Do you know what a wiki is?  The students in Ms. Messier’s class do!  They have been using this new technology to discuss lessons and class activities.

The students are participating in two wikis, one for Science and one for Social Studies.

The Social Studies wiki started with this question.  “Now that we have finished our ABC books on South America, let’s hear about some of your favorite or most unique things that you have discovered!”  The students responded with their thoughts and comments.  I encourage you to read their comments and leave your own thoughts on the wiki.

Tech Demo Day was held today and it was a great learning time.  Edna Luper and Debbie Jacobs of Powder-Puff Technology Inc. gave a presentation on E-Assessment, a student response system.  Arnie Lucius with CompuTrac presented a document camera, Turning Point classroom response systems, and other integrated solutions they can provide in the classroom.  Ginny Jimenez with AlphaSmart presented the Neo and Dana devices and demonstrated how the management system can be used with the devices.

There were several door prizes given away.  The grand prize winner was Stacy Toatley,   School Counselor with Knapp and Central.  She will have a new HP laptop computer assigned to her.

Announcing Tech Demo Day

January 22, 2007, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Currituck County High School,
4203 Caratoke Highway, Barco NC, 27917. Currituck participants please register using the Sea System (Activity 13-47)

Out of district participants please email Paul O’Briant (pobriant@currituck.k12.nc.us) to register. Limit 2 participants per district for non-Currituck personnel. Registration deadline is January 18.

Scheduled to present:

CDWG – Isaac Price (isaac.price@cdwg.com). Isaac will demonstrate the Mimeo Interactive and other educational technology items.

CompuTrac – Arnie Lucius (arniel@compu-trac.com). Arnie will demonstrate several items including classroom response systems.

Renaissance Learning – Chris Laughary (CWLAUGHA@renlearn.com). Chris will demonstrate the Renaissance Classroom Response System.

Powder Puff Technology Inc – Edna Lane Luper (eluper2@aol.com). Edna will demonstrate E-Instruction’s classroom response system.

AlphaSmart – Ginny Jimenez. Ginny will demonstrate the AlphaSmart Neo and Dana. She will be giving away a free Neo to one lucky winner!

Schedule

A new staff development class began at CCHS this week.  Joe Baisley is teaching “Digital Communications”.  Several teachers, support staff, and administrators are taking this class.  Joe is using our online course management site, www.currituckschoolsonline.net , to administer this course.  This site uses an open source software called Moodle to organize course content.  This is very similar to to Blackboard that some of you may have used for college classes.

Deborah Goodman from DPI worked with Griggs teachers on 1/10/07.  There were sessions on using the Smart Board and NC Wise Owl.

At a recent C&I meeting I suggested a good way to keep up to date on educational technology is by reading a selection of blogs by people in the field.  If you are going to keep up with more than one blog there is a simple way to keep them organized.  A feed reader or RSS aggregator monitors all the blogs you are subscribed to and helps you access them all from one location.  The feed reader I’m using now is Google Reader.  Below are instructions for setting up Google Reader and getting started.  Happy reading!

Go to www.google.com/reader

If you already have a Google account enter your email and password and select sign in.

If you don’t already have an account you can create on.  Click on Create an account now.  Enter your email address.  You can use your school email address.  Enter a password.  This does not have to be the same password you use for Group Wise.  You will have to complete the word verification and accept the terms you see near the bottom of the page.  After you submit your information Google will send an email to the account you listed for verification.  Go to that email and click the link for verification.  This will activate your account.  Now go back to www.google.com/reader  and sign in.

You can click on the button that says Get started by adding subscriptions if you want to add some general subscriptions.  To add subscriptions from particular sites click on Add Subscriptions on the left side of the page.  Enter the page url in the box and the subscription will be added.  I recommend the following as a good way to get started with educational technology issues.

2 cents worth by David Warlick – http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/

Currituck Schools Media and Technology – http://curritucktech.edublogs.org/

At your service by David Warlick – http://72.32.86.225/wordpress/

Ideas and thoughts from an EdTech – http://ideasandthoughts.org/

Practical Theory by Chris Lehmann – http://practicaltheory.org/serendipity/

Weblogg-ed by Will Richardson – http://weblogg-ed.com/

Other Currituck County Schools blogs include:

Secondary Reform – http://currituck.edublogs.org/

So… what about writing – http://skinzel.edublogs.org/

Text Help – http://texthelp.edublogs.org/

Knight-time readers (CCHS) – http://librarygoddess47.blogspot.com/index.html

Vita-media-vega-min (CCHS) – http://librarygoddess46.blogspot.com/index.html

technorati tags:edtech, RSS, Google, blogging

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KnappTraining001, originally uploaded by pgobriant.

Teachers from Knapp, Central and Knotts Island attended training on using the SmartBoards in the classroom. Deborah Goodman, Instructional Technologist Teacher on Loan from NCDPI conducted the training. After the introduction, seen here, teachers worked hands-on with the equipment.

mesisafe 005, originally uploaded by pgobriant.

Sandy Reynolds and Teresa Burnett conducted an Internet Safety training session at MES today. I-Safe (www.isafe.org) is an organization that provides free training and materials for Internet safety.
MES has taken the lead with Internet safety training. The children learn about Internet safety in the computer class. MES is also planning an Internet safety presentation for parents in February.
If you want additional information about I-Safe please contact Paul OBriant at the Central Office.