What I Learned This Week ...

This was a very interesting week. I was at several different schools meeting with teachers during their grade level planning times. I listened as they talked about what they were going to be studying, and I wrote down notes to myself to find resources to help the teachers. 

One thing that I found very interesting was when all the grade levels were talking about Reading, they all said basically the same thing: students have problems with figuring out the Main Idea and Sequencing in what they are reading. Here is a lesson plan from ReadWriteThink that teachers could use: Reading Information Texts Using the 3-2-1 Strategy. Here is another lesson idea for Main Idea from BrainPop Jr.

4th grade has something new added to Science in their Essential Standards. They are going to be studying Fossils, and they didn't have a lot of resources on Fossils. I was able to find quite a few resources and I added them to the Science tab in the 4th grade LiveBinder. A couple of my favorite fossil web sites were: Dinosaurs For Kids and  How do Dinosaurs Get Their Names. If you are a 4th grade teacher in North Carolina, check these resources out.

In another grade level meeting, a teacher was telling us about her student's "Wonder" books. I asked her if she had heard about Wonderopolis. She said she hadn't. I told her about Wonderopolis and how they have a "Wonder" everyday and all the past "Wonders" are archived for teachers to go and look at. Wonderopolis always starts with several discussion questions. Then they have a "try it out" section. One of my favorite things about Wonderopolis is that there is always vocabulary to go along with the "Wonder of the day".

The elementary team (Dorene Bates, Evan Herreid, Colleen FitzGerald, and Melissa Edwards) talked about what the best way for us all to collect and share resources with all of our schools. We decided on creating a LiveBinder for each grade level. We are all collaborators on these LiveBinder's and all of us can put our resources in one place.  To access these LiveBinder's, go to our DIT wiki page for Elementary Resources. Just click on one of the grade level binders to find resources. Please remember that these binders are not complete, they are a work in progress.

Image: 'Lifelong Learning' http://www.flickr.com/photos/97651299@N00/3679437433

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What are WS/FCS teachers saying about Edmodo?

Over the past few weeks I have had the privilege to work with teachers across the district who are using Edmodo in their classrooms. Whether its a face to face workshop or a one on one help session, I leave with a smile on my face because see a lot of "ah ha" moments. Here is some of the feedback and stories I've received so far:

"Over the weekend I had several students on Edmodo helping each other out. They would ask questions and another would give a web link helping them out with information. I had 6 ask me questions about their project and I was able to respond right away. It was very encouraging that students had the ability to ask me questions and get responses quickly. it was also great to see them helping each other."

"A student told me thank you for sending her Edmodo updates. She was absent yesterday and got the alert and studied for her quiz and took it today feeling prepared because I sent her the alert on Edmodo. She said she wished all her teachers used it."

"I've noticed student participation has skyrocketed. They're on Edmodo after school hours, continuing discussions and helping each other with assignments. Its been really empowering for them."

If you have any feedback you would like to share, please feel free to contact me at abdurrence@wsfcs.k12.nc.us. Still not sure what Edmodo is? You can access a variety of on demand webinars through Edmodo and SimpleK12 to learn more.

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Something is new ....

There is something that has changed ....

Do you have any idea what it might be?

Hint: it relates to the title I have as "The Queen of Learning Village" ....

The front page of Learning Village (the dashboard) has a new and improved look!!!!

All of the Instructional Resources are at the top of the page. When you hover over the titles of these links, there is supposed to be a box that pops up with a description and.or usernames/passwords. I am not sure why it is working at times and not at others. In case the boxes don't pop up, in the blue box just below the Instructional Resources are links to a presentation and a bookmark sharing usernames, passwords, and descriptions for WSFCS employees. The blue box is also where you can find my name and email if you have any questions.

Instead of clicking on the Elementary/Middle/High school buttons, then choosing a grade, and then choosing a subject .... now it is all available to you on the dashboard and requires fewer clicks!

You may have noticed there is not a resources button anymore ... but don't worry, you can still get to the graphic organizers, Jeopardy templates, Mobi Handouts, and all the other great resources. At the bottom of the Elementary Section, there is a long button called Instructional Tools. That is what the old Resource button is called now! If you scroll down the page, you will notice the Instructional Tools button is also located at the end of the Middle School Section and the High School Section.

Don't forget there is a quick way to get to Learning Village .... it is a Quick Link on the WSFCS Homepage!

