Instructional Techno Math 5-12

Volume 1, Issue 1

logy

August/September 2012

BVCPS

Inside this issue:

Feature Article 1 Caution: Khan Academy SOL Practice Questions Technology Equipment Rental Instructional Technology Online Discovery Education eMediaVA Internet Safety Technology Services Math Websites 2 3 3 3 4 1 2 2

Caution: Khan Academy

The link to this story and video came from the VA DOE this summer. It serves as a cautionary tale about Open Educational Resources (OER). Several math teachers reviewed the Khan Academy videos because they were planning on using them with their students. They found numerous problems with the videos including some incorrect terminology. They posted their comments and reviews, and the videos were removed/ edited to correct problems. But what about all of the other videos in the Khan Academy library? And what about all of the
SOL Practice Questions

other resources we find online? How reliable is the material? Open Educational Resources are invaluable to teachers. There is just no way one teacher, with all the demands on time and all of the budget constraints, can provide all possible resources to students. Since were all in the same boat, teachers began sharing their resources and lesson with other teachers. When the Internet came along, it was a natural extension of this willingness to share that caused hundreds of teacher-created sites to appear. So how do we know that

the resources we obtain from these sites are good? We dont. Before using any information, resources, website, etc. its critical to take the time to review all of the content carefully. Watch each videois content correct? Vocabulary? Grammar? If a process is explained, is it explained thoroughly no gaps? (Khan had some issues with this.) Dont be afraid to use the resources on the web, just be smart. You wouldnt buy a used car sight unseen and without checking it over thoroughly, would you?
Dont Use Khan Academy Without Watching This First

Last year we sent out some practice questions based on the new technology-enhanced format. The state also posted a few practice questions on their website.

If youd like to create more questions of this type, contact Sue Way. We can create this type of question for your unit tests and quizzes so that students have lots of prac-

tice before the actual SOL test. Sue is also available to work with you to plan and implement technology infused activities in your classroom.

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Instructional Technology

Technology Equipment Rental

We have a rental program for certain types of technology equipment. This equipment is available for shortterm checkout and can be used for field trips, special projects, etc. Equipment is available on a firstcome, first serve basis. Contact Sue Way to reserve equipment. 4 Garmin GPS units 6 iPod Touches* (gen2 which has a camera) 10 iPod Nanos* (record and play audio files) 1 Panasonic Digital Camcorder 4 Kodak pocket digital video cameras* 2 Canon Powershot digital cameras 1 Olympus digital camera 1 Avervision document camera *lapel microphones also available

Instructional Technology Online Resources

If you havent already done so, check out our two instructional technology resource websites. This sites will be constantly updated with links, lesson plans, how-tos and much, much more. We appreciate your ideas and suggestions. So let us know if theres something youd like to see on these sites. We would also like you to share your instructional technology activities, lessons, and links. So if you have a technology-infused lesson you wouldnt mind sharing, send it to Sue Way and shell post it on our wikispace. Maybe youve found a great website. Again, please let us know, wed love to share it. EdTech Wikispace ITRT Resources

Wi

kispaces and more...

Discovery Education
Discovery Education offers a breadth and depth of digital media content that is immersive, engaging and brings the world into the classroom to give every student a chance to experience fascinating people, places, and events. All content is aligned to state standards, can be aligned to custom curriculum, and supports classroom instruction regardless of the technology platform. (Discovery Education, 2012) Once again, we have a subscription to Discovery Education, or as some remember it, United Streaming. More than videos, DE offers lesson plans, worksheets, assessments and more, all aligned to VA SOLs. If you dont have an account, it only takes a few minutes to register. Visit http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ and use your school passcode to activate your account. Enderly Kling Parry McCluer Middle Parry McCluer High 79A4-A6AF 47EE-C974 947F-71A2 240B-8333

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eMediaVA
eMediaVA is Virginia's premier statewide digital media distribution system featuring the best "purposebuilt" educational content available. Brought to you by the Virginia Public Media Stations* and PBS, eMediaVA is constantly evolving to better meet the needs of Virginias teachers and students. Whats even better, eMediaVA is free for Virginias teachers and students!
* Blue Ridge PBS, Roanoke; Community Idea Stations, Richmond; WETA, Arlington; WHRO, Norfolk; and WVPT, Harrisonburg. (eMediaVA, 2012)

able to offer this subscription free to teachers and schools in Virginia. Use this in place of or to supplement Discovery Education. As eMediaVA increases their library, this service should actually replace Discovery Education and make it easier to find resources since all resources match VA SOLs instead of SOLs for other states which might not be useful for us. http://www.emediava.org/

You will receive an email from eMediaVA with your log-in information. This service is being given to us free of charge for the next two years. eMediaVAs hope is that, with grants and other funding, they will always be

Internet Safety
Did you know that the VA DOE mandates that every teacher include Internet Safety as part of their content instruction? This isnt as difficult as it might seem. There are numerous resources available to help you including VA DOE guides with content activities correlated to the SOLs: Guidelines and Resources for Internet Safety in Schools. and Ideas for Integrating Internet Safety into the Curriculum. The DOE has also partnered with a variety of organizations to provide teachers with quality online activities such as Professor Garfield which has activities on Cyberbullying, Online Safety, Fact or Opinion, Forms of Media as well as activities to help students in other areas of their lives. Diversity, Giving Back, Self-Control, Peer Pressure, Listening, and SelfEsteem. Another great partnership with a local law enforcement agency provides Virginia schools free access to the NetSmartz Workshop and all of its resources on Internet Safety. Links to these resources and many more may be found on the VA DOE Internet Safety website.

Technology Services
BVCPS underwent a lot of technology updates and changes this summer. I know that there have many instances where things didnt work quite the way we wanted them to as we began our school year, but our technology staff worked hard over the summer, and is continuing to work hard, to provide you with updated laptops, better Internet connections, and more. Please be patientthey have many demands on their servicesand use the proper method to request assistancethe Technology Support Ticket. A link to this service may also be found on BVs home page.

Our Technology Staff

Mark Buckhalt Information Technology and Network Manager Robin Williams Technology Specialist/Database Kathy Jennings Technology Specialist/Webmaster

Contact Information District ITRT: Sue Way sue.way@bvcps.net 540.817.8632 Office located at Parry McCluer Middle Schoo l

www.bvcps.net

Websites: https://sites.google.com/a/bvc resources/ ps.net/itrtcom/

BVCPS

http://bvcpsedtech.wikispaces.

Recommended Websites
DOE Recommendations for More Sites to Visit: Teachers: PBS for Math Teachers
Snapshot of a Modern Learner Math Resources from Federal AgenUse Technology to Upend Traditional cies Education Sheppard Software MathBasic math Blooms Taxonomy: The 21st Cen- through Alg/Geometry. Online activities for students. tury Version The Math ForumLinks to everyMathWow! Free teacher resources created by thing math. math teachers. Mr. Nussbaum MathOnline games, teacher resources, interactive curCopyright New ruling about copyright and text- riculum. books in schools. IlluminationsNCTM resource site with lessons, student activities and Educational Technology more. Role of technology in our schools. Professor Garfield Knowledge Box Online games for grades K-6, but older students can benefit depending on need and topic. Algebra I Online Games Cool MathOnline games and lessons for secondary math. Math PlaygroundOnline games for grades 5+. Math BlasterOnline games and other resources through Algebraic Foundations and Geometric Concepts. Have a great site to share? Please send me the link and Ill include it in the next newsletter. Sue