Summer Reading in the City!

The New York Public Library, Queens Library, and Brooklyn Public Library invite you to join the Summer Reading Program at your local library. Each year, these three systems come together to do what they do best: encourage everyone to read, especially children. Several research studies have shown that students who read during the summer months do better academically the following school year, and the Summer Reading Program is designed to make reading activities exciting and appealing through a variety of library-based incentives. Stop by your local branch to pick up a free booklist and learn about the many special programs, discussion groups, author chats, and workshops available. In addition to visiting your local library, a dedicated website — summerreading.org — allows you to keep in touch with the program from your own computer. And don’t forget, you can download eBooks, videos, music, and recorded books from your public library — for free! For more information, visit: http://www.summerreading.org/

DIGITAL RESOURCES: How to Find a Novel, Short Story, or Poem Without Knowing its Title or Author

Locating a novel, short story, or poem without knowing its title or author can be very difficult. "Lost Titles, Forgotten Rhymes" online guide is intended to help readers identify a literary work when they know only its plot or subject, or other textual information such as a character's name, a line of poetry, or a unique word or phrase. For more information, visit: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/lost/

DIGITAL RESOURCE: Architecture+Design Education Networ

The Architecture+Design Education Network website serves as a resource for K-12 architecture+design educators, school teachers and administrators, design professionals and community members interested in the design process and the built environment as means to enrich the student learning experience. For more information, visit: http://www.adenweb.org/

FYI: eChalk Adds 'Student-Safe' Academic Blogging

eChalk provides a Web-based suite of communications, learning, management, administrative, and collaboration tools, along with standards-aligned digital content. Their online learning environment is targeted toward K-12 schools and now includes blogging. eChalk reported, "The integrated blog is designed to improve how students practice writing and thinking by aligning K-12 education to higher education, where all assignments require cognitive skills like logic, reasoning, and judgment to be used regularly. The blogging tool can be maintained publicly or privately, with all participants equally protected in a system controlled by each school or district. All users can create posts, moderate comments, enable RSS syndication, add images, upload videos and podcasts, and subscribe to other appropriate blogs. Posts and comments are archived in a portfolio that follows students year to year."

The system also includes polling and survey tools for evaluating blogs based on student- and teacher-defined criteria. For more information, visit: http://www.echalk.com/

GRANT ALERT: Tommy Hilfiger Education Grants

An important part of the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation's operating philosophy is commitment to community, particularly in the area of education. Proposals submitted to the Foundation for review for educational and cultural programs must address the priorities listed below:

• Target K-12 and college students
• Expose students to career opportunities
• Develop skills in new technologies
• Leverage teacher/administrator, parental, and community involvement
• Include hands-on program activities
• Lead to comprehensive, systemic change on a regional and/or national basis
• Involve collaborative partnerships
• Demonstrate capacity to gain continuing support
• Will result in dissemination and replication of lessons learned
• Have broad and positive impact on diverse populations with a special emphasis on women, minorities, and at-risk students
• Develop evaluation component with measurable results

For more information, visit: http://www.tommy.com/

Tech Learning's Grant Guru Offers 3 Tip for Finding Funding

Tech Learning's Grant Guru offers this series of tips listed below on how to best write a winning grant proposal.

1. Find. Apply. Succeed.
1. http:/www.grants.gov
2. http://www.ed.gov
3. http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edinfo/index.html
2. Some Organizations Worth Checking Out
1. National Grants Management Association
2. The Foundation Center
3. The Grantsmanship Center
   
3. Some of the Grant Guru's Favorite Websites
1. The Grant Wrangler
2. Web English Teacher
3. Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Technology Assistance Project

FYI: A Summer Workshop for Educators on Using Historical Documents in the Classroom

This workshop provides a varied program of lectures, demonstrations, analysis of documents, independent research, and group work that introduces teachers to the holdings and organization of the National Archives. Participants will learn how to do research in historical records, create classroom material from records, and present documents in ways that sharpen students' skills and enthusiasm for history, social studies, and the humanities. Each participant selects and prepares to research a specific topic, searches the topic in the records of the National Archives, and develops a teaching unit that can be presented in his or her own classroom.