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Explaining Technology, In Plain English

One of the things that many of us who train teachers struggle with is finding explanations or the whys of certain  types of tech. Twitter, blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasting, etc, all can be very complex for those just starting out and learning how they can integrate these into their classroom.

Fortunately, all of us have Common Craft.

Simply, their product is their explanation. They create wonderfully animated videos called "In Plain English" that do just that. These videos really break down technology so that anyone can get it. I use this videos for just about every workshop or training I do. Why? Because, just like they say, their product is their explanation.

Here are some of my favorites:

Twitter in Plain English

Blogs in Plain English

Google Docs in Plain English

There are tons more:
Augmented Reality In Plain English

Podcasting

RSS

Wikipedia (This one is brand new and does a great job of explaining exactly how Wikipedia works and how we can better use it as a resource.)

Protecting Online Reputations (This is also another one I use a lot with kids and parents.)

And that is still not all of their technology line.

Oh, technology not your thing? No problem. there are videos for how to prepare an emergency plan, how a U.S. President is elected, everything you wanted to know about borrowing money and how CFL lightbulbs work. Oh and in case you were wondering, Zombies In Plain English.

So if you are a person just starting out in the world of technology, a trainer or just someone who wants to know more about how the world works, head over to Common Craft and check out their videos.

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Google Searches You Might Not Know About

I am an admitted Googler. I probably do about 300 Google searches a day and rely on it for all facets of my life. From looking for definitions and spellings to directions, to research for my teachers I Google and I Google a lot. But did you know there are some really cool, specialized search engines that can really narrow your searches and help you discover some really nifty things about this world we live in.

Google Books
Ok, Google Books has been around for a while and I have neglected using it until I got into my Administrators program. I was able to find my School Law book, a book that costs around $100 bucks on Amazon for free. I can also find tons of other books there that the authors have either agreed to have them hosted for free or they are out of print books that I wouldn't find any other place. Besides books there are tons of magazines, both new and older and if you are an English teacher (or just lover of literature) they have some classics written by Dickens, Longfellow, Defoe and others that you can view online or download in the ePub format. Besides the book search you can create a bookshelf and share books from your bookshelf with other users so if you are a teacher you can create a custom book list and share it with your students.

Google Blog Search
I absolutely love blogs. I get up early in the morning just to catch up on my reader in an attempt to get the pulse of the world of education. If I get a free moment during the day I try to read a post or two. But one of my favorite things to do is find new blogs to read. Just doing a general Google search can be difficult at times to find what I am looking for. So I turn to Google Blog search. No matter how obscure the topic someone out there has a blog on it that you might want to read. Just put in your search term in the box and you are returned just blogs related to that topic. Great for kids doing projects so they can find current events or, better yet, opinions on current event topics, I encourage teachers to have students do a quick blog search when doing a project. I also like blog search to find new education bloggers and get an idea on new and exciting things that are going on in the world of education.

Google Scholar
As a graduate student I got to know Google Scholar very well. I could search 1000's of peer-reviewed, scholarly articles from the comfort of, really anywhere. Looking for legal opinions, recent research or journal articles, I was hardly ever let down with the content and actually found stuff there I couldn't find anywhere else. The advanced search is very powerful so get to know it well. Have kids (especially middle and high school) look here too when doing research, especially when stressing primary sources.

Google Patent Search

I admit, this might not be one you use a lot. But if you are a science or technology teacher this is a great search engine to try out with your kids. There are over 7 million available patents for search. Once you find what you are looking for you get what the applicant says the device does, drawings, any associated patents and detailed descriptions. For students learning design or mechanics this can be a cool place to look for ideas.  Start by looking at this awesome skillet for cooking just bacon!

Those are just 4 of many others that you can check out here. So go forth! Harness the power of Google Search. Be more productive, help kids search effectively and efficiently and find really cool stuff!

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Giving Students a Voice

 

I was talking with some elementary school teachers the other day about blogging with their students. I have been reading a lot of blogs and articles about how and why teachers should get students to blog. In the TPAK model from The College of William & Mary (Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge), they have curriculum based activities. I was looking in the Literacy Activities and there are a lot of the activities that include Blogging. 

Blogging would also meet several of the goals and objectives in the Language Arts Standard Course of Study. I got the idea after ready Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano's Langwitches Blog on "Blogging with Elementary School Students". In her blog she states: "Blogging is one way of linking writing, reading, and connecting information and learning together." I agree with this. This would also be a good way to become a global class by connected with other countries. Silvia has written a lot of blog posts about students, blogging, and has how-to guides that you can download. You can also follow Silvia on Twitter @Langwitches.

