ALABAMA SUPERCOMPUTER AUTHORITY

The Alabama Educational Technology Conference is almost here! In addition to the three-hour hands on sessions described in last month's E-resource, Alabama Supercomputer Authority staff will offer several one-hour concurrent sessions:

Beyond Searching: Using the Alabama Virtual Library in the Classroom
Gina Sullivan, Education Specialist, Alabama Supercomuter Authority and Teresa Kiser,Systems Librarian, Public Library of Anniston -- Calhoun County
East Hall/Ballroom A June 16, 11:00-12:00
June 17, 1:45-2:45

The Alabama Virtual Library has more to offer than full text articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers. Integrate technology into your classroom by using educational games, lesson plans, worksheets, and much more, available through the Alabama Virtual Library. Join this session and discover the “hidden” extras available on the AVL.

Creating Webpages with HTML Tags and JavaScript
Tiffany Davis, Systems Engineer, Alabama Supercomputer Authority
East Hall/Room K/L
June 17th 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm

This session is for Math, Programming, and Business/Marketing Education teachers who are interested in learning and teaching HTML tags and basic programming skills. Web resources and lesson plans will be provided. This class can be taught without purchasing software. Only a web browser and a text editor are needed.

A series of Tech Talk seminars will be held in the Alabama Supercomputer Authority booth on the exhibit floor beginning June 16. To view the agenda, please go to http://www.asc.edu/seminars/AETC2004.pdf

READING ABOUT EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY COUNTS 2004: "Global Links: Lessons From the World" The United States is among the leaders in the world in providing access to school computers, but it lags behind other countries in frequency of school computer use and Internet availability at school, according to EDUCATION WEEK's seventh annual report on school technology. "TECHNOLOGY COUNTS 2004" reports that the United States' student-to-computer ratio of 5:1 is tied for first in the world, along with Australia and Latvia. However, some technology-oriented countries have more than twice the percentage of school computers connected to the Internet than the United States does.

"These numbers show that our schools need to move beyond the goal of simply putting computers in classrooms," said Virginia B. Edwards, the editor and publisher of EDUCATION WEEK. "And the world outside the United States is rich with lessons about how technology can be used in schools."

This year's report presents an overview of technology in schools around the world, examining developments in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. As part of the project, EDUCATION WEEK sent writers to Canada, Iceland, and Singapore for classroom-level views of technology use in those countries.

TC04 also includes its annual review of national trends in the use of educational technology and state-by-state snapshots of the steps states have taken to use educational technology more effectively.

Read the entire report here: http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc04/
(Note: Some stories require free registration.)

EDUCATION AND THE INTERNET

Justice Learning From global warming to gun control, Justice Learning helps you give students the skills they need to understand today's complex issues. A free series from NPR's Justice Talking and The New York Times Learning Network, Justice Learning connects civics to your students' daily lives. The website for this resource is http://www.justicelearning.org/

Let Joan Help You: Your questions about an American artist, a particular work of American art, a period in American art, etc. can be answered by experts at Ask Joan of ArtŪ, an email research service offered by the Smithsonian's Museum of American Art. http://americanart.si.edu/index3.cfm

Citation Machine is an interactive Web tool designed to assist teachers and students in producing reference citations for crediting information from other people. You merely... Click the type of resource you wish to cite, Complete the Web form that appears with information from your resource, and Click Make Citations to generate standard MLA and APA citations. The principal goal of this tool is to make the proper crediting of information property so easy that it becomes a habit. http://www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine/index.php

World War Two: Destination D-Day On June 6, 1944, the Allies began the liberation of Europe with the most daring amphibious mission in history. Commemorate D-Day with the BBC and explore the extraordinary stories behind the D-Day invasion, which occurred 60 years ago this Sunday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2/

The New Americans @ PBS For the new Americans of the 21st century, the attempt to forge a better life is a daily struggle filled with immigration red tape, separation anxiety, and cultural ignorance found in their adopted country -- no easier than for those who came before them. Yet, they still come. This PBS series follows Ogoni refugees, a Palestinian bride, Dominican baseball players, a Mexican laborer, and an Indian tech worker as they learn what it takes to become American. http://www.pbs.org/kcet/newamericans/ See the For Educators section for resources and lesson plans:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/foreducators.html

Project REACH: Recursos para la Ensenanza y el Aprendizaje de las Culturas Hispanas offers resources on the history and literature of the Spanish language, Latino cultures in the U.S., arts of the Spanish-speaking world, instructional materials for teaching Spanish-speakers, and the Quechua culture indigenous to the remote regions of the Peruvian Andes. http://www.nflc.org/REACH/index.htm

Grapes of Wrath Scrapbook aims to enhance reading and understanding of "The Grapes of Wrath" through ethnographic research -- collections of sound recordings, drawings, photos, fieldnotes, and correspondence. Students show how cultural artifacts support one of themes in the novel. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/01/grapes/

Exploratorium Online features dozens of online learning activities & exhibits. Make a mold terrarium, pinhole projector, telescope, or hair hygrometer. Explore the brain, biodiversity, Antarctica, DNA, frogs, structures, or illusions. Learn about magnetism, electricity, motors, eyeballs, perception, Mars, chocolate, seasonings, or the science of cooking, sports, and music. Search over 3,000 photos & movies. Watch webcasts of science demonstrations by teachers. http://www.exploratorium.edu/explore/handson.html

Helping Your Child Learn Science offers a dozen fun learning activities parents can use at home to help children (ages 3-10) learn about bubbles, bugs, surface tension, adhesives, friction (using gelatin), volume (using measuring cups), static electricity (using balloons), cause and effect (using plants), chemical reactions (using cake), and more. http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/science/index.html

NEWS YOU CAN USE

FREE E-NEWSLETTER - TEACHER LEADERSHIP RESOURCES The Teacher Leaders Network, a new project of the Southeast Center for Teaching Quality, is producing a free e-newsletter with a leadership focus. The biweekly TLN eSource includes links to new research, important reports, significant news stories, and interesting conversation about advancements in teacher and school leadership. The TLN eSource also includes resources on mentoring, cutting-edge staff development, best instructional practices, and more. To subscribe, go to http://www.teacherleaders.org/newsletter.html

FREE TechWebinar Mobility: Producing Smart Students and Smart Budgets June 16, 2004 4:00 ET (1:00 Pacific) How do you prepare students with 21st century skills? Without breaking the budget? Tune in to this Technology & Learning webinar sponsored by Gateway to hear how two districts solved their student achievement and budget constraint issues with wireless, mobile computing. Register for this FREE education webinar by clicking here.

2004 Ed Tech Leader of the Year Are you a technology leader? A creative thinker when it comes to implementing technology in your school or district? Forward-thinking teachers, technology coordinators, and administrators are encouraged to tell how they're using technology to make a difference. The deadline is September 10, 2004. http://www.techlearning.com/content/contest/etloy

FREE SUBSCRIPTION -- EDUTOPIA MAGAZINE Launching in September, the new Edutopia magazine from The George Lucas Educational Foundation will continue GLEF's coverage of success stories in schools with expanded features, new departments, rich photography, and a crisp, smart design. It will reinvigorate your spirit and enhance your career. In addition, Edutopia will unlock a world of possibilities for what can be accomplished in your classroom or your district. It will include the techniques, tools, and technologies used by innovative educators, as well as profiles of educational heroes famous and unsung. Sign up for your FREE subscription today. http://www.glef.org/mag/fa