Happy New Year
Mrs. Lewis' Bits and Bytes
January 2008




How May I Help You?

     Technology should be integrated, not as a separate subject or as a once-in-a-while project, but as a tool to promote and extend student learning on a daily basis.  The challenge is in finding ways to use technology, and to help students use it, that don't take time away from core subjects.

     Used properly, technology can be a tool for teachers as well as for students.  Gail and I would love to come in and work with you to do just that.  Please email us to set up a planning conference.

    Our email addresses are: mlewis@amherst.k12.va.us  &  gmoore@amherst.k12.va.us.

Melanie & Gail


Responsibilities of an ITRT

     The past two years have been lots of fun for the ITRTs.  We are really excited to be able to serve you all and now with Congress' continued funding of educational technology, it's obvious that national and state leaders feel that 21st century skills are important so we are looking forward to doing even more with you!

     We wanted to take a moment to show you the list of responsibilities given to us by the State of Virginia.  We take our responsibilities very seriously.  Please look over our responsibilities below and if you have any comments, concerns or suggestions please let us know.  We really do want to continue to grow in this role so that we can do our best to make your instructional time more productive.  We want to know what you think our strengths and weaknesses are.

1.  Assist teachers with the planning and integration of technology in the classroom
2.  Train teachers to use technology
3.  Assist with curriculum development as it relates to educational technology
4.  Model instructional strategies as related to educational technology for teachers
5.  Provide training and professional development
6.  Research technology-based instructional strategies
7.  Review/evaluate technology software
8.  Take part in professional developments to become aware of emerging technologies and current instructional best practices in all content areas.
9.  Meet with administrators and content supervisors at building and/or central office level to coordinate services and resources
10. Serve on building and/or division leadership teams relating to technology and instruction, professional organizations related to technology
11. Create and implement a plan to communicate progress and activities to school, faculty, and administration (newsletter, technology website, e-mail notifications)
12. Maintain records necessary to document progress and activities


Brag Time

      We absolutely loved visiting your classrooms during the month of December and helping you with the online projects. We got as excited about all the cards as you all did. Below are the teachers that took part in the projects:

Suess Project:  Sherrie Wilson from MHES and Elodie Thompson from CES had students  write reviews about a Dr. Suess Book and posted these reviews on a Wiki Page.  Rosemarie Bisquela from TES and Roxanna Johnson from Amelon also took part in the Suess project.  Click here to see the student reviews:  http://salutetoseuss.wikispaces.com/BookReview

A number of teachers took part in the holiday card exchange:
Amelon
 Amherst
 Central 
Elon    
MHES
 PVES 
TES    
R. Johnson
(SPED)
 L. Maddox (K)
N. Naisawald (K)
 S. Cargill (5)
J. Kish (2)
L. Sawyer (5)
C. Sherwood (5)
R Tannian (1)
T. Israel (3)
J. Nayor (3)
S. Wilson (2)


There are more learning opportunities in the making.  Please think about these upcoming projects:
1.  St. Patrick's Day Project -- PreK - 3rd Grade project.  One day project -- March 17th!
2.  The Shape of Things -- Open to PreK - 6th grade.  Lots of math, art  ideas, and more!!!
3.  Prince Caspian -- 4th - 6th Grade Project. Students will create chapter by chapter projects to celebrate the 2nd book in the Narnia series.
4.  The Great Egg Roll 2008 -- Join in the 8th year as eggs are rolled to teach measurement, averaging, and more!!

     These projects are all hosted by Jennifer Wagner, an awesome tech-expert.  They are amazing projects, and we want to continue doing them with you, but we would like to do something on a smaller scale that would even more closely tie in to our state SOLs.  Perhaps we can do some projects on a division level.  Think about your upcoming units.  If there are any that would make a really interesting project idea, email either Gail or I. We were thinking along these lines:
     K & 1 could create a digital picture or painting demonstrating an understanding from a concept being worked on.  Perhaps images showing fractional amounts or animal habitats.

     Second and third grade could create podcasts of favorite poems and/or fairy tales; this would be a great way to work in fluency.  Or they could create their own story and make a podcast from it. 
 
     Finally, fourth and fifth graders could write a script to demonstrate a new understanding and then video tape the script creating a digital story.  Or perhaps, we could just create power points from still images and students could type in the text.   For example, they could write a script about the Civil War or dramatize a weather forecast with a play by play action of a major weather system. 

     These projects could be shared across the division.  While enjoying each other's projects, your students will be participating in an awesome review session, not to mention the learning taking place while making the projects.