Presented by staff of the National Archives and Records Administration:

• The National Archives in Washington, DC, June 24 - July 3, 2008 *
• The National Archives Regional Facility, Denver, CO, July 14 - 18, 2008
• The National Archives Regional Facility, Chicago, IL, July 14 - 18, 2008 *
• The Lyndon B. Johnson Library, Austin, TX, July 28 - August 1, 2008
• The National Archives Regional Facility, Waltham, MA, July 28 - August 1, 2008
• The National Archives Regional Facility, Laguna Niguel, CA, July 29 - August 5, 2008
• The National Archives Regional Facility, Philadelphia, PA, August 4 - 8, 2008
• The National Archives Regional Facility, Fort Worth, TX August 4 - 8, 2008
• The National Archives Regional Facility, New York, NY, August 11 - 15, 2008
• The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX, August 11 - 15, 2008
• The National Archives Regional Facility, Seattle, WA, August 18 - 22, 2008

Workshop Overview with Location Details and How to Apply

Thoughts to Ponder During Summer Break: "Have you been Paying Attention?"

FYI: Elluminate Launches Learning Suite, Planning Software for Online Learning

The Elluminate Learning Suite and the Elluminate Next bundle are new tools for planning online learning sessions called Elluminate Plan! Elluminate announced that it's revamping its education licensing structure, moving away from a concurrent user model to a structure based on the full-time enrollment of educational institutions. The Elluminate Next bundle incorporates Elluminate Publish! and the all-new Elluminate Plan!, a tool designed to help instructors and instructional designers organize and package content for online sessions prior to the session being conducted live. For more information, visit: http://www.elluminate.com/

DIGITAL RESOURCE: Educational Social Networking

Freshbrain is an educational social-networking site where students can learn tech skills. The mission of the folks at Freshbrain is focused on enhancing the education and development of our youth in the areas of business and technology by providing hands-on real world experience. The website takes advantage of the latest technology such as web conferencing and social networking to provide a very progressive environment on which the students can complete activities and work together on projects. This is enhanced by Advisors who are there to support and mentor students who are working on projects - all with the intention of improving the likelihood of success. And the website provides the students with tools and training to complete these projects. Investigate for yourself, visit: http://www.freshbrain.org

Win a SMART Document Camera and Audio System

Do you amplify learning with a classroom audio system or focus students’ attention using a document camera? If not, would you like to? Tell the folks at SMART all about it and you could win an audiovisual prize package from SMART. To celebrate the introduction of the SMART Document Camera and SMART Audio, they're inviting you to share the wonderful ways these products add fun and excitement to learning. SMART Technologies be giving away three prize packages that include a SMART Document Camera and SMART Audio every month from May 1 to October 30, 2008. Simply upload your best practices or tips and tricks to the SMART Exchange. At the end of each month their selection panel will choose the three most interesting, inspiring and innovative ideas. For contest details, visit: http://exchange.smarttech.com/

FYI: Smart will Release a Wireless Classroom Audio System in August

Smart Technologies has introduced a new classroom audio system, "Smart Audio," which provides wireless audio along with integration with Smart interactive whiteboard systems. The new system includes an IR receiver, ceiling-mounted IR receiver, wearable wireless mic, handheld wireless mic, two microphone chargers (plus rechargeable batteries), and four ceiling- or wall-mounted speakers. Other features include tone control, integrated audio mixer, and support for external audio devices, including computers, CD and DVD players, and MP3/4 players. The system is also designed to integrate with Smart interactive whiteboards running Smart Notebook collaborative learning software.



For further information, click here.

DIGITAL RESOURCES: NASA's New Educational Game for Elementary Students

A new NASA site allows children to follow Disney animated character Buzz Lightyear on a mission into space, allowing students to complete educational math and science games along the way. The games reinforce concepts like gravity, allow practice of metric conversions and review space history and technology. Investigate for yourself, click here.

