NMSU Online Teaching and Learning

A BIG Congratulations to Dana Dawson!

2010-06-15T12:16:00.001-07:00

NMSU alumna receives Presidential Award for mathematics and science teaching

Earlier this month President Barack Obama named 103 mathematics and science teachers across the United States as recipients of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, one of whom was New Mexico State University alumna Dana Dawson.
http://newscenter.nmsu.edu/news/article/5186/

Neat workshop for teachers

2010-02-26T11:39:00.001-08:00

Lots of fun. Not free for non-Floridian teachers, but worth it if one can afford it. Schedule usually” breakfast, 1 hour class, boats to reef. Lunch, 1 hour class, boats to reef. Dinned, 1 hour class, outdoor activity close in, like astronomy, plankton collection, etc.

Janet

www.marinelab.org <http://www.marinelab.org> – regular site.

--------------------------

Hello from MarineLab in Key Largo!

We are excited to present a variety of teacher workshops this summer! In addition to our long-time favorite Coastal Marine Ecology of the Florida Keys, we offer an Advanced MarineLab/AP Programs workshop and the ReefCheck Data Gathering on SCUBA workshop.

The workshops take place July 25 - 30, 2010 and have an option to receive continuing education credits OR graduate college credit through Barry University in Miami Springs.

SCHOLARSHIPS are available for Florida teachers for either of the snorkeling workshops! Applications and directions are available on the website.

An added bonus for SCUBA certified teachers is the opportunity to extend your workshop and participate in coral reef restoration through the Restoration Workshop on July 30 & 31.

For details including an itinerary, visit our website at http://www.marinelab.org/Teacher_Workshops.html. All workshop fees include meals and accommodations. Hope to see you this summer!

The MarineLab Team

New Spring Webinars

2010-01-21T12:55:00.001-08:00

Dear Educator,

Please join us for our Transforming Teaching through Technology webinars this semester beginning January 25th. RETA Webinar professional development sessions are one-hour seminars created to fit into the fast-paced schedules of today's educators. Launch your journey of eLearning with emerging technologies, online teaching & learning and classroom technology integration every Monday from 4:30-5:30 pm (Mountain).

Edmodo, Twitter and Yammer: Microblogging in Education
Monday January 25th, 2010 from 4:30-5:30 pm (MT)

What is this Twitter everyone's talking about? How does this pertain to me as an educator? Microblogging is here to stay, but there's no doubt it can seem strange at first. This new form of communication uses status updates to broadcast and receive information across a learning network. A microblogging community can be everything from a source of breaking information to a virtual water cooler or an 'unconference' with people around the world. Whether you want to use a microblog as a personal learning environment for yourself, with your colleagues, or even with your students, we've got the tools for you. 'Follow' us to learn about these free microblogging tools and their potential classroom uses: Twitter, Yammer and Edmodo.

To attend this event, register by going to: http://webinars.nmsu.edu/detail.cfm?id=73
You will then receive a confirmation email with the webinar link.

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction. A webcam is optional. If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For a complete schedule of all of our webinars, visit us at: http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at webinars [at] nmsu [dot] edu or call 575.646.6143. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook, http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh or tweet with us on Twitter, http://twitter.com/retazens

Our featured webinar this week is Copyright for Educators I: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/p62749492/

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning Quotient) with us!

Thank you,
The RETA Webinar Team
(575) 646-6143
http://webinars.nmsu.edu
webinars [at] nmsu [dot] edu

Online Math Secondary Resource

2010-01-11T14:42:00.001-08:00

Web site offers free online math lessons

The California-based Web site Brightstorm offers online math help for students with video lessons created by teachers. Most of the site's math lessons are free, but the company also offers fee-based lessons in preparation for standardized tests. "Anybody who is confused with their homework can come to our site, search for the concept, find it really quickly, and then they can get an explanation that is concise and to the point from a really talented presenter who is also a great teacher," a Brightstorm representative said.

http://www.brightstorm.com/

Indictment of use of technology to improve learning?

2010-01-11T13:14:00.001-08:00

Has education wasted the money and opportunity to improve learning, teaching, achievement by only using new technologies to perpetuate traditional, non-effective learning strategies?

What/Where is the evidence?

What is meant by using new technology as a "cognitive tool?" What would that look like?

Special Edition: Educational Outcomes & Researc h from 1:1 Computing Settings
The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment

The End of Techno-Critique: The Naked Truth about 1:1 Laptop Initiatives and Educational Chang
http://escholarship.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1193&context=jtla

Speak Up! Survey

2009-12-14T16:21:00.001-08:00

RETAzens,
Keep up the great work! Read more below.

And there’s still time for teachers, students, administrators, and parents to take the Speak Up! Survey. It closes on Friday, Dec. 18th! http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/

Thanks to everyone who has taken and promoted this survey. Thanks to Jill Brown, NMSTE President, for the following information.

Speak Up! update: Innovate-Educate NM in partnership with NMSTE, IDEAL-NM and the NM CTE
Committee has resulted in over 6000 NM participants that have taken the survey, compared to 300 last year!

--Sincerely,
Susie B. =;->

“The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them."
--Robert Frost,
Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet

Upcoming RETA Webinar: Creating Projects with Scratch

2009-11-06T15:02:00.001-08:00

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM November 9, 2009
Location: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/scratchsum09/

Dear RETAzens,

The Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program would like to
invite you to attend our upcoming, free, professional development webinar,
Creating Projects with Scratch.

This is webinar is an introduction to the free programming language,
Scratch, and its website/repository/social area. First, there will be an
introduction to the programming features that are unique to Scratch. After
that, the presenter, Carl Bogardus, will log on to Scratch's website and
give you a tour. At that point, you will see student and teacher projects
and discuss the possibility of classroom use. Finally, you will get the
chance to register on the website (also free!) and look for projects that
you'd like to use as an introduction to Scratch in your classroom.

Details on Attending
When: Monday, November 9th, 2009 @ 4:30 PM (Mountain)
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/scratchsum09/
Cost: Free

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your
computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer
microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction.

