| Volume 2, Number 4 | Making a Difference in Education with Technology Today | December 2006 |
Greetings Educators,
Time marches on and this has certainly been a busy quarter for us on-campus. Our technology team recently hosted a study tour for a delegation from the Ministry of National Education in Algeria. The week-long study tour was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) as part of its Partnership Schools Program (PSP) and implemented by Creative Associates International, Inc. of Washington, D.C.The purpose of the study tour was to help the Ministry enhance its existing ICT (Information, Communications, and Technology – what we often refer to as educational technology here in the U.S.) efforts with practical, experience-based programming examples and ideas for the Algerian Education system. The delegation participated in several presentations and school visits that included areas such as:
- Training staff in technology use and curriculum integration;
- Developing student skills using educational technology;
- Using technology to transform pedagogy, and
- Using software to manage records; communicate information;
assign homework; initiate communications with parents; provide
supplemental instructions to students; and increase accountability.
As part of the study tour the delegation visited Dewitt High School, Holt High School and Michigan Virtual University. As part of the visits they were able to view classroom teachers using technology to enhance student learning.
Upon completion of the study tour, participants identified 10 high-impact ideas that will benefit the Algerian ICT planning process.
Mr. Samir Boubekeur, Director of Donor Cooperation for Algeria’s Ministry of National Education and one of the attendees on the study tour commented, “The MEPI initiative has been the first communication between the Algerian and American education systems. It is launching the relationship between our countries.”
In addition, as part of the Partnership Schools Program, Michigan State University is also connecting classrooms in Algeria with classrooms in the United States. Four schools are currently part of a pilot program with 6 additional schools to be added in January. The pilot schools are Dewitt High School, Durand High School, and Pinckney High School all in Michigan and Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. And, we are looking for two more schools to participate in the linkage program starting in January! If you are an educator in grades 11 or 12 and are interested in having your class participate in this global initiative please contact me or Carrie Albin at 517-432-9259. You can find out more information by visiting the e3link.org website.
Best Regards,Joseph Codde
Professor and Director
Educational Technology Certificate ProgramContact us at: 517-432-9259
http://edutech.msu.edu
The Educational Technology Certificate Goes Virtual
Are you too busy to devote chunks of time to a face-to-face professional development program? Perhaps you enjoy learning in your own location and at a time that is convenient for you. We have made it easy for you to get the professional development you need when it is convenient for your schedule. Starting January 8, 2007 the Educational Technology Certificate program will have a virtual offering.
The virtual offerings will be the same courses that we offer in our face-to-face program but with the added flexibility of going through the content on your own time. Just like the face-to-face program you can take one or sign up for all three. All three courses are required for the new Educational Technology (NP) endorsement. See the College News column for more information about the endorsement. The courses and their scheduled dates are as follows:
- CEP 810: Teacher for Understanding with Computers
January 8 - March 3, 2007 - CEP 811: Adapting Innovative Technologies to Education
March 5 - April 28, 2007 - CEP 812: Applying Educational Technology to Problems of Practice
April 30 - June 16, 2007
We are limiting the number of participants to 10 students for the first round of courses. If you are interested in signing up for these courses please call Brook Thompson at 517-432-9259 to reserve your spot. Based on other online courses in the College of Education we believe the 10 spots will fill up very rapidly.
We will continue to offer our face-to-face program in districts throughout the State of Michigan. We have new courses beginning in January in Forest Hills and Pinckney along with our current sites. Please see Location Information for locations and dates of our current offerings. You can also bring the program to your district. All you need is a minimum of 15 teachers and a computer lab. Contact Brook Thompson at 517-432-9259 if would like to find out more.
--Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor
The New Educational Technology (NP) Endorsement
This new 6-course endorsement program prepares teachers to utilize technology resources for their own teaching and for student learning in classes for which they hold other endorsements. They are also well-prepared to teach introductory computer-related classes for which no specific endorsement is needed such as Computers, Computer Literacy, Keyboarding, Word Processing, Computer Applications, Web Design, and Introduction to the Internet.