One of the ideas I got from reading different blogs was to have your students create a paper blog first. Then you can hang them in your room or hallway and have your students learn how to comment on these paper blogs. Also, it would be good if the whole school came by to comment on the blogs!

Edublog has a student blogging challenge that has students creating a blog and then having activities to help make the blog readable. You can find the challenge here: Student Blogging Challenge Supported by  Edublogs.

If you are still not convinced about students blogging, here are a couple of other articles that might convince you:

• Six Reasons Why Kids Should Know How to Blog
• Try Posterous Spaces For Private Classroom Blogging
• Blogging in the Classroom
• Introduction to Blogging (a LiveBinder by my co-worker Steven Anderson)

 

Image: 'Now go blog about this'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75529685@N00/300232474

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What train are you on?

As I was reading "How PowerPoint is Killing Education" by Marc Issels, I came across a statement that really caught my attention:


“The good news is that teachers do not need to jump off the technology train; they just need to change cars. They need to uncover methods of using technology to help students develop old-world skills that are also 21st century skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, perseverance, and creativity.”


There are several individual parts of that statement that jump out at me:

• technology train
• methods of using technology
• old-world skills
• 21st Century Skills
• critical thinking
• problem solving
• perseverance
• creativity

To me, the technology train is not the one that teachers need be on ... even if they are in the correct car. I know that may sound strange coming from a person who works for a technology department, but as I am quick to point out, I work in instructional technology .... and I feel I am way more on the instructional side than the technology side. As educators, our job is to develop, encourage, and support student learning in anyway possible ... whether that means using technology or not. I feel teachers should be on the student learning train.

The student learning train may have cars for differentiated learning, direct instruction, indirect instruction, experiential learning, independent study, interactive instruction, as well as many other ways teachers use to meet the learning needs of students. If visual art is needed as part of one of those cars, then it needs to be there. If hands-on learning is needed as part of one of those cars, then it needs to be there. If problem-based, product-based, or inquiry learning needs to be a part of one of those train cars, then it needs to be there. If technology needs to be a part of one of those cars, then it needs to be there too.  

We need to be choosing the best ways to meet the needs of students ... and not just using a certain teaching style or tool just because that equipment is in the classroom.

Does a doctor use every tool that is in the office to treat every single patient every single day? He or she uses the most appropriate tool for the needs of the job at hand. If I have a room full of technology equipment, but cutting an apple or folding a piece of paper is the best way to meet student needs for learning that day, then I should do what best meets the needs of students.

I also noticed how the statement at the beginning of this blog post mentions methods of using technology to help students. For an educator, just knowing how to create animations in a powerpoint presentation, how to create a path for a wiki, or how to make a pivot table in excel is not enough ... we need to know the methods of how to use that technology knowledge to help students. The "knowing how to help" knowledge does not start with technology but starts with knowing the students and knowing the content or curriculum that students are expected to know.  You have to know your curriculum and how to effectively teach that curriculum to students to be able to integrate technology with it. The focus of lessons should be on the content and not on the technology being used.

Another part of the statement that really caught my attention and made me smile was the idea of using technology to help students develop old-world skills that are also 21st century skills. Over the years, I have read, heard, and even written about 21st century skills, but never really thought of them as old world skills until now. The skills involved in critical thinking, problem solving, perseverance, and creativity are not "new" skills that we are just now promoting in education. We may be looking at them in somewhat new ways or approaching them in ways different from before, but they all involve ways of thinking .... and thinking is not a new thing in education.

image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/35849460@N00/18512452/

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ActivInspire Export Options

In talking with someone recently about being able to export a flipchart to a pdf on a PC I decided to write up a quick blog about it and include that you can also export individual pages as image files as well.

To export a flipchart as a pdf file you will, of course, need to make sure that the file is open inside of ActivInspire first. Once that is done you will need to just click on the File button in the top left of the window or click the Menu button and then File from the Toolbox. Now comes the strange part you will need to click the Print button or you could also press the CTRL + P kwik key option. Yes I did say the Print option, because you will be printing the page to a pdf. After you click print then select the Export to PDF button. Now you have the Save in Location box that pops up and all that is left to do is to name the file and click Save.