If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your
connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at: webinars [at] nmsu.edu or call
Miley
Grandjean, 575.646.6143. Also, don't forget to find us on Facebook,
http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh or tweet with us on Twitter&lsqauo;@retazens

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

Thank you,
RETA Webinar Team

Reminder: Competitive Mini-Grant Applications-- DUE Friday, October 30, 2009

2009-10-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Innovate-Educate and NMSTE Announce
Qwest Innovation Grants
Competitive Mini-Grant Application Package

http://nmste.wikispaces.com/Qwest+Grant+09

Application Deadline:
Friday, October 30, 2009

Administered by Innovate-Educate

Qwest Classroom Technology Integration
Competitive Mini-Grant Application

Introduction

The Qwest Foundation has allocated to Innovate-Educate $25,000 through a Qwest Foundation for Education Grant to be awarded to non-APS (APS grants also available) PreK-12 teachers who demonstrate an innovative use of technology with students. The funds may be used to purchase the following for use in the classroom: supplies and materials, technology, or professional development activities. Any non-disposable supplies and materials or capital objects purchased are the property of the district or school that is awarded the grant. Funds will be awarded during the 2009-2010 school year. Recipients will be awarded in November 2009. The funds must be spent by May 30, 2010. Deadline for the Award: The application must be postmarked by October 30, 2009.

The purpose of this grant is to:

Recognize teachers who are using technology in innovative ways with students;
Increase an awareness of how teachers are using technology in the classroom;
Model best practices with technology integration improving student achievement.

For the Innovate-Educate submissions, there will be a competitive priority on the use of virtual technologies. In other words, those grants submitted that address the use of virtual resources to reach more teachers/students will be given priority over other submissions. Sustainability and scalability are also a priority.

Timelines

Mini-Grant proposals must be postmarked by October 30, 2009.

Proposals postmarked after that date will not be considered.

Mini-Grants can be applied for in the amounts of $2,500 and $5,000.
Panel or poster session presentations of awarded projects will be made at the Innovate-Educate /STE Spring Conference in April 2010.

Eligibility

Certified PreK-12 school teachers are eligible to receive a maximum of one Mini-Grant award.

For the rest of the story go to http://nmste.wikispaces.com/Qwest+Grant+09

Upcoming RETA Webinar: Photostory 3 in the Classroom

2009-10-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM November 2, 2009
Location: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/photo3sum09/

Dear Retazens,

The Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program would like to
invite you to attend our upcoming, free, professional development webinar,
Photostory 3 in the Classroom.

Photostory 3 is a free software download on computers using the Windows
operating system. During this webinar we discuss various classroom
ideas/uses for Photostory videos, and you will learn how easy it is to
create videos for your own classroom. Engage your students with video
projects that can be burned on to CDs, DVDs, posted to the web, or even
emailed to parents. Downloadable take-home resources will also be provided.

Details on Attending
When: Monday, November 2nd, 2009 @ 4:30 PM (Mountain)
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/photo3sum09/
Cost: Free

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your
computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer
microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction.

If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your
connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at: webinars [at] nmsu.edu or call
575.646.6143. And don¹t forget to find us on Facebook,
http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh or tweet with us on Twitter&lsqauo;@retazens

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

Thank you & feel free to pass along the attached flyer,
RETA Webinar Team

Upcoming RETA Webinar: Microsoft Office Word 2007 for Teachers

2009-10-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM October 19, 2009
Location: Online: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/wordsum09/

Dear Retazens,

The Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program would like to
invite you to attend our upcoming, free, professional development webinar,
Microsoft Office Word 2007 for Teachers.

This is a demonstration and explanation of some of the features that make
Microsoft Office Word an excellent presentation tool for teachers. In this
webinar, you will learn how to create and format tables, insert visual
graphics (pictures, clip art and shapes), and embed objects (audio and video
clips).

Details on Attending
When: Monday, October 19th, 2009 @ 4:30 PM (Mountain)
Where: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/wordsum09/
Cost: Free

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your
computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer
microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction.

If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your
connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

Thank you & feel free to pass along the attached flyer,
RETA Webinar Team

Upcoming RETA Webinar: Cool Tools For Educators

2009-10-02T09:19:00.001-07:00

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM October 5, 2009
Location: Online: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/cooltoolssum09/

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM October 5th, 2009
Location: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/cooltoolssum09/

Dear Retazens,

The Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program would like to
invite you to attend our upcoming, free, professional development webinar,
Cool Tools For Educators.

Cool Tools For Educators will will introduce you to lots of free and cheap
online tools for educators. In this webinar we will take a quick "drive by"
tour of some of the cool tools available. Resources and links to these
online tools will be provided.

Details on Attending
When: Monday, October 5th, 2009 @ 4:30 PM (Mountain)
Where: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/cooltoolssum09/
Cost: Free

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your
computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer
microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction.

If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your
connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at: webinars [@] nmsu.edu or call
575.646.6143. And don¹t forget to find us on Facebook,
http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh or tweet with us on Twitter&lsqauo;@retazens

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

Thank you & feel free to pass along the attached flyer,
RETA Webinar Team

Connect! Your PLN Lab

2009-08-18T09:35:00.001-07:00

Explore with us how Personal Learning Networks (PLN) add value to our personal and professional lives. From tools and strategies to perspectives and philosophies, we're opening up a lab for sharing this conversation across synchronous, asynchronous, and ambisynchronous formats.

Our unique approach for Connect! Your PLN Lab combines highly interactive webinars and hands-on challenge activities to provide you with an engaging learning experience focused on helping you maximize the potential of your PLN.

For all the information, check out our PLN wiki at:
http://plnlab.pbworks.com/

Be sure to watch the video too:

http://snipurl.com/plnvideo

There is much fun to be had!

:)
~julz

Draft of National Technology Literacy Test Released

2009-08-18T08:49:00.001-07:00

ASCD SmartBrief | 08/17/2009

A draft of proposed national technological-literacy exams has been released
by the National Assessment Governing Board. You can download it at:

http://www.edweek.org/media/nagb_assessment_devel_comm_aug_7-09.pdf

The computer-based test, which will be given to a sample of students in
fourth, eighth and 12th grades in 2012, will gauge students' ability to use
and communicate with technology as well as their understanding of
technology's advantages and drawbacks.

http://tinyurl.com/o5n9br

21st Century Skills science and geography skills

2009-07-29T10:20:00.001-07:00

THE Journal

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills <http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/>
has teamed with the National Science Teachers Association
<http://www.nsta.org/> and the National Council for Geographic Education
<http://www.ncge.org/> to launch the latest in its series of 21st century
road maps for core academic subjects, in this case K-12 science and
geography. The maps were introduced at the National Education Computing
Conference <http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2009/> (NECC) being held
this week in Washington, DC.

http://snurl.com/lryai

--
Larry Jeffryes

TPS Direct PD tool presented at NECC

2009-07-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks Larry for this resource!

TPS Direct
Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Direct
By using TPS Direct PD activities, educators learn how to bring primary
sources into the classroom and help students think critically, construct
knowledge, and develop the information fluency necessary for success in the
21st century.

The Library¹s PD content is applicable for educators across grade levels and
content areas. It can be used independently, or it can be integrated into an
existing professional development program.

