Tapped In Newsletter: May 2001

...ON THE TAPIS
May 2001
Issue 42

In This Issue

[1] Member Perspective: Lesley Farmer
[2] Summer Carnival 2001
[3] Is leading an ASO worth the effort?
[4] Tech Coordinator Forum and Science Forum are back!
[5] What others are saying about us...
[6] SIG Gem of the Month
[7] Technology Tips
[8] About ...On the TAPIS

Quote of the Month - "One looks with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." - Carl Jung

[1] Member Perspective: Lesley Farmer

Dr. Farmer coordinates the Library Media Teacher Services Credential Program at California State University Long Beach. ...I first heard about TAPPED IN in conjunction with the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative. This Annenberg-funded project supported a hundred schools in the San Francisco area to do whole school reform. TAPPED IN was just starting, and its use as a communications channel seemed worthwhile...

What do I like about TAPPED IN? The collegiality of the process, the help of TAPPED IN folks, the features it provides (recording, posting, organizing thoughts ahead of time), and the real-time interaction in cyberspace so no one need feel remote. And, quite frankly, I like the spontaneity of the process - and surprisingly international participation and insights. Truly an open-ended educational learning environment.

See all our member perspectives.

[2] Summer Carnival 2001

We're buttering the popcorn and fluffing the cotton candy... watch the MEET ME list for updates to the third annual TAPPED IN Summer Carnival! To get a taste of what previous Carnivals have offered, go to the After School Online Transcript Emailer and look at the Summer Carnival 1999 and Summer Carnival 2000 transcripts.

[3] Is leading an ASO worth the effort? By Sheree Rensel

I have to tell you such a happy story. I took the links to the Math/Art ASO discussion last night to school today. When my middle school class came in, I asked who would like to try a special website for me. I told them I wanted to "review" it. To my surprise, the least motivated student wanted to try it. Despite my apprehension, I sat him in my office, explained "tangrams" and showed him how to use the program. He sat there and WORKED for the whole fifty minutes. He kept calling me in to my office to show me what he had done. Then he would go on to another design. The BIG payoff was when he asked me to write down the URL, so he could work on it in his home room later in the day!

I work with SED (severely emotionally disturbed) students and this is almost unheard of! A SED student with motivation? I wanted to share this with you because I know how hard you work to get things together for these ASO discussions. I know it is hard and sometimes you may be asking yourself, "Is this worth the effort?" Well today we both learned, it is WORTH the effort! :-)

[4] Tech Coordinator Forum and Science Forum are back!

William Wilson is back online and will start his sessions again in June. The Technology Coordinator's Forum meets the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month and the Science Forum meets the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. Welcome back, William. We missed you!

[Editor's Note: The discussion leaders and staff of TAPPED IN make every effort to make sure that the monthly calendar of events is accurate. But, as we all know, cyberspace can be a little tricky and unexpected schedule conflicts can occur. Please sign up for the MEET ME list to receive weekly updates to the scheduled events.]

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

Donna Hendry's website, Technology for Teachers, is listed as a resource in an Education World article on Virtual Field Trips at http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech071.shtml. Donna leads the Tech in the Classroom discussion group on the first and third Monday of the month.

[6] SIG Gem of the Month

Special Interest Group (SIG) Discussions try to meet the needs and address the issues of specific groups of educators. For currently active groups take a look at the calendar of events. The following dialogue is from the April 19 Targeting Librarians! discussion.

LesleyF says, "One of the big issues in the state, and elsewhere, is the issue of Digital Divide, but a recent term I heard and like is "Digital Inclusion.""

LesleyF says, "Too often people think of technology as a bad thing, but it can actually help level the playing field."

KarenRL says, "I like that term far better than Digital Divide. Some teachers think of technology as a bad thing."

KarenRL says, "However, I know of other schools that have such a multicultural student body, they cannot possibly address all their needs."

LesleyF says, "At the Center for Minority Ed in Long Beach, they work with cultures across the Pacific. Including grandparents."

Read the complete transcripts of past discussions in the TAPPED IN archives and join the Targeting Librarians! Group on May 23. Register for the MEET ME mail list to receive the weekly/monthly topics for each discussion group.

[7] Technology Tips

Participating in an After School Online Discussion
If you've never participated in one of the events shown on the calendar, but want to give it a try, it's as easy as 1,2,3. 1. Log in and ask one of the HelpDesk personnel in Reception to direct you to the meeting room. 2. Click on DETACH to make your text window larger so you can follow the scrolling text. 3. Relax and enjoy! The discussion leader may ask you to introduce yourself. It's up to you how much you want to contribute to the discussion.

Advanced Tech Tip of the Month: Leading an ASO
You've participated in several ASO's and have an idea for a presentation or discussion group. We'd love to hear from you! Go to http://www.tappedin.sri.com/info/surveys/asoprop.html and fill out the ASO Proposal Form. One of TAPPED IN's staff will give you suggestions on how to lead a discussion, provide support for your idea, and facilitate your ASO presentation.

[8] 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.