You can also export a flipchart page as an image file. In order to do this you have two options to start. First is to just Right click on the flipchart page you wish to convert or from the Page Browser click on the Menu icon in the upper right corner of the page to convert. Click the Export Page button and the Save in Location box pops up. Name the file and then choose from one of the four file types listed, the default file type is bitmap. Then click the Save.


I hope that this provides you with some new insight into some of the additional features that you may not have noticed within the ActivInspire software.

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Wonderopolis Categorizes its Wonders

For a number of months I along with some of my colleagues have been talking, tweeting and blogging about the fun and interesting ways educators can use Wonderopolis in their classrooms. Some teachers are using the "Wonders" as their start up activity or as a ticket out the door.
One way I had not thought about using the wonders was to have it tied to the subject material that teachers are delivering in class.

I went back into take a look at some of the past wonders. Which can be done by clicking on the Wonders Tab at the top of the website. I started to make lists of the wonders that could be used in class as part of the curriculum. As I was making the list I had a Duh moment. Over on the right hand side of the Previous Wonders page there is a column labelled as Categories.

This was that light bulb moment because when I started looking through the names I noticed things like Art, Cooking, Environment, History etc., and as soon as I clicked the site provided me with a list of wonders along those categories. With nearly 350 current Wonders on the site and hopefully many more to come these Category listings will eventually grow larger and larger. This will be able to provide educators more choices in delivery of content to students. Plus, who knows, it may motivate a student to take a greater interest in Science, Math, History, English/Language Arts or Weather.

So take a look at Wonderopolis to see what wonders are waiting for you and your students.

Image Provided by: Wonderopolis.org

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Making a Difference

In the first week of school this year I received an email from a teacher who was a little frazzled because her classroom Interactive White Board (IWB) was not displaying the computer input correctly.  I had a free moment before leaving to go to a workshop so I called over to the school to speak with the teacher.
When I got the teacher on the phone they proceeded to describe to me what the problem was and I immediately realized what was going on and that it was a simple fix.  Now there was a problem that came up, I would not be able to get to their school until the next day so I decided to walk the teacher through the fix over the phone while she was in her classroom.
I had the teacher go through the steps slowly with me by describing the steps they would need to do to fix the problem with the IWB.  The teacher listened to me and was able to do the steps to fix the problem and even talked the steps back to me and said that they would be able to fix the teachers IWB in the room next door because they had the same problem.
She was very excited to have things working and her students, that were in the classroom and behaving incredibly well, were excited as well.  She had the students thank me over the phone which made me feel very good.  Now what was even better was the fact that two days later an inter-office envelope came into me with the following card that the students in her class made for me to thank me for taking the time to call their teacher to help her with the problem.

To me I was just doing my job but to the students I made a difference by taking the time to contact the teacher and help her out over the phone.  I had a friend some number of years ago tell me to figure out how you can make a difference and take it as far as it will go.
So now I have to ask you.. How have you made a difference today?

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Listening is Powerful

This past week I have been attending PLC and LTM meetings in my elementary schools and talking about how I could help them with technology activities that would go along with their lessons ( Yeah, TPACK). I learned so much as I sat and listened to each grade level break down an objective into What to Teach and How to Teach.

It was very interesting to "see" their thought processes as I listened to the teachers pull out key words, discuss what basic skills were needed and how they could teach the students. Individual teaching methods and comfort levels with technology were evident. Listening to the ways they were going to teach the skills made me think of numerous ways to use technology to produce the same results.  The availability of technology in the classrooms produced some concerns, but we were able to work with what they had and everyone could see the possibilities. The teachers were very appreciative as I shared resources they could use to develop an activity. Offering my time and services to help them with it made them realize more possibilities were within their reach.

I found that providing a listening ear was very powerful - we listened, we heard, we learned and the students are going to be major winners.

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New Year, New CPS Database

When you begin using CPS another school year you should create a new database. I tell teachers it’s not a bad idea to name your new database your name and the school year. So for example, I would name my database Brian_2011_12. For those of you that are new to this CPS database deal, let me explain what a database is. You create a CPS database the very first time you open CPS. You only create one for the entire school year. This database contains all the classes, students, lessons (or tests), fastgrade test keys and challenge boards you create during the entire year. That way you can easily see when the databases were created. You should never delete your old databases. This is so you do not have to create all your lessons, fastgrade tests and challenge boards all over again. That would be a bit insane.

