Tapped In Newsletter: August 1997
Newsletter: December 1997
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********** ...ON THE TAPIS **********
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Issue # 5 December, 1997
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...ON THE TAPIS is a monthly letter with updates on TAPPED IN and related events. Check out the TAPPED IN web site to learn more.
Contact us if you forgot your password or user name.
Quote of the Month:
A master can tell you what he expects of you, a teacher, though, awakens your own expectations.
--Unknown.
If you know who said the above quote, let us know. Thanks!
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[1] Holiday Wishes (and upgrades) from TAPPED IN
[2] AFTER SCHOOL ONLINE
[3] Grant information on our website
[4] ESSTEP Summer Institute Announcement
[5] Why TAPPED IN?
[6] What will the Web be like in 10 years? (Part 2)
[7] Reflections on 1997
[8] About ...ON THE TAPIS
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[1] Holiday Wishes (and upgrades) from TAPPED IN
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We'll start the newsletter off by wishing you and yours a happy and relaxing holiday! Over the holiday break 12/24-1/5 we will be doing upgrades to TAPPED IN. We are working to incorporate some exciting new features. If you are planning a meeting in TAPPED IN during this time, PLEASE let us know when, so we can make sure the system is up for you. If you have some time over the holiday to spend in TAPPED IN, and you would like one of our staff to be there to answer any questions,
contact us and set up a time to meet online.
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[2] AFTER SCHOOL ONLINE adds East Coast Edition
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We've added a new time slot for AFTER SCHOOL ONLINE due to popular demand from our East Coast teachers. Starting in January, join your colleagues for live discussions on Wednesday from 1-2 Pacific time (4-5 Eastern), in addition to our Monday and Tuesday 3-4 pm Pacific (6-7 pm Eastern) discussions.
The beginning of January is busy for everyone (including us!), so there will be no ASO sessions the first two weeks of January.
January sessions: (* denotes that this is a new Wednesday 1-2 PST (4-5 EST) session)
-Getting more support from your administration (Jan 21* and Jan 27) By popular demand, Barbara Chriss will continue to lead discussions on how to get more support for new curriculum, mentoring, workshops, training, and just support in general.
-Cancer and aging--what's the relationship? (Jan 20 and Jan 26) Current research hints at connections between cancer and the aging process. What do we know about the relationship between cancer and aging? What are the prospects for lessening the likelihood of cancer and the effects of aging? Erik Wilson, a biochemist at the University of California, San Francisco discusses the current state of knowledge and speculates on future possibilities. Learn how some elements of aging may protect us against cancer and learn what action we can take to protect ourselves.
-Incorporating the Internet into your classroom (Jan 19 and Jan 28*) Extends our earlier "All about the Internet" sessions. Patti Schank and Judi Fusco will answer questions about the Internet and lead a discussion on different ways teachers are using the Internet in their classrooms, and how you can incorporate it too. They will provide references to research and pointers to Websites developed by teachers
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[3] Grant information on our website
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We have started a new area on our website under the discussion boards for grant announcements. If you know of a grant for educators, please post the information there, contact us.
Right now there are announcements of six grant opportunities: 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, from the U.S. Department of Education; A GTE Grant Opportunity, the GTE GIFT Program provides a $12,000 Grant Opportunity for MATH and SCIENCE Teachers; 1998 Virtual Schoolhouse Grants from Cisco, each award is for approximately $10,000 worth of products-based on individual school requirements, Toshiba America Foundation Grants, Toyota TAPESTRY Grants, and a grant opportunity from Curriculum Associates.
Come to our web site to learn more about each of the grants. You can also post any information that you know about grants there.
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[4] ESSTEP Summer Institute Announcement
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The Earth and Space Science Technological Education Project ( ESSTEP) , is a joint project of the Geological Society of America, the Space Science Institute and Cypress College. This NSF-funded project provides educators (Grades 8-14) with training and support for optimal classroom use of computer and information-based technologies in earth, space, and environmental sciences. Faculty apply as 2-4 person, multi-grade level, geographic-area teams to participate in two consecutive summer workshops which provide:
-- hands-on experience in state-of-the-art data acquisition, manipulation, and presentation technologies, including Geographic Information Systems, Global Positioning Systems, Image Processing and the Internet,
--innovative strategies for using technology in classrooms to enhance student learning,
--internship opportunities in earth and space science technology fields,
--on-going support from peers and professionals via an on-line communication network (TAPPED IN).