PD Plan Builder
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/tpsdirect/pdplanbuilder/

Select activities from the Library's proven professional development
programs and build a customized PD plan. Output is a PDF (Adobe Reader 8.1.3
or higher recommended
http://get.adobe.com/reader/

Questions or comments? <http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/ask-learning.html>

FROM ASTD NM: Job Links Updated / New Jobs Posted!

2009-05-26T14:48:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Szq and Larry for the following information!

FYI: Overview of current jobs related to instructional design, training,
and technology outside the PreK-14 classroom. (Is that where the "real
world" is?)

We are receiving requests from all over for new positions!
We at ASTD NM wish you the very best when applying for them.
See our new and updated positions at http://www.astdnm.org/jobs
ASTDNM Job Line

Brain Fitness - Help Students Become Lifelong Learners

2009-05-13T09:48:00.001-07:00

Thank you Szq for this resource!

The New Science of Learning:
Brain Fitness for Kids
As seen on Public Television
<http://e-news.edweek.org/ct/4625238:5464046886:m:1:219560809:9D3DEDAAEEF150
8644814A39F137DA8A>

A brain is an amazing structure: flexible, powerful, and able to learn,
process, create and dream. The more we discover about the brain, the more we
are able to affect how learners use their brains, and thus improve their
potential for the future. Just as exercise of the body promotes physical
fitness, so does the proper exercise of the mind promote brain fitness. The
latest neuroscience has shown how plastic the brain actually is; the input
we receive actually creates physical or "neuroplastic" changes in the brain.

In short, we can train this amazing structure to help learners become more
fit and ready for lifelong learning&lsqauo;and the earlier in life we start with
such exercise, the better.

A program called "The New Science of Learning: Brain Fitness for Kids,"
produced by Public Television, explores the exciting promise of brain
plasticity and how it can be used to optimize learning and dramatically,
positively and permanently impact the lives of learners of all abilities.

Through interviews with neuroscientists, psychologists, educators, and
parents, it tells the groundbreaking and moving story of previously
unthinkable successes in learning and life. We are excited to bring you some
of the experts featured on the show in a series of complimentary webinars!

The New Science of Learning: Brain Fitness for Kids Webinar Series
* May 27th, 10am PDT, How the Brain Learns: From the Laboratory to the
Classroom
* Dr. Paula Tallal, Board of Governor¹s professor of neuroscience at
Rutgers, The State of New Jersey, and co-founder and co-director of the
Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience.
* June 4th, 10am PDT, Brain Plasticity, Child Development, and Learning
* Dr. Michael Merzenich, Professor Emeritus in Otolaryngology in the W. M.
Keck Foundations Center for Integrative Neurosciences at the University of
California San Francisco Medical Center, and elected member of the National
Academy of Sciences.
* June 10th, 9am and 1pm PDT, Stewarding the Health of our Children¹s
Learning
* David Boulton, Learning Activist, Director of the Children of the Code
Project.

To register for these upcoming seminars Click here
<http://e-news.edweek.org/ct/4625238:5464046886:m:1:219560809:9D3DEDAAEEF150
8644814A39F137DA8A> .

If you are one of the first 1000 people to sign up you will receive a
complimentary DVD of the television special before it airs nation-wide in
June, but hurry, limited copies of the DVD are available, so sign up today!
To see these experts on the pubic television program "The New Science of
Learning: Brain Fitness for Kids," when it airs nation-wide, check your
local listings for dates and times.

Editorial Projects in Education, Inc., 6935 Arlington Road, Suite 100,
Bethesda, MD 20814. EPE is the publisher of Education Week, Digital
Directions, Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook, edweek.org,
teachermagazine.org, DigitalDirections.org and TopSchoolJobs.org.

Great Podcasting Resource

2009-04-14T12:46:00.001-07:00

Thanks to an OTLOzen for this fabulous podcasting online resource!

Check out Learning in Hand at:
http://www.learninginhand.com/

And of course, remember to check out RETA’s podcasting and vodcasting resources at:
http://reta-podcasting.pbwiki.com/
http://pvia.pbwiki.com/

Happy Casting!
:)
~julz

FREE Webinars & Webconferencing Support!

2009-04-14T10:43:00.001-07:00

For those of you who are either using Wimba or just wanting to learn more about webconferencing, Wimba has a a variety of free webinar series that you might be interested in:

1) The Wimba Distinguished Lecture Series has a cool lineup including a few that I want to attend such as Increasing Enrollment by Using Collaborative Online Technology and MoodleRooms and Wimba, Together At Last! Check this series out at:

http://www.wimba.com/company/events/dls/

2) Wimba Online Workshops provides support for those of you using the Wimba tools. Check this series out at:

http://www.wimba.com/company/events/wow/

3) The Wimba Archive lets you watch the recorded event, in case you missed it or if you want to see it again. Check this out at:

http://www.wimba.com/company/events/archived/

And of course, if you want to see some fun webinars in action, make sure to check out the RETA Webinars series including eLearning with Emerging Technologies, Increasing Interaction with Audio/Video Tools, and the NMSTE/RETA Webinar Series. Archives of past events are also available for the RETA Webinars.

Check out RETA Webinars at:

http://webinars.nmsu.edu

Much love to my friends on the InterWebs!

:)
~julz

Two cool resources

2009-04-07T15:31:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Larry for reminding me to post this!

Check out LibraryThing. It allows you to catalogue your books. Additionally, it works with Ottobib and provides book citations in MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, and Wikipedia citation. I also like GoodReads, but I’m a bookaholic.

http://librarything.com
http://ottobib.com
http://goodreads.com

:)
~julz

Important video of ideas to watch, think, discuss

2009-04-07T15:25:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Larry for this video!

Seems to me there's a message here applicable to how technology changes the
way we learn, think, and interactivity with technology? Technology use:
Consuming! Producing! Sharing!

In the following video, ³Where do people find the time?², Shirky argues that
investing our time in learning these technologies or spending your extra
time on the Internet learning is not useless, rather it is more productive
than watching TV and that we should reconsider how we "waste" our time.

http://www.davidbill.org/2009/04/03/where-do-we-find-the-time/

(Found in a Twitter Tweet)

First Empirical Evidence for Visual versus Verbal Learning Styles

2009-04-07T15:24:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Szq for this info!

Visual Learners Convert Words To Pictures In The Brain And Vice Versa, Says
Psychology Study
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090325091834.htm

Cool Video Resources!

2009-04-03T08:39:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my friend, Allioop for this most excellent video information:

YouTube has just released a new sub-site called YouTube EDU (http://www.youtube.com/edu), aggregating thousands of free lectures from over a hundred universities across the country, including MIT, Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and oh-so-many more.

