TechBytes @ BrookEl

Testing Out Windows Live Writer

2010-05-12T13:03:00.001-05:00

I’m trying out a new piece of software for composing blogs so here goes!

Let’s try a hyperlink opening in a new window: Click here to go to the Brookfield Elementary website

How about a picture with a reflection effect?

Wow, cool so far – what about a photo album?

View Full Album

A table with road and aerial maps of our school?

How about a video?

Okay, that’s enough for this testing session – have a great day!

A New School Year

2009-09-30T13:11:00.004-05:00

2009-2010 promises to be another exciting school year at Brookfield Elementary! Before the year even began with students, teachers had a number of learning opportunities involving technology.

In addition to the June Teacher Academy, August brought the first academy concentrated totally on SMART technology in the classroom. The school district partnered with the Sally Ride Academy to offer the Elmbrook Technology Academy for SMARTBoard teacher training. Fourteen different 4-day classes were offered ranging from the basics to integration in every curricular setting with graduate credits available through Cardinal Stritch University. Academy staff was comprised of classroom teachers and technology integrators, many of whom are SMART Master's certified. The showcase day included demos of exceptional technology integration, SMART accessories (document cameras, airliner slates, SMART Response), and breakout sessions on engaging, differentiating, and inspiring. It was wonderful to see so many Elmbrook teachers and substitutes in attendance — truly a great way to begin the new school year!

Next came the elementary inservice day focused on the new tablet laptops and the use of OneNote software to record student assessment and other important data. This next step in assessment follows two years of evaluation and development by teachers for teachers. We are excited at the rapid assimilation by staff of this new technology and the recording methods.

Along with these initiatives came a lot of hardwork by our technology services department from installation management of boards, projectors, software, laptops, and wireless access points throughout the building to troubleshooting and resolution of the inherent problems that may be expected with such changes. Thanks to everyone involved for these exciting changes in support of providing excellant learning opportunities for our students.

Sunshine and Books

2008-04-16T08:35:00.004-05:00

The sun is shining and all is well. It's hard to believe, but we've begun the 4th quarter already!

In the upstairs lab third graders continue to finish up their KidPix slideshow projects featuring Native Americans so be sure to check their classroom webpages to see the results. Fifth graders are taking a moment to complete their Memory Book pages while fourth graders have been presenting their State PowerPoint projects from ITL class to amazed family members. There is much yet to learn and do this last quarter so I'm sure the upstairs (and downstairs) labs will be bubbling with activity.

One of my favorite podcasts recently shared a great picture book website called Lookybook. Their intention is not to replace "real" books, but rather to allow us to review books, put them up on the big screen, and even click a link to purchase from Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble online, or find an independent bookseller by zip code. How great to have the book up on the SMARTBoard AND in the students' hands! Check out one of their books below — click the eyes to make it bigger and go to the website. You can create virtual bookshelves of your favorites to access quickly, checkout what's on others' shelves, and search by genre/author/keyword.

Have a great April!

Where did March go?

2008-04-03T13:26:00.005-05:00

I'm shaking my head and wondering where the month of March went. It's been an incredible 2008 so far weather-wise with a snow day called in both January and February. We would have had another, I'm sure, with the 15+ inch surprise on March 21st, but we were already on Spring Break! Interesting first full day of Spring I'd say -- at least I don't have to burn off any leftover snow blower fuel this year. We returned to school this Monday with thunderstorms and over an inch of rain followed by a trace of snow on Tuesday, warming on Wednesday, chance of rain or snow later today, and then sunny 50's Friday and Saturday. If I seem consumed with weather, it might be the 100+ inches of snow we've had :>)

On to all things tech, it's been busy in the upstairs lab this week with keyboarding assessments, researching animals and biomes, the beginnings of more KidPix slideshows, and lots of writing. It's great to see students (and teachers) sitting "online" and focusing so intently on their missions! By the way, Mrs. Wolf (Art) has decided to join me in the wonderful world of blogging. A link to her new blog can be found on her Brookfield Elementary webpage under Classes/Specials. Way to go, Mrs. Wolf

Happy Spring to everyone and I'll try to blog more often. My tech tip for today comes via a problem identified by Pam -- after playing a song in her SMART Notebook file, iTunes keeps going with the next song, and the next, and the next. This is because iTunes automatically "checkmarks" everything in your music library which means it will keep moving forward when playing. You can solve this issue in Windows by holding down the Ctrl key and unchecking any one of the files -- that will uncheck them all and keep iTunes from moving forward.

Enjoy the next few days --

Power of Technology to Communicate!

