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ALABAMA SUPERCOMPUTER AUTHORITY

The Alabama Supercomputer Authority serves as the technical partner for the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL).  If you attend or work in a public school, a two-year college, a four-year college or a public library, you should be able to access the AVL without entering a user name or password by simply clicking on the Campus and Library button on the AVL home page (http://www.avl.lib.al.us/). If you are attempting to access the AVL from one of these environments and are being prompted for a user name or password, please contact the avlhelpdesk@asc.edu. If you want to use the AVL from home, you must have a home access card. Visit your local public library to request a remote access card. K-12 students/staff in public schools may obtain a card from their school library. This will allow you to access the AVL resources from your home, office, or other remote location. With this card, any Alabama resident may access the Alabama Virtual Library from the home, office, or other remote site.

FREE DOMAIN NAMES  The Alabama Research and Education Network (AREN) has been delegated by the US Domain Registry (nic.us) to administer and maintain the following domain names: cc.al.us; k12.al.us; lib.al.us; and mus.al.us. These domains are intended to be used by Alabama community colleges, K-12 school systems, libraries, and museums. You can use your educational institution name with one of these domain names to create your unique web address; i.e., http://www.yourschool.k12.al.us.  Normally, you must register for a name and pay a yearly fee to keep it.  However, through AREN, this service is available to you at no charge.  If you fall into one of the above categories and would like additional information, contact us at helpdesk@asc.edu.

READING ABOUT EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY COUNTS 2005: ELECTRONIC TRANSFER:  MOVING TECHNOLOGY DOLLARS IN NEW DIRECTIONS  States are spending millions of dollars to build powerful new data-management systems to help them keep up with the reporting requirements and student-achievement goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, according to EDUCATION WEEK's eighth annual report on school technology. The report includes in-depth articles on issues surrounding technology spending, state profiles, and the first-ever ranking of state technology leaders.

View the Table of Contents: http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2005/05/05/index.html

View the executive summary: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/05/05/35exec.h24.html

Browse state snapshots: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/05/05/35state-of-the-states.h24.html

Order print copies: http://counts.edweek.org/products/special-reports/

Note: Access to other sections of "Technology Counts 2005" requires free registration: https://c4.erightsweb.com/edweek/show/registration/customerDetail.do?command=view


EDUCATION AND THE INTERNET

Communication: Connecting People and Ideas We humans communicate all the time, often without even thinking about it. We use our voices, our hands, our bodies and an array of high-tech gadgets to accomplish it. If we're good at it, it is noted on our report cards and resumes. Those who are exceptionally skilled at it frequently attain positions of great influence. Use this month's MarcoGram to take a closer look at the origins, forms and significance of human communication. Use the activities to get your students thinking about how and why people communicate as they do, then scroll down for more links and resources on this topic. http://www.marcopolo-education.org/MarcoGrams/May2005.html.

Exploring Planets in the Classroom More than 25 hands-on science activities are provided in classroom-ready pages for both teachers and students for exploring Earth, the planets, geology, and space sciences.http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/class_acts/

NASA Quest Whether in the area of aerospace design or training for space walks, NASA Quest is a rich resource for educators, kids and space enthusiasts who are interested in meeting and learning about NASA people and the national space program. http://quest.arc.nasa.gov

Virtual Solar System @ National Geographic Discover the wonders of our solar system in a spectacular 3-D environment. Take a flyby tour of the sun and each planet in its orbit, observe planets and extraterrestrial weather patterns up close, and more. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/solarsystem/splash.html

PowerPoint in the Classroom  This free software tutorial site, which was produced in conjunction with Microsoft K-12 Education, provides a fun way to learn about PowerPoint with applications designed for the classroom and educational exploration. http://www.actden.com/pp/

NEWS YOU CAN USE

2005 CoSN Compendium  The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) has released its 2005 CoSN Compendium , a collection of articles designed to address the question, “What do technology leaders need to know and do to support schools and districts in today's changing world?” From the opening article on best practices for K-12 CTOs through the final monograph on measuring the value of technology, this third annual edition of the CoSN Compendium offers advice, case studies, interviews with experts, and an in-depth review of the latest legislation, policy and research findings to help district-level technology leaders meet the needs of today's students.  For more information about the 2005 CoSN Compendium , visit http://www.cosn.org/resources/compendium/2005.cfm . The individual monographs are freely available to CoSN members as PDFs via myCoSN ( http://my.cosn.org/mycosn/welcome.cfm ). They are also available for purchase online via the CoSN store at https://my.cosn.org/mycosn/store

Wanted: Tech-Savvy Superintendents  As school boards throughout the country develop wish lists for new superintendents, an understanding of the transformative power of technology -- in the classroom and at the district office -- has become a key criteria. A recent article in eSchool News highlights how school boards have placed a premium on hiring superintendents who can implement cutting-edge technology initiatives to lead their districts into the 21st century; the article profiles school districts in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin; Oakland, Michigan; and Hampton City, Virginia.  Read more in the eSchool News article "Tech Savvy Helps Supes Land Jobs." (Free registration may be required.) http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=5634.  Learn about how one technologically proficient superintendent has transformed his Texas school district into one of the most wired districts in the country in the original George Lucas Education Foundation article "The Digital Superintendent." http://www.edutopia.org/php/article.php?id=Art_1046&key=137&d=0504

Learning from a Distance Brings it Home  Videoconferencing and other online opportunities allow learning anytime from anywhere. Read about some online classroom and professional development options.

Technology & Learning invites K-12 students to participate in the 5th annual digital photography contest. This year's theme, "Express Yourself," encourages students to capture and share their vision with the TL readers.  The contest is open to all K-12 students who may submit up to three digital photos electronically. Photos must be taken between January 1, 2005 and October 15, 2005. Complete the online entry form for each photo. The entry form must be submitted and photographs must be uploaded by midnight, October 15, 2005.  Winners will be awarded prizes including Adobe Photoshop Elements and/or Olympus digital cameras.