librarians and anyone who enjoys
exploring cultural, historical, scientific and natural attractions
from around the world, MuseumSpot.com simplifies the search for the
best and most useful sites. From MuseumSpot.com, quickly and easily
locate museums by city, state, country and name; find exhibit dates,
virtual collections, offbeat attractions, industry resources and much
more.
I hope you will have a chance to take a look at MuseumSpot.com and
consider reviewing it in your newsletter. We are also interested in
hearing feedback from you about our site. If you have time to check
out MuseumSpot.com please let us know what you think.
I have included a copy of today's press release announcing
MuseumSpot.com's debut. If you have any questions please let me know.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Best Wishes,
Cara Flesher
StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc.
http://www.startspot.com
MuseumSpot.com Exhibits Best Museum Content Online
New Web Site Simplifies the Search for Museums, Exhibits, Zoos and More
EVANSTON, Ill. - Venus de Milo, live pandas, interactive voodoo,
botanical gardens, dinosaur bones, national landmarks and more are
just a click away at MuseumSpot.com, a free cultural information
resource opening today at http://www.museumspot.com. Designed for
art enthusiasts, families, students, teachers, curators, historians,
librarians and anyone who enjoys exploring cultural, historical,
scientific and natural attractions from around the world,
MuseumSpot.com simplifies the search for the best and most useful
museum-related content on the Web. From the site, quickly and easily
locate museums by city, state, country, name and topic; find exhibit
dates, virtual collections, educational and industry resources, and
more.
Developed by StartSpot Mediaworks, publisher of the award-winning
LibrarySpot.com reference portal, MuseumSpot.com combines engaging
editorial with a high-utility collection of the best museum-related
resources in one user-friendly spot. From MuseumSpot.com, explore
attractions from aviation and agriculture to wax museums and zoos.
Tour art galleries around the world, explore offbeat exhibits, learn
about exotic animals, research the history of world cultures, shop
museum stores, search for exhibits by artist, find museum jobs, send
art postcards, browse millions items at the Smithsonian and much more.
"The Internet provides us with a unique opportunity to explore
amazing cultural, historical and natural wonders around the world,"
said Lauren Zollinger, StartSpot Mediaworks editorial director. "We
hope MuseumSpot.com will help individuals find what they were looking
for and also expose them to something new."
About MuseumSpot.com
Published by StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc. (http://www.startspot.com),
MuseumSpot.com is the newest site in a growing network of
award-winning vertical information portals designed to make finding
the best topical information on the Internet a quick, easy and
enjoyable experience. Current sites in the StartSpot.com Network
include LibrarySpot.com, BookSpot.com, PeopleSpot.com,
HomeworkSpot.com and others. Collectively, they have received more
than 60 awards and honors. Headquartered in the Northwestern
University/Evanston Research Park in Evanston, Ill., StartSpot
Mediaworks strives to create exemplary, high-utility Web resources
that also engage, enlighten and inspire.
These sites are fantastic, the links are very comprehensive.
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Hi Cathy.
I do enjoy your newsletter. Would it be possible to acquire the back
issues?
Thanks in advance.
Sue
Hi Sue,
Of course, they are all archived from the site. In the middle there
is a click to for archives here is direct:-
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/archives.html
Many of the URL's aren't live- but you can just copy and past.
Thanks for the encouraging words. Enjoy
Cathy
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10. Next Issue - I didn't get to roadtest The Macquarie Concise Dictionary
3rd Edition CD this week so will endeavour to do it for the next
issue. If anyone has had any personal
experience with this product please let me know what you think. I
will also be looking at Net first aid and medical sites on the
Internet, with particular emphasis on sites to do with children's
illnesses and learning difficulties, so if you have any thoughts or
great websites on these topics please send them in.

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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:comfilm1@optusnet.com.au
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