DIGITAL RESOURCE: A Virtual Math World for Middle School Students

MathMovesU is a virtural math world for students. It is a place where they can explore and learn math along the way. Investigate for yourself, visit: http://www.mathmovesu.com/

GRANT ALERT: NAESP/MetLife Sharing the Dream Grants for Principals

The National Association of Elementary School Principals/MetLife Foundation Sharing the Dream grant enables principals to test ideas on how to involve and engage their communities to build greater ownership for the work of the school by sharing leadership and decision-making, by keeping all stakeholders informed about all school news -- good and bad -- and by creating a school climate that fosters open communication, safety and security, and respect for every individual.

• Maximum Award: $3,000.
• Eligibility: elementary school principals from around the country.
• Deadline: June 20, 2008.

For more information, click here:

How to Set Up Your Own Safe Cyber Community!

You may find this site useful if you want to create a "walled garden" of safe Web 2.0 tools you can use within your school's intranet, or even Internet, but have complete control over. So, a quick review of the tools available for those who want to "lock" things down and eliminate social networking OUTSIDE of school environment during the school day. Visit: http://mguhlin.wikispaces.com/walledgarden

FYI: Index reveals what kids are searching for online

What are students searching the web for most frequently while at school? Turns out, it's math games, animals, and historic figures and events, according to an unscientific index of the 15 most popular in-school search terms released by Thinkronize Inc. The index is taken from Thinkronize's netTrekker d.i., a child-safe educational search engine reportedly used in some 20,000 schools worldwide.

Here's the full list:

1. Games
2. Dogs
3. Animals
4. Civil War
5. George Washington
6. Holocaust
7. Abraham Lincoln
8. Multiplication
9. Math Games
10. Weather
11. Frogs
12. Fractions
13. Planets
14. Sharks
15. Plants

As time passes, the index might reveal a pattern reflecting what is taught in schools at certain points during the year. The search terms also might help educators learn what topics prompt students to search for additional information online, perhaps owing to outdated textbooks.


***Adapted from From eSchool News staff and wire service reports dated on Friday, May 16, 2008

What is a MOUSE Squad Summer Academy?

Geek Squad Summer Academy is a fun-filled week of learning for teens (14-18) interested in technology. During the 4 day event students will experience a wide assortment of computer based subjects while having fun playing with technology. Geek Squad Agents will teach students the basics of networking, multimedia, internet use and computer hardware through hands-on, interactive learning.

Summer Academy I: Girls & Boys
July 15th-July 18th, 10AM-4PM

Summer Academy II: Girls Only!
July 29th-August 1st, 10AM-4PM

Who Can Attend? New York City public school students ages 14-18.

SPACE IS LIMITED-DON'T DELAY!

For more information: visit: www.mousesquad.org

FYI: The Skyscraper Museum Open House

The Skyscraper Museum is having an Open House on Thursday, June 19th from 4-6PM. Remarks will begin at 4:30PM and light refreshments will be reserved. The Skyscraper Museum invites New York City educators to the gallery to view the current exhibition, New York Modern, before it closes at the end of June. Click here for more information.

The Skyscraper Museum's educational offerings include:

• IMAGE-BASED tours for your students
• FREE classroom resource, TOWER TUBE, including 14 enlarged images
  from the Museum's collection and a comprehensive User Guide. To register, click here
• ACCESS to over 2000 historical images of New York. Click here.
  

RSVP by calling 212-945-6324 or by email to education@skyscraper.org. For more information on The Skyscraper Museum, visit: www.skyscraper.org

The Skyscraper Museum
(same building as the Ritz-Carlton Hotel)
39 Battery Place
New York, NY 10280

HP Grant Summaries Revealed!

Congratulations to all Bronx HP Technology for Teaching Grant Recipients!

Your hard work has paid off!!!

The HP Technology for Teaching Grant Initiative is designed to support the innovative and effective uses of technology in the classroom setting. Recipients of the K-12 HP Technology for Teaching grant award receive a gift of cash, equipment, and professional development to help implement the proposed technology integration projects. Below is a list of K-12 Bronx New York City Public Schools and a description of their grant projects that have been selected to receive a 2008 HP Technology for Teaching Award.

P.S. 721
"REAL World = Realistic Educational Applications for Learning in the World"

Our proposed project will teach students vocational and functional mathematics skills in preparation for the transition to the worlds of work.