The endorsement courses are being offered during the summer in East Lansing as hybrid courses. Teachers will attend 10 days of class in the summer starting mid June, work online for the rest of the course duration, and then attend a final day in early August to share projects. Additional options include a summer program in Traverse City and Plymouth, England or online starting Fall 2007. Teachers must enroll in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology program in order to take these courses.
Endorsement Requirements
The endorsement requires the three courses (9 graduate credits) of the Educational Technology Certificate program as well as:
- CEP 800: Psychology of Learning in School and Other Settings (3 credits)
- CEP 801: Psychological Development: Learner Differences and Strategies (3 credits)
- CEP 822: Approaches to Educational Research (3 credits)
After completing the 18 graduate credits for the endorsement teachers only need 12 more graduate credits to complete the entire Masters program offered throughout the school year online.
To learn more about enrolling in the Masters program and obtaining the endorsement you may contact Sue Way at 517-432-7195 or waysusan@msu.edu.
--Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor
Sample Lesson in our CEP 810 Course
"Using the Internet to Bring Professional Development to You!"The Educational Technology Certificate program is now offered face-to-face or online and is part of the new Educational Technology (NP) endorsement. So what is stopping you from signing up today? Perhaps we need to show you a sample of what is covered in one of our courses. Below you will find a lesson on creating a Netvibes page for professional development that is presented in our CEP 810 course.
An important aspect of professional development is connecting with other educators and professionals. Unfortunately, all too often educators feel isolated and find it difficult to connect with educators outside of their building. Distance isn't the only issue. Educators often have multiple demands on their time. Recent advances on the web now make it possible to bring other educators and professional development resources to you.
Think about your favorite magazine or journal. For those really good journals that you want to read every week you subscribe to them so that they are delivered to your door every month. You don't have to go out and get them. Applications known as RSS Readers or Aggregators do the same thing. They allow you to subscribe to a page such as a blog that generates an RSS feed. The aggregator remembers all of your subscriptions and gathers new content that has been added. It then aggregates the information (compiles it) for you. It is like taking the headlines and abstracts from all of your favorite newspapers or journals and bringing them into one place for you to skim. If you want to follow up on any of the stories they are usually just one click away.
As part of our CEP 810 course we show you how to use an aggregator called Netvibes. Netvibes is web-based and sometimes referred to as a start page. Think of your Netvibes page as your one-stop-shopping area for professional development. Instead of scouring the Internet everyday new information will be brought to you.
We are going to show you how to add RSS Feeds from the following sources:
- Technology and Learning (journal)
- NPR Topics: Education (a compilation of radio shows dealing with issues related to education)
- Webblogg-ed ( Blog)
- Literacy Education Updates (Professional Organization Blog)
Go to the Netvibes Tutorial.
--Kathryn Dirkin, Virtual Endorsement Developer and Year Two Instructor
Showcase of Teacher Project: MAET Showcase
Each quarter we will be showcasing a teacher's project completed during his/her participation in our program. Sometime soon we are planning to archive these lessons on our website for you to refer to throughout the year. For any students that have previously taken the Certificate we are asking that you complete a Permission to Use Student Work form so that we can compile the archive. Please download the form here and mail or fax it back to Brook Thompson.
As part of the Master's in Educational Technology program educators are able to take classes in East Lansing, Traverse City, or Plymouth, England. Over the past two summers in the MAET program in Plymouth, England educators worked on several projects while learning how to integrate technology into their classrooms.
David Wong, Ken Dirkin, Kathryn Dirkin, Leigh Graves Wolf, Danah Henriksen and Sharman Siebenthal were the instructors for the program and helped the educators develop their projects. Ken Dirkin developed a website that showcases the work that was accomplished.
Visit http://maetshowcase.educ.msu.edu to check out the different projects that were completed.
If you find this resource useful please let us know by sending us an email at info@edutechmsu.org.
Do you have a great website you use for teaching? Send us an email at info@edutechmsu.org with the full link, a description of the website and the educational applications. We will select 5 websites to highlight each quarter. |
Web Sites Worth Visiting
Website Description and Educational Applications The Google for Educators website has teacher's guides to Google products, including basic information about each tool, examples of how educators are using them, and lesson ideas. You'll also find lesson plans and videos from Discovery Education focusing on two of the most popular teaching tools: Google Earth and Google SketchUp.
