This survey is entirely voluntary, but we would like to have students and teachers at each school site actively participate by the deadline on December 19th. A large sample will benefit the district and your school in the following ways:

* Gives our students a voice in their own learning.
* Use data to make curriculum more dynamic and relevant to students.
* Help teachers gain a better understand of student expectations about using technology and how they use technology out of school.
* Access to data that will compare our schools locally and nationally on technology, math and science.
* Provide data on technologies that the school community would like to invest in.
* Help support our goals of preparing students for the 21st Century.

To access the survey:

1. Go to http://www.netdayspeakup.org and click on the student survey link. Teachers will click on the “teacher” link.
2. Type in the name of your school.
3. Enter the school secret word that you received in the Speak Up Survey email.
4. Select appropriate grade levels for survey.
5. Complete survey.

K-2 classes have the option of taking the survey as a whole group. The teacher will survey the class as a whole on each question and enter the total number of respondents for each question. This will make it much easier to facilitate the survey to students who cannot read the questions on their own.

We appreciate your support and look forward to review the data from the survey. All answers in the 25 question survey are 100% confidential. The survey will take around 15-20 minutes to complete. We sent out a separate announcements for parents in the district to take the survey.

There are several strategies for having students complete the survey. This will depend on the access that your students have to computers.

1. Students can take the survey as a whole class in the computer lab.
2. Students can rotate into classroom computers to take the survey.
3. Students can take the survey at home and have parent sign off that they completed it. Students who do not have access at home, can be given time during the school day to complete.
4. K-2 classes can use the whole group survey to have all students data collected at the same time.

Egyptian Raps

Free Piano Music

DSO Kids Music Site

Podcasts

VAPA Podcast Site

Elementary Podcasts

iTunes U K-12 Content

You can check them all out here.

Topics

California State Parks offers free video conferences which include the following units of study: Tidepools, Geology of Anza Borrego, Adaptations of Elephant Seals, Gold Rush, Paleontology, Government and more. The units meet specific content standard and can be adapted to all grade levels. Several Encinitas teachers have participated in these programs throughout the year and found them to be exceptional.  For more information go to http://www.ports.parks.ca.gov/ and click on UNITS OF STUDY.

Please contact me if there is a program that you feel would enhance your curriculum. I will assist you with the process. You will contact a ranger from the state parks to set up dates and times. Mike or I will setup the videoconferencing unit in your classroom and come in to assist on that day.   It does not require much on your end and the students are thoroughly engaged, learn a lot and absolutely love it.  Looking forward to hearing from you.

Ashley

Voice Thieves

DMA 20007

Chair Tippers Be Warned

Chair Tippers Be Warned

DMA 2007

We will post some new training videos shortly, but in the meantime you can get a preview of the new changes, as well some basic training on how to use the new system by going to the Video Tutorials at EduBlogs.

EduBlogs Video Tutorials

The units meet specific content standard and can be adapted to all grade levels. Several Encinitas teachers participated in these programs throughout the year and found them to be exceptional.

For more information go to http://www.ports.parks.ca.gov/ If you are interested in attending please sign up from the link below.
REGISTER ONLINE

The following dates and times will be offered on a drop in basis. If you want to learn more about technology or get some practice away from the demands of the school year just drop in.

Wednesday, July 23rd, 1-3 pm
Wednesday, July 30th, 1-3 pm
Wednesday, August 6th, 1-3 pm

Here are some things that you can get help with:

WordPress/Classroom Web Site
Google Docs
Digital Media
Digital Photos
Google Earth
United Streaming
Classroom Management
Collaborative Projects
Virtual Field Trips
Grade Level Resources
Arts and Technology

Hope to see you at the district office on one of these days. Please let me know ahead of time if you plan on dropping in and what you think you might want to learn more about.

Project Live Digital Photo Resources

iPhoto 06 Video Tutorials

Project Live iPhoto Basics PDF

Pictures For iPhoto Activity

We have highlighted some of the movies from the 2008 IVIE Awards that students will learn from with a follow up activity designed to reinforce the concept. Best to use whole class with a projector or TV connection or as a small group computer activity.

TO ENLARGE MOVIE CLICK ON

NARRATIVES:
“Yes, You Can! Writing a Great Personal Narrative Essay!”

Show the video and then discuss the tips below and model them on the board. Then have students write narrative using these tips to improve their writing. Allow those interested to share them out loud.
Tip #1 Focus on one event
Tip #2: Start with a “Grabber”
Start with a question: Have you ever gotten stuck on an amusement park ride?
Surprising statement: Whoever said Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth better get their had examined.
One word: Terrified! That’s how I felt when we were stuck on the Pirates of the Caribbean for 20 minutes.
Dialogue: “Mommy Mommy!” I screamed as the pirates kept shooting pistols over my head.
Tip #3: When writing dialogue use “Speaker Tags”
Inquired, responded, flirted, scoffed, begged, refused, interrogated, confessed……
Tip #4: Use vivid verbs
Tip #5: Use similes to paint a picture
Tip #6: Create a “Takeaway” Ending…tell the reader what you learned as a result of the experience.

PLACE VALUE:
“Zero The Hero”
Create a number in the millions or larger, depending on how many students you have in the class. Label each sheet. Ex. Ten Millions, Millions, Hundred Thousands, etc. Write the number they are going to create on the board. Write each number (7) on a separate paper too! Watch the short video to see how it’s done. (Go to 1:39 to see the sample cards.) Discuss place value and expanded form. Turn on some music and have them build a number as shown in the video.

UNITY:
K-5 Unity in Action PSA
Watch all of the videos in the Unity section and have students vote on their favorite videos.
Journal and Critique: Why was this video meaningful? What did you like about it? What would you have done differently? How did it make you feel?
Share journals aloud.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
“Pebble in a Pond”
“Global Warming”
“Making a Difference”
“Seeds”
Journal and Critique: Which movie(s) made you want to make a difference and why? Did the movie provoke thought and meet its intended purpose? How can you make a difference? Would you like to create your own public service announcement? Use this storyboard to create your own PSA. storyboard1.pdf