Once you create your new database, click on the “prepare” tab and the “lessons & assessments sub-tab”. Click the import button. Click the browse button to browse for your database. In the next window, you will see your selected database. Click the plus sign next to the database name and put a check in the lesson (test) boxes you want to import.

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Find New Web Resources For Your Classroom With eduTeacher!

I dunno about you but I spend a lot of time looking for instructional and technology resources for use in the classroom. I spend lots of time using Twitter and Facebook and various other social networks. For some, using all or any of those sites can be overwhelming, intimidating, or time consuming. And it's true. There are lots of places to look for "stuff" for the classroom.

Fear not!

There is a wonderful site (run by a very dear friend of mine, Adam, who was the 2011 ISTE Outstanding Young Educator, so you know this place has to be top notch.) that complies the best the web has to offer for resources for use in the classroom, organizes them by subject area and makes it really easy for just about anyone to walk away each time with something really cool to use.

Enter eduTeacher.

When you arrive on the site, the first place you are gonna wanna visit are the links. This is where all the gravy is. Organized by subject area, you can dive right in and find something for your area or do a search for something specific. Put a check mark in the box you want to search and browse away. There is so much stuff here. With over 1300 entries there is certainly something new for anyone looking to expand their technology knowledge or offerings in their classroom.

But wait, there's more!

In the TV channel you can see some great videos and presentations put together by Adam on everything from his philosophy on technology, setting up interactive whiteboards, product reviews and so much more.

Guess what? There is so much more to explore. The blog is a great way to learn about new stuff and you can submit your email address and every time the site is updated, you will get a message telling you about all new stuff that was added.

Oh and do you have a smartphone or tablet device at home? Well, lucky you. Because there are mobile apps that provide you on-the-go access to the entire library of sites in the eduTeacher database. I have it and use it all the time.

So if you are looking for that one place to go to find new and exciting technology resources to use in your classroom (besides this blog of course) definitely check out eduTeacher. When you do, come back here and tell us what you found!

eduTeacher

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New Things With Symbaloo

I have been using Symbaloo for about a year now. I really like it a lot. It is a visual way of sharing bookmarks with other people. The "pages" you create in Symbaloo are called a "webmix"

When I first started using Symbaloo (the education version), they didn't allow you to embed your webmix anywhere. The only way I could show it on a wiki was to take a snapshot of it using a program like Jing. That was ok, but not ideal.

The other day I was creating a new webmix on Digital Storytelling and found out .... drumroll please .... they have added embed codes. I was very excited and was able to embed my Digital Storytelling webmix into the WSFCS Wiki. To embed a webmix onto a wiki, click the "Send to Friends" button and click Embed. You can then copy the embed code and paste it onto your wiki.

There is another webmix on the WSFCS Wiki that might be useful. It is the IWB webmix.  All of the orange tiles are links to Promethean information. All of the blue tiles are links to SMART information. The tiles that are pink or brown can be used on any IWB (Interactive White Board).

Have fun creating webmixes!

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Edmodo - Helping Teachers Meet Evaluation Standards

Interested in learning how Edmodo can help you meet the North Carolina Teacher Evaluation Standards? Register for Edmodo's free "Creating Global Networks with Edmodo" webinar. Participants will learn how teachers and administrators can use Edmodo to connect with classrooms and educators from across the globe to meet common standards.

Acacia Dixon, who leads instructional technology efforts at Brunswick County Schools, will share how her district is using Edmodo to meet teacher evaluation criteria and connect with classrooms around the world. She will be joined by Principal Dr. Paul Flemming from Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools , who will discuss his plans for a global professional learning network that shares international standards to promote university and career readiness.

Session Title: Creating Global Networks with Edmodo

Hosts: Acacia Dixon, Brunswick County Schools; Dr Paul Flemming, Hume-Fogg High School, Nashville, TN

Date/Time: September 21, 4pm ET

Click here to register!

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So I admit that Science is not exactly my favorite thing in the world (although I am married to an engineer).

But I have recently found myself involved in several Science-related activities and searches for resources, and I am starting to see Science in a slightly different light.

I came across two great Science resources ... totally unconnected topics but still great resources.