YouTube EDU - http://www.youtube.com/edu

Web site Academic Earth (http://academicearth.org/) is like Hulu for academic lectures, pulling free lectures from Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale into one attractive, easy to navigate site. It's incredible.

The site clearly takes its cues from Hulu and iTunes on its design, but it's ten times better than either, because it's open. The videos can be embedded anywhere or downloaded and enjoyed wherever you want to take them. It's easy to use, has tons of great content, and it doesn't cost a dime.

Academic Earth - http://academicearth.org/

The two services are very similar in some ways, and while YouTube's landing page isn't quite as useful as Academic Earth's, they're both packed full of great content.

Head to the YouTube Directory page to browse through all the university options, and when you pick one, you can see all of the full courses or individual lectures available:
http://www.youtube.com/edu?action_directory=1

According to weblog Open Culture, YouTube EDU currently has over 200 full courses, so you're bound to find something that piques your interest - like MIT's Introductory Quantum Mechanics II:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=958F66FFE4393435

It's really exciting to see the web embrace and distribute all this free learning, and we're eager to see both services grow.

FW: [NMSUWebinars] Tomorrow's RETA Webinar: Show-and-Tell

2009-04-02T11:55:00.001-07:00

Hello Educators,

We would just like to remind you of our Show-and-Tell webinar TONIGHT at 6pm MST. This Show-and-Tell webinar will spotlight how technology is being used in the classrooms of educators who have attended RETA Webinars.

To join our webinar, click the following url 15-20 minutes before the start of the session, so that we can help you setup your audio/mic:
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/showtellsp09/

Our presenters:
Jill Brown is a life-long educator with a BA in Elementary Education, MA in Curriculum and Instruction, and PhD in Educational Technology. She has taught in different states, at different grade levels (1st grade - graduate level) and in different formats (face-to-face, workshops, real-time, online). She conducted her dissertation research focusing on the necessary skills for teachers to be successful technology integrators in the classroom. Jill is currently an administrative and instructional leader as the Director of Educational Technology at Albuquerque Academy. She serves on the International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) board, the New Mexico Society for Technology in Education (NM STE) board, and the New Mexico Association of Nonpublic Schools (NMANS) board. She also volunteers and serves on the New Mexico Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) board.

Jim Carlton is a retired businessman turned high school teacher. He received a BBA in Accounting from ENMU and an MA in Secondary Education/Educational Technology from NMSU. Currently enrolled at NMTech in the MS in Teaching Science program, is in the Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching and Learning from NMSU, as Ideal NM Teacher, and affiliated with the Teaching the Gifted Coursework (NMSU). He has a New Mexico Secondary License with endorsements in LA, SS, Math, ESL,Technology Ed, Business Ed., Technology Coordinator and will earn Science endorsement this summer. Currently living in Albuquerque, NM with Liz Bryant (his high school sweetheart) and Bailey the Bichon Friese. He teaches Mathematics and Web Design at New Mexico Collaborative Arts Charter School (9-12) and works at a state chartered school with no affiliation to a school district.

To Attend:
To join our webinar, click the following url:
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/showtellsp09/

Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer microphone and/or a headset are ideal for interaction. A webcam is optional.
If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at: http://webinars.nmsu.edu or contact us at webinars [at] nmsu.edu or call 575.646.6143. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook, http://tinyurl.com/ahffeh. To donate to RETA, visit: http://reta.nmsu.edu/donation/index.cfm. Your donation will help support RETA's K-12 Professional Development efforts such as webinars, technology integration workshops, 3-tier dossier workshops, and partnership programs. The RETA Webinar series and many online teaching and learning resources are provided free to educators and your donation sustains this effort. Thank you!

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning Quotient) with us!

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
Office: 575.646.6143
http://webinars.nmsu.edu
http://twitter.com/retazens
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001

RETA Webinars Featured on Women of Web 2.0

2009-03-24T14:27:00.001-07:00

Rumor has it that RETA Webinars will be discussed on EdTechTalk's Women of Web 2.0 talk show, tonight at 7pm MST - http://edtechtalk.com/live

NMSU RETA Webinars Thursday, March 5th - New URL

2009-03-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

Dear Educators,

There has been a URL change to Thursday's Webinar: Intro to Tech Funding
Strategies. The new url is: http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/techfund2sp09/
Please use this URL to attend the Thursday, March 5th Webinar! Thank you,

RETA Webinar Staff

Looking for Presenters

2009-03-03T09:30:00.001-08:00

Dear Educators,

RETA is looking for individuals who would like to share how they are using
technology in their classrooms. If you have attended one or more of our
webinars and are using one of the Web 2.0 tools we have presented to you,
we would like you to hear from you. We would also love to have you share
with our audience during a one hour webinar on April 2, 2009 at 6pm.

SO - let us know how you are using technology to enrich the lives of your
students! The structure of the webinar is to have three or four
presenters share with our audience members.

Thank you for your participation in our webinars and for your continued
support of RETA Webinars!

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 646-6143
webinars [at] nmsu [dot] edu

Second Life Party at NMSU Aggie Island

2009-03-03T09:08:00.001-08:00

I missed it, but it looks like the Second Life Party at Aggie Island on Saturday night was lots of fun!
:)
~julia wiggins

Our Friend, Dr. Michael DeMers on NPR!

2009-02-24T14:55:00.001-08:00

Geographer to be on NPR

   Michael DeMers and his geography 481 (Fundamentals of GIS) were joined by Jason Sparks of National Public Radio last week. Several days later DeMers and one of his students, Anna Patterson, were interviewed by NPR reporter Scott Simon on a portion of Aggie Island, a parcel of virtual land inside Second Life, owned by NMSU and designed for educational activities.

   Their interactions and discussion of the utility of using Second Life as a means of delivering online course content will be aired on NPR’s “Weekend Edition with Scott Simon” sometime between 8 and 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 on KRWG radio.

   For more information call 646-3509.

NPR Weekend Edition Saturday Link:
http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=7

The Innovative Educator

2009-02-18T09:55:00.001-08:00

The Innovative Educator blog at:

http://snipurl.com/innovativeeducator [theinnovativeeducator_blogspot_com]

Has useful information about free tech resources and 21st century teaching
and learning.

Susie B. =;->

AND, Innovative Educator Twitter at http://twitter.com/InnovativeEdu

--
Larry

FW: Become a Common Sense School

2009-02-18T09:47:00.001-08:00

Partner with parents to raise media-smart kids

http://snipurl.com/partnerwparents [www_commonsensemedia_org]

Become a Common Sense School
With information on everything from cyberbullying to cell phones, this free parent media education program gives schools everything necessary to help parents raise smart, responsible kids.