P.S. 9 – Grade 2
"The Generating Resources for an Optimal World- Project Grow"

Project Grow students will engage in the study of plants through the investigation of soil versus water-based farming systems (hydroponics) using hands-on, inquiry-based learning model.

I.S. 129
"Plant Bio-Mechanics"

New Day Academy – 8th Grade
"Breathing Not So Easy"

Interdisciplinary project investigating asthma rates in the South Bronx. Students will conduct action research and create forums for educating the community about this debilitating health hazard.

Frederick Douglass Academy V Middle School – 8th Grade
"NO PO (No Pollution) in the Bronx"

Students will investigate water and air samples of the Bronx and surrounding areas. Then analyze contributing factors and impact on the community.

DeWitt Clinton High School -9th Grade
"Green with Technology"

The theme of this project is environmental destruction and its goal is to increase awareness of environmental issues and its impact on the future.

FYI: New Educational Video Game Teaches Students About the Court System

America's first female Supreme Court justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, 78, (who retired from her post in 2006,) has helped develop an upcoming educational video game about the U.S. court system to be available for free online. One part of the game is designed to supplement seventh- to ninth-grade civics lessons, while the second segment is meant to be played during children's free time. O'Connor said the gaming site will feature some material in September and that it should be fully operational a year later.

For more information, visit: http://www.ourcourts.org/

GRANT ALERT: Access for Educators to C-SPAN Archival Footage

The C-SPAN Archives Grants awardees are granted the videotapes of their choice from the extensive collection in the C-SPAN Archives for creative proposals for using the network's programming in the classroom or in research projects. Middle and high school teachers, college/university professors are eligible.

How to apply? Simply write up a one page summary of how you intend to use videotape(s) from the C-SPAN Archives in your classroom. Include your resume or cv, the tape(s) you want including ID# and price from the C-SPAN Archives web site — you may also call the C-SPAN Archives for help in identifying tapes. For more information, click here.

FREE Internet Safety Curriculum & Professional Development

i-SAFE's education component provides students with dynamic, interactive, up-to-date Internet safety curriculum lessons online, in the classroom, and in the community. These lessons employ peer-to-peer communication and cooperative learning activities to help students retain this valuable information. i-SAFE provides a free Professional Development Program (online or face-to-face) and all the materials necessary to train and certify you. For more information, visit: http://www.isafe.org

FYI: Smart To Update Classroom Response System in July

Smart Technologies has announced a new version of its Senteo interactive response system, Senteo 2.0, and you can expect the free upgrade to be available in July.

According to Smart, Senteo 2.0 adds features that allow it to integrate with Smart's Notebook collaborative learning software and that simplify the process of adding questions to lesson plans. Other new features include:

• Enhanced tracking functions
• A "full-featured" gradebook
• Support for meta tags associated with student names
  
• Various improvements to reporting and analysis features
• access to "thousands" of pre-generated, state-aligned question sets through the company's education solutions Web site

Upgrades will be available for download at Smart's support site here.

Ten Tips for Internet Safety!

Protecting students from Internet dangers and distractions while still reaping its benefits is on every educators' tech priority list.

1. Get technological safeguards in place.
2. Put together a cyberspace safety curriculum for parents.
3. Take advantage of already available Internet safety education programs.
4. Have an acceptable use policy for all employees as well as students.
5. Put an “early-warning system” into effect.
6. Encourage teachers to become a part of the virtual world.
7. Use the many Internet offerings that can contribute to educational creativity, but do it inside a “walled garden.”
8. A picture is worth a thousand words. Include an image library in your “walled garden.”
9. Create a repository for information about what works.
10. When it comes to social networking sites like MySpace, educators should encourage the critical element—parental involvement.