They also have a free newsletter that provides tips and updates on Google tools and features.
ThinkFree.com is a Web-based, server hosted office suite that allows users to create, edit and share word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation files anytime, anywhere.
This is great for students and teachers to be able to create files at school and still be able to access them at home even without having Microsoft Office installed on their computer. Thinkfree can also be used as a collaboration tool, allowing students to see each others work via a web browser. Because this program is Web-based an Internet connection is required.
http://themathworksheetsite.com/
The Math Worksheet Site is not a collection of worksheets. It is a web site that creates the worksheets you want when you want them according to the criteria you specify.
The Math Worksheet Site has a free section where a limited number of types of worksheets are available in HTML format. The subscription area of the site has a much broader range of types of worksheets available in PDF format.
(Submitted by Susan Wright, instructor of the Educational Technology Certificate program)
Dance Mat is a fun colorful website with animation and games introducing touch typing to children aged 7 to 11.
(Submitted by Susan Wright, instructor of the Educational Technology Certificate program)
Internet 4 Classrooms is a great site that includes tutorials on many different applications such as PowerPoint, Excel, and Dreamweaver as well as lesson plan ideas, links to great websites, assessment assistance, integration ideas and much more.
(Submitted by Susan Wright, instructor of the Educational Technology Certificate program)
Our courses are taught by an outstanding team of MSU adjunct faculty, many of whom are:
- K-12 classroom teachers themselves who have experience using educational technology in the classroom
- Graduates from our certificate program
- Exceptionally skilled in educational technology
- Winners of awards such as technology Teacher of the Year from the Michigan Association of Computer-Related Technology Users in Learning (MACUL) and the national award of the International Society for Technology in Education
This quarter's instructor spotlight is . . .
Tammy Maginity , Instructor for MSU Educational Technology Certificate, Instructional Coordinator for Pennfield Schools
Tammy Maginity is currently the Instructional Technology Coordinator for Pennfield Schools. Pennfield is located on the Northeast side of Battle Creek. Her job includes training staff and assisting staff with the use and integration of technology in a meaningful way.Prior to Pennfield, Tammy was a Computer/Technology teacher at Northeast Middle School in Comstock Public Schools for sixteen years. She has also had experience teaching 6th, 7th and 8th grade science, language arts, and math.
Tammy received her Bachelors degree from Michigan State University in Elementary Ed with a major in Fine Arts and Science. She went on to get her Master’s degree in Educational Technology from Ferris State University in August of 2000 with highest distinction.
She started teaching for the MSU Educational Technology Certificate program in the year 2000 mainly in the Comstock Area and has enjoyed it very much.
When Tammy isn’t working, she is an avid MSU fan and loves to sing and play guitar in the church worship band. She enjoys sports, both playing and wathcing and loves to play golf.
Ask the Experts! Do you have a question about teaching with technology and don't know how to find the answer? Submit it to info@edutechmsu.org to see if we can help. Each quarter a new question will be selected to include in our newsletter. |
Question: In the last issue you highlighted a shortcut that can be used in Excel. I was wondering what types of shortcuts Microsoft Word has that you have found useful.
Answer: There are many shortcuts that I have come to use on a regular basis in Microsoft Word. From keyboard shortcuts to clicks of the mouse there are so many possiblilities. I will highlight a few of my favorites.
Selecting Text:
Instead of clicking and dragging with your mouse to select text there are some shortcuts you can use.
Double click on a word Entire word Ctlr + click anywhere within a sentence Entire sentence Triple click anywhere in a paragraph Entire paragraph Ctlr + A Entire document Single click in left margin Entire line Double click in left margin Entire paragraph Drawing a line across the page:
In order to get a line across the page I use to do two things. One option was to hit the Shift key + the underscore key several times until I had a line all the way across the page. The second option was to use the Drawing Toolbar and draw a line using the Line Tool. Here are a few options that are a bit easier:
Type three consecutive hyphens + Enter Line across page Type three underscores + Enter Bold line across page Type three equal signs + Enter Double line across page More File Options:
There are several choices you have when you select the File menu in Word. However one of the things that doesn't show up is a Save All or Close All. When you have several documents open at once and want to close or save them all, you can click on each one to save and close it separately or you could use the following shortcut.