StudyJams! from Scholastic:

• "What is matter? It's solids, liquids, and gases and it can change states through heating or cooling. Want to know more? Watch this three minute video — and try singing karaoke — and learn all you need to know."
• There is a video, a song, some vocabulary words, and a quiz. The video and song have memorable characters and catchy tunes.
• The quiz provides feedback at the end and shows the correct and incorrect answers ... which could be a teachable moment if needed.

eGFI: Dream Up the Future

• There are links to all kinds of interesting tidbits of information related to the various fields/aspects of engineering:
• agricultural
• industrial/manufacturing 
• electrical
• civil
• chemical
• aerospace
• computer
• ocean
• mining
• mechanical
• nuclear
• materials
• Information is presented in the form of an interactive graphic novel (rather than just words in a textbook) ... just hover the mouse on the green X and there is no telling what will appear ... click on the X and you will learn even more
• Even though the focus is the content, the way this content is presented really caught my attention!

title created using LetteringDelights.com

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Create!!!!!

I am a big fan of encouraging students to create to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding. Creating is a High Order Thinking Skill in Bloom's Taxonomy.

Here are some resources I have pulled together on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and ideas for how it is being used in various places. :

I love the stuff Kelly Tenkely writes and creates for her blog (iLearnTechnology.com). She is a huge fan of Bloom's. Kelly is so helpful and willing to share. She lives in Colorado and is opening her own school this year. We have gotten to be friends through twitter and blogs. Here are some of her resources:
Bloomin’ Peacock *this is one of my favorites
Bloomin’ Pinwheel
Umbloomra
Bloomin’ Tree

Bloom’s Taxonomy Live Binder

Here are some other resources I found that may inspire other ideas:

Bloom's Revised Planning Framework
Exploring Batteries using Bloom's Revised

Fractions with Bloom's Revised
Making Movement with Bloom's Revised
Bloom's web 2.0 wiki

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy Wiki

As I searched through my blog to see what I have written about concerning Bloom's Taxonomy, I found it has been a popular topic for me too!

Bloomin' Resources (even when it is cold)
Technology is Bloomin'! (great storybird creation included here)
Blooming Orange
Blooming Butterfly

image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/41598237@N00/3352954780/

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What's New in SMART Notebook ver.10.8

SMART Notebook 10.8 was released in August, and I thought I would put some of the new features here in this blog. One of the features that I think everyone will like is the "Clear Ink from Page" option. This is a great new feature. Now, teachers don't have to erase the digital ink from one class to the next, just click on this icon: that is located on the toolbar and it will remove all digital ink from your page (as long as you haven't saved the page with the digital ink).

Another new icon is the clear page icon: This icon will clear the entire page (both digital ink, text, and objects). I really like these two options. Now I don't have to select objects and delete them, just clear the page. Of course, you would have to be certain that you really want to clear that page!

There is a SMART Exchange icon located on the toolbar now. Instead of going to the Gallery or to a web page to find SMART Exchange, just click on this icon: This will be very convenient for us to use. Once a teacher clicks on SMART Exchange, it will take them directly to the login page. Make sure you have registered for SMART Exchange so that you can download notebook lessons. Once you are in SMART Exchange, the last button on the gray bar is a Training button. If you click on this button, you go to the Training page. If you want to learn more about SMART Notebook, Response, Slate, etc. you can take the Needs Assessment and it will give you a learning path if you choose to follow it. Some of the training is free, some have a fee attached.

There have been some additions to the SMART Response also. Something that I really like is that a teacher can now create an answer key for student paced assessments. For instance, if you have a paper test, all you have to do is create an answer key, give the student's the paper test and their clickers, and the students can answer the questions at their own pace. SMART Response will then grade the test for you.

There are some more things that are new in SMART Notebook ver. 8, but I think the above are some of the best. Soon you will be able to update to SMART Notebook ver. 8 from the update menu. You will not have to uninstall your version of 10.7 before updating to version 10.8 (another good thing about this update). There will not be another major update until April, 2012.

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The New WSFCS Technology Professional Development Catalog

Yep. You read that right. We have a new catalog of Technology Professional Development offerings. It includes:

Moodle course you can sign up for any time between now and the end of Decemenber
LearnNC Courses that are intense, 5-6 week courses, on a wide variety of technology-related topics
Face-To-Face Courses offered over the next several months at the Administrative Center
Simple K12 Webinars that you can watch anytime, anywhere, on any device to learn a new tip, trick or tool
So much more!

You can visit the catalog here. Just be sure to read all the requirements for registering and getting credit and if you have questions just give the Department of Instructional Technology a call.

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