September 17, 2007

(To view in browser, click here.)

  In this issue:

- eTeams for Elementary Tech
- iConnect Update
- InClass Update & Reminders
- Teacher's Toolkit
- Web Trio - Recommended Sites
- Upcoming Workshops

eTeams for Elementary Technology Coaching

We're pleased to announce a plan for elementary technology coaching during the 2007-08 school year. We are working with principals to get this program started over the next month. Basic elements include:

  • A technology coach for each site who will do 4-5 hours of coaching each month
  • Coaching activities could be one-on-one, grade level, staff meetings or staff dev days
  • Coaches will attend three full-day sessions, including one day at Apple
  • Each cluster (North, South, West) will have a lead coach who takes teams of teachers to events beyond Palo Alto, such as MacWorld, CUE, or Bay Area school site visits
  • After school "60-Minute Gourmet" workshops will be offered at elementary sites and led by cluster leads and the District technology TOSA
We think we're on the way to offering elementary teachers new and exciting ways to develop technology skills and techniques for the classroom. Stay Tuned!
iConnect Update

iConnect is a new PAUSD program coming later this fall. The program seeks to loan a computer for home use to families with students in Grades 6-12 who do not own one due to financial reasons.

You may have heard about this program last year, when it was in the planning stages. Currently, there is an ongoing fundraising effort to support the program, since District dollars will not be used. Donors send checks to PAUSD, with a notation for iConnect. By the end of the month, we will determine which grade level(s) we have the finances to support.

To be eligible, families will have to verify that they do not have a computer and that their income is below a certain level. Also, as a family contribution to the program, parents or guardians will agree to maintain a home Internet connection to support their students’ academic program.  We already have a list of families by grade level who potentially qualify for iConnect.

If you have questions about the program, please send them to Paula Hundley. Stay Tuned!


InClass Update & Reminders - Secondary Staff

The start of school is always a challenge, as schedules change and updates don't always keep up! At this point, we believe that you should find your classes correct, your student lists correct, and parent accounts associated with the student accounts. That being said, if you run into things that don't seem right, please contact Paula Hundley or Terry Young, who maintains the InClass server.

Reminder: If students or parents say that they can't "see" your classes, it probably means that you have forgotten to make them available (eg, turn them on). Since most of you only do the initial setup once a year, it's easy to forget a step. Here it is in a nutshell:

For each class:
• Go to the Control Panel and then Settings
• Name the course (SASI listings can be ugly)
• Turn on Availability
• Turn on Observer Access
• Also in the Control Panel, go to Staff Info and add your profile (contact info)

Plan book Teacher's Toolkit

iProcrastinate (for Project Planning)

A helpful application for students, teachers, anyone who needs some help keeping track of important projects or homework assignments.

Very intuitive, easy interface. Tracks one or more projects. Each project can have mulitple tasks, steps, notes, plus set priorities.

System Requirements: Mac OS X 10.4
Cost: Freeware.
Download

WebTrio - Recommended Sites

The Thinking Fountain - from the Science Musuem of Minnesota - interesting ideas by topic, theme cluster, and mind map

Altapedia Online - More ads than I would like, but contains full color physical maps, political maps as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the world

The United States Senate - Everything from legislation to votes to hearings and more


Upcoming Workshops for Teachers & Staff
• iWeb for Easy Webpages & More - Sept 21
• Web Design with Dreamweaver - Sept Sept 28
• iPhoto & Photoshop Projects - Oct 5
• Writing Tools for Secondary Teachers - Oct 11
• Digital Tools for Elementary Math - Oct 19
• iWrite and Collaborate: Blogs & Wikis - Oct 25

Complete list of 2007-08 workshops.

All workshops run 8:15 am to 3:00 pm at the 85A Lab on the Paly campus (unless otherwise notified). To register, log on to Bob, click on the Workshop Registration link, select the workshop you want, and click on the Register button. If you have a problem registering, email me and I'll add you manually.


Send questions or comments to Paula Hundley.

If you do not wish to receive eTechNews, click here to subscribe or unsubscribe.