From the Desk of Kay Ezzell Technology Resource Specialist at Resource Materials & Technology Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Resource
Materials & Technology Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing /FDLRS
207 North San Marco Avenue
St. Augustine, Florida 32084
1-800-356-6731
Bob Stern
Kay Ezzell
Shelley Popson Ardis
Carmelina
Hollingsworth
Next week is our Spring Break, so there will be no Tech Notes.
Many of you are using digital cameras in your classrooms now. They are a
great way to create visual learning environments for your students, as well
as actively involve the students in their learning. One of the teachers that
Bob works with adapted Audrey Wood's The Napping House. She and her students
made their own book called The Napping Class and used their camera to make
pictures of each other for their book. It was great! Some of you have
created HyperStudio stacks of things you've done in the classroom and/or on
field trips. There are great things you can do.
Here are some good web sites with ideas for using digital cameras:
Deaf Worldwide will be coming to cities in the United States and Canada to
see those bright and shining stars are in the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
community. They want to meet your young talented children when they visit
your neighborhood!
The Champion Search Talent Contest is an opportunity for young deaf,
hard-of-hearing and CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) children to discover and
develop their skills and talents in an amazing contest - right in their own
area!
In each city, they will have 20 children take part, accepted on a
first-come, first-serve basis and will be divided into two categories: ages
5-12 years old and ages 13-18 years old.
Ideas for Talent Contest include: Storytelling, Dancing, Mime, ABC story,
Art and many more.
There will be an independent panel of judges who will select the winners. If
you would like to be a talent contest judge, please e-mail your request to
talent@deafworldwide.com subject:
judge
Amazing prizes will be awarded including cash, a Camp Lakodia Scholarship,
tickets to Disney World/Disneyland, ASL storytelling DVD, and lots of great
toys!
Talents rules and regulation is available on their web site:
http://www.championsearch.net
They will also have fun for kids of all ages
* Tiny tot races for the little ones
* Great children activities and sports fun for younger kids
* Activities for Grandparents and grandkids to enjoy together
* Special performances by local and international performers
* Booths, displays, workshops, and so much more!!
For more information: e-mail talent@deafworldwide.com
or live AIM
assistance: dwwquestion (Monday - Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM EST). To
Register, complete the form on their web site and e-mail to
talent@deafworldwide.com or fax
to 416.352.1341 attn: Talent Contest
The Search Committee will be in Jacksonville FL on September 11, 2004. For
other cities around the nation, see the web site.
[Thanks for sharing this information, Lisa!]
http://www.transitofvenus.org/index.html
On June 8, 2004, Venus will pass in front of the Sun as seen from Earth.
Viewing the entire transit is especially good in Europe, Africa, the Middle
East and Asia, but some parts of eastern North America will be able to view
a portion of the transit.
As explained on the FAQ page at this site this astronomical occurrence has
a
strange pattern of frequency. "A transit will not have happened for about
121 ∏ years (the last one was 1882). Then there will be one transit (such
as this one in 2004) followed by another transit of Venus eight years later
(in the year 2012). Then there will be a span of about 105 ∏ years before
the next pair of transits occur, again separated by eight years. Then the
pattern repeats."
You can use this rarity as a teaching tool for science, math, history and
more. When you get to the site you will see an introduction along with an
easy-to-use menu table.
This site provides some great resources for planning an extensive curriculum
themed on the Transit of Venus - or use it to introduce some educational
trivia that will peak your students' interest in astronomy and more.
MathWork - http://www.themathworksite.com/
The MathWork Site.com is an online math worksheet generator. It will allow
you to create printable math worksheets from your Internet browser. Most of
the worksheets are free, but they have added a subscribers area where you
can download the worksheets in PDF format. This allows for more consistent
and better printing quality. There are some additional worksheets in the
subscribers area. The subscription is only $1.50 a month or $15 a year.
[Thanks for sharing this site, Cathy!]
Megamaths
Tables - http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/megamaths/tables.html
This lively interactive web site is based on the popular BBC Schools
Television series Megamaths and uses a selection of characters from the
programs to introduce a variety of activities and games which explore the
times tables. The site will equip students with the skills to recognize and
describe number patterns and provide them with the vocabulary to describe a
functional relationship. [Good, but remember that there may be English terms
used for measurement, etc.]
Spring
Activities - http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/spring/spring.html
This is the DLTK Crafts for Kids links to spring crafts and activities.
How is
Peanut Butter Made? - http://www.pca.com.au/articles.php3?rc=112
This is a very simple web page using text and photographs describing how
peanut butter is made.
The Peanut Roaster
- http://www.peanut.com/planttour.asp
This is a tour of a factory that roasts peanuts.
Peanut Butter
Lovers.com - http://www.peanutbutterlovers.com/
This site has a lot of information about how peanut butter is made and has
recipes, but the history of peanut butter is especially interesting.
National
Peanut Board Kids Corner -
http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/document_209.asp
This site has some neat things for kids, but check out the Classroom page
and the Nutrition page, too. There is a lot of information you can print out
and use, along with links to other relevant sites.
Virginia-Carolina
Peanuts Educational Materials -
http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/document_209.asp
The American Peanut Council provides these free printed materials and
downloadable curriculum materials at this web site for grades K-2 and Grades
3-5.
A Book in Time - http://www.a-book-in-time.com/
This booklist makes it easy for you to enrich history study with historical
fiction, picture books, fun books, or just informative ones, and they are
all arranged by historical time period so you can easily find what you need.
Each book has been given a suggested grade level to further help you make
your choices.
