Newsletter: May 2003

...ON THE TAPIS
May 2003
Issue 66

In This Issue

[1] Oh, The Places You'll Go
[2] Member Perspective: Paul Sparks
[3] Technology Tips
[4] TAPPED IN News Nuggets
[5] About ...ON THE TAPIS

Quote of the Month - "To be able to look forward toward the future while standing in the shadow of the past is a very special event." - Madeleine Albright

The first three articles in this newsletter demonstrate some of the features of the new version of TAPPED IN (TI2). Don't forget to take a moment and register for a new membership in TI2 if you haven't done it yet so you are ready for the big move! (Your username and password for TI1 won't work in TI2.)

[1] Oh, The Places You'll Go! - by BJ Berquist

Theodore Seuss Geisel never visited TAPPED IN, but his view of the "fun to be done" future surely reflects the exciting and delightful experiences in store for TAPPED IN Community members. Oh, the places you'll go on your TAPPED IN journey of professional development!

This is a story of the places two teachers went on their journeys in TAPPED IN. Anna Martin, an art teacher in Denmark, SC, created the Blanket the World with Peace Project and BJ Berquist, an art teacher in Loysville, PA, used the Peace Blanket project to develop Hats Off to Peace.

In June of 2001, Anna Martin became a member of TAPPED IN. She had seen a site of artwork done by displaced and refugee children who had witnessed war and she wanted to do something to help all children express their feelings through the arts for not only war, but all conflict. Over a two-month period, Anna met with a small group of art teachers in TAPPED IN to plan the Blanket the World with Peace Project. In August 2001 the project was launched with the theme of "peace though the resolution of conflict." The term "conflict" was chosen because it can include abuse, war, bullying, and prejudice.

Read more about Anna's and BJ's journeys at http://ti2.sri.com/archive/projects/hatsoff/

[2] Member Perspective: Paul Sparks

Paul Sparks is the Program Director for the Education Technology doctoral program at Pepperdine University. The program attracts students from around the world and relies heavily on communications technologies to enhance interaction between students and faculty.

Paul's Perspective

TAPPED IN is a wonderful tool that allows us to create a sense of shared learning space for our students. I have always enjoyed creating imaginary backdrops for each class session. For example we have held class respectfully in John Dewey's study, weightless aboard the Space Shuttle, and even with trepidation riding burros into the Grand Canyon. The settings create a unique atmosphere for discussions and often serve as a powerful metaphor for big ideas (think of data gathering for action research as a crime scene investigation). The shared space acts as a catalyst for focusing energy and creative thought and some very interesting insights.

See all our member perspectives. Joining a discussion in the After School Online Room
If you are a new member of TAPPED IN you will "land" in reception when you log in. There are several ways you can get to the After School Online room (ASO) to participate in an event that has been scheduled on the TAPPED IN calendar. On the upper right of the main reception area window there is a note for FEATURED PASSAGEWAYS. By clicking on the door icon next to After School Online you will go to the ASO. That same link is available if you click on PASSAGEWAYS at the bottom of the menu on the left side of that window. One other way to go to the ASO is to "join" a person who is already in that room. To do this, click on the ONLINE tab to the left of the chat window. Single click on the name of a person who is in the ASO and then click on the door icon at the bottom of the ONLINE frame.

Advanced Tech Tip: Creating a Group
Group rooms are ideal for meeting with members to hold a class or discuss a topic of common interest. To see all the groups that have been started in TAPPED IN click on the TAPPED IN tab and then click on GROUPS. Only members of a group are able to enter a group room. Members are permitted to own two groups. You can start a group by clicking on the TAPPED IN tab and then click on GROUPS. You'll see a link at the top to create a new TAPPED IN group.

[4] TAPPED IN News Nuggets

Long-time TAPPED IN member and Social Studies Forum discussion leader Michael Hutchison has an article, Investigating The Civil War: A Multimedia Approach, in the May Issue of Tech Learning. See http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/civwarmh.html
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There were several TAPPED IN members who were Global School Net Online Shared Learning Awards finalists in addition to Barbara Dieu who was mentioned in last month's news nuggets. Cathy Campanella, Brenda Dyck, Farah Kamal, Mika Vanhanen, and Jennifer Wagner also were finalists. Read more about these educators who have distinguished themselves in online collaborative learning (OCL) by visiting the Global SchoolNet Foundation site.
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TAPPED IN member and Webheads leader Vance Stevens made a presentation at The Virtual Learning Resource Center at the MLI Teacher to Teacher Conference on May 8. His presentation is online at http://www.mli.ac.ae/vlrc/t2t2003.htm.
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TAPPED IN member Gail Lovely always has some valuable software information in her monthly column in Learning and Leading with Technology.
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Mining the Internet, a monthly column in Learning and Leading with Technology by TAPPED IN member Judi Harris includes excellent resources.
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TAPPED IN member Diane McGrath has a column on Developing a Community of Learners in the April issue of Learning and Leading with Technology.
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Do you have a News Nugget about yourself or another member of the TAPPED IN Community? Send your News Nugget to BJ Berquist at bjb @ tappedin.org.

[5] About ...ON THE TAPIS

Postings of all ...ON THE TAPIS issues are available on the TAPPED IN website. Contact us if you have any questions about your subscription, password or user name, or if you have any news items that you want to share with the community for ...ON THE TAPIS.