Tapped In Newsletter: February 2003
...ON THE TAPIS
February 2003
Issue 63
In This Issue
[1] 100+ Years of TAPPED IN Experience Leads ASO Events!
[2] Member Perspective: Elizabeth Riddle
[3] Technology Tips
[4] TAPPED IN News Nuggets
[5] About ...On the TAPIS
Quote of the Month - "From a drop of water a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other." Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930) Scottish author, physician; Sherlock Holmes in "A Study in Scarlet," pt. 1, ch. 2, 1887.
[1] 100+ Years of TAPPED IN Experience Leads ASO Events!
I've been known to participate in one or two After School Online discussions here and there. The quality of the discussions is so enriching that I come away from each discussion, regardless of the topic, with something new to add to my personal professional development experiences. The expertise of our international group of After School Online discussion leaders always impresses me. They have made contributions to the TAPPED IN Community that are vast and difficult to measure statistically, but Elizabeth Riddle's perspective this month inspired me to get out my paint splattered calculator and do a bit of figuring. Now...please keep in mind that I'm an art teacher and NOT a researcher ;-). You math/researcher folks are welcome to check my data by going to the Membership Directory and finding the membership date for each ASO Discussion leader (there are over 20). Some leaders have been members for 6 years and some are relative newcomers with just two years of membership. Several have been members for 5 years. Not only do the After School Online leaders have many years of classroom teaching experience, they also have, on average, 3.6 years of experience in the TAPPED IN Community! So, the next time you see the TAPPED IN Calendar and all the events that are on it, keep in mind the time and experience that those leaders are volunteering to contribute and take a moment from your busy schedules to participate in some of the events. [Written by BJ Berquist]
[2] Member Perspective: Elizabeth Riddle
Elizabeth is an Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT) at Samuel Tucker Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia. She started teaching in Alexandria eight years ago. Before becoming an ITRT, she was a fourth and fifth grade multiage teacher and a computer lab teacher. Elizabeth is also a doctoral candidate at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia where she is finishing up her dissertation, "Voluntary Participation and Online Learning: A research study investigating why K-12 teachers participate in informal online learning and how it influences their professional development". She hopes to defend it this spring. Elizabeth is also the managing editor for the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education (JTATE).
Elizabeth's Perspective
I was introduced to TAPPED IN in the fall of 1999 by my professor, Dr. Chris Dede, at George Mason University. My classmates and I compared experiences in TAPPED IN to other online environments. Since I am interested in how educators use technology for their own learning, I immediately became enthralled with TAPPED IN. In the spring of 2000, over a three-week period, I spent time in formal and informal meetings, as well as time creating my own presence in TAPPED IN. Like moving to a new city or job, I had to orient myself with my surroundings before I felt comfortable interacting with others and creating my own space.
See all our member perspectives.
[3] Technology Tips
Advanced Tech Tip: Finding Your TI Membership Date
By accessing the database you can find out the date on which you joined TAPPED IN. To access the database type /read yourmembername in $mdir. Let us know if you have a milestone anniversary coming up by sending an email to bjb @ tappedin.org.
[4] TAPPED IN News Nugget
PBS Teacher Previews has been featuring upcoming PBS events that Michael Hutchison, discussion leader of the Social Studies Forum has been scheduling. Topics, past and future, include Washington Week in the Classroom and a visit with Joy Hakim, author of Freedom: A History of US. Be sure to check your TAPPED IN calendar for upcoming events. Michael became a member of TAPPED IN on February 22, 1998. Happy fifth year anniversary, Michael!
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The January edition of the Technology & Learning magazine features Project-Based Learning in a cover story by Gwen Solomon, one of this country's best education journalists and the former Director of the New York City School of the Future. The T&L story plus a generous compilation of PBL resources is available online. The feature is jam-packed with ideas for getting started, picking and creating a project and tips for teachers, technology coordinators, and administrators from TAPPED IN members Adam Garry (Co-nect Consultant), Michael Simkins (Director of portical.org and former Director of the Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project), and Bob Pearlman.
Project-Based Learning: A Primer, January 2003, Volume 23, Issue 6
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TAPPED IN member Dafne Gonzalez has an article, "Using general interest essays with EST studies in EFL context" in an issue of the MexTESOL Journal. See more of Dafne's articles at http://www.geocities.com/dygonza/publications.html.
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The February 2003 issue of Learning & Leading with Technology is packed with articles by TAPPED IN members! Diane McGrath has a project based learning article, "Artifacts and Understanding"; Tim Fish has an article for Tech Leaders, "Building a Web Site from the Inside"; Judi Harris has a telecommunications article titled "Seek Strategically, Find Answers Appropriately"; and Gail Lovely has written The Software Reviews article, "A Sparkling Assortment".
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TAPPED IN members Ferdi Serim (TAPPED IN member since December 1996) and Melissa Koch have written NetLearning: Why Teachers Use the Internet, all about what teachers and their students are learning online. Their stories show why the Internet has become invaluable in the classroom. The Net allows students to learn by doing real-world projects that involve researching information online and contacting experts who are accessible via e-mail. It also allows teachers to learn from each other by collaborating on projects and curriculum development.
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NewsObserver.com profiled online educator and TAPPED IN member Dave Warlick, developer of the pioneering edtech Web site Landmarks for Schools. See http://newsobserver.com/business/story/2171037p-2057671c.html
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See http://www.rdg.ac.uk/slals/phd/students/simpson/ for a list of recently published papers by TAPPED IN member James Simpson.
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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.