TechKnowledgy Newsletter

Western Reserve Public Media’s Professional Development Schedule
List updated Oct. 28, 2008

November 2008

Tuesday, Nov. 4
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Web 2.0 — Collaborative Tools

Tuesday, Nov. 4
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Mahoning County ESC, 100 DeBartolo Place, Suite 105, Youngstown
Antarctica: 90 Degrees South/The Game

Wednesday, Nov. 5
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Practical PC Tips

Wednesday, Nov. 5
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Trumbull County ESC, 6000 Youngstown-Warren Rd., Niles
Antarctica: 90 Degrees South/The Game

Thursday, Nov. 6
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
TCCSA, 2125 Eagle Pass, Wooster — Register through TCCSA
Change My Mind

Thursday, Nov. 6
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Columbiana and Lorain ESC, 38720 Saltwell Rd., Lisbon — Contact Carol Straub at 330-424-9591 or Paul Hieronymous at 440-324-5777
QuizBus: Dealing With Data

Friday, Nov. 7
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
EdTechConnects — I-Active (Interactive) Classroom

Wednesday, Nov. 12
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Smart Board — Basic

Thursday, Nov. 13
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Effective Technology Integration

Thursday, Nov. 13
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Columbiana and Lorain ESC, 38720 Saltwell Rd., Lisbon — Contact Carol Straub at 330-424-9591 or Paul Hieronymous at 440-324-5777
Antarctica: 90 Degrees South/The Game

Friday, Nov. 14
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Smart Board — Advanced

Tuesday, Nov. 18
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Communicating Through Podcasting

Wednesday, Nov. 19
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Digital Photography

Thursday, Nov. 20
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Power Presentations

Friday, Nov. 21
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Build Your Own Web Site

December 2008

Wednesday, Dec. 3
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Free Google Extras

Thursday, Dec. 4
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
TCCSA, 2125 Eagle Pass, Wooster — Register through TCCSA
Antarctica: 90 Degrees South/The Game

Friday, Dec. 5
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Educational Services Winter Meeting

Wednesday, Dec. 10
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Digital Storytelling

Wednesday, Dec. 17
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Video Editing on the PC

Thursday, Dec. 18
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Web 2.0 — Curriculum Tools

Friday, Dec. 19
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Web 2.0 — Multimedia Tools

This new simulation computer game for grades 4-8 is based on the popular Western Reserve Public Media project Antarctica: 90 Degrees South. Students are trying to get to the South Pole. Along the way, they must make logical choices or their trip is ended.

Workshop attendees receive a game CD and the accompanying teacher guide that includes supplemental lesson plans.

Create a classroom Web site using WGTE’s Build Your Own Web Site program. After creating an account, participants use simple application tools and templates to design a Web site with options such as Homework Calendar, Web Pages, Photo Gallery, Online Storage, Polls and Quiz Center.

Students will be bombarded with persuasive techniques in all aspects of their life. They need to recognize the persuasive techniques that are being used to manipulate their thinking and how they can use these same techniques to influence others. The multimedia kit is keyed to grades 8-10 language arts standards and includes a teacher guide, five videos and a Web site, www.WesternReservePublicMedia.org/changemymind.

Today’s way to communicate can be created with little equipment investment and does not require mobile listening devices. This workshop teaches you how to create your own podcast. It also includes lessons on podcasting directories, information on gathering audio feeds and suggestions for educational usage.

Learn how to set up a digital still camera, save images to a CD and use photo editing software to enhance images. Create a slide show with the free program Picasa and inserting images into PowerPoint are also discussed.

Learn how to integrate podcasting, Windows Movie Maker, PowerPoint and other technologies to create digital stories and scrapbooks.

How does all of this technology fit together in my classroom? How can I utilize the technology I have with technology I would like to have? Can blogging and digital photography work together in my classroom? Find the answers to these questions and more.

Find out about free tools, programs and add-ons that enhance the capabilities of your PC.

Google is much more than a robust search engine. Learn how to create buildings in 3-D, enhance photos, travel to any place on earth and link Google functions to Smart Board lessons.

Welcome to the world of high-tech treasure hunting! Learn about basic GPS handheld functions, the rules for depositing and finding geocaches and how to work in the online geocaching environment.

Learn how to organize and customize your PC desktop, burn a CD, save files to a jump drive, add a printer, use a search program, edit a photograph, bookmark and organize Web sites and more.

