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Virtual Teacher Newsletter June 9th, 2000 No. 7
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. Book Week
4. New Printables for Word '98 and 2000
5. Technical Stuff
6. Craft sites
7. Art sites
8. Reader's Comments
9 Reader's Requests
10 Next Issue
11. Code of 'Netizens'
12. Tips
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1. Welcome everyone. The newsletter was sent out twice to most
folk
last week, sorry about that. Laura's comment sums it up, "Phew,
I
thought it might be some cybersarcasm comment on my teaching style!"
- if anyone is receiving Virtual Teacher twice in future, please
let
me know, you may be subscribed twice as Laura was.
Thanks, Laura Technical problems at head office here. I will
really
need to automate this system, has anyone any good ideas for this?
Thanks to all those who answered the technical problem - how to
do a
screen shot with a PC. This is such a great tool. Use it frequently
for children to label or even just as a border for artwork. The
more
they use it the more familiar it will become to them. Thanks
everyone.
Some great craft sites were sent in by Georgian, thanks a lot.
It's Friday! Sweet blessed Friday. It's the Holy Grail of
the work week. So after a week of hard work, teaching and educating,
helping and problem solving, your job this weekend is to do at
least
one frivolous thing and have some fun. And of course here's Virtual
Teacher to read over the weekend as well, it just doesn't get
better
than this. ENJOY!!!!
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2. Mind Candy
Two atoms are walking down the street when they run into each
other. The first says to the second, "Are you all right?
You
don't look so good."
"I'm not feeling very well," says the second atom. "I
lost an
electron!"
"Are you sure?" asks the first.
"Yeah, I'm positive!"
(I asked a sixth class to explain this joke with diagrams.)
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The Fable for School People
Download and print out this little gem, I've had it in my collection
for years.
Does anyone know G.H. Reavis now??? It begins:-
Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something heroic
to meet the problems of the "new world". So they organised
a
school...........
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/fable.html
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And now Grasshopper
Lesson Number One:
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit
saw
the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do
nothing all day
long?"
The crow answered, "Sure, why not." So the rabbit sat
on the ground
below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped
on the
rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story is:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very
high up.
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For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve
the quality of life, please press 3.
Alice Kahn
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"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life--learn some and
think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play
and work every day some." Robert (L.) Fulghum (b. 1937)
American writer, author
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Do or not do! Yoda
Kristin Phillips
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3. Book Week
Book Week on the Web this is a great site, and includes theme
ideas
activities webquests, online graphics
http://www.home.gil.com.au/~bookweek/book-week.htm
Visit the Queensland Book Council Choice Awards BILBY. This year
kids can vote online for the first time. They have from now until
August 1st to read the shortlist and register their vote.
http://www.cbc.org.au/qld/bilbyouth.htm
Invite an Author to your school
http://www.snowcrest.net/kidpower/authors.html
Authors and Illustrators on the Web
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/authors.html
Steven Herrick - An Australian Poet - I love these poems - and
Steven
visits schools and the children love it. He motivates and can
switch
on student's interests in poetry.
http://www.acay.com.au/~sherrick/welcome.html
Try the Giggle Poetry Site - This is sure to motivate students.
http://www.meadowbrookpress.com/poetry/index.cfm
The Fiction Teacher and the Poetry Teacher are great sites with
lesson plans, plays and lots more.
http://fictionteacher.com/
http://www.poetryteacher.com
Try the UK Site Poetry Zone - There's another interview with my
current favourite poet there - Steven Herrick
http://www.poetryzone.ndirect.co.uk/index2.htm
Also have a look at Kristine O'Connell George - with some great
ideas
for poetry writing.
http://home.earthlink.net/~froggie1/
Have a look at the Low Probability Raccoons Site to - this link
goes
straight to the poem "Power to the Python" I just loved
it. I have a
young friend with a snake and can just imagine him reciting this
poem
- snake suitably wrapped around his neck.
http://www.hphoward.demon.co.uk/kidstuff/powerto.htm
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4. More Activity Sheets - Printables
Try out Cliptastic
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/cliptastic.pdf
and Animal Inventions
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/animal.pdf
Both activities are designed to familiarise children with the
Word
'98 for Mac or Word 2000 for IBM interface. Make any small
adjustments you like to suit your individual machines. Download
them
and use them for FREE.
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5. Technical Stuff
In reply to 4. Technical Stuff
Screen Snapshot from the PC
To capture the whole desktop press the Print Screen button near
the upper
right hand side of the keyboard (above the arrow keys and "six
pack" of
Insert, Home, Page Up, Delete, End, Page Down). To paste into
a document
use Control V or Edit>Paste. To capture the active Window
only, press Alt
Print Screen and repeat as above.
Here's another keyboard shortcut. After highlighting text use
Control C to
copy it to the clipboard so that it can be pasted in another place
as well.
Control V will paste it in. Control X will cut it from a location.
Again
Control V pastes it in to the new spot.
Kristin Phillips
Technology Curriculum Specialist
Bricker Elementary
Colorado Springs, CO 80916
The command alt+print screen copies the
screen to the clipboard from
where you can paste it into a document and print it out.
In clarisworks, if you paste it as a graphic you can then resize
it,
and put labels and arrows on it to create a worksheet.
Joy Wilkinson Teacher Librarian
Denistone East Public School
Eastwood NSW 2122
http://www.denistoneeast.nsw.edu.au
To copy the screen on a PC hit the Print
Screen key just to the right of
F12 at the top right of the keyboard. This image of the screen
can then
be pasted into a writing program such as MS Word.
