Middle School technology newsletter.

1. Middle School T.I.M.E.S. Technology Integration Made Easy & Simple Danita Russell – ITF Lee County Schools Volume 3, Issue 1 September 2009 [email_address] Welcome to a new school year! I hope this newsletter finds you rested and excited about the upcoming year. I look forward to working with you to make this a successful and rewarding school year. Many of us are intimidated and fearful of technology. No need to be! Together we can learn to use the resources to make our lives much easier. Technology shouldn’t be something else added to your already full plate. Instead, it allows you to reach more of your students. The purpose of this monthly newsletter is to aid you in integrating technology into your lessons. The content will vary slightly each month and hopefully you will find it useful as you try new ideas. I would love to include great technology lessons ideas from teachers. Why don’t you send me yours? If you would like for me to help you plan a lesson, model a lesson for you, or anything else to assist you in integrating technology into your classroom – email me: [email_address] Technology Opportunities This year’s technology workshops will be structured a bit differently than last year. This year, I will be meeting with the Language Arts teachers on Tuesdays and the Math teachers on Thursdays. This way, we can focus more on integrating technology into specific curriculum areas. For science and social studies, I’d love to come to your department meetings when you have those. Have a topic you want to learn more about? Problems with the new Microsoft Office 2007? Having trouble just remembering how to use the tools of the SMART Board? Need a refresher on something we covered last year? I’m sure you are not alone. Email me and we’ll have a training session. I want to cater these more to your needs and interests. Let me know what’s on your mind and what technology you want to learn more about and I’ll set-up a training session! Middle School T.I.M.E.S. Danita Russell Vol 3 Issue 1 September 2009

2. Curriculum Spotlight Social Studies PAGE 2 Middle School T.I.M.E.S. Danita Russell Vol 3 Issue 1 September 2009 Know more about your states http://jimspages.com/States.htm Our Supreme Court http://www.ourcourts.org Constitution Relay Game http://tinyurl.com/dx2des History games and animations http://tinyurl.com/l3oof4 Maps 4 Kids http://www.maps4kids.com Ancient History Sourcebook http://tinyurl.com/b6lk6 Population Connection (I have this dvd if you’d like to borrow it) http://tinyurl.com/ms8g98 All about mummies http://tinyurl.com/57cjb Social Studies Interactive http://tinyurl.com/nmcl3a grades 7-12 http://tinyurl.com/3a427e grades 3-6 Need more websites or searching for a specific topic? http://del.icio.us/danitarussell / insert your topic here For example: http://del.icio.us/danitarussell/maps

3. Page 3 Coffee Break Congratulations! The first week is over and now you have a long weekend to rest and prepare for next week. During your time off, you might want to check out some of these resources from Amazon to help you relax. Tips for New Teachers http://tinyurl.com/2asavt Yoga for Teachers http://tinyurl.com/26vhou Mediation and relaxation for teachers http://tinyurl.com/3y2v45 Stress Release for teachers http://tinyurl.com/3y5md2 Middle School T.I.M.E.S. Danita Russell Vol 3 Issue 1 September 2009 Using SpellingCity.com 1. Grab your spelling lists. 2. Visit www.spellingcity.com to register 3. They will send you a confirmation email. 4. Log into the Site 5. They will provide you with a URL to share with your students or place on your webpage or newsletter. 6. Click on LIST MANAGEMENT (upper right corner of page) 7. Click on CREATE NEW LIST. 8. Give a Title to your wordlist and type in the words. 9. Choose if you wish to publish this list (I always chose it) 10. Click on SAVE. 11. Check out the Test Me, Teach Me, Play Game Options. Your students will be able to use these as well. 12. Share the link with your students. Watch their spelling scores improve while they have fun with spelling city!!

4. PAGE 4 Middle School T.I.M.E.S. Danita Russell Vol 3 Issue 1 September 2009 Get rid of the clutter When you're displaying a website on your SMART Board, you can hit the F11 function key to hide all the toolbars and make the display as big as possible. This helps kids focus on the content and not the controls. To return to normal viewing, just hit the F11 key again. Customize Toolbar Erasing a large area Pick up the eraser and draw a circle around the area that you want erased. (You can use the eraser or your finger.) Then touch once inside the circle to erase the digital ink inside. By right-clicking on the Notebook Toolbar, you can add, remove, and rearrange items any way you desire. It's a simple way of increasing your productivity when developing applications in Notebook 10.

5. WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN’T LOOKING By Mary Rita Schilke Korzan When you thought I wasn’t looking, you displayed my first report, and I wanted to do another. When you thought I wasn’t looking, you fed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals. When you thought I wasn’t looking, you gave me a sticker, and I knew that little things were special things. When you thought I wasn’t looking, you put your arm around me, and I felt loved. When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt--but that it’s all right to cry. When you thought I wasn’t looking, you smiled, and it made me want to look that pretty too. When you thought I wasn’t looking, you cared, and I wanted to be everything I could be. When you thought I wasn’t looking--I looked... and wanted to say thanks for all those things you did when you thought I wasn’t looking. Words to leave with you ….. Have a great September! Page 5 Middle School T.I.M.E.S. Danita Russell Vol 3 Issue 1 September 2009