**Adapted from Ten Tips for Internet Safety by Sheila Riley, June 1st, 2008 Edition of School CIO: K12 Technology Leaders

Educational Technology Professional Development

The Stonington Retreat is a rare opportunity to engage in high-level discussions and hands-on learning, focusing on the future of technology and education. Originally hosted on Deer Isle, Maine, the retreat is now held in New York City. During this 4-day conference, you will be working with researchers in the field of Education and Technology and veteran educators with a real sense of mission about implementing technology creatively with children. The retreat offers an opportunity for you to spend time as a learner as well as explore the vibrant places, people, and things the city has to offer. Workshops will be offered in: NXT Generation Mindstorms®, PicoCricket, Robot C, MicroWorlds EX, Scratch, Google Sketchup, Digital Video, and Blogging. For more information, visit: http://www.vemny.org/stonington.htm

Beware of Terror in the Classroom

Many adults, based on their own perceptions of traditional, face-to-face bullying, may not recognize cyberbullying as a real threat. We must education ourselves to be aware of the 21st century terror in the classroom, cyberbullying.

What is Cyberbullying?

Bill Belsey, President of Bullying.org Canada says, "Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies such as e-mail, cell phone and pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, and defamatory online personal polling Web sites, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group that is intended to harm others".

Nancy Willard, author of "An Educators Guide to Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats" breaks down cyberbullying into the following categories:

• Flaming. Online fights using electronic messages with angry or vulgar language.
• Harassment. Repeatedly sending nasty, mean, an insulting messages.
• Denigration. "Dissing" someone online. Sending or posting gossip or rumors about a person to damage his or her reputation or friendships.
• Impersonation. Pretending to be someone else and sending or posting material to get that person in trouble or damage their reputation.
• Outing. Sharing someone's secrets or embarrassing information or images online.
• Trickery. Tricking someone into revealing secrets or embarrassing information and then sharing it online.
• Exclusion. Intentionally and cruelly excluding someone.
• Cyberstalking. Repeated, intense harassment that includes threats or creates extreme fear.

For more information, view: www.bullying.org and www.stopcyberbullying.org/

FYI: Scientists release educational computer game

"Immune Attack" is a three-dimensional game that provides scientifically accurate simulations of the immune system, with imagery designed by medical illustrators. The game features conferencing and auto-tutoring technology meant to personalize the gaming and learning experience with content-rich sessions. It also contains a built-in assessment feature, through which users must answer questions to move on to the next level. For more information, visit: http://fas.org/immuneattack/

DIGITAL RESOURCES: A Periodic Table of Visual Literacy

Confused about the difference between a "radar chart" and a "concept fan," then his is a useful site to bookmark for reference when you're designing graphic organizers. It has over 50 different visualization methods all available on the same web page. View it at: http://www.visual-literacy.org/

GRANT ALERT: Verizon Foundation Education Grant

The Verizon Foundation is in the business of improving lives in literacy, knowledge and a readiness for the 21st Century. Grant applicants are required to select one or more outcomes and results for grants in each of our Funding Priorities, which may include education, literacy or internet safety. For more information, visit http://foundation.verizon.com

DIGITAL RESOURCES: "Learning Impulse" for Ages 3 & Up

Education By Design, which develops interactive games to provide organizations with a means to quickly distribute learning materials, has launched a new site called Learning Impulse. Targeted for use in primary school classrooms, Learning Impulse is a Web-based interactive tool that can be used to reinforce lessons and information taught in the classroom. It was designed to help get students more enthusiastic about classroom lessons. It is FREE for use to educators. Visit www.learningimpulse.com to learn more.

Nominate an Ed Tech Teacher for the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award

In a continuing effort to recognize outstanding contributions by K-12 educators and District level personnel in the field of Educational Technology, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF) in partnership with the Space Foundation and NASA, is pleased to present the Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award. The Award recognizes outstanding contributions made by technology personnel or classroom teachers to technology education.

The Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award rewards excellence in the development and delivery of technology programs. Programs which focus on aerospace and/or aeronautics will be given priority to other programs. Applicants must demonstrate how their programs ultimately benefit the students in a school or district. Applications are due January 16, 2009. For more information, visit: http://www.amfcse.org/

Post a Technology Wish List for Donors to See

Anyone who is a part of a non-profit organization serving K-12 students should register for Digital Wish. Therefore, teachers, administrators, district technology coordinators, public libraries, principals, YMCAs, charter schools, and more are welcome to join Digital Wish. For more information, visit: http://www.digitalwish.com