The workshop teaching approach is inquiry-based, includes several field experiences and models innovative and effective teaching practices.
Participants receive a $600 stipend in year one, $300 in year two, in addition to room and board. Continuing education credits are available.
Dates are July 6-18, 1998 Cypress, California, July 27-August 8th, Boulder, Colorado.
For an application contact Holly Devaul, Geological Society of America, PO Box 9140, Boulder, CO 80301, 303-447-2020 ext. 150, hdevaul@geosociety.org.
Applications are due March 1, 1998.
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[5] Why TAPPED IN?
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This a new feature we will run in the newsletter for the next several months to answer some of the questions we have been asked about TAPPED IN.
Q. What do I have to do to get the most out of TAPPED IN?
A. TAPPED IN is a professional community, and a community needs active members to thrive and grow. To get something out of TAPPED IN, you have to participate. That means carving out a little time in your already overburdened schedule for professional dialogue with your colleagues. Our community has over 600 members——THAT'S QUITE A POOL OF TEACHING EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE. TAPPED IN is designed to help you tap into that resource pool as a regular part of your own professional development. How? Maybe it means setting up a weekly meeting time with a colleague you met at your summer institute to discuss ideas for new projects. Maybe it's coming by AFTER SCHOOL ONLINE and learning about a new subject area, or internet project. Maybe it's logging into TAPPED IN for 10 minutes to see if there's someone there who you can engage in a brief exchange of ideas (sorta like the water cooler). If you have specific professional development needs or ideas, let us know; perhaps we already have someone or something in TAPPED IN to help you. If we can't help you, we'll find out who can!
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[6] What Will the Web Be Like in 10 Years? (Part 2)
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Last month we discussed one of two books that take a long-term, strategic view of the Web: "Release 2.0" by Esther Dyson. This week we discuss the other one: "Net Gain: Expanding Markets Through Virtual Communities" by John Hagel and Arthur Armstrong
The authors of Net Gain argue that online, theme-based communities will become increasingly important in the next decade (particularly for businesses), and describes specific guidelines for building successful virtual communities, including: a distinctive focus (e.g., teacher professional development, in the case of TAPPED IN), critical mass (many users; TAPPED IN has over 500 and we're working to reach thousands), integration of communication and content (e.g., chat AND posting of documents), member-generated content (e.g., TAPPED IN members can create documents, add them to the library, show them to others, etc., unlike in chat lines), guest speakers and activities (e.g., TAPPED IN's After School Online), and recommendation systems based on profiles of users in the community (see www.amazon.com for an example of book recommendation systems; we plan to offer such services in the future).
Other well-known and respected researchers of online communities, such as Peter Kollock at UCLA (http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock), echo these guidelines and mention a few others, such as: the importance of persistent identities, required for building trust and responsibility (e.g., in TAPPED IN, real all users are identified and real names are used and verified, unlike in chat lines), and the ability for community members to customize the norms and rules of community behavior (we're planning to start a teacher council for this purpose).
Such forecasts, guidelines from our own and others' research on online communities, and your feedback guide the development of TAPPED IN. Let us know what you think, and help us develop an online community that empowers teachers.
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[7] Reflections on 1997
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As 1997 comes to an end, we find ourselves reflecting on this past year in TAPPED IN. We started the year with 162 members and now have over 600 members! We are really excited about the growth. We have also seen a lot of new activity taking place within our virtual walls. Several partner organizations have begun to launch their own online activities, and we have welcomed some new partner organizations into the community. We have also started community wide activities for all TAPPED IN members. In response to teacher feedback, we built the Student Activities Center, where you can bring your students (if you want more information about the SAC, contact us.
We've also improved the technology to make it easier for you to collaborate online (we're always working on that, and if you have any ideas, just let us know!). And last, but not least, we received a 3-year NSF Research in Education Policy and Practice grant. Thanks for helping make TAPPED IN so successful.
We would like to emphasize that TAPPED IN is YOUR Community Workplace. TAPPED IN cannot exist without your participation and ideas. As we plan for 1998, we would love to hear from you! Tell us what we can do to help enhance your professional development experience. We have two surveys on our website as a way for you to give us feedback, (feel free to fill them out anytime you get a chance at http://www.tappedin.sri.com/info/surveys/activity.html and http://www.tappedin.sri.com/info/surveys/mathforum.html).
Or just take a few minutes to write down a few professional development goals you have for yourself and send them to us. It will help us prioritize our work to serve you better. Thanks! Send us your ideas.
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[8] About ...ON THE TAPIS
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