Tapped In Newsletter: April 2001

...ON THE TAPIS
April 2001
Issue 41

In This Issue

[1] Thank you, TAPPED IN volunteers!
[2] Member Perspective: William Wilson
[3] The Community of TAPPED IN: ASO Leaders
[4] New ASO Series: The 4th D Crossing
[5] New TAPPED IN Partner Organization
[6] What others are saying about us...
[7] Attention Middle School Math Educators!
[8] Technology Tips
[9] Internet Innovator Awards
[10] About ...On the TAPIS

Quote of the Month - "Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop..." - Dr. Dorothy I. Height, President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women

[1] Thank you, TAPPED IN volunteers!

April, Volunteer Recognition Month, is a wonderful time to stop and thank the TAPPED IN volunteers for all they do for the TAPPED IN community. Discussion leaders, HelpDesk Volunteers, and community members who take a moment to answer questions from guests and new members contribute to the rapidly growing success of the TAPPED IN environment. (By the time this article reaches you, the international TAPPED IN membership will have passed 11,000!) If you are interested in contributing your time at the TAPPED IN HelpDesk, a mentoring program will get you started. Do you have an idea for a discussion group but are not sure where to start? Participate in some ASO discussions and observe experienced discussion leaders model the dynamics of successful discussions (see [3]). And, when a TAPPED IN volunteer answers your questions or leads a discussion, be sure to give them a big THANK YOU!

[2] Member Perspective: William Wilson

WilliamCW (Bill) is currently a science teacher and technology coordinator for Richmond Hill HS in New York City. He is the forum coordinator for TAPPED IN's Technology Coordinator's and Science Teacher's Forums.

Read all our member perspectives.

[3] The Community of TAPPED IN: ASO Leaders

Have you seen our Calendar of Events lately? These "After School Online" discussions are led or co-led by volunteer members of TAPPED IN. They provide a wonderful way to share resources, meet colleagues, and learn about the community. You can read some background information about our wonderful ASO leaders at http://www.tappedin.org/info/asoleaders.html. If you have an idea for a new ASO topic and are interested in leading or co-leading, please fill out our ASO Session Proposal Form.

[4] New ASO Series: The 4th D Crossing

HelpDesk Volunteer, Susanne Nyrop (SusanneN), is working with the Global Educators' Network (GEN) to discuss how online communities are developed and used. The first of the series, The 4th D Crossing: Virtual Communities of Educational Practice, will take place on April 24th. See our calendar for details and additional dates and featured speakers.

[5] New TAPPED IN Partner Organization

A warm welcome is extended to the San Diego County Office of Education. The SDCOE has a suite on the second floor of TAPPED IN. The Joe Rindone Regional Technology Center's Virtual Annex is sponsored by the Learning Resources and Educational Technology Division of the San Diego County Office of Education and the California Technology Assistance Project.

[6] What others are saying about us...

TAPPED IN was featured as a Site-of-the-School Day, a daily update to Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators on Discovery Channel School (http://www.discoveryschool.com/). (Ed. note: Kathy Schrock is the guest speaker for the PBS Teacherline Live Chat on April 17th).

[7] Attention Middle School Math Educators!

Check out an email-based Math series brought to you by WestEd's MMAP/Pathways Support Center and WebMath (http://mmap.wested.org/brushup.html). This series begins on May 4th.

[8] Technology Tips

Bringing your K-12 Class to TAPPED IN
For some ideas about what you can do with your class online, visit http://www.tappedin.org/info/classroom.html. There is a link on this page for information about getting accounts for your students. It's fast and easy and helps protect the privacy of your students and the TAPPED IN community.

Advanced Tech Tip of the Month: Tips for Trainings
Whether you are leading a staff development training session, or bringing a class of college or graduate students online, the tips at http://www.tappedin.org/info/trainingtips.html may be helpful for you in introducing TAPPED IN.

[9] Internet Innovator Awards

National Semiconductor's Internet Innovator Awards program rewards teachers who are using the Internet in fresh, new ways in the classroom to improve student learning. The Internet Innovator Awards are given to teachers who have implemented Internet-rich curricula that have proven successful in the K-12 classroom. Eligible teachers may access and submit the application from the Awards web site at http://www.nsawards.com. Completed applications must be submitted by Friday June 22, 2001.

[10] 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.