Tapped In Newsletter: January 2005
...On the Tapis
January 2005
Issue 86
In This Issue
[1] Tapped In as a Global Community (Tsunami)
[2] Overcoming Teacher Isolation
[3] Tapped In Technology Tips
[4] News Nuggets
[5] Tips and Comments from the Experts
[6] Teaching Science Research in the High School
[7] About ...On the Tapis
Quote of the Month - "A good education is not so much one which prepares a man to succeed in the world, as one which enables him to sustain a failure." - Bernard Iddings Bell
[1] Tapped In as a Global Community
Because Tapped In is a global community, all the members of the community have been touched in some way by the tsunami and after-effects that devastated so many countries. Please know that, as a community, Tapped In and the Tapped In team offer our thoughts and prayers to all who were affected by this horrific disaster. Linda Ullah is presenting a special Global Based Project Learning discussion on January 13. Her topic will be Tsunami Relief Projects and Efforts for Classrooms. Please join Linda and the Tapped In community in this discussion to find out how you and your classes can participate in this global collaboration.
[2] Overcoming Teacher Isolation
The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse produces weekly ENC Focus issues on various math, science, technology, and professional development topics. Join Gail Hoskins and BJ Berquist for a discussion about the Focus issue, Overcoming Teacher Isolation (launched on January 13), at http://www.enc.org/focus/ as we examine "The Curse of Teacher Isolation, and a Possible Cure" and consider the importance of (online and real life) professional community. Tapped In is featured in the "Technological Turn of Events" article. So join Gail and BJ as together we seek to find solutions for the closed-door syndrome.
[3] Tapped In Technology Tip
Joining Special Interest Groups
There are currently almost 700 Special Interest Groups in Tapped In. Groups give you an opportunity to collaborate with teachers in different states, countries, continents. A group may focus on disciplines like science, math, language arts, or on a specific age/grade level, such as The K to 3 Resource Room or Middle Level Science. Many of the events that are scheduled on the calendar as real time discussions are supported by group resource rooms which contain files, links and a discussion board that facilitates asynchronous communication among group members between real time meetings. To join a group in Tapped In, log in and go to the SEARCH tab in the top right of the screen. Click on the GROUPS tab and enter the group name or topic. When you press the FIND IT button you will get a list of matches. Go to the group identity page (click on the name of the group next to the green i icon). At the top of the group identity page will be a place to join or request to join the group. Once you submit this information you will receive email confirmation of your group membership. When membership is confirmed (if the group is public, this confirmation is automatic) the group name will be added to the Favorite Places menu and you will have direct access to the group room.
[4] News Nuggets
Tapped in is again an ENC Digital Dozen.
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Tapped In member Curt Tofteland is making quite a few headlines with Shakespeare Behind Bars!
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/10411501.htm
http://www.louisvillescene.com/2004/12/19/movies_shakespeare.html
http://www.oldhamera.com/articles/2004/12/27/news/news02.txt
http://www.broadwaytovegas.com/January2,2005.html
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Tapped In member Elizabeth Hanson-Smith announces a series of CALL (Computer Aided Language Learning) workshops.
In Jan-Feb, the CALL Interest Section offers the opportunity to participate in the Electronic Village Online (EVO), a professional development project and virtual extension of the TESOL 2005 Convention in San Antonio, TX. The sessions are free and open to all. To join a session, go to
http://www.geocities.com/ehansonsmi/evo2005/announce.html or http://webpages.csus.edu/~hansonsm/announce1.html. A text-only version is available at http://webpages.csus.edu/~hansonsm/announce2.html. Registration begins January 3, 2005.
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As part of the EVO sessions, from Jan. 17th to Feb. 27th, Tapped In members Aaron Campbell, Barbara Dieu and Graham Stanley will moderate a 6-week online workshop for teachers in the use of weblogs in English Language Teaching. To enhance the learning experience, there will be weekly chat sessions in Tapped In with guest speakers willing to share their knowledge and expertise with the participants. See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/weblogging/
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Tapped In member Jennifer Wagner of TechnospudProjects.com announces a celebration from Feb 7-11 of Pomp's 200th Anniversary of his First Birthday! Pomp is the son of Sacagawea, the Indian maiden who was on the Lewis and Clark expedition. You are welcome to utilize worksheets, coloring sheets, craft ideas and more throughout the entire week. See http://technospudprojects.com/Projects/pomp/home.htm. For more information contact Jen at jlw@technospud.com
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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
Tapped In member Danika Brown dropped in to Reception to let the Tapped In team know that she used Tapped In for her upper division composition theory course this semester. "The students LOVED it and there was absolutely no learning curve. They were up and working on it the very first day I introduced it to them. So I wanted to thank you and the Tapped In team for making this environment available. This environment will let me get my courses up and running [from home] next semester. I am not even worried about that (and I so appreciate having one less thing to worry about at this point)."
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During a recent K-3+ Resources discussion, Tapped In members Gail Hoskins and Karen Lemmons made the following comments:
Gail Hoskins: It is amazing how many great sites are around like this -- and bad that it is so hard to know about them.
Karen Lemmons: so true... but thank goodness for Tapped In. At least this is one place where we can learn some good stuff.
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Tapped In member Terri Zopf-Schoessler sends this message: Thank you [to the Tapped In team] and whoever else decided to make Folders available--complete with the "Move This File" option--as part of the website design! This has made keeping track of my students' (who are reading and posting on three different works this week alone) postings a whole lot easier! Thank you! Please pass on my grateful kudos!
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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] Teaching Science Research in the High School
Leonard Behr, Program Administrator, Science Research in the High School, The University at Albany, announces teacher training workshops to be given by the State University of New York at Albany. The workshops are offered in ten locations around the country during the five day NSF funded institutes in "Teaching Science Research in the High School". Requests for summer workshop brochures and newsletters can be made to Leonard at lenbehr@mhonline.net
[7] About ...On the Tapis
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