Tapped In Newsletter: November 1999

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...ON THE TAPIS
November 1999
Issue 24
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In This Issue
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[1] After School Online is as easy as A-S-O
[2] Help Tapped In, Help Yourself!
[3] Science in the Real World
[4] Michael Professional Development Hutchison
[5] Busy Educator's Newsletter
[6] Tech-Tip of the Month
[7] TAPPED IN makes its presence known in Philly
[8] Your Voice Counts--TAPPED IN Survey
[9] About ...On the TAPIS

Quote of the Month:
"A true journey of discovery lies not in seeking new shores but in finding new eyes." - Marcel Proust

[1] After School Online is as easy as A-S-O – by BJ Berquist
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After School Online is a forum for teachers to share their successes, compare notes on challenges to teaching and learn new ways of doing things. You don't have to sign up or let anyone know in advance if you'd like to attend After School Online... Just (A)ttend by choosing the session you want from the Calendar of Events; (S)how up a few minutes before the session is scheduled to start; and (O)bserve and participate... It's that easy!

Each month we email you descriptions of the ASO sessions. If you don't see something that interests you one month, keep checking because our topics change monthly. If times aren't good for you, or you'd like to see a specific topic covered, let us know, we listen and make changes according to your feedback! Also, transcripts are available if you can't make a session--just log in and ask for more information.

[2] Help TAPPED IN, Help Yourself! - by Hunter Gehlbach
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Volunteers serve an invaluable function for TAPPED IN, helping guide new members into and through the community. In addition, volunteers gain some personal benefits. By sitting in on the HelpDesk even for just an hour per week, one's knowledge of TAPPED IN will grow exponentially. By continuing to interact regularly with the HelpDesk staff, you'll find that you will continue to pick up new tricks, receive staff support and training, and form close collegial bonds.

As you can see from our helpdesk schedule there is tremendous flexibility in our hours. However, there are still a few gaps in the schedule. As TAPPED IN continues to grow and more members log in, it will be even more of an asset to have two HelpDesk volunteers online at the same time. If you have any questions, have an interest in volunteering, or even just want to learn more tricks of the trade, please email us. By contributing as little as one hour per week you will be helping your community and helping yourself.

[3] Science in the Real World - by Judi Fusco
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The Leonids are coming.... The Leonid meteor shower occurs every November, but this November they are supposed to be especially strong. Some experts are estimating over 1000 shooting stars per hour. No matter where you live, the interval between 10 p.m. on November 17 and dawn on November 18 will probably be the best time to look for Leonids in 1999 according to a Nasa website. See http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/11nov99/meteorcounts.html for more info!

For even more info:
http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast11nov99_1.htm
http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/solarsystem/meteors/Leonids.html
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/meteors/showers.html

For those of you who like space science, or have students who like it, http://science.nasa.gov/ is a good URL to bookmark.

[4] Michael Professional Development Hutchison - by BJ Berquist
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Since becoming a member of TAPPED IN in February of 1998, Michael has been an active participant in TI's programs (ED's Oasis, HelpDesk volunteer, and the Civil Rights Forum, to name a few). All this involvement has earned Michael a Central Region Teacher of the Year award from Technology and Learning Magazine for his integration of technology in his classroom. He is also one of four finalists for Teacher of the Year. The TAPPED IN community is proud to have Michael represent our educators at the National School Boards Association Conference in Dallas. Congratulations, Michael!

[5] Busy Educator's Newsletter - by Marjan Glavac
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http://www.glavac.com
The Busy Educator's Newsletter is a free monthly newsletter featuring information about top Internet sites for busy teachers, librarians and parents.
Once a month, read about educational resources such as book reviews, software reviews, educational game reviews and the latest news on Internet projects and tips on how to integrate the Internet into your curriculum. Back issues are available at our web site http://www.glavac.com
To subscribe: send an email message with SUBSCRIBE BUSY EDUCATOR in the subject header to marjan@glavac.com or go to the web site and subscribe at: http://www.glavac.com

[6] Tech-Tip of the Month - MY ITEMS
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Objects (also called 'supplies') are available in TAPPED IN to help make online communication more effective. Examples of objects include notes, personal recorders, vending machines, surveys, pets and many other things. Once you get an object from supplies you can type HELP objectname to learn even more about it.

Ever wonder what happens when you click on the notepad and you don't see anything...or you go to supplies and click on something, but don't know where to find it? Go to MY ITEMS on the web window or type AUDIT in the text window and you will see all the objects you own. If you have objects that you don't want or need, type TRASH object name (or TRASH #xxxx - the number of the object that appears in the MY ITEMS list).

Advanced Tech-Tip of the Month - Remote Emoting
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Someone has just paged you with a comment that makes you laugh...to let the sender know how humorous you think they are type +name laughs. (Mary, in her office, types +John laughs....John, in the library, sees (remotely) Mary laughs)

[7] TAPPED IN makes its presence known in Philly
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Joyce Valenza, a columnist from The Philadelphia Inquirer, wrote a wonderful article about TAPPED IN in the November 4 th Tech-Life section. Joyce is also a member of TAPPED IN and a librarian!

[8] Your Voice Counts--TAPPED IN Survey
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Take our Survey! We need your feedback. Your feedback keeps TAPPED IN funding. http://www.tappedin.org/info/surveys/1999

[9] About ...On the TAPIS
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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.