Consider VermontFest

Consider going to VermontFest, a conference for classroom teachers about using technology in the classroom. Laura Grant Davenport from SCS will be presenting a workshop, along with several other teachers in the supervisory union. Find out more at the Vita-Learn website.

Typing Camp Kick-Off

This week the third graders are having typing camp. Starting with a "bonfire" and new tee-shirts on Monday, students learned the camp song and camp chant. They talked about why learning keyboarding skills are important. With an early emphasis on keyboarding and practice throughout the year, the third graders should be super duper typers by June.

"Getting Around" Blocked Content

Inappropriate and some non-educational sites are blocked at school. If you encounter a site that is blocked that you want to see or use in your class, you can bypass the filter by having your own account and password to do so. With this Sonic Wall bypass account you can have a set period of time to view material that is normally blocked. If you do not have a Sonic Wall account and would like one, please see Ellen Matthews.

New SCS Website information

CSSU is getting a new website and the supervisory union schools will be part of that umbrella. The company chosen for this is Vickery Hill, from Stowe, Vt. Take a look at their portfolio to see the sort of work they do. The organization of our site will be somewhat redesigned in this process, but it should ultimately result in a website that is easy for everyone to use for posting information. If you have specific suggestions about how our site should be organized, please share them with Ellen M. . Shelburne's site will be in process very soon.

Using Groupwise Calendar

Remember on Friday at the regional convocation when Alan November talked about Jing--the cool screencast program? I used Jing to create little videos showing how to create proxies in Groupwise and then how to use proxies and create appointments in the calendar. Take a look if you need to brush up on Groupwise calendar use.

Adding proxies video

Making an appointment video

Technology Reminders

1. The use of all SCS computers and other technology is for educational purposes only.

2. The Internet connection is filtered. Remember, no filter catches all inappropriate material. Students need to be supervised at all times. You may request that a site be unblocked temporarily. (Use Help Desk)

3. E-mail is not private and some key words in an e-mail may temporarily block messages.

4. All files on school equipment are property of the school.

5. Files should be saved to the network. On many machines, if files are saved to My Documents, they will be automatically erased.

6. No MP3 or other music files should be downloaded on the SCS network unless they are for an assignment.

7. Game playing is not allowed on school equipment, unless it is for educational purposes.

8. Copyright laws must be followed. Information, photographs, sounds, etc. should not be used without following Fair Use Guidelines.

9. Use the Help Desk feature located on the SCS homepage for all technology assistance.

Regional Convocation--Aug. 22, 2008

At the Champlain Valley Regional Convocation on Friday, August 22, Daniel Pink and Alan November addressed the need for teaching 21^st century learning skills. Alan November’s website provides a wealth of resources for the classroom teacher. Click on Free InfoLit Resouces are quizzes, lessons, articles, workshop handbooks and more.

Cool Comics Creation Site

Makebeliefscomix.com is a terrific creation! This site allows users to create comic strips without being able to draw well. There are a cast of characters, all of which can be given different emotions. There are ways to manipulate the figures and add text balloons. Don't have an idea for a comic? There are ideas provided for you. This is a great reading and writing motivator for students of all ages.

Handipoints--goals and assignments made fun

Handipoints.com is an online place where parents can set up goal sheets, assignment sheets, and other to-do type lists for kids. Completing offline tasks (which can even be graded for quality) lets kids win online activities. Or parents can use the online charts and lists as management tools for reaching goals.

From Handipoints.com, "In Handipoints kids earn points by doing chores, staying healthy, and behaving well in the real world and must save their points in order to play the games and watch the cartoons inside our virtual world. So the economics of our game more closely follows real life and teaches kids some important lessons along the way. We also give parents a whole suite of tools to let them create an allowance program tied to real rewards."

Global Connections with ePals and 1n2books

Joyce Valenza's NeverendingSearch blog has a great write up of ePals and how it can help you make global connections for your classroom kiddos. You may have used ePals before, but now it has partnered with National Geographic and is providing a host of web-safe spaces for students and teachers. in2books is another great product for promoting literacy among your students.

gabcast podcast

Sandbox channel from gabcast

Orion poetry podcast sample

An Orion student shares a poem

Last day of school-Friday the 13th of June

This was our last day of school--a perfect day in June. The teachers love waving good-bye to the busses one last time. watch video

In the fall the third grade teachers will be having typing camp for their students. They will be piloting a different typing program and will be using the labs quite a bit during the first few weeks of school. The goal is to get the third graders to be somewhat proficient at typing so they will not find keyboarding so difficult when they have to use the computers for writing assignments. The third grade teachers are excited about this project and hope to create a "camp" atmosphere for it. More information on this program will be coming, as well as links to typing free programs students can try at home.