[eMINTS] Weekly Update 2/5/07

[Beglau, Monica M.]

Congratulations to Missouri Show-Me TechKnowledge Participants:
Congratulations and special thanks to the teachers, parents and students
who journeyed from across Missouri to the State Capitol on January 30 to
provide state legislators with opportunities to see educational
technology in action. Your displays were key elements in helping our
legislators understand eMINTS and the proposed funding to add 100 new
classrooms with state funds. 

 

e-Learning Online Professional Development Missouri Research
Participants Needed: A critical piece of the e-Learning for Educators
grant project is conducting a research study to evaluate the effects of
online professional development on teacher knowledge, teaching practices
and student achievement. New English and Mathematics courses (for upper
elementary and middle school) have been developed and the project is
seeking Missouri teachers to participate in this research. For more
information about the research project requirements, the participation
stipend, and other details visit:
http://www.elearningmo.org/research.htm 

 

EETT Funding Restored for FY07 But Zeroed Out Again for FY08: In what
will continue to be a very confusing picture for federal funding of
educational technology - Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) -
Congress officially passed the Continuing Resolution (CR) which funds
the Enhancing Education through Technology (EETT) program at $272
million in FY 2007 just last week. This is very good news because it
shows support for the effective use of technology in schools even when
budgets are tight and resources are being shifted. As expected, however,
President Bush's new budget for FY08 arrived on Capitol Hill today with
a large zero for EETT for FY08. It is critical that all educators who
support educational technology contact their Congressional
representatives and senators to let them know how important EETT funds
are. Advocacy sites such as http://www.edtechactionnetwork.org/ will
keep you up to date about federal funding issues and provide
opportunities for you to share successes with policymakers. 

 

eMINTS My-eCoach Project of the Week: Identifying the Main Idea You are
the "MAIN" Man! is a Web Resource List (WRL) created by Michelle Vinson,
Chillicothe School District. This list offers several interactive
websites to help students develop an overall understanding of main ideas
and how to better summarize and understand reading passages. Check it
out at:  http://my-ecoach.com/online/webresourcelist.php?rlid=9582

Recommended Online Projects

Elementary

Project Title: Bucket Buddies

Project Begin & End Dates: March 26 - June 8, 2007

Project Summary: In this project students will attempt to determine
whether or not the same fresh water macro invertebrates (organisms that
can be seen with a hand lens) will be found in different locations, both
around the country and around the world.   

Project Level: Ages 6 - 11, Basic Project

Registration Instructions: Registration Dates:  February 20 - March 20,
2007

Project URL: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/bucketproj/

Project Contact Information: Carol Shields, cshields at stevens-tech.edu
Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, New Jersey, United States

 

Middle School

Project Title: Tuck Everlasting

Project Begin & End Dates: February 6, 2007 - April 30, 2007

Project Summary: Students who are reading or have read the book, Tuck
Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, will be able to compare the experiences
of the book's characters to their daily lives. Students will respond to
posted questions on a password protected blog site. The intent is for
young adults to relate fictional literary characters to their personal
experiences. Writing their accounts and reading those of others may help
them to realize how much in common they have with other students. There
is also a wiki that is to be used as a resource for vocabulary. Audio
recording will be made for each chapter to enable ESL and learning
disabled students to better understand the content of the story. 

Project Level: Ages 10 - 14

Registration Instructions: Teachers who wish to participate should email
Rena Shifflet shiffler at husd4.k12.il.us  They will receive a username and
password for their school to participate in the blog and wiki. 

Project Contact Information: Rena Shifflet at shiffler at husd4.k12.il.us
Heyworth Elementary Heyworth, Illinois, US

 

High School

Project Title: Virtual Visit to Another Country

Project Begin & End Dates: May 15, 2007 - June 30, 2007
Project Summary: Note from project coordinator:  I teach, among others,
29 German 16-year-old students of English, with whom I`d like to do an
e-mail project. The general idea would be to exchange personal
information, info about school, place, surroundings and then organize a
"virtual" visit. I'd love to find some American school to do the project
with. Other countries are fine, as long as the language of communication
is English.  

Project Level: Ages 14 - 18
Registration Instructions: Send email to the Project Coordinator at:
georgschlamp at web.de
Project Contact Information: Georg Schlamp - Gymnasium Icking, Icking,
Germany

 

New and Updated eThemes for the Week of Feb. 5, 2007

 

Newest eThemes

 

American Artists

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001957.shtml 

These resources are about the history of American art and artists. Learn
about ways that artists have interpreted events in U.S. history from
colonial times to the present. See how artists have depicted such topics
as the American Revolution, Westward expansion, industrialization,
Native Americans, and more. There are virtual museum tours, lesson plan
activities, artists' biographies, and many images. Included are two
related eThemes resources about artists.

 

Famous People: Charlie Chaplin

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001960.shtml 

These sites are about Charlie Chaplin. He played an important role in
the American film industry. He is considered to be a "true genius of
motion pictures." He co-founded United Artists in 1919. Included is an
eThemes resource on the decade from 1910-1919.

 

Figurative Language

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001955.shtml 

These sites are about figurative language in the context of reading.
There are language definitions, lesson plans and activities, and
interactive quizzes. Included are links to three eThemes Resources on
other types of figurative language.

 

Math: Measurement: Using Benchmarks for Estimations

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001966.shtml 

These sites are about using benchmarks to estimate measurements. There
are several lesson plans and activities for students to practice
estimating measurement skills. Video and worksheets are included. There
are links to eThemes Resources on Customary or Standard Measurement and
Metric Measurement.

 

Updated eThemes

 

Animals: Vertebrates and Invertebrates

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001121.shtml

These sites explain how vertebrates and invertebrates are classified in
the animal kingdom. There is information about the five groups of
vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) and the
seven phylum of invertebrates (sponges, coelenterates, echinoderms,
worms, mollusks, and arthropods). Includes games that have students
guess a type of animal based upon clues about its characteristics. For
more information about specific animal species, browse our alphabetical
listing of eThemes animal topics.

 

Author Study: Barbara Park

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001639.shtml

Learn about author Barbara Park and the books she has written. Includes
biographies, interviews, and information about her popular Junie B.
Jones series. Also included is a lesson plan for creating an author
study. There are links to eThemes on "The Kid in the Red Jacket" by
Barbara Park and author studies.

 

Decade: 1910-1919

http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00001029.shtml

Read about life in America during the 1910s. View the fashions of this
time. Read about the Tango and silent movies that were popular. Learn
about World War I and see photographs and diaries from soldiers. There
is also information about women's suffrage and the 1918 influenza
outbreak. eThemes Resources on the Titanic, Charlie Chaplin, Angel
Island immigration Station, the Wright brothers, and World War I are
linked. 

 

 

Monica M. Beglau, Ed.D, Director

eMINTS National Center

103 London Hall

Columbia, MO  65211

573-884-7202

FAX: 573-884-7614

Email: beglaum at emints.org