If you hold down the Shift key when selecting the File menu you will get a few new options on the menu, Save All and Close All. Microsoft Outlook also will display these options when creating a new message. Excel will only display the Close All option when using this shortcut.
Keyboard Shortcuts: (Many of these can be used in other Windows programs as well)
- Save the Current Document
<Ctrl> + S- Create a New Document
<Ctrl> + N- Open a Document
<Ctrl> + O- Undo the last thing you did
<Ctrl> + Z- Cut a selection and move it to the clipboard
<Ctrl> + X- Copy the selection to the clipboard
<Ctrl> + C- Paste the clipboard's contents
<Ctrl> + V- Increase font size
<Ctrl> + Shift + >- Decrease font size
<Ctrl> + Shift + <- Center paragraph
<Ctrl> + E- Print document
<Ctrl> + P- Underline
<Ctrl> + U- Bold
<Ctrl> + B- Move the cursor to the beginning of a document
<Ctrl> + <Home>- Move the cursor to the end of a document
<Ctrl> + <End>
--Carrie Albin, Outreach Coordinator and Co-Editor
Are you a teacher interested in MSU's Educational Technology Certificate Program? Check out the list below to see if the program is being offered in your area. If not, email Joe Codde to get your district started with the program.
Spring 2007
CEP 810 Grand Rapids-Forest Hills Jan 19, 20, Feb 9, 10, Mar 2, 3 Pinckney Jan 12, 13, Feb 9, 10, Mar 2, 3 CEP 811 Birmingham Jan 19, 20, Feb 9, 10, Mar 2, 3 DeWitt Jan 19, 20, Feb 9, 10, Mar 2, 3 Flint/ Mott CC Jan 19, 20, Feb 2, 3, 23, 24 Grandville Jan 19, 20, Feb 9, 10, Mar 9, 10 Mancelona Jan 26, 27, Feb 23, 24, Mar 23, 24 CEP 812 Birmingham Mar 16, 17, Internet Sessions, Apr 27, 28 DeWitt Mar 16, 17, Internet Sessions, Apr 27, 28 Flint/ Mott CC Mar 9, 10, Internet Sessions, Apr 20, 21 Grandville Mar 23, 24, Internet Sessions, May 4, 5 Mancelona Apr 13, 14, Internet Sessions, May 4, 5 Summer 2007
CEP 810 Birmingham/Seaholm May 18, 19, Jun 1, 2, 8, 9 Brimley/Bay MillsCC* Jun 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, Jul 2 DeWitt May 18, 19, Jun 1, 2, 8, 9 Livingston ESA/Howell* Jun 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26 Traverse City* Jun 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28 CEP 811 Birmingham/Seaholm Jun 21, 22, 28, 29, Jul 12, 13 Brimley/Bay Mills CC* Jul 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 DeWitt Jun 15, 16, 22, 23, Jul 13, 14 Livingston ESA/Howell* Jun 27, 28, Jul 2, 3, 9, 10, 11 Traverse City* Jun 29, Jul 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 11 CEP 812 Birmingham/Seaholm Jul 19, 20, Internet Sessions, Aug 2, 3 Brimley/Bay Mills CC* Jul 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24 DeWitt Jul 20, 21, Internet Sessions, Aug 3, 4 Livingston ESA/Howell* Jul 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24 Pinckney Jun 15, 16, Internet Sessions, Jul 27, 28 Traverse City* Jul 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 *Participants in the programs at the LESA, Traverse City, and at Bay Mills CC in Brimely must take all three courses due to the accelerated format.
Online Sections*
CEP 810 January 8 - March 3 CEP 811 March 5 - April 28 CEP 812 Online @ MSU April 30 - June 16 *Students participating in the online courses will have the opportunity to meet to share their projects at a time and place determined by the participants. Please contact Brook Thompson at 517-432-9259 if you are interested in registering for the online courses.
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Newsletter Editors
@ 2005 Michigan State University
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For More Information
Joseph Codde, Ph.D, Professor and Director,
Educational Technology Certificate Program
440 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824
http://edutech.msu.edu, 517-432-9259, joecodde@msu.edu
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