2008-02-22T09:15:00.003-06:00

I was reminded again this week about the power of technology as a communication tool while viewing the story of Carly Fleischman, 13 year old girl with severe autism. This link will take you to a video about this young lady, while this link will take you to the story and includes Q&A between Carly and viewers. Give yourself a gift and take a few minutes to visit the links.

It feels like Spring this morning even though they're saying the temperature is only 18°F outside. Interesting thing, perspective is. They're forecasting a great weekend followed by heavy snow Monday night!

This week began with the first meeting of our Integrating the SMARTBoard into the Elementary Classroom cadre. A great group of teachers are participating in Elmbrook's first ever collegial study group. I'm really looking forward to learning from and with them. This week's class focused on Classroom Management with the sharing of many great examples, tips, and challenges.

Mrs. Hacker's class continued work on their Native American KidPix slideshows. I'm really looking forward to seeing their final products along with those of Mrs. Atol's class. This week Mrs. Ford's 2nd graders created their own Kidspiration graphic organizers and outlines showing what they're learning in Science about the weather. Next they'll be using the outlines to work on paragraphs about types of weather, clouds, weather tools, and wind. They're such great learners!

Hope everyone enjoys the great weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-15T11:20:00.003-06:00

The building was a blur of pinks and reds accompanied by the smell of sweet treats in anticipation of the afternoon parties! It was also a busy day in the upstairs lab with Mrs. Atol's and Mrs. Hacker's students working on their KidPix slideshows. I can't wait to see their final results. Watch their classroom webpages to see the QuickTime versions soon.

We did a software upgrade today focused on making it possible for teachers to "push out" a website selected by the teacher automatically. This should be a great help, as some of those urls can get pretty tricky. This same software also allows teachers to control student computer in the lab, monitor work, communicate remotely, and many other things.

Monday our first collegial study group begins focused on the SMARTBoard in the Elementary Classroom. It will be a great opportunity to share how the boards have impacted the classrooms, delivery of information, and methods of learning — a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other. We all continue to learn through our own use and benefit from the resources we've gathered to share in our ongoing BlackBoard community.

Sometimes I just have to smile when I remember how I used to do things. It was a big day when I got to use an IBM Correcting Selectric typewriter "back in the day." That lift-off tape was fantastic! I could not have even imagined personal computers, let alone all the resultant tools and possibilities. As a Music Education person, I certainly never envisioned doing what I'm doing today.

Everyday is definitely a new experience and provides learning opportunities for me. The most exciting new experience recently was the announcement from my son and daughter-in-law ... yes, we're going to be grandparents and we're ecstatic, to say the least. The current prediction is September 7, 2008 — stay tuned.

What Is My Role As Technology Integrator?

2008-02-07T12:51:00.000-06:00

I am privileged to be the Technology Integrator for Brookfield Elementary School! My role is to support the teaching staff in the integration of various technology tools in order to enhance and differentiate instruction for the benefit of student learning. My journey began August 1997 as a pilot program where I served all six elementary schools. In August 1999 the district decided to continue the role of Technology Integrator as a regular position. Each elementary school now has a 50% Technology Integrator as part of their team.

My support of teachers occurs in many ways. While I am not the "computer teacher," you might find me providing direct instruction in an area new to both the teacher and the students, allowing the teacher to learn as well. Other times I might be the co-teacher or the extra pair of hands for a new or difficult project. Staff training is most often the 1:1 just-in-time type allowing immediate application of the new skill.

The Elmbrook School District has developed a scope and sequence reflecting expectations for the elementary student in relation to technology skills. While one hour ITL (Information & Technology Literacy) classes are delivered to all 4th and 5th grade students by the Librarian, K-3 classroom teachers are directly responsible for teaching the ITL skills expected of their grade levels. Parents are often curious as to what technology-type skills their child will learn and you can view the K-3 progression of ITL Know and Be Able To Do's by clicking here.

An area of special focus for the 2007-2008 school year has been the introduction of classroom SMARTBoards. As of the end of the 1st semester we now have eleven in our building and are halfway to equipping all classrooms. That's remarkable! Training and technical support are critical, but the staff members are incredibly resourceful, innovative, great risk-takers, and definitely team players sharing what they learn and create daily.

In closing, here's an optical illusion for your enjoyment.

A Brave New World for Me!

2008-01-29T11:33:00.000-06:00

It's 2008 and the 2nd semester began today here at Brookfield Elementary. One of my New Year's resolutions was to join the blogging age, so here I am. I'm not certain what I will record here, but trust it will become clearer as I move forward.

My first objective is to find a few teachers here at Brookfield Elementary to join me by adding their own blog to their web page. Next, perhaps we can expand to add a class blog maintain by students under the supervision of their teacher.

Here we go!