Create lessons with screen captures from any program using SnagIt. Then edit and share exactly what you see on your screen in PowerPoint, on your Web site or in Movie Maker. Camtasia can also be used to capture video of your computer screen activity, allowing the creation of instructional movies for your classroom.

Learn how to add images, music, animation, narration and videos to PowerPoint. Output and print your presentation in different formats — even a self-running show.

Students in grades 4-8 practice collecting data, presenting it in an understandable fashion, analyzing it through graphing, identifying ways data can be distorted and looking at both arithmetic and geometric probability (area models). This resource is keyed to Ohio mathematics standards in grades 4-8. It contains five videos, a teacher guide and a Web site, http://WesternReservePublicMedia.org/quizbus.

The Smart Board can easily be integrated into the classroom. Learn the software, set-up and operation of the Smart Board. Lesson plans and additional resources will be discussed. This is an entry-level professional development course for beginning Smart Board users.

Gather with other Smart Board users to discuss best practices in the classroom and develop additional lesson plans using the technology. Share tips and tricks for making an easier, faster integration of this exciting technology into the classroom.

Windows Movie Maker software is an easy-to-use editing program that lets you seamlessly capture video and still images from digital devices and add effects, transitions, titles and music. When you are done with your video, put it on a DVD, send it to the Web and even send it out as a podcast.

Learn how free Web 2.0 communication tools such as blogs and wikis can be integrated into the classroom. This seminar focuses on software used to create and manage communication environments, the creation of blogs and wikis and the use of Web 2.0 tools.

Free Web 2.0 curriculum tools such as Kerpoof (online creation station) and XTimeline (timeline creator) are useful classroom tools. Find out how to integrate them.

Free Web 2.0 multimedia tools such as YouTube, TeacherTube and other streaming video sites can be used to support educational efforts with your students and colleagues.

Free Web 2.0 productivity tools such as Google for Educators, Zoho and Thumbstacks allow for the creation, distribution and collaboration of documents and presentations across the Web. Find out how to integrate these applications with students and colleagues.

Learn the process of creating a video, including brainstorming and pitching ideas, writing the treatment, creating the script, setting up the shoot, filming creatively, editing scenes, saving files and producing the DVD.

Enjoy this condensed look at the process of creating a video. Bring your crew of no more than three students, as well as your own equipment (camcorders, microphones, etc.), and learn how to produce a video. A helpful resource for schools interested in entering the eTech Ohio Student Video Contest!

Join the staff of Western Reserve Public Media Educational Services as we discuss what's ahead for the coming months. Presentations will feature the latest offerings from educational services including professional development information, multimedia content and instructional television materials. Vendors will be on hand to demonstrate the latest in technology.

To assist educators with the increasing safety concerns of using the Internet, i-SAFE, a national initiative, partners with schools nationwide to provide Internet safety instruction for students in grades K-12. Established in 1999 as a non-profit organization, i-SAFE receives bi-partisan support and recognition from the U.S. House and the Senate and is endorsed by the Department of Justice. The i-SAFE curriculum complies with No Child Left Behind and aligns to State Technology Standards. During the course of the morning, participants will receive training in various components of the i-SAFE program: Cyber Community Citizenship, Cyber Security, Personal Safety, Predator Identification, Intellectual Property, and Cyber Bullying. At the end of the training, participants will be certified as i-SAFE trainers. As trainers, attendees will be qualified to provide training to their students, teachers, and community members. All certified participants will have access to FREE teaching materials.

With shrinking budgets, the need to write grants has never been more important than today! You are encouraged to attend this day-long seminar on learning tips and proven strategies for writing successful grants. This seminar will be held via videoconferencing equipment with various experts from around the state presenting information-packed sessions every hour. During each session you will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the presenter or share your experiences with other educators at the local hosting site.

For years, research studies have shown the best way to improve students’ learning is to make them more engaged in the lesson. Many educators have struggled with this simple concept, and now new technology makes it easy and affordable! For the cost of a few computers, you could outfit your classroom with an interactive whiteboard, a set of student response systems, wireless slates, or even an IP-based videoconferencing system. During the day-long videoconference, attendees will actively participate in the sessions. A different topic will presented each hour and time will be available for you to ask questions to the presenter and share your experiences with other educators at the local hosting site. Topics covered include: Interactive Whiteboards, Student Response Systems, Web 2.0 Tools, Low-Cost Videoconferencing, and Document and Web Cams.