Matchstick Rockets
- http://www.matchstickrockets.com/
Matchstick rockets are actual fully functional rockets that you can build in
minutes from common household materials. They are also quite safe since
each rocket is constructed from just one solitary little paper match.
There's not enough propellant to explode no matter how badly you go wrong in
construction. But be sure you read and abide by the safety precautions.
Math Cats - http://www.mathcats.com
Math Cats was developed to promote open-ended and playful explorations of
important math concepts. There are games, crafts, art, projects, story
problems, and much more. Visit the Grownups section (Idea Banks) for ways to
make the most of mathematical opportunities.
Mr. Dowling's Electronic
Passport - http://www.mrdowling.com/
Mike Dowling teaches Geography at Roosevelt Middle School in West Palm
Beach. His web site lets you browse the world in what he calls a "virtual
classroom." You can use the menu on the left side of the screen to learn
about Mr. Dowling, find out how to navigate his Web site, and listen to some
of his crazy character voices as they talk about historical events, or you
can jump right in and click on a destination to learn about a variety of
places. Just click on an icon such as "Ancient Greece" and a new page
opens
with selections such as Greek Mythology, Homer, Sparta, Athens, Socrates,
Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great and more. The information is presented
in user-friendly text enhanced by illustrations, photographs, and links to
more resources. Most of the information is geared for about 5th grade and up
- but younger children will enjoy portions of the content.
Guide
to Writing a Basic Essay - http://members.tripod.com/~lklivingston/essay/
This web site offers basic instruction in how to write an essay in a simple,
easy-to-follow format. You will find ideas for how to choose a topic, how to
organize and outline your ideas, how to compose a thesis statement, how to
write the paragraphs that will make up the body of the essay, how to write
the introduction and conclusion, and how to edit and put the finishing
touches on your essay. There is a great sample of a well-written essay.
Another feature at this site are the links to other Internet resources for
writing, grammar, bibliographies, research credits, study aids, and writing
tutors.
Smithsonian Magazine's
Kids' Castle - http://www.kidscastle.si.edu/
Smithsonian Magazine's Kids' Castle was constructed to be a safe,
educational, free and fun place for kids ages 8-16 on the World Wide Web.
Kids' Castle features articles written about the things that interest kids
today: sports, history, the arts, travel, science and air and space, all
with great photos. There are message boards filled with questions to get
kids from all over the world talking to each other and thinking creatively.
And, of course, Kids' Castle has lots of fun and challenging games and
contests.
Aplusmath.com - http://www.aplusmath.com/
This web site was developed to help students improve their math skills
interactively. Visit the game room and play exciting games like Matho and
Hidden Picture. Test your math skills with Flashcards! Try out the Math Word
Find puzzle. Create and print your own set of flashcards online! Try out the
Flashcard Creator. See the Worksheets section, where you can print
worksheets to practice offline. Try the Homework Helper to check your
homework solutions.
Free Field Trip
Factory - http://www.fieldtripfactory.com/
Field Trip Factory offers FREE, FUN, community-based field trips which
address a variety of social needs by teaching important life skills while
supporting basic classroom curriculum. All field trips are grade and age
appropriate and meet National Learning Standards. The field trips provide
hands-on learning where students participate in activities relevant to the
lessons being taught in an environment where they apply. On every field
trip, children are exposed to job skills and potential career choices. You
can type in your zip code and it will list the field trips available in your
area. If you don't live in a large city, you might want to type the zip code
of a larger city/town. The in-school programs provide teachers with short,
classroom exercises that promote a variety of learning including creative
thinking and healthy lifestyles.
Sea and Sky - http://www.seasky.org/
When you get to the site click on the introductory screen to enter. A new
page opens and you are presented with an animated computer screen that
invites you aboard either Seasub Cousteau to explore the oceans, or Starship
Sagan to discover the universe. Seasub Cousteau includes Sea News (Current
news related to ocean and marine life), Ocean Realm (Pictures of sea
critters and scientific descriptions about sea creatures and their
habitats), Sea Lab (Interactive applications, as well curriculum and lesson
plans for educators), and other menu items include links to ocean and
aquarium sites, aquarium resources, ocean exploration, a sea gallery where
you can listen to music while viewing beautiful photographs of the sea and
its creatures, and sea games (crosswords, puzzles, word searches, and
interactive computer games). Starship Sagan includes Sky News (Current news
related to space and astronomy), The Cosmos (Tour the Solar System, learn
about constellations, and see cosmic wonders), and Sky Lab (Interactive
applications, as well as curriculum and lesson plans for educators) Other
menu items include resources for astronomy, links to other sites about
space, space exploration, a sky gallery that includes beautiful photographic
images of space and music to accompany it, and finally, sky games -
interactive crossword puzzles, word searches, and computer games.
AG Bell Florida Annual Convention
April 23-24, 2004, Tampa
For more information, go to http://www.agbellflorida.org
Educational Interpreter Summer Institute
June 13-18, 2004, FSDB, St. Augustine, FL
For more information, contact Shannon Simon at ssimon@unf.edu
FEHI
November 5-6, 2004
Hotel Orlando North, Maitland, FL
For more information, go to http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmc/fehi
Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA):
Orlando - January 18-20, 2005
Caribe Royale Hotel, Orlando, FL
Fore more information, go to http://www.ATIA.org
Florida Educational Technology Conference 2004 (FETC):
Orlando - January 27-29, 2005 in the Orange County Convention Center.
For more information, go to http://www.fetc.org/
Page last modified
September 12, 2005
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