Lightning in a Bottle

If you’re tired of using the same old templates in your PowerPoint presentations (or seeing your students using them), you can download several dozen new education-themed templates at www.websiteestates.com/education/templatesindex.html. You need to download them one at a time, so it will take a little bit of time. (Of course, if you are willing to pay for them, you can download them all at once.) Much of the site is ads, but there is good free stuff tucked between the paid displays.

By the way, if you’re using a Mac, when the directions say to “Right click on the link,” you should click and hold on the link. The option to download will pop up after a short moment.

I hope you’ve recovered from the snow, ice and slush.

There are some great math education resources at the website for the National Center for Education Statistics. (I know, it sure doesn’t sound like a fun site.) They have variety of resources, including math teasers for 4th and 8th graders, and a well-designed “Build Your Own Graph” page that lets you easily create very sophisticated graphs that can be saved for use in other programs. The site is at nces.ed.gov/nceskids.

The Computers 4 Kids program for Washington state has surplus computers available for donation to schools. The wait list in the past has been quite long, but the number of computers available has increased and shortened the wait time to a few months. The minimum processor for a Windows computer is a Pentium II, and for a Mac is a G3 (although very few Macs come through the program). You can read more details on the minimum specifications and how to apply at www.k12.wa.us/c4kids/.

Please note, however, that the application must be submitted by the technology director of the district. OSPI wants to make sure that your district is ready to install the computers when they are delivered!

Here’s another article about using the Internet to keep parents connected with how their children are doing - www.ajc.com/friday/content/epaper/editions/friday/metro_f32e89f1464be1cd00b1.html. This system even can even send parents an email if their kids skip a single class.

A company local to the Seattle area has a parent communication tool called ParentOrganizer. It provides a web-based system that provides a one-stop place for your child’s calendar, including due dates for assignments, after-school activities, and more. If you have more than one child, everything is coordinated on one calendar. It can also be used to let parents authorize field trips (no more “Mom, I lost the sheet that you need to sign for the field trip today”), pay for lunches, complete surveys and other kinds of critical parent-to-school communications. You can check out their web page at www.parentorganizer.com or an article about them at www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/149163.

The Seattle Times has a good article today on districts that make grades available online for parents. I think it’s a great idea, especially for parents of middle school and high school students, because you can see problems when they are developing (and can be fixed), not at the end of the grading period when it’s too late. (As Duane Duxbury of Everett points out in the article, however, it’s just one more area where students from poor homes are at a disadvantage, since their parents are less likely to have a home computer.)

The article is at seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2001811529_grading10m.html. You may need to fill out a brief registration before viewing the site.

The EDS corporation is making grants of $1,500 available to teachers to purchase hardware, software, or other technology-related resources. The due date for applications is January 23, 2004. I’ve included the entire notice below, including contact information. (The contact information on this notice is for Washington state. If you’re from elsewhere, follow the web link in the message to find your contact.)

Go for it!

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The EDS Technology Grant challenges teachers to develop innovative uses of technology for classroom learning. The program enables schoolteachers of children ages 6 through 18 purchase information technology products and services that will improve their students’ ability to learn. EDS teams/accounts worldwide sponsor and award $1,500 grants to teachers through a competitive application process. The grants are awarded to teachers through their schools.

Grants must be used to pay for technology products, training, and services and EDS encourages teachers to propose innovative classroom projects or student exercises. Examples of qualified grant expenditures include computer software and hardware, multimedia equipment, CD-ROM libraries, scanners, modems, Internet access, online time to networks or databases, and student technical training.

Eligibility:
To apply for an EDS Technology Grant, the applicant must meet the following requirements:
* Be a current full-time teacher of students ages 6 through 18.
* Teach at a public, private or charter school.
* Teach at a school located within 50 miles of an EDS office that is sponsoring a grant.
* Apply individually or in teams of two.

Ineligible Applicants:
* Home school or co-op home school providers.
* After school or weekend programs managed by nonprofit organizations, churches and other groups.
* Junior colleges, state and private universities.

Deadline and Submission:
* Teachers may obtain an application by contacting an EDS grant sponsor. A listing of grant sponsors can be found by visiting the EDS Web site at www.eds.com/community_affairs/com_tech_grants.shtml
* Applications should be submitted to the address indicated on the application form.
* Applications must be postmarked by January 23, 2004.
* Grants will be awarded in March 2004.
* A list of winners will be published on eds.com June 2004.

For more information
Contact Guyanna Young, EDS@Weyerhaeuser Technology Grant Coordinator at (253) 924-3854, or by e-mail at guyanna.young@eds.com.

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If you have any questions regarding the 2004 Technology Grant program, you may contact me directly at (253) 924-3853. Thank you for your assistance and remember - Innovation is the key!

Guyanna Young
EDS@Weyerhaeuser
33405 8th Ave S
Federal Way, WA 98003
Phone 253-924-3853
Fax 253-924-5376
E-mail guyanna.young@eds.com

The Concord Consortium has released a free, downloadable program for graphically modeling molecular interactions. You can read descriptions and download the software at workbench.concord.org. It will run on Windows XP or Mac OSX. (I wish I had access to this kind of software when I took chemistry!)

They are also looking for high school and community college science teachers in testing the software. They offer support and a small stipend to those that participate. If you’re interested, contact Amy Pallant (apallant@concord.org).

The Internet giveth and the Internet taketh away. The Washington Post has an article on student plagiarism today (www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16624-2003Nov26.html) that gives a good primer on how they access material to copy and call their own. However, the Internet provides the most effective means of catching students involved in this practice. A service called Turnitin (www.turnitin.com) will take papers and compare them to a vast database of web pages, electronic books, term papers, and other documents and give a detailed report catching word-for-word matches and the original sources. Participating teachers can also submit student work to the database, further developing the value of the service.

On the one hand, it’s really sad that so many students resort to this kind of nonsense, with little remorse. On the other hand, if they find the assignments so irrelevant, what does that say about our curriculum, or how we teach it? What can we do about this mismatch of values?

The Plimoth Plantation website has a very well-designed online activity for students to uncover details about the original Thanksgiving. It provides original source material and other information through interactive multimedia, and has a teacher guide to help with classroom use. You can visit the activity at www.plimoth.org/olc.

HP and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) have partnered to provide $10,000,000 in technology grants and training to teachers across the country. The applications are targeted at teams of five teachers from a school, “who’s work is related to the school’s goals for bringing technology into the classroom.” Each team member will receive from HP a laptop, projector, and a $500 stipend. ISTE will provide customized online professional development and mentoring program. 150 teams will be selected.

You can read more about the grant and how to apply at www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2003/031015b.html. Applications are due by March 1, 2004.