• Customizable materials organized by grade
• Interactive workshops and videos to engage parents
• Advice from a community of educators like you

Something special for music teachers

2009-02-17T10:03:00.000-08:00

If you teach singing, then check out http://www.cyberbass.com/ ! It¹s a
nice piece of online software that will let your students practice their
parts.

Thanks to Bethany for this tip!

FW: Classroom 2.0 announcement

2009-02-13T11:00:00.001-08:00

Dear Educators,

A message from Classroom 2.0 below, if you¹re not a member, you should be :)
~julz

The webinar topic this Saturday is: "Using Skype to Collaborate". Our
special guest
will be Wes Fryer, author of the blog and podcast "Moving at the Speed of
Creativity." Wes always has tons of ideas to share and his energy and
creativity will definitely leave you wanting to hear more! He will share
various ways Skype can be used to collaborate with other classrooms,
educators and VIPs--the sky's the limit. Our Newbie Question of the Week
will be: "What is 'Skype' and why do I want it?". We hope you'll join us to
share your ideas and questions.

The show lasts an hour, and links for more information and logging can be
found at http://live.classroom20.com

We strive to make our shows very beginner-friendly, and if
you've never participated in a live web meeting, don't be afraid to come and
take a peek at the show's format. We love newbies to join us and 'dip their
toes' in the conversations until you feel comfortable enough to "jump in the
conversations with both feet"! We want to encourage "experienced Web 2.0
users" to join us and contribute and extend the conversation by providing
real-life examples and tips/suggestions. See the website to suggest future
show topics!

Date: Saturday, February 14, 2009

Time: 9:00am PST/10:00am MST/11:00am CST/12:00pm EST Other time zones link,
the link to the actual meeting room, and the resource article are at
http://live.classroom20.com/

If you're new to the Classroom 2.0 LIVE site and show you might want to
spend a few minutes listening to the screencast on the homepage to learn
about how we use Elluminate and how to navigate the site to find the
archives of previous shows and resources.

Visit Classroom 2.0 at: http://www.classroom20.com

Wimba offers FREE online seminars :)

2009-02-11T10:57:00.001-08:00

Dear Educators,

Are you a 21st Century Educator?

Do you have the skills of a 21st Century educator? Are you familiar with the
technologies that are already enhancing teaching and learning in today's
classrooms?

Stay current with Wimba's Distinguished Lecture Series. Both Upcoming and
Recorded events are available at:

http://wimba.com/company/events/dls/

Wimba is offering these FREE online seminars exclusively to education
professionals like you.

Please feel free to forward this invitation to your friends and colleagues.

Open Light March 7 Conference Registration Reminder

2009-02-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

~*Open Light Conference*~

http://openlight.pbwiki.com

Please spread the word about the Open Light Emerging Technologies Conference to be held March 7, 2009 in T or C by sharing the attached flyer or sharing the link

http://openlight.pbwiki.com/3rd-Open-Light-Conference-March-7

Unlike previous conferences, registrants will need to select the sessions they would like to attend in advance. This will be necessary for our planning.

**Those who were already registered should have received an email confirmation from me asking them to select sessions.

Please contact me for more information! Thanks again for your involvement and support of Open Light!!

~Holly

ISTE's New Communication Hub Connects the World of Ed Tech

2009-02-04T10:11:00.000-08:00

ISTE is proud to launch ISTE Connects at http://www.isteconnects.org which is your one-stop communications hub featuring the latest NECC 2009 information and conversations.

The hub links to our conference and community networks including Ning, Facebook, and Second Life.

Be sure to download the ISTE Connects widget to receive the latest news and information from NECC, ISTE, and the Ed Tech community.

Join ISTE and NMSTE in February!

2009-02-04T09:36:00.001-08:00

Join ISTE and NMSTE today! ( http://www.nmste.org/)

Hurry up and join, February is Member Appreciation Month and there are raffles and book offers GALORE!

Nationally Acclaimed Online Curriculum Resources Now FREE to Virtual Schools

2009-02-03T08:41:00.001-08:00

SAS® Curriculum Pathways® is now available at no cost [FREE!] to every educator in America, including virtual school programs. That announcement was recently made by SAS®, a North Carolina based software company. The product is already being used by thousands of teachers in more than 30 states.

SAS Curriculum Pathways provides content in the core disciplines: English, mathematics, social studies, science and Spanish. Aligned with state and national standards, the product provides more than 200 InterActivities and 855 ready-to-use lessons that enable technology-rich instruction and engage higher-order thinking skills. The product is primarily for use in grades 8 to 12, though middle school content is in development.

Designed for a wide range of classroom environments, technology capabilities and learning styles, SAS Curriculum Pathways can be used flexibly—in online courses, a one-computer classroom, in small groups or in 1:1 computing initiatives where every student and teacher has a computer.

SAS Curriculum Pathways won the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) 2008 CODiE Award for Best K-12 Instructional Solution. The product is also used in community colleges, virtual schools and home settings.

Online educators can integrate resources that help to differentiate instruction and develop critical-thinking skills. Integrating rigorous content with innovative instructional design, the product prepares students for college-level learning, promotes 21st-century skills and helps meet achievement and accountability criteria.

For a success story on how one acclaimed virtual school has used SAS® Curriculum Pathways®, please visit: http://www.sas.com/success/floridavirtual.html

For information on setting up your free school and teacher accounts, visit www.sascurriculumpathways.com or contact Lee Ellen Harmer at LeeEllen [dot] Harmer [at] sas [dot] com.

Free Teacher Resource to help students comprehend racial challenges in the USA

2009-01-14T10:44:00.001-08:00

From szq --

With MLK Day and Inauguration Day on the horizon, this resource sounds like it will be pertinent. =;->

A lesson plan to help students understand that beliefs and behaviors have roots. Only by knowing our roots can we change the present. Most people agree that individual acts of racism and discrimination are wrong but often grow defensive when issues of systemic or institutional racism arise. No one wants to see him or herself as a racist, and we all fear being blamed for the unequal conditions in our country. Instead of facing the issues, we too often resort to defensiveness when faced with the “other” who has been oppressed: whites when facing African-Americans; men when facing women; the rich facing the poor. Instead of facing our national and personal histories, we often find excuses for the way things are. We’ve all heard the justifications: “I’m not a racist, but . . . ”

“Slavery happened a long time ago.”