Steve
"Steven K. Schulz" <jostecin@juno.com>
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5. Craft Sites
Here are a few of my favorite craft sites. I thought you could
use them for
your newsletter.
Make Stuff Kid's Projects
http://www.makestuff.com/kidstuff.html
This is a fantastic site with info on how to make paint and silly
putty as well. Try out the Make your own dodecahedron with newspaper
activity, fantastic, Oh! you and your class would be better.
Michael's Kids Club Projects
http://www.michaels.com/kids/kcproject.html
This site links to a fantastic array of sites, including printables
and information sites. Try the Einstein colouring pages
Paper Projects
http://www.ptialaska.net/~bundyd/paper.html
Links to sites
http://www2.arkansas.net/~mom/art.html
Craft Projects
http://crafterscommunity.com/projects/
Hope these are a help. I enjoy your newsletter.
Hearts and Crafts
Georgeanne Kestner
crafter@family-net.net
Computer Lab Links
http://www.marsaglia.com/divy/lab1.html
Thanks Georgeanne this list is fantastic.
"Georgeanne" <crafter@family-net.net>
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6. Art Sites
This has got to be the definitive Architecture resource list on
the
web. There are so many links here to excellent sites your sure
to
find what you want. Most suitable for teacher research and children
12 and over.
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/archweb_noframes.html
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7. Great Sites to Check Out
Another great Lote Links site from Charters Towers
http://www.chartowesde.qld.edu.au/linksout/lote.htm
Download Outline maps - printables.
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/ssmaps/index.html
Try these simple jokes and riddles
http://www.sdirect.com/einstein/riddles.html#butterflys
For Jokes and Riddles - the Kids will love:-
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/jokes.html
Send in some more great Jokes sites and I will add them to this
new page.
Also check out the new Virtual Teacher Oceans
Page:-
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/oceans.html
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8. Readers Comments
I loved the Life in the 1500's old sayings! What was your resource
for the old sayings?
thank you,
karen---aka:"the mom"
kyphipps@netcnct.net
This one came to me from a friend - just one of those emails that
have traveled everywhere I suppose. I collect these sorts of things.
I use them at inservices and with children and find them motivational
and fun. Stay tuned for further grasshopper tips.
Cathy,
I would like to offer words of encouragement on the technical
aspect
of this newsletter. Teachers out here need all the tips you can
give
us. By the time I'm done planning lessons, incorporating technology,
fulfilling grant requirements, correcting papers and preparing
to
become a grandmother; I have no time to conquer software glitches.
Thanks for the tips!
"Marianne Hart" <5harts@mail.gisco.net>
Hi Cathy
Found a reference to your site on OZTL NET and ....love it. Keep
it up!
Have subscribed today.
As we are "doing" middle ages
in Year 6 here I checked out the mind candy
site on 1500 - and want to question the paragraph about pewter
plates.
I've no doubt the lead did leach when some foods were left on
the plate
(I've read somewhere that the same can happen with lead crystal,
but I'm
still checking on that) but I think the tomatoes example is a
furphy. After
all, Columbus was barely back from the New World and Europeans
didn't see a
tomato until the Spanish brought yellow ones back sometime in
the 1500s.
Red ones came to Europe much later. Check out the site at
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/garden/history/tomatoes.html which we
often use for
change to eating habits over time.
But then again - it could be kept as it is and ask people to find
the
explanation that can't be right.
Cheers
Ray Poultney
Teacher-Librarian, Ironside SS
ray@ironsidess.qld.edu.au
Cathy
Am I able to use the material at
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/life.html
in a newsletter? (here in South Australia: goes out to 450 members)
I'll acknowledge the source
Regards
Kerrie Smith
WebMaster Charles Campbell Secondary School
PARADISE SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5075
URL http://www.charlescss.sa.edu.au
Hi Kerrie,
Use away. I put all the info up there for free usage, some I
write
some I collect. Some of the Mind Candy has been around for ever
-
and I don't know who has written it unless I give it a credit,
but it
is all available elsewhere copyright free. So you are welcome
to
take anything from my selection. Some of the stuff is from material
I
have collected over the 25 years of professional life - so I am
using
a rather vast resource.
When you use my material - please send me a copy of your newsletter
(just email me one if it is a newsletter or attach it to an email
if
not). I would also appreciate it you could include the following
at
the bottom of the material.
Cathy Brown
Virtual Teacher
cathy@virtualteacher.com.au
http://www.virtualteacher.com.au
(please include the web address as a hotlink if possible).
Goodluck with your newsletter. I also have a number of homeschoolers
who read the newsletter, is there anyway I can let them know about
your services???
Cathy
Cathy --
I love your newsletter. Very inspiring!
I was the lady who was getting all words appearing on top of themselves
and jumbled because I was viewing "attachments inline"
(Netscape). BUT
NOW, they come through perfectly no matter how I have my settings.
I
don't know how you did it, but I wanted to let you know that it
looks
great.
Keep up the good work!
Jean L. Millheim
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9. Readers Requests
I wish to receive information on the following subjects: English
and SOSE.
Many thanks,
Tony
"Chittenden, Tony" <Tony.Chittenden@acgs.qld.edu.au>
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10. Next Issue Virtual Teacher will take a look at Olympics
on the web. Also send in any more great art sites you have.
I will
also be looking for these so hope to have a bumper crop for next
issue. If you have any great printables, send them along to share.
Send this newsletter along to 20 friends, they'll appreciate the
help
and ideas. Send in your
requests, and comments, and please correct any errors I may make,
or
any great ideas you have. I would like to expand the teacher
tools
section, so if you have any great ideas just send them to me as
a
.doc, html, or pdf or just as a cut and paste to an email.
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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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