ALABAMA SUPERCOMPUTER AUTHORITY
The Alabama Supercomputer Authority will exhibit at SC2003: Igniting Innovation Conference in November. This is the first time that ASA has been chosen to exhibit and is a strong acknowledgement from industry and research of our work in Alabama. Exhibits from industry, academia, and government research organizations will demonstrate the latest innovations in computing and networking technology. SC2003 continues the 15-year Supercomputing Conference tradition of highlighting the most innovative developments in high-performance computing and networking. Bringing together scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, programmers, system administrators and managers, SC2003 in Phoenix will demonstrate how these developments are sparking new ideas and new industries, as well as rekindling older ones. The conference features the latest scientific and technical innovations from around the world, while its SC Global events will showcase achievements in the arts and sciences among dozens of remote locations.
The annual high performance computing and communications (HPC) conference engages leading scientists, engineers, technologists and educators to learn about the latest research, education and developments in HPC technologies. Participants have the opportunity to attend technical sessions, state-of-the field talks, and panels; see exhibits of HPC vendors and researchers demonstrating their latest reserarch, products and services; and, interact with leading scientists and engineers from around the world. The SC 2003 Conference runs November 15-21, 2003. See www.sc-conference.org/sc2003 for additional information about the conference.
The SC2003 Education Program invites undergraduate faculty and K-12 teachers to spend four days engaged in hands-on workshops at the SC2003 Conference to learn about high performance computing and communications tools and resources appropriate for their classroom. Participants will learn about approaches to using modeling and visualization in the classroom, including numerical modeling, algebraic modeling, dynamic modeling systems, and agent modeling. The Education Program runs November 15-18, 2003 at the Phoenix Civic Plaza in Phoenix, Arizona.
READING ABOUT EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY
BUILDING A BRIDGE TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY In Oakland, California, a citywide program called Techbridge is providing middle school- and high school-aged girls with hands-on experiences in science and technology. The special program is engaging female students more than regular science classes: "Its not cool to be a girl and smart in this school," says science teacher Judy McGinty. "But it is in Techbridge." http://www.glef.org/techbridge.html
SUPPORTING LEP STUDENTS WITH TECHNOLOGY Featured on the Pathways to School Improvement Web site is the Critical Issue Using Technology to Support Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students Learning Experiences. This timely Critical Issue highlights the goals that the No Child Left Behind Act has set for LEP students; more importantly, it offers technology as a viable solution in helping LEP students achieve academic excellence. http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te900.htm
ADOPTING TECHNOLOGY is a series in TechSoup, produced in collaboration with Dot Org Media, that examines the ways nonprofits can use technology to further their missions and work more effectively. Through a series of articles, resources, product reviews, and interactive discussions, the project not only informs nonprofits of the benefits of technology, but helps them implement technological solutions. In one article, Essential E-Mail Etiquette, you'll learn the right way to address a message, select an appropriate tone, add attachments, and more.
EDUCATION AND THE INTERNET
TRICKORTREATS.COM HALLOWEEN FUN FROM HERSHEY'S http://www.trickortreats.com Includes Creepy Free Stuff, Halloween Clip Art, Create Your Own Haunted Wallpaper, Spooky Screensavers. More Desktop Wallpapers, Ghoulish Games, Halloween party ideas, humor, screensavers, and pumpkin carving templates. Also visit the Parent/Teacher Resources area of the site.
GETTECH.org Introduce students to interesting careers based on math, science, and technology with this kid-friendly website. There is fun and information for students and a class lesson guide for teachers. http://www.gettech.org
NASA: MARS EXPLORATION: MARS FOR STUDENTS Since our first close-up picture of Mars in 1965, spacecraft voyages to the Red Planet have revealed a world strangely familiar, yet different enough to challenge our perceptions of what makes a planet work. Every time we feel close to understanding Mars, new discoveries send us straight back to the drawing board to revise existing theories. http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/classroom/students.html
GURUNET This reference tool provides you with three options: With GuruNet Free, you get instant access to a first-class dictionary, spell-checker, thesaurus and word translations, accessed by Alt-clicking on any word or phrase in any Windows document. This option is free. There are two "fee" options: The full version of GuruNet gives you the complete library full of online reference books on demand, packed into a small bar on your screen, available exactly where and when you need them. With a single click on any word, GuruNet delivers valuable real-time and reference data, including encyclopedia and dictionary terms, thesaurus, acronyms, tech terms, quotations, idioms, people, company descriptions, stock quotes, news, sports, weather, maps, celebrities and much more. The Homework Edition is child-friendly, without the options that allow unrestricted access to live web content. While GuruNet is a reference tool and not literally a web browser, the regular versions do contain some search engine functionality that teachers or parents may prefer to restrict. All three versions of GuruNet display an unobtrusive popup window, without interrupting your work. They work within any Windows application. All you have to do is type in your topic -- or alt-click on any word or phrase -- to bring up its definition or snapshot description. For additional information, click http://www.gurunet.com/page.pl?p=home
EARTH CALENDAR Every day, week or month, somebody is celebrating something, whether it's Freedom of Information Day (March 16), National Noodle Month (March) or Egg Salad Week (the first week after Easter). To keep ahead of this curve, browse or search for celebrations here, by date, country, or religion. [Neat New Stuff I Found This Week - 21 Mar 2003. Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2003.] http://www.earthcalendar.net/
MLA AUTO GENERATOR[FREE] MLA Auto-Generator is an incredible piece of free software that allows you to quickly and effortlessly format your documents' works cited lists in complete accordance with the latest MLA or APA style guidelines. MLA Auto-Generator will automatically churn out a perfect bibliography entry, every time. http://mlagen.sourceforge.net
AUTHOR SITES A directory of authors' official home pages and other author sites, courtesy of the Addison (IL) Public Library. http://www.addison.lib.il.us/6author.asp [Neat New Stuff I Found This Week - July 3, 2003. Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2003.]