“My grandparents were immigrants; they pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. These people just want to complain?” This lesson plan helps students understand how history influences our present, whether that’s the state of race relations today or their own attitudes towards another group of people. There are three brief activities in this lesson plan that teachers can use separately to introduce the topic or together to reinforce the message that we must know our history if we seek NOT to repeat it. Go to www.racebridgesforschools.com <http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/lists/lt.php?id=eU9WXwxUWl5eSlIEA04GAgBcBwBW> to download a free copy of What’s Racism Got to do with Me?   How Our History and Context Shape Us and Others. Help your students understand race, class, and gender in context. Use this lesson to supplement a lesson that requires that students understand the importance of our past and our context.   One of these activities will make your history and English students more receptive to your lessons!

Check out our other lesson plans that are ideal for use around the Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (January 19) and African American Heritage Month (February) . . . "We All Have A Race" and "From Flint Michigan to Your Front Door : Tracing the Roots of Racism" (with audio downloads).

Go to www.racebridgesforschools.com

http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/lists/lt.php?id=eU9WXwxUWl5eSlIEA04GAgBcBwBW

to download your complimentary copy of this and other lesson plans and resources for schools.





--
This mailing is intended for teachers, educators, storytellers, lovers of story or anyone interested in social justice issues.

If you have received this message in error please accept our apologies. You may easily unsubscribe from any future mailings by clicking on the following link: this link <http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/lists/lt.php?id=eU9WXwxUWl5fSlIEA04GAgBcBwBW>

<http://www.phplist.com>

------ End of Forwarded Message

------ End of Forwarded Message

2009 Presidential Inauguration Lesson Plans

2009-01-12T13:28:00.001-08:00

From Bonnie Bracey Sutton :)

You can turn television watching into a real set of learning lessons using the event and these lesson plans to structure the day.

http://www.pic2009.org/page/content/lessonplans

Lots of links, interactive blog, and much much more.

2009 Presidential Inauguration Lesson Plans

Jointly Produced by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA)

On Jan. 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. Teachers across the country can bring this historic event to life in their classrooms using a wide array of free resources and technologies. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) have jointly developed a series of general instructional activities to give teachers lesson ideas to help their students understand the historic significance of this presidential inauguration.
Use these instructional activities to teach students about the history of the inauguration and the connections between Obama and previous U.S. presidents (Learning History); to prepare students to witness the Obama inauguration (Making History); and to follow the events during President Obama’s term (Living History). Teachers should use their professional judgment to adapt these materials to the particular needs (grade, reading level, etc.) of their classrooms and to best determine how much time should be spent on the activities. The materials have been designed to allow teachers to adapt them to fit into a single class period or to extend over several class periods.

LEARNING HISTORY Two Presidents from Illinois (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan1>
Students will compare and contrast the background and inaugurations of President Lincoln and President Obama. They will develop knowledge of some of the characteristics of the two presidents and their inaugurations. (Grades 6-12, with adaptations for grades K-5) History of the Inaugural Address (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan2>

Students will examine the text of various presidents’ inaugural addresses to understand how the context of events influenced the way they addressed the American people on Inauguration Day. (Grades 6-12, with adaptations for grades K-5)

MAKING HISTORY Inaugural Address of Barack Obama (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan3>
Students will discuss quotes from Barack Obama’s inaugural address, and identify the challenges facing their families and other Americans today that he highlighted in his speech. They will then identify “calls to action” in his inaugural address, and compare and contrast those priorities with those raised in his past speeches. (Grades 6-12, with adaptations for grades K-5) 2009 Inaugural Events (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan4>

Students will learn about the various activities and events scheduled in the days leading up to and during the inauguration of Barack Obama. (Grades 6-12, with adaptations for grades K-5)

LIVING HISTORY Beyond the Inauguration (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/lessonplan5>
Use these activities to extend learning beyond the presidential inauguration.

An Interview with Lincoln (Grades 6-12)
The First 100 Days (Grades 6-12)

RECOMMENDED READING Reading List (click to download) <http://www.pic2009.org/readinglist>

Use these resources to start or supplement your school or classroom library. Titles are provided for early elementary, late elementary, middle school and high school students.

I would add some art, poetry ( cinquains and diamantes) science.. using weather as a constant,
and some databases to research the weather as well. Can they make videos.. they can also blog on this site.
Bonnie Bracey Sutton

Free Online Career Development Course Now Available to 16 Million Students Nationwide

2008-12-16T15:08:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Larry for this information!

Microsoft, Michigan Department of Education and Michigan Virtual University
offer CareerForward to help students prepare for a 21st-century workplace.

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/dec08/12-02CareerForwardPR.msp
x

FW: [RETAzens Blog] [NMSUWebinars] Spring Webinar Schedule

2008-12-12T13:57:00.001-08:00

The last notice had an error, here it is again:

Dear Educator,

RETA would like to invite you to visit our website, http://webinars.nmsu.edu, to
view our recently updated Spring Webinar schedule under the K-12 Educators section!

We are very excited to inform you that we NOW have two different Webinar Strands.

RETA Webinar Series: Increasing Interaction with Audio/Video Tools will
take place on Mondays at 6:00pm MST.

RETA Webinar Series: eLearning with Emerging Technologies will take place
on Thursdays at 6:00pm MST.

The RETA team has prepared these two great series of professional
development webinars to help you learn practical and effective technology
skills to engage your 21st century learners. We continue to be committed
to providing you with "free", innovative webinars that fit into your busy
schedule. Let us support you as you begin implementing technology tools
and techniques in your 21st century classroom.

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague, and raise your eQ with us.

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 646-6143, fax: (575) 646-2004

[NMSUWebinars] Spring Webinar Schedule

2008-12-12T13:43:00.001-08:00

Dear Educator,

RETA would like to invite you to visit our website, webinars@nmsu.edu, to
view our recently updated Spring Webinar schedule! We are very excited to
inform you that we NOW have two different Webinar Strands.

RETA Webinar Series: Increasing Interaction with Audio/Video Tools will
take place on Mondays at 6:00pm MST.

RETA Webinar Series: eLearning with Emerging Technologies will take place
on Thursdays at 6:00pm MST.

The RETA team has prepared these two great series of professional
development webinars to help you learn practical and effective technology
skills to engage your 21st century learners. We continue to be committed
to providing you with "free", innovative webinars that fit into your busy
schedule. Let us support you as you begin implementing technology tools
and techniques in your 21st century classroom.

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague, and raise your eQ with us.

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 646-6143, fax: (575) 646-2004

What's a wordle?

2008-12-08T09:29:00.001-08:00

From Susie :)

Have some fun!

Wordle is a toy for generating ³word clouds² from text that you provide. The
clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the
source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and
color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however
you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to
share with your friends.

http://www.wordle.net/

Copyright for Educators III - Town Hall, 12/1/08, 6:00pm MST

2008-12-01T09:47:00.001-08:00

Dear Educator:

RETA would like to remind you about TONIGHT's professional development
Webinar.

