Tapped In Newsletter: May 2006
...On the Tapis
May 2006
Issue 102
In This Issue
[1] Member Perspective: Angela Redden
[2] NEW! EduSources - by BJ Berquist
[3] Tapped In Technology Tip
[4] Tips and Comments from the Experts
[5] News Nuggets
[6] Global SchoolNet Announces 2006 Online Shared Learning Champions
[7] TQ Research & Policy Brief
[8] About ...On the Tapis
Quote of the Month - "The best thing he did for us had nothing to do with artistic matters - it was about learning, which he used to say is the only thing that the mind never exhausts, never fears and never regrets - learning - it's the only thing that will never fail us." - Cesare da Sesto on Leonardo da Vinci
[1] Member Perspective: Angela Redden
Angela writes in her Tapped In description, "I hate writing these description things. I never know what to say about myself. I am a mom, a wife, and a teacher. I love my kids, my husband, and my profession. I am also a co-director of the West Tennessee Writing Project and I think every teacher should know about the National Writing Project. I teach 8th grade literature and I love my 8th graders."
Angela's Perspective
I first wandered in to Tapped In on December 31, 2003. It was the eve of a new year, and I wandered into a new world. When I wandered on to the Tapped In Campus and found myself in the reception room, there were friendly people waiting to greet me. At that time, I didnÕt really know how I would use Tapped In, but I knew it would become part of my life. I had been fascinated with the idea of meeting people from around the globe, but had become exhausted with the conversations I had found in other chat rooms. They seemed to always turn into sleazy pick up lines. I had begun to wonder if there were any other decent human beings who could hold an online conversation. I knew instantly that I had found my home on the net when I wandered in to Tapped In that cold December day.
Read all of Angela's Perspective.
[2] NEW! EduSources - by BJ Berquist
Never did I ever think I would have the opportunity to use the word "conundrum" as frequently as I have! The current topic that brings the term to mind is the fragmentation of educator time. The proliferation of listservs, email groups, educational portals, resources, communities of practice, blogs, and both online and real life conferences tug desperately at the finite number of hours in an educator's day, week, year. The TI members are attempting to help sort through this maze of options and provide a central clearinghouse where one can view the vast assortment of options and choose which are best suited to their needs. A tiny beginning has been the creation of the TI Group EduSources. Folders have been placed in the room so that members can both access others' resources and post their own blogs, favorite education sites, articles and ideas to solve our collective conundrum of fragmentation of time. Please join this group and post your resources.
[3] Tapped In Technology Tips
How to add an item to the folders in EduSources
Once you have joined the EducSources group*, enter the group room and scroll down the welcome screen to the featured folders (Blogs, Conferences) and click on the folder to which you want to add your url. Click on ADD LINK and fill in the appropriate boxes. When you are finished, click on the Add Link button and you're done!
If you do not see a folder for an item you want to post, decide if that item is a file, link, or discussion topic, go to blue menu on the left above the chat window and click on the correct feature and then ADD FOLDER. Check the Featured box so that the folder will appear on the welcome screen, press the Add Folder button, and then add your item to that folder.
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* Any TI member can join this group by logging in, clicking on the SEARCH tab in the top right and the subtab GROUPS. Enter EduSources. When a match is found, click on the green i next to the group name and Join This Group. Joining a group adds the group to your Favorite Places menu, allows you to post to the discussion board, and allows you to use the permissions in the group room to add and feature items.
[4] Tips and Comments from the Experts
Gale Anderson commented after talking with a TI Helpdesk Volunteer, "This seems very user friendly after your guidance. I have been searching for a platform that provided technical support in such a manner as you are doing. I must say that this is the first time I have had such attention and assistance. This is just excellent. I will come back often!"
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David Weksler, Helpdesk Volunteer asked TI member Heather Burleson what makes it compelling to login to TI regularly. Heather's response was:
#1--to be able to talk and explore ideas with like-minded people
#2--the camaraderie
#3--being able to find new ideas for teaching in the various groups and offices.
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A big thank you to Helen Lord for the following email sent to Tapped in:
I joined the Tapped In community last night and I just wanted to write and say how impressed I am.
I am reaching the end of my training to be an ESOL teacher to adults in London, and want to exploit elearning as much as possible.
I love this site and the ability to tap in to 'resources' from around the world. The navigation is wonderful particularly the doors!!! - no rushing round school corridors from one 'class' to another, I also love the fact that I get an email with a transcript. I'd like to set up an ESOL learning site in the college where I teach, and would love to make it so my students can 'individualise' in the same way.
The people (BjB and DavidWE) manning your helpdesk yesterday were very friendly, welcoming and helpful and I had a wonderful tour of the site with MaryFT.
Although it will take a while for me to find exactly what I need, I can already see the potential is enormous.
Thank you for setting up this site and I look forward to many years of happy use.
Best, Helen.
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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
TI members Pam Stephens; Nancy Walkup; Craig Roland; and Maggie Smola, Denise Horton, and Lydia Phelps, Jessica Mitchell (art education students at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff) have articles in the May/June 2006 issue of SchoolArts Magazine.
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TI members Diane Ketelhut, Glen Bull and Sarah McPherson have articles in the April 2006 issue of Learning & Leading with Technology.
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TI members Glen Bull, Mark Hofer, and James Lerman have articles in the May issue of Learning & Leading with Technology.
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TI member Rick Wormelli has an article in the April 2006 issue of Education Leadership.
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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.
[6] Global SchoolNet Announces 2006 Online Shared Learning Champions
Everyone is talking about the importance of collaboration, yet sadly, every day billions of kids still learn in isolation. In a world that is becoming increasingly flat, our youth will face intense competition that is bound to have enormous social and economic implications. Global SchoolNet's Online Shared Learning Awards recognize outstanding educators, who make significant contributions to global collaborative learning.
This year eight teachers worldwide were selected for this honor, representing Canada, Israel, Macedonia and the USA. The top award winners are Jennifer Wagner from Crossroads Christian Schools in Corona, California, United States and Marsha Goren from Ein Ganim in Petach Tikva, Israel.
The five finalist champions included two TI members, Kevin Hodgson from Southampton, Massachusetts, United States and Sharon Peters from Montrˇal, QC, Canada.
"Extraordinary things happen when we connect kids worldwide, engaging them in educational projects where they learn how to communicate, collaborate and solve problems with one another," said Dr. Yvonne Marie Andres, President and co-founder of the Global SchoolNet Foundation and long time TI member.
[7] TQ Research & Policy Brief
The first edition of TQ Research & Policy Brief-an online publication from the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (NCCTQ) focuses on the key issues affecting the quality of teachers in our nation's most at-risk schools (high-poverty, low-performing schools). The series is intended to help ensure those key issues are informed by research and move to the forefront of the policy conversations in states. One of its long-term goals is the successful implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act's teacher quality requirements through the dissemination of critically reviewed research, strategies, practices, and tools. This quarterly publication will serve as a mechanism for building capacity in the Regional Comprehensive Centers to better understand and respond to the challenges states face in meeting NCLB requirements to ensure all students have access to the very best teachers. The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is a collaborative effort of Education Commission of the States, ETS, Learning Point Associates, and Vanderbilt University. See http://www.ncctq.org/tqnews.php.
[8] About ...On the Tapis
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