February 14

February 14

"When you come to a fork in the road....Take it"
-Yogi Berra

In the News
53-keys New Standard Keyboard: http://www.tech-blog.org/story-2786.html
"The New Standard Keyboard is a bold departure from current designs and will compete directly with standard QWERTY models as a replacement keyboard for users who value user-friendliness over arbitrary standardization."

Academy encourages SMArT learning: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20050216-9999-m1m16tfdmar.html
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports on the Del Mar Hills Academy of Arts and Sciences' SMArT program. The program, which began five years ago, requires schools in the district to include science, music, art and technology in their curricula. These subjects are woven together to make technology integration a core part of each student's experience.

Connecticut proposes school laptop plan: http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=5524
" In a time when other states are trimming back on educational technology initiatives, the governor of Connecticut is moving forward with an ambitious plan to give laptop computers to the state's high school students."

'Flickr' is in an online photo class by itself: http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1130/p25s01-stin.html

Guide to State and Federal Standards for Academic Year 2005-2006: http://nysut.org/standards/index.html

The Lakeview School 5th Grade Robotic Project: http://www.cattanach.org/yellowbricklogo/fifthgrade/

Teachers, Blogs and the Law: http://bloglawclassroom.blogspot.com/

Teaching Tolerance's latest film, "Mighty Times: The Children's March" has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Subject category.
The film highlights the heroism of youth in Birmingham, Ala., who stood up against segregation:
http://newsletter.tolerance.org/cgi-bin4/DM/y/emIS0FN7dN0Ekk0DAKv0EQ
You can order a free classroom copy at: http://newsletter.tolerance.org/cgi-bin4/DM/y/emIS0FN7dN0Ekk0C7pH0E5
A preview lesson plan on "The Children's March." is at: http://newsletter.tolerance.org/cgi-bin4/DM/y/emIS0FN7dN0Ekk0C7pI0E6
Tolerance.org is a web project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. There are other free resources for classrooms, including a magazine, curriculum kits, handbooks, and films.

Emerging Technologies
Interactive Whiteboards: http://interactivewhiteboards.blogspot.com/
Blog set up by Joop van Schie to collect information on interactive whiteboards. The first post is a comprehensive resource in itself, liting numerous products, articles, and other resources.

NASA Student Involvement Program: http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html?skipIntro=1
A variety of activities for students of all ages

PolarHusky.com: http://polarhusky.com/portal.html
Follow the Polar Huskies--a group of scientists, teachers, students and ther dogs--as they venture into the Arctic Circle to document climatic changes.

Video conferencing software:
IChatAV: http://www.apple.com/ichat/
Meratech: http://www.marratech.com/

HOBO Data Loggers
HOBO Data Logger: http://iscienceproject.com/index.html
Look at the site to see what the data logger can do and how to install it. Use the installation disk to install it on a computer. With you partner look at the lessons on the site, find one you like, and try it out with the HOBO data logger you share. Be prepared to tell the class about the lesson you experimented with and your thoughts about it. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the data loggers?

Integrating Technology in the Classroom
I have listed many collaborative internet projects at: http://studyplans.com/timely.htm
They are listed by the last date it is possible to register for them

EdTechPost: http://www.edtechpost.ca/mt/
A blog on "Technologies for Learning, Thinking & Collaborating"

Changing Classroom Environments
Cyberchase: The Quest: http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/quest/launch.html

Video Games in the Classroom?: http://chronicle.com/colloquylive/2003/08/video/
"Games can teach facts well and certainly could be used for this without much change in schools. But the real potential of games is to get people to think, value, and act in new ways. A game like Civilization can get the player to see that history could have happened in different ways..."

This site began in March 1998 and was created by Janet Luch. This page was last updated on January 19, 2007 .
Email to studyplans@yahoo.com.