Learning Technology Grant Workshop

Albany Diocese and East Greenbush Schools

Monday June 28, 2004

Goals For The Day:

• Learn the basics of Inspiration (including the "Record" feature)

• How will this project look when it's ready to roll out? What will be the components? What are your expectations of students? What technology will be used?

• How do the NYS ELA standards correspond with this project? (Not looking for "extra" work)

• How can this project enhance reading?

• Brainstorm Literary Magazine

• Help Mary Lou with FrontPage

• Help Elizabeth with Forms/Comments in MS Word

Goals For The Day (Inspiration Document exported as HTML)

Goal 1:

Inspiration Basics  

    Hands-on and  Handout

    Various Inspiration Resources

Goal 2:

How will this project look when it's ready to roll out? What will be the components? What are your expectations of students? What technology will be used?

    Use Inspiration to brainstorm the various components of this project

Sites Which May Assist:

    http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/guides/looking/lesson1a.pdf - Page 6 of this PDF file lists some important features of cultures - Additionally, this activity may be a good starting point for introducing the concept of a culture to students

    http://www.peacecorps.gov/kids/index.html - Peace Corps Kids World

    http://nadabs.tripod.com/culture/ - Teaching Culture  

   http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Cullen-Culture.html - Practical Techniques for Teaching Culture in the EFL Classroom

Results of 6/28/04:

Inspiration Document Outlining Project Components

Goal 3:

How do the NYS ELA standards correspond with this project? (Not looking for "extra" work)

   Looking at the project components see which standards correspond

   Handout with NYS ELA Standards is available

Goal 4:

How can this project enhance reading?

   Literature is an important part of a culture - students can read folk tales from around the world as a basis for creating their very own folk tales for their virtual (artificial) culture

   PenPals with students from around the world (when studying different cultures in preparation for designing their own) and PenPals from the various virtual (artificial) cultures - lead to great reading and writing

    Look at your current middle school reading lists - How can you integrate these books, poems, etc.?

    Student-generated vocabulary lists - Students will surely come across new vocabulary as they prepare this project - Ask them to keep some sort of documentation of the vocabulary they learn

     Blogs - Web logs where students can chronicle their experiences with the project - which in turn can be read by the other students

http://www.ebloggy.com/

http://www.tblog.com/

http://www.blogger.com/start

Goal 5:

Brainstorm Literary Magazine

   What components would you like to see? Will it be printed? On the web? Both? What technology will be used to create it?

Other Sites of Interest:

http://www.writesite.org/

http://www.middleweb.com/

http://www.ga.k12.pa.us/curtech/publishm.htm

http://www.publishingstudents.com/Online%20resources.html

http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/curric/middle/eng.html

http://homeworkspot.com/middle/english/

http://middleschoolhub.org/school/english.cfm

Sites Assembled by Beth Cash:

Sites Assembled by LTG Team Members: