Tapped In Newsletter: July 2006
...On the Tapis
July 2006
Issue 104
In This Issue
[1] Member Perspective: Jim Hicks
[2] Sustaining Professional Development Online
[3] Tapped In Technology Tips
[4] Tips and Comments from the Experts
[5] News Nuggets
[6] About ...On the Tapis
Quote of the Month - "You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives." - Clay P. Bedford
[1] Member Perspective: Jim Hicks
Jim Hicks retired in June 2006 with 32 years of experience as a teacher and counselor. He will be a part-time instructor in the fall of 2006 with the Kentucky Department of Education in the Virtual High School. Jim was originally introduced to Tapped In during a workshop conducted by the Kentucky Department of Education for Instructional Technology Leaders in the late 90s. At that time Tapped In did not have all the features that it has now. You could get an office but it was nothing more then a graphical space with which you actually had to design your own office using graphical software. Still the goal was to bring people together in a professional development atmosphere to share ideas. At the time Jim was an ITL and was introduced to the concept and became very interested in online learning.
Jim's Perspective
I felt that this was a way of bringing together diverse groups of educators with many points of view that could improve the professional development opportunities for teachers. I have never been disappointed with this. Tapped In has proven time and again that it has the ability to bring people together to share ideas for the improvement of the profession. With the addition of the student campus there is now the ability to bring this type of online learning to our students.
It has been ten years since that initial involvement, the Tapped In environment is now much more user-friendly then it was 10 years ago but the benefits are the same. It certainly has been of benefit to me. I retired from teaching this past year after 32 years of teaching science in Kentucky. I can now pursue one of my interests, online learning and teaching at the Kentucky Virtual High School.
Read all of Jim's Perspective.
[2] Tapped In Festival 2006
The quote of the month, "You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives," was chosen for all the TI educators who are continuing that learning process. To facilitate this process, you are invited to join the July 19 Tapped In Festival to help educators become engaged in and sustain lifelong learning. Read more about the Festival.
Tapped In Advocates for Professional Development
In support of Professional Development, Tapped In is offering Certificates of Participation to anyone who participates in a minimum of three Festival events. Certificates may be used to document participation in the Festival. Individual school districts or educational institutions will determine if the certificates will be accepted for professional development credit.
In addition to the certificates, Dianne Allen is leading a Reflective Writing discussion during the Festival. Join Dianne to learn how you can encourage your school or educational institution to recognize your participation in the many events that take place in TI and support your own proactive involvement in Professional Development!
[3] Tapped In Technology Tips
Welcome to the Tapped In Library page
The resources in the new TI Library are submitted by members to share with the community. Members are encouraged to submit a wide range of published and unpublished information (e.g., articles, posters, images, syllabi, instruments, datasets, etc.). The resource need not have been authored by a Tapped In member. To access the Library, log in and click on the Tapped In tab. Then click on the sub-tab LIBRARY. Use the drop-down menu to browse the categories or try out the search feature. br>
Revisions, revisions, revisions...
Keeping the Tapped In community running smoothly takes constant vigilance from the wonderful Tapped In Tech Team. This team relies on your feedback if you experience any problems with the many features as they are tweaked to perfection. To submit a bug report, please use the Bug Report Form.
[4] Tips and Comments from the Experts
Su-hsun Tsai (ChristinaT in TI) sent this message to the Tapped In Helpdesk: My millions thanks to your sharing [information posted to the group discussion boards] from time to time. You are really a nice friend supporting us, all the TI members, with all your heart. My appreciation, again. ~~Su-hsun, Taipei, Taiwan
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More kind words from Tapped In member Edith Lopez-Millard: I love to come to Tapped In. I am in permanent learning.
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Tapped In member Devo Carpenter sent this note of appreciation to BJ and the members of the Alt/Correctional Ed group: I put Tapped In on a resource list for a panel program I did at the American Library Association called "Books behind Bars". Hopefully more librarians who are doing programs with their detention centers will use your great resource. I have enjoyed the information you send in the emails. I appreciate all you do.
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Tapped In member Sharon Harpster had some very exciting news to share about how Tapped In members collaborate!
In February, 2006, I emailed you about getting a student to join our web team for the ThinkQuest educational website competition. You were able to get a student from Bulgaria for us. I just thought you might like to know that--with his help--we were able to win first place in the contest. [Visit the site, IT'S ALL MINE!]. Each student--including the team member from Bulgaria, will be brought, free of charge, to San Francisco, California [along with one parent] for 5 days. Each team member also won a laptop computer!
I must say that, had it not been for your help in posting our need of a member, we never would have won. This team member was responsible for a significant part of the site. Thanks again for your help!!!
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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.
[5] News Nuggets
TI member Jane Guttman has an article, "Books Behind Bars," in NEA Today.
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TI member Debra Sprague has a CITE Journal article in which she mentions TI as one of the ways in which to "Conduct Research That Allows for the Possibility for Predictions and Generalizations."
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TI member Barbara Dieu gave a 90-minute workshop entitled "Networking on the Net" at the Braz-Tesol National Convention in Bras’lia during which one of the topics covered was TI, has just launched the Braz-Tesol EduTech SIG, and was elected the coordinator for this first year.
[6] About ...On the Tapis
Past issues of ...On the Tapis newsletters are available online.
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