Downloadable Goodies

  Postcard Project:  Have students create a postcard from an animal in one habitat to "send" to an animal in another habitat.
Trading Card Project:  Students could create a trading card about Martin Luther King or another famous American from your SOLs.  Or they could create a card on a character from a book.


    
Wonderful Websites!
    
     These sites include activities, games, and information about winter. There are interactive games in which you can build a snowman or make a snowflake. There is information about winter sports and how animals deal with the winter cold. Included are links to resources on snowflakes and frost, seasons, and various winter holidays.

Enchanted Learning: Winter Crafts for Kids
Here are many winter crafts for young students. Note: This site includes ads.
Winter Preparedness Snowman Game
Build a snowman in this fun winter game.
ABC: Color and Compare Snowmen
This is a worksheet that students can print out. They can then color in the snowmen and compare them with a Venn diagram.
ABC: Color and Write
Color this winter scene and then write a paragraph about the picture. Note: This site includes ads.
ABC: Winter Word Search
Try this winter word search.
EEK: Snug in the Snow
Learn why animals hibernate during the winter.
EEK: Winter Bird Feeding
Learn how you can attract wild birds to your yard during the winter.
EEK: Staying Warm Winter Experiments
Here are some tips for staying warm in the cold winter. Includes some experiments you can try.
Scholastic: Weather Watch: Winter Storms
This site is all about winter storms. Click on "Experiment" then you can create your own storm through an "Interactive Weather Maker".
SnowDays
Click on "Create Your Own Snowflake" to make a snowflake.
Scholastic: Animals in Winter
Try this scavenger hunt and learn more about how animals cope with winter. Note: This site includes ads.
How Plants and Animals Survive the Winter
Learn how different plants and animals survive a cold winter.
BrainPOP Jr.: Hibernation
Watch a short movie about how animals survive in the winter by hibernating, then take a quiz. There are two versions of the quiz, easy or hard, along with activities and games.
ThinkQuest: Health and Sport
This website has information about some dangers in a cold winter. The "Eating Snow" section includes an experiment to see how clean your snow is.
FactMonster: Winter Verse
Here is some excerpts from winter poems. NOTE: The site includes pop-up and banner ads.
Remember Winter
Here is an activity idea for creating a winter memory book.
Rainbow Magic: Winter
This site has songs, poems, games, and stories for winter. Note: This site has links to external websites.
Lakota Winter Counts Online Exhibit
This is an online exhibit which captures the drawing pictures of memorable events on calendars.
Winter Games and Activities for Kids
This site provides a collection of winter activities. Includes coloring pages, puzzles, crafts, short stories, and more. Note: This site includes ads.
PBS Kids: Sue Ellen's Scrapbook
Read a Winter Solstice story from Sue Ellen's scrapbook.
Seattle Times: Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is one of the most complete sources about Martin Luther King, Jr. on the Web. It includes several timelines, articles, a photo gallery, and a quiz. NOTE: The site has a link to a guestbook.
National Civil Rights Museum
Go to "Exhibit Gallery" and explore both sections to learn more about the people who fought for civil rights. NOTE: The site has a link to a guestbook.
King Papers Project at Stanford University
This extensive site has documents written by King and audio of his speeches. There is also an interactive chronology with a timeline. NOTE: The site has a link to a guestbook.
Powerful Days in Black and White
This photography essay shows many disturbing scenes that took place during the American civil rights movement. Includes photographs of the KKK, riots, and more.
Birthplace of a Leader
Take a virtual tour of the neighborhood that King grew up in. There are some iPix photographs that let you take an interactive tour.
Enchanted Learning: All About Martin Luther King, Jr.
This page has an illustration and a short biography of the man.
Enchanted Learning: All About Martin Luther King Jr.'s Childhood
Students can use this page to compare his childhood to theirs.
Enchanted Learning: Timeline
This page has a short timeline and a quiz.
Scholastic: Martin Luther King, Jr. and African American History
This site has many articles about civil rights and Martin Luther King, Jr. that were written for students.
Nobel Peace Prize
Read King's acceptance speech for the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. King Timeline Page
Browse through this timeline of King's life that features artwork by elementary students.
Timeline: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This student-created site includes word searches and a quiz.
Fact or Opinion?
This page lists statements that students have to identify as either being fact or opinion.



Tech Tip:
     Use your ITRT to help you prepare your digital projects.  Your ITRT can download images and save them to your server folder so that students can access them.  Great way to save time and keep students safe from harm by browsing search sites like Google for their own images.



 Appreciation is like looking through a wide-angle lens that lets you see the entire forest, not just the one tree limb you walked up on.  ~Doc Childre and Sara Paddison, HeartMath Discovery Program