Tapped In Newsletter: August 2006
...On the Tapis
August 2006
Issue 105
In This Issue
[1] Member Perspective: Heather Burleson
[2] You can lead a horse to water...
[3] Tapped In Technology Tips
[4] Tips and Comments from the Experts
[5] News Nuggets
[6] About ...On the Tapis
Quote of the Month - "An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it." - Bill Bernbach (1911-1982)
[1] Member Perspective: Heather Burleson
Heather is currently teaching Technology Applications in a rural East Texas middle school. A teacher since 1978, she has moved from teaching Theology and French at the high school level to teaching English in middle school, and has finally found "her place" as a Technology teacher. She has been a member of Tapped In since October 2004, and is also a Helpdesk volunteer.
Heather's Perspective
When I first ventured into Tapped In, I was one of those shy newbies who wouldn't say anything, just kept bouncing from room to room, trying to figure things out on my own. I had never been in an online environment and was a little scared of the whole experience.
I now know I was giving the Helpdesk volunteers some grins as I boinged my way in and out of Reception without saying a word. It wasn't until BJ waved to me that I stopped long enough to ask her how she had done that. From that moment I was hooked. Cookies and hot chocolate were offered on my first Tips and Tricks tour, and I realized that I had found a very friendly place where I could explore and learn without getting in anyone's way.
Read all of Jim's Perspective.
[2] You can lead a horse to water...
... and turn on the "Tap" to entice him to drink! Tapped In members are providing new opportunities for your K-12 students to engage in online research and resources within the Tapped In Student Campus. Several new group rooms have recently been added. Among them are NASA, NOAA, Social Studies Forum, and Mesopotamian Mysteries. Your students can enter these rooms if you set the group permissions to allow students to enter the public rooms in the student campus (they will still not be able to enter any other student group rooms unless both teachers are collaborating). Once the students have entered the Resource Rooms by going to the Student Activities Center Reception and using the featured passageways, you can have the students write a report on the room and its resources, use the resources independently or have teams do research with the information provided. If you do this, please share your ideas and experiences by sending an email to bjb@tappedin.org! Check out upcoming calendars for more information about the new K-12 Groups and how you can use them in your classroom.
If you have an idea or a request for a K-12 Student Resource Room, be a proactive Tapped In community member! Each member is greatly valued for what they can contribute to OUR community. Do you have expertise in a subject or discipline that you would like to share with the K-12 Students and Teachers? The Tapped In Internet Linguistics Group has started a discussion on creating a Linguistics/Language Arts/ESL K-12 Student Resource Room. Join them and add your ideas to their dialogue on the discussion board.
[3] Tapped In Technology Tips
Creating a K-12 Student Group
The Student Campus in Tapped In is a safe and secure place to bring K-12 Students. The teacher creates the group room and assigns usernames and passwords for the students. When the students log in they land in the group room in the student campus. The teacher determines the settings that allow students access to resource areas in the Student Campus. To create a K-12 Student Group, log in to Tapped In, go to the Tapped In tab and then click on the subtab GROUPS. Choose "Create a New K-12 Student Group" and follow the tutorial. Once the group is created you can enter the group room and edit Settings/Member Management to add members and change permissions. If you have any questions, contact a member of the Tapped In Helpdesk.
[4] Tips and Comments from the Experts
Kim Sprecher: I can see from just the little bit I have been here this will be an excellent resource for me. Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it. You are some of the most friendly (and helpful) help desk people I have come across.
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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 or post to the How You Use TI.
[5] News Nuggets
Will Richardson has an article on Flock, a beta blogging tool, in the August issue of eSchool News.
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The following info is from a SupportMusic press release sent in by TI member John Chase (you can read the complete press release in Files in the ArtsSites Group Room): Social studies teacher John Chase launched M.U.S.I.C. in 1996. M.U.S.I.C. curriculums target grades 7-12 and foster critical thinking and media literacy, while encouraging educators to use music in conjunction with other school subjects that are not historically music-based. Activities include writing lyrics, evaluating popular songs, producing music videos and exploring every dimension of music as a means for learning. M.U.S.I.C. invites the use of song-based lessons and projects into classes in an effort to engage, excite and motivate students as they learn. Visit Learning from Lyrics.
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TI member Sheila Brennan submitted this info to the Hurricane Central Group discussion board (contact Sheila at sbrennan@gmu.edu if you have any questions): Some of you might be interested in using the 5th anniversary of Sept. 11 and the 1st anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on August 29 to compare two types of national tragedies. The Center for History and New Media will be re-launching their September 11 Digital Archive and the Hurricane Digital Memory Bank at the end of August. Both projects were designed to document and collect the stories of everyday people who were affected by September 11 and then Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. If you haven't already, I encourage you to create a short writing assignment involving hurricanearchive.org or offer extra credit for students who add their stories.
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TI member Rushton Hurley shares the resources of Next Vista for Learning, which is building a free online library of video resources by and for teachers and students everywhere. Rushton will lead a discussion (in TI) on how to create and use video material in the classroom, as well as explain the collections focused on junior high and high school topics, community service and global exchange.
[6] About ...On the Tapis
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