Tapped In Newsletter: June 2004

...On the Tapis
June 2004
Issue 79

In This Issue

[1] Tapped In Festival 2004!
[2] News Nuggets
[3] Tips and Comments From the Experts
[4] Tapped In Technology Tip
[5] 10 Steps to Having a Successful Chat in Tapped In
[6] UCCP Online Teaching and Learning Institute
[7] About ...On the Tapis

Quote of the Month - "Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he could be, and he will become what he should be." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

[1] Tapped In Festival 2004!

Colored lights, cotton candy, fireworks, meeting with friends... and Tapped In Festival 2004! This year's festival, scheduled for July 21, is almost here. The theme of "Celebrate Online Education!" promises to provide inspiration for some very exciting Festival events. Pre-festival tours are being scheduled to help new Tapped In users have a fun and successful experience. (See [5] 10 Steps... below) Certificates of Participation will be offered for members and guests who register for three hours of events including one Pre-Conference Tour. (Continuing Education Credits for the certificates are determined by individual educational institutions.) You can keep up-to-date with the scheduled events at http://tappedin.org/tappedin/web/festival/. If you would like to volunteer to welcome Festival participants and help them get to the correct event room, please contact BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org. And be sure to mark your calendars for Tapped In Festival 2004 on July 21!

[2] News Nuggets

The May Tutor/Mentor Leadership eConference hosted by the Richard J. Daley College in Chicago was organized and led by Tapped In members Daniel F. Bassill and Andrew Pincon. Several Tapped In members presented and participated during the eConference, including BJ Berquist, Marisol Miranda, and several WebHeads including Vance Stevens, Teresa Almeida d'Eca, Elisabeth Hanson-Smith Dafne Gonzales, Elderbob Brannan, and Buthaina A. Al Othman.
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ISTE's Affiliate Executive Committee has named Tapped In member Bill Simpson of the San Diego County Office of Education as the winner of the 2004 ISTE Affiliate Award for Outstanding Leader. The award recognizes and honors individuals who have demonstrably improved education through the use of technology, and candidates for the awards were nominated by ISTE Affiliates.
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ISTE and HyperSIG (ISTE's multimedia special interest group) have announced the 2004 Multimedia Mania award winners. Selected from a competitive international field, the first place winners include the Elementary Grades team of Eva La Mar (Tapped In member), Linda Ferguson (Tapped In member), and Jennifer Jenness sponsored by Tolenas School, Fairfield, California, USA.
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ISTE and T.H.E. Journal are pleased to announce that Irving Independent School District, Irving, Texas, will receive the first annual Sylvia Charp Award for District Innovation in Technology. The Charp Award recognizes school districts that exhibit effectiveness and innovation in the application of technology district-wide. It was created in honor of the late Dr. Sylvia Charp, the founding Editor-in-Chief of T.H.E. Journal and an ardent, life-long supporter of ISTE and its mission.
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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.

[3] Tips and Comments From the Experts

[In response to Patti creating the Student Activity Center Studios Funky Chicken Room, Hip Hop Room, Jitterbug Room, Moonwalk Room, and Time Warp Room]

Thanks for your help with the Tapped In stuff. The studios should take care of everything. - Kirsten

So, we both thank you and wonderful Patti for the personal service and assistance! The students will be in the computer lab practicing with their logins on Tuesday, and will return on Wed ready to go with their book discussions!! So-o-o-o-o exciting. Y'all are wonderful! - Charlene
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I can't tell you how great this interface is... it is one of the best designed environments I have seen. - Danika Brown
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MarkT: I am traveling and needed to make sure that I could connect tomorrow for a meeting
BjB: if you're connected from where the meeting will take place, you're looking good!
BjB: your chat window opened ok?
MarkT: Yeah
BjB: are you demoing TI?
MarkT: no, I have an end of course presentation for APU
BjB nods.
BjB . o O (pretty cool that you can do that at a distance)
MarkT: yeah it has been a life saver
MarkT: I appreciate the test run.
BjB: my pleasure
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If you have a comment or experience to share with the Tapped In community, please submit the information to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org.

