Tapped In Newsletter: March 2006
...On the Tapis
March 2006
Issue 100
In This Issue
[1] Opportunity to Help Those Affected by Gulf Hurricanes
[2] What's New for the Tapped In Community?!
[3] Tapped In Technology Tip
[4] News Nuggets
[5] Tips and Comments from the Experts
[6] About ...On the Tapis
Quote of the Month - "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope." - Dr. Seuss (1904 - 1991)
[1] Opportunity to Help Those Affected by Gulf Hurricanes
The Tapped In Teachers Emergency Mentor Association is leading the Tapped In Hurricane Central Help Center Mini Expo, a group to provide support and mentoring for teachers and students displaced by the Gulf hurricanes and other disasters. The dates are March 20-25 and include opportunities for TI members to mentor teachers in overcrowded classrooms by using the TI Student Campus or volunteer as a homework helper for PATH. Participate in tours of the Tapped In interface and Student Campus, a weather resource discussion with Timothy Schott from the National Weather Service, a presentation on the Hurricane Digital Memory Bank by Sheila Brennan, a discussion on counseling resources to help students and educators address Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome with Barbara Muller Ackerman, and a chance to learn about and volunteer for PATH, Pupils Asking, Teachers Helping, a homework help site staffed by teachers.
Join the Hurricane Central group and look at the folders with Lesson Plan Ideas, Your Stories, My Classroom Needs. Folders have also been placed in the Student Campus Hip Hop Studio to give students an opportunity at "normalcy" and talk to other students about Games, Multimedia, Music, Movies, Raps and Rhymes.
Don't miss this opportunity to help your education colleagues by doing what you do best - teach through collegial support!
[2] What's New for the Tapped In Community?!
New events are frequently being added to the Tapped In calendar, so make sure you visit often! Pepperdine University, long time tenant in TI (since 1998), is beginning to host new online events and inviting TI members to join them. One type of event will be the Alum/Student Spotlight.
Each month, Pepperdine plans to have students and alumni who are doing interesting work share what they are doing. The first event, Monday, March 20, 2006 at 6pm PST, features Paul Reynolds. Paul will be discussing his work at Fablevision and his experience in the Pepperdine program. Join us in the Pepperdine Building Reception room to participate. Keep watching the calendar for more exciting events from Pepperdine.
--------------
Lesley Farmer has given her Targeting Librarians a room of their own. She offers this challenge: Want to help build the library - and the library professional - of the future? This is the place! The group will share a growing number of ideas and resources. Lesley holds a monthly Tapped In session on librarians and technology.
--------------
Neva Moga, Milwaukee Public Schools, announces a new series of discussions that MPS and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is opening to all TI members. Michael Wilson, a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will be available from 7-8pm CST on Wednesdays to discuss and answer questions about his area of expertise: American Indian Studies, including American Indian literature and sovereignty rights. Dr. Wilson's American Indian Studies room is part of the UWM Teachers for a New Era project that is housed in the MPS Tapped In building. Feel free to join him for his discussions.
[3] Tapped In Technology Tip
Update your profile!
You may have noticed that when you look at the TI Calendar, some of the events are highlighted in blue. This reflects the discipline you entered when you filled out the Tapped In membership form. To make sure that you are kept up to date on events in your area of interest, please visit your ID page and update the information in your profile. To do this, log in, click on the ME tab at the top of your screen, and then go to the subtab SETTINGS. It's easy, quick, and keeps you posted on upcoming events in which you are interested.
[4] News Nuggets
The March issue of Learning & Leading with Technology has an article on Information Literacy, "Digital Citizenship at All Grade Levels" by Gerald Bailey and TI member Mike S. Ribble.
--------------
The March issue of Educational Leadership contains an article in Great Teachers Remembered about Mamie Till Mobley by TI member Cynthia Dagnal Myron.
--------------
The Feb. issue of SchoolArts has a resource card submitted by TI member Nancy Walkup, and an ArtEd Online article, "Art as Celebration" by TI member Craig Roland. Craig also has an ArtEd Online article, "Digital Storytelling in the Classroom" in the March issue of SchoolArts.
--------------
The Journal of the National Art Education Association March issue of Art Education has an article, "Community-Based Learning Through a Model of Participatory Public Art" by TI member Pamela Stephens.
--------------
Curt L. Tofteland happily announces that Shakespeare Behind Bars will be released in theaters in March! The filmmakers, Hank Rogerson and Jilann Spitzmiller, encourage us to marvel at the transformative power of art. In Shakespeare Behind Bars, the most restricted people in society (prison inmates) find freedom in performance and release in words.
--------------
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.
[5] Tips and Comments from the Experts
TI member Paddy Greenleaf posted a request for advice to the Webheads yahoo email group. TI member Carla Arena responded with a great testimonial for the TI K-12 Student Campus and the Tours led by helpdesk volunteers! Thanks, Paddy and Carla, for granting permission to use your messages in the Tapis.
Dear all, can you advise? What's the best advice to give other teachers about taking YL students to the chat rooms in Tapped In? I have a private room and use the chat facility there with my students, but I still run the risk of students wondering off to chat in other windows in TI - I'm not sure what the guidelines are so don't want to give 'wrong' advice in a seminar to other teachers! - Paddy
Do you know about the Students' Campus in TI? It's a safe place for them. Another thing is contacting the help desk to have a tour with a group of teachers. Once Erika and I had a workshop about Tapped in and Jeff had a virtual tour with the participants. They loved it! - Carla
------------------
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 How You Use TI.
[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.