Tapped In Newsletter: December 2004
...On the Tapis
December 2004
Issue 85
In This Issue
[1] Warm Wishes for the Holiday Season from Tapped In
[2] Member Perspective: Bonnie Feather
[3] Tapped In Technology Tips
[4] News Nuggets
[5] Tips and Comments from the Experts
[6] About ...On the Tapis
Quote of the Month - "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol
[1] Warm Wishes for the Holiday Season from Tapped In
We want to thank each and every one of you for joining and being part of the Tapped In community. Our membership has now grown to over 21,000 and each month over 10% of you log in. Every member in Tapped In brings something valuable to contribute--a new perspective, knowledge to share, a question, or enthusiasm for teaching and learning. [See tech tip.] With this growth as a community, we see more and more instances of how much each of you care and want to help others reach their full potential as an educator. We believe that this caring is what sets Tapped In apart from other places. We hope that you find value in being able to share and learn with other educators online in the community. Because we value your input so greatly, we also hope you will help us plan for the expansion of our technology and community services by taking 30 seconds to answer our anonymous poll.
If you find yourself too busy, and want to keep reading our newsletter and "lurking" in the community, that is ok too. Join us whenever you can--we'll be here.
[2] Member Perspective: Bonnie Feather
Bonnie has taught high school music in Australia, preschool, first grade, fourth grade, and University level. Currently she is very interested in helping teachers to integrate technology with their teaching, since students are outpacing us quickly using technology as a learning tool. In addition to providing teacher support for the Northern Arizona Regional Training Center, Bonnie also been actively navigating online courses for the Arizona School Services for Educational Technology and PBS/TeacherLine.
Bonnie's Perspective
I work as a Technology Trainer in 6 counties of Arizona. Since our counties are among the largest in land area in the country, that's an area about the size of France! I visit and support all of the districts and charter schools in that area. Of course, many of these schools are rural, and many of them have affiliated sites that are hundreds of miles apart from each other.
When I teach administrators and teachers about Tapped In, it never fails that I hear wide-eyed comments. "This is just what we need..." "How much does a subscription cost?" (I love answering this one!) "We could use this for..."
I use Tapped In as a way to collaborate with colleagues far away. I can post a document to my office, and my colleagues can have access to it for review or revision. I can have access to documents on the web without disks, or even a flash drive! I have collaborated with people from other states, and even one from South Africa!
Read all of Bonnie's Perspective online.
If you or someone you know is doing great things in Tapped In, send this community leader's name to BJ Berquist (bjb@tappedin.org) and maybe their perspective will be included in an issue of ...On the Tapis.
[3] Tapped In Technology Tip
Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...
With apologies to Oscar Hammerstein II, we love to know all about you! As mentioned in the Tapped In team holiday wishes, every member in Tapped In brings something valuable to contribute--a new perspective, knowledge to share, a question, or enthusiasm for teaching and learning. One of the most important and easiest ways to introduce yourself to the community and share your valuable interests and ideas is through your Tapped In identity. To edit your identity log in to Tapped In, click on the ME tab and then go to the Settings subtab. Edit description will allow you to enter your digital photo and help us get to know you.
[4] News Nuggets
Tapped in member Helma Pasch announces a new e-journal. "Afrikanistik online" is a peer-review open access e-journal on African studies. It will be accessible by mid-December 2004. Despite its German name, publications in English and French are accepted. Contributions from all humanities-disciplines education science, psychology, anthropology, mission science, linguistics, geography are welcome. There is a list of books for reviews available here. Peer-reviewers are invited to declare their interest and discipline.
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Nov. 21, 2004 was Global Learn Day - a 24-hour, online collaborative conference - a worldwide celebration of learning! The Global Learn Day sessions were recorded and have been archived for playback. Tapped in members who presented events are Yvonne Marie Andres, Barbara Dieu, Teresa Almeida d'Eca, John Southworth, and Michael Coghlan.
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Tapped In recently received this Contact Us message from ENC:
I am writing from the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse. ENC is funded by the US Department of Education as a place to bring quality math and science products together under one roof. We let our teacher audience know about these products through our website, http://www.enc.org. Each weekday, ENC highlights one valuable resource from our extensive collection of teaching and professional development materials. Friday, November 26, [Tapped In] was featured on our homepage. You can see the ENC record in the archives.
Keep up the good work.
Pam Bentley, Acquisitions Specialist, ENC
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Tapped In member Curt L. Tofteland, Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Shakespeare Behind Bars, announced that the Philomath Films documentary about Shakespeare Behind Bars has been selected as one of 16 documentaries (out of 624 entries) for the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. The 90 minute documentary follows the nine month long process of bringing William Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, to performance. Shakespeare Behind Bars is the only North American Shakespeare Company contained within the walls of a medium security adult male prison. Shakespeare Behind Bars uses an original practices approach to producing full length productions using the First Folio Text with the male inmates playing all the roles.
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Do you have a News Nugget about yourself or another member of the Tapped In Community? Send your News Nugget to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org.
[6] Tips and Comments from the Experts
From new member Jane Hanson, "I think I will have to log on here more often now! I sure feel a sense of collegiality."
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After participating in a National Board Certification Discussion led by Gayle Britt, Tapped In member Stephenie Hooker commented, "This was one of the most informational Tapped In sessions I have been in and I am glad to learn some thing new."
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In talking about bringing her students to the K-12 Student Campus, Tapped In member Jackie Parkins commented, "They really love posting on this! It's probably the best idea I've had all year. It keeps my students talking long after school is over! Tapped In is definitely the "buzz" word around Hopewell-Loudon these days. Students really seem drawn to this! I love being able to see them connect with each other. Students that don't normally talk in class to each other are tapping in and chatting! I love it!"
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A message to all preservice, student, and first year teachers - Tapped In member, Michael Guffy reminds us that Tapped In is a community that is designed to provide professional development opportunities and collegial collaboration throughout your education career.
MichaelGu: Hi BJ
BjB: How's it going, Michael?
MichaelGu: Real good. I have finished all my course work for this semester.
BjB: I'll bet that's a relief!
MichaelGu: I start student teaching in Jan.
MichaelGu: and yes it is
BjB: how exciting. Don't forget your friends in TI if you need any help while you're student teaching
MichaelGu: Thanks. This is one resource I'm not leaving behind.
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If you have a comment or experience to share with the Tapped In community, please submit the information to BJ Berquist at bjb@tappedin.org or post to the How You Use TI link.
[6] About ...On the Tapis
Past issues of ...On the Tapis newsletters are available online.
Contact us if you have any questions about your subscription, password or user name, or if you have any news items that you want to share with the community for ...On the Tapis.