RETA Webinar Series: eLearning with Emerging Technologies

Webinar Event: Copyright for Educators III Town Hall

Date: Monday, December 1, 2008

Time: 6:00-7:00 pm MST

Description:
Whether you joined us for Blogging I or not, this session will surely help
any educator take their blogs to a heightened level. Here we will go more
in depth with the other options in managing and adding features to your
blogs (RSS feeds, widgets, polls, images, slideshows, etc.) as well as
discussing ideas on how to keep your curriculum continually evolving
eLearning-style

TO ATTEND:
Please use the following link to attend the webinar:
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/copyed3fa08/

*Plan to join us 15-20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your
computer. To participate, speakers are required. A simple computer
microphone and/or a headset is ideal for interaction. A webcam is
optional.

*If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test
your connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu <http://webinars.nmsu.edu/> or contact us at
webinars@nmsu.edu or call
575.646.6143.

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 646-6143, fax: (575) 646-2004

------ End of Forwarded Message

New Mexico picks Wimba for its collaborative learning platform

2008-12-01T09:42:00.001-08:00

Reported at http://www.techlearning.com/content/ednews/index.php#article3

Wimba®, Inc., the education technology company that helps people teach people, today announced that New Mexico's Innovative Digital Education and Learning program (IDEAL-NM) has selected the Wimba Collaboration Suite™, the education industry's leading multi-modal solution for virtual and blended learning, to pilot as its statewide collaborative learning platform. IDEAL-NM will deploy Wimba's comprehensive solution across its statewide network of higher education and K-12 institutions, which includes 89 districts and 22 college campuses, to enhance student engagement and collaboration and increase learning outcomes.

New Mexico was the first state in the nation to create a statewide eLearning system that, from its inception, encompasses all aspects of learning from traditional public and higher education environments to teacher professional development, continuing education and workforce education. This partnership with Wimba will enable IDEAL-NM to offer Wimba's Collaboration Suite across its network of institutions, facilitating the use of online video, voice, instant messaging, content authoring, application sharing and white boarding throughout the state.

"With a scope as large as ours, communication and collaboration are crucial," said Donna Harrington, eLearning Technology Director for IDEAL-NM. "The Wimba Collaboration Suite will enable us to bring our statewide community of users together online, so that we can collaborate, brainstorm, develop, and implement best practices that will help our students to succeed."

The Wimba Collaboration Suite of products, which includes—the Wimba Classroom(TM) virtual learning environment, the Wimba Pronto(TM) instant messenger, the Wimba Voice(TM) audio solution, and the Wimba Create(TM) content authoring tool—enables institutions to bridge the gap between technology and pedagogy by supplementing course management systems with the proven disciplines of in-person learning environments. Designed to work seamlessly within the existing Blackboard online course management system selected by the State of New Mexico, the Wimba Collaboration Suite enables convenient single sign-on and access to Wimba tools directly from the online course environments with which teachers and students are already familiar.

"This partnership with IDEAL-NM is a testament to Wimba's power to engage students and instructors in lifelong learning," said Tommaso Trionfi, CEO of Wimba. "We are very proud of the comprehensive and collaborative learning environments that the Wimba Collaboration Suite fosters, and we look forward to working closely with IDEAL-NM to bring students and faculty together for learning."

Leaving blog, wiki, and podcast footprints?

2008-11-18T12:44:00.001-08:00

From ASCD SmartBrief 11/18/2008
(A connection to Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts in the RETA classroom and beyond-LJ)
Teach technology skills, ethics across the curriculum

Social Web technologies are having a huge influence on students, even the youngest ones. Yet adults are failing to help them explore the safety and ethics of the "digital footprint" that they are leaving behind, writes Will Richardson, author of "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Tools for Classrooms." Not only should students be encouraged to explore topics that interest them, but they must also learn to use technology wisely in the general curriculum, he writes. A short lesson on Internet safety is not enough.

Educational Leadership
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ndjkzpwzCAAGetWLoi (11/2008)

------------------
From Larry

FW: NASA Offers New Science Teaching Certificate Project

2008-11-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

Please forward to teachers you are working with.

NASA OFFERS NEW SCIENCE TEACHING CERTIFICATE PROJECT

WASHINGTON -- NASA has unveiled the Endeavor Science Teaching
Certificate Project, which will award more than 200 fellowships to
educators during a five year period. Educators accepted into the project
will be exposed to current NASA science and engineering and supported in
translating the information for use in classrooms.

The goal of the project is to ensure that teachers across the country
can use the discoveries that NASA makes on a daily basis to inspire the
next generation of explorers, scientists, engineers, and astronauts.

The program will provide workshops, online and on-site graduate courses
and NASA content and materials to teachers and students in
K-12 classrooms. NASA will work in partnership with state departments of
education to ensure program participants can apply credit from project
courses towards state certification requirements.

"Through the program, educators will learn to deliver cutting-edge
science into the classroom, promoting science, technology, engineering
and mathematics education," said Joyce L. Winterton, assistant
administrator for education at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This
will include proven NASA and NASA-sponsored educational resources to
meet specific learning goals."

Project fellows will earn a certificate of completion in Applied Science
Education from Teachers College Innovations at Teachers College,
Columbia University, N.Y., and graduate credit from other institutional
partners.

Additional project efforts include assisting and training pre-service
science teachers to help improve science instruction in U.S. schools.

The project will be administered by the U.S. Satellite Laboratory Inc.
of Rye, N.Y. Funding for the program is provided through the NASA
Endeavor Teacher Fellowship Trust Fund, in tribute to the dedicated crew
of the space shuttle Challenger.

For additional information about the Endeavor Science Teaching
Certificate Project and other NASA education programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/education

Blogs in the Classroom I - NEW LINK

2008-11-17T09:26:00.001-08:00

Dear Educators,

Please use the NEW LINK to attend our Blogs in the Classroom I which is
scheduled for 11/17/08 at 6:00pm MST.

NEW LINK!
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/blogsclass1fa08

The link that was sent to you in the reminder email has been changed. We
apologize for any confusion that this may cause. Hope to see you there on
Monday.

RETA Webinars Team

Blogs in the Classroom I, 11/17/08 at 6:00 pm MST

2008-11-14T08:18:00.001-08:00

Dear Educator:

RETA would like to remind you about our next professional development
Webinar.