[4] Tapped In Technology Tips

This month's Technology Tips focus on several new features that have recently been added to the Tapped In interface:

Discussion Board Sorting
You can now sort discussion threads in each room by date of first post, date of last post and subject.

Time and Date Displays
All Tapped In members who have not set their time are requested to log in, click on the ME tab and then click on SETTINGS. Scroll down to My Calendar Preferences and the Edit Your Calendar Preferences link if your time zone is different from U.S. Pacific Time. The newly added time and date features will allow you to see the calendar events in your time zone. On the welcome page for all the public conference rooms and Reception welcome screen these features will also show you if a scheduled calendar event is in progress in a room and the date and time of the next event.

Member Profile
A link to a member's profile has been added to the welcome note in private offices and the in-progress calendar notices. To update your member profile, go to the ME/Settings tab when you are logged in.

[5] 10 Steps to Having a Successful Chat in Tapped In

The following information was compiled as a guideline to help you have a successful experience when you participate in a discussion, whether it's during the TI Festival 2004 or during any of the regularly scheduled calendar events in Tapped In. Please remember that Discussion Leaders have spent a great deal of time preparing for these discussions and only have one hour to present their material. Your attention and courtesy is appreciated. The discussion leader will allow time for questions and interaction.

1. To DETACH your chat window and make it larger and easier to read, click on the ACTIONS drop down menu in the upper right of the chat window and scroll all the way down to DETACH.

2. Use the PRIVATE MESSAGE to greet and talk to friends. When a friend enters the room and you want to greet them or ask them a question, double click on their name under the HERE tab to the left of the chat window. This will open a new small window. Enter your comments in the bottom of the window and press return on your keyboard. This message is PRIVATE and will only be seen by the person you send it to. This avoids a lot of distracting off-topic chat in the main chat window.

3. Use the PRIVATE MESSAGE to ask for help. If you have any questions about Tapped In or how to do something, send a PRIVATE MESSAGE to the discussion moderator (usually the person who introduces the discussion leader and asks people to introduce themselves).

4. Give a brief introduction. If the moderator calls for introductions, give your discipline, grade, and location.

5. LISTEN to what the moderator has to say. The Moderator offers tips on participation, introduces the Discussion Leader and sets the ground rules for the discussion.

6. LISTEN to what the Discussion Leader has to say. Before you ask any questions or make any comments, give the Discussion Leader the courtesy of your attention. You will then be prepared to contribute to the dialogue in an informed way.

7. Click on a hyperlinked URL to open a webpage. When the Discussion Leader shows a URL it is hyperlinked. When you click on the hyperlink, a new webpage will open for you. You can open the page, look at it, and then close it if you wish. Do not minimize.

8. WAIT for the Discussion Leader to ask for questions. Eager audiences are a joy for any Discussion Leader, but questions that are blurted out may take the discussion off-topic. Because of the limited time for each discussion, wait for the Discussion Leader to ask for questions and feedback.

9. Use the PASTEBOARD to view unmoving chat text. During many discussions the chat scrolls very quickly and it is easy to lose the thread of the discussion. To view a section of the dialogue without having it scroll, click on the ACTIONS drop down menu and scroll down to SEND TO PASTEBOARD. This will put the section of dialogue on a new non-scrolling window. When you have caught up, close the pasteboard window.

10. Members receive an emailed TRANSCRIPT. If you are a member of Tapped In, when you are finished with the discussion and log out, a transcript of the discussion that took place while you were logged in will be sent to you at your Tapped In registered email address. The transcript will include all chat text, all text from private messages, and any URLs that have been shown.

[6] UCCP Online Teaching and Learning Institute

The University of California College Prep Online (UCCP) is hosting its annual Online Teaching and Learning Institute in the UC Santa Cruz campus on July 21-23. You are invited to join the Institute or send representatives from your individual campuses and offices to join the 400+ educators from around the state and nation. This year the institute will have strands that include content and curricula, implementing online courses, teaching and learning, and training and technology for teachers and educators. For the first time, UCCP will offer the Virtual Institute and provide remote attendees with real-time participation in the Institute sessions. Access the Institute's website for more information about joining the Institute virtually.

[7] About ...On the Tapis

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