SMART MONEY Money. It burns holes in pockets, makes the world go round and is sometimes the root of all evil. It can't buy you love, but if you put it where your mouth is, you might get what you're looking for. This month, MarcoPolo features lessons about making some hard-earned cash -- and spending it responsibly. Use the warm-up activities to encourage greater awareness about finance and economics, then use the links for more lessons and resources. View the online version at http://www.marcopolo-education.org/MarcoGrams/Oct2003.html.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: WRIGHT BROTHERS ONLINE COLLECTION The online presentation of The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers at the Library of Congress, comprising about 10,121 library items or approximately 49,084 digital images, documents the lives of Wilbur and Orville Wright and highlights their pioneering work which led to them making the world's first powered, controlled, and sustained flight. Included in the collection are correspondence, diaries and notebooks, scrapbooks, drawings, printed matter, and other documents, as well as the Wrights' collection of glass-plate photographic negatives. The Wright Brothers' letters to aviation pioneer and mentor Octave Chanute, from the Octave Chanute Papers, were also selected for this online collection. The Wright Papers span the years 1881 to 1952 but largely cover 1900 to 1940. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wrighthtml/ Other sites of interest:
US Centennial of Flight The national "Centennial of Flight: Born of Dreams - Inspired by Freedom" celebration commemorates the achievement of 100 years of aviation history. http://www.centennialofflight.gov/index.cfm
The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington The official web site of one of the world's premier air and space museums. http://www.museumofflight.org
Flight- History.com Your on-line resource for aviation history, including an archive of photographs and stories relevant to aviation history, particularly military aviation. http://www.flight-history.com
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) - The Evolution of Flight In commemoration of the approaching 100th anniversary of flight, AIAA launched, we recognize the passionate men and women who have challenged history and defined aerospace achievement. http://www.centennialofflight.org
NEWS YOU CAN USE
SPEAK UP DAY What do students in your school think about using technology and the Internet in schools? NetDay wants to find out and share the results with the educational community. On Speak Up Day, 500,000 students will raise their voices during an online event hosted by NetDay, a national education technology non-profit organization. Save the date and find out more at www.netday.org. Speak Up Day is October 29, 2003.
PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY AWARD honors young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities. Created in 1995 by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the awards constitute the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteering. Over the past eight years, the program has honored nearly 50,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level. Students must submit compleeted applications by October 31. For additional information, click here.
SUPERINTENDENTS IN ACTION Six reform-minded superintendents from across the country share one small, but meaningful step they have taken toward bringing change to their districts. Their answers offer a range of practical advice, from homespun to high-tech, for embarking on the road to reform. http://www.glef.org/supersinaction.html
TOYOTA TAPESTRY GRANTS FOR TEACHERS Grants are sponsored by Toyota and administered by National Science Teachers Association. Apply online at www.nsta.org/programs/tapestry or call 1-800-807-9852. Deadline: January 16, 2004
SPYBOT--SEARCH AND DESTROY can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if you browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behavior to create a marketing profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm in trying to see if something snooped into your computer, too. To learn more, click here.
DO YOU GOOGLE? In the April newsletter, I indicated my preference for the Google search engine. Recent updates make me an even bigger fan. The new and improved Google Toolbar eliminates pop up ads and fills in forms with one click. What could be better? Did I mention that it is FREE? You must be running Internet Explorer version 5 or later to utilize this tool. When downloaded and installed, the toolbar will appear below the URL address bar in your browser whenever or wherever you are on the web. Google also offers a translation tool for converting English to other languages or vice versa.
PARENT VISITATION MONTH October is Statewide Parent Visitation Month in Alabama public schools. This year's theme is "Invest in Your Child's Future." Information is available at the Department of Education website at http://www.alsde.edu/html/ParentVisitation.asp.
53 YEARS OF "TRICK-OR-TREAT FOR UNICEF" "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" is celebrating its 53rd year! This fall they are working to involve as many schools as possible in the nationwide "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" campaign, which supports UNICEF's efforts and helps U.S. children learn about global issues and better understand the world in which they live. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, works in 158 countries to assist young victims of natural disasters, civil strife and economic upheaval by providing clean water, medicine, immunizations, education, and nutrition and emergency relief. "Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF" has proven to be a successful service-learning tool for schools throughout the United States. Since 1950, this program has raised over $119 million to provide basic services to children throughout the world. Participating children will have the unique opportunity to help UNICEF save and improve children’s lives in many ways while learning about the world around them. The UNICEF website has more materials to download than ever plus Spanish translations! Click to order your free materials: http://www.unicefusa.org/trickortreat
September 15 to October 15 is
National Hispanic Heritage Month. Education World offers a piñ full of
activities that will help teachers focus attention on the contributions of people
of Hispanic heritage to the history of the United States. http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson023.shtml