Webinar Event: Blogs in the Classroom I

Date: Monday, November 17, 2008

Time: 6:00-7:00 pm MST

Description:
You hear about blogs everyday from students or co-workers, but have you
thought about using them in your classroom? In this webinar session you
will be introduced to the refreshing world of blogging where you will
begin generating ideas on how you might use blogs within your own
classroom. In this first session we will introduce you to: what a blog is,
what a blog can be used for, help you set up your own blogging account,
and then send you on your way with resources, so that you will make an
informed and enjoyable push into the 'blogging world.'

TO ATTEND:
Please use the following link to attend the webinar:
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/blogs1fa08/

*If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test
your connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu or email us via webinars at nmsu.edu or call
575.646.6143.

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 646-6143, fax: (575) 646-2004

Kim Komando

2008-11-11T14:40:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Carl for this cool resource!
:)
~julz

------------------------------------------

Confession:

I have been using Kim Komando's newsletters as a source of information and cool places to go for a number of years.

Two of the newsletters are pretty good, cool site and cool tip of the day. The other one is a favorite video of the day, I look at the videos from time to time.

There is also her weekend radio show and there is a newsletter that comes out once a week with lots of info. There are archives of her newsletters and other info accessible without joining her subscription service.

Her website: http://komando.com/
Carl

Copyright for Educators II, 11/10/08 at 6pm MST

2008-11-10T09:09:00.001-08:00

Dear Educator:

RETA would like to remind you about our next professional development
Webinar.

Webinar Event: Copyright for Educators II

Date: Monday, November 10, 2008

Time: 6:00-7:00 pm MST

Description:
Emerging technologies bring new challenges for today's teachers. This
webinar will help educators understand fair use and copyright in the
digital age.

TO ATTEND:
Please use the following link to attend the webinar:
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/copyed2fa08/

*If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test
your connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu <http://webinars.nmsu.edu/> or contact us at
Webinars at nmsu.edu or call
575.646.6143.

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 646-6143, fax: (575) 646-2004

Copyright for Educators I, Mon. 11/3/08 at 6pm MST

2008-10-30T10:54:00.001-07:00

Dear Educator:

RETA would like to invite you to our next professional development Webinar.

RETA Webinar Series: eLearning with Emerging Technologies
The RETA team has prepared another great series of
professional development webinars! Join us to learn practical and
effective technology skills to engage your 21st century learners. We are
committed to providing you with "free", innovative webinars that fit into
your busy schedule. Let us support you as you begin implementing
technology tools and techniques in your 21st century classroom. Have a cup
of coffee, invite a colleague, and raise your eQ with us.

Webinar Event: Copyright for Educators I

Date: Monday, November 3, 2008

Time: 6:00-7:00 pm MST

Description:
Emerging technologies bring new challenges for today's teachers. This
webinar will help educators understand fair use and copyright in the
digital age.

TO ATTEND:
Please use the following link to attend the webinar:
http://nmsu.na3.acrobat.com/copyed1fa08/

*If you have never used Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional, please test
your connection at: Adobe Acrobat Pro Support Center
https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

For complete information on this and all of our webinars visit us at:
http://webinars.nmsu.edu <http://webinars.nmsu.edu/> or contact us at
Webinars at nmsu.edu or call
575.646.6143.

Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning
Quotient) with us!

RETA (Regional Educational Technology Assistance)
College of Extended Learning
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WEC, P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
(575) 646-6143, fax: (575) 646-2004

Socorro Tech Blog

2008-10-30T10:53:00.001-07:00

Check out the Socorro Tech Blog!
:)
~julia

Can Technology Make High School Graduation a Reality for Everyone?

In this week's edition of the Socorro Tech Blog, there is a review some of the upcoming changes at Socorro Consolidated Schools. We also talk about the role of technology in helping to reduce the dropout rate and improve the graduation rate in New Mexico.

Please visit http://socorrotech.wordpress.com

Yay TeacherTube!

2008-10-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

The below is from TeacherTube - http://www.teachertube.com/

TeacherTube At Peak PerformanceIf you have not visited TeacherTube in the past two weeks, you need to check us out. We are extremely excited to share with all of our community members that TeacherTube is performing at our fastest speeds even though our visits have doubled in the past two months. Our tech team is constantly working to provide the most efficient software and hardware solutions to keep the site performing at a high level. Our community continues to grow by the hundreds everyday. We have over 900,000 visits per month, over 170,000 members and have over 35,000 public videos that you can use in your classroom with students or for professional development with staff. You have made TeacherTube one of the most sought after free resources for teachers all over the world. We at TeacherTube say thank you. You are making a difference in over 220 countries.

There have been discussions among educators for TeacherTube to expand our resources and allow teachers to upload more than just video. I am formally announcing TeacherTube is currently working on new features that will allow teachers to upload photos, audio, and docs. Docs will be documents such as PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, word documents, rich text files, etc. We have held off on offering more resources for two reasons. First, we needed to have our software function more efficiently so that you would have a better experience while using TeacherTube . We have resolved the vast majority of our software inefficiencies. Secondly, we needed to design and implement a database structure that could handle scalable growth. Our tech team has designed a solution and it is scheduled to be implemented before January 1, 2009.

It is an exciting time to be an educator!

Jason Smith
CEO / Co-founder
TeacherTube, LLC

Dr. Demers (Gadget Loon) mentioned in RezEd Update Vol. 14. October 21, 2008

2008-10-22T11:26:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Bethany for the following update :)

RezEd http://www.rezed.org/ is a great site for education and Second Life. Our very own Dr. Mike Demers, aka Gadget Loon, was cited for an AHA Moment of the Week. Check it out at:
http://www.rezed.org/forum/topic/show?id=2047896%3ATopic%3A17524

Julz and Susie in Washington, DC

2008-09-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

So it was a long day in DC. We had a couple of meetings, one with the National Science Foundation which was why we came in the first place. The topic of online science courses is fraught with tensions such as "wet labs" and "is it as good as face-to-face" and what about long term impact, etc. It was a good conversation.

Then Susie and I had our adventures on the Metro and checking out a couple of memorials. We finished up by meeting one of our compadres at The Old Ebbit Grill. Yum, is all I gotta say. Here we are on the Metro:

To see more pics, you'll have to go to my blog at http://juliaparra.blogspot.com.

See ya'll back in New Mexico real soon!
:)
~julz

Crossing the Potomac

2008-09-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Your program and course blog!

2008-08-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to your program and course blog!

Here we post things relevant to the program/class - resources, reflections, small polls, etc. Note the poll tool on the upper left and make sure to take the poll before you leave. At any time, if you are excited to start contributing resources and reflections to this blog, send me (Julia) your Gmail/Google account address and you will be added and able to post to this blog.

And just in case you were wondering, what exactly is a blog? Here's a cool video explanation: