“Dad, I think I would have done much better if I could have used the computer to plan my writing,” my son responded when I asked him how he had done on his TAKS Writing. My ten year-old son, a fourth grader this year and thousands of other students his age in San Antonio were dreading February 21, 2006. Fortunately, I had spent several Saturdays previous to the testing date preparing my son for what he was to encounter on the test.
I studied the prewriting my son completed while at school. I quickly noted that many of the ideas he generated were superficial. The depth of details and clarity in his writing were almost nonexistent. By using an electronic graphic organizer, Inspiration, my son quickly started elaborating on his central ideas and the supporting details. He also became more engaged in what he was doing. He was no longer writing a “story," instead he was using the computer to help him think about his ideas.
Electronic graphic organizers can be used throughout the curriculum and are easily integrated into the Language Arts classroom. They may be used before, during, and after the reading and/or writing process to help construct knowledge or support comprehension. Because graphic organizers are a visual representation, they can assist in the thinking process in the comprehension of text or generation of a composition.
“Instructional materials should attempt to integrate new material with previously presented information through comparisons and cross-referencing of new and old ideas.” Ausubel, D. (1963)
The Office of Instructional Technology is in its second year of implementing the Graphic Organizer or “GO!” initiative. The goal of Instructional Technology is to provide elementary campuses with matching copies of Kidspiration and Inspiration to provide more access for students to graphic organizer software. If your campus is interested in participating in the “GO!” initiative contact Greg Rodriguez at 527-1400 or visit http://itls.saisd.net/go for more details.
Why Robotics? By Jim Baldoni
How long were the Mars Rovers intended to last? Scientist originally estimated the Rovers to last approximately 3 months. Just think of the kind of team work and thinking it has taken to extend the Rovers life for over 2 years now.
Many San Antonio ISD teachers are taking advantage of the thinking and teamwork that robotics can foster in their classrooms. Lego Robotics purchased last year for the summer gifted and talented enrichment program are being used by several GT teachers throughout the district. Many of the teachers who participated last summer are extending the experience to GT students on their campus. Other teachers have participated in training during the school year in order to obtain the kits to use with their students. There are a variety of grade levels involved. Irving Middle School also realized the power of robotics for teaching and under the guidance of teacher Frank Hawley participated in the TCEA robotics competition in Austin on February 6, 2006.
During the first stages of training, students and teachers take a very structured approach to building the robots based on the LEGO Mindstorms curriculum. The teachers and students programming start at a beginner level and progresses to a more advanced freeform level of visual programming. The student programmer chooses from icons which have particular programming commands associated with them. At the state and area competition students are usually given a challenge course and asked to program their robot to navigate the course efficiently and effectively. Students enjoy the challenge as they utilize programming, math and science skills in the context of a real life challenge. Many variables are taken into consideration such speed, distance and type of surface as the teams wrestle with the challenges.
Robotics can be done as enrichment activity before or after school. It definitely requires all the higher order thinking skills we want our students to acheive. Robotics programming also brings some excitement to the classroom as students become engrossed in tackling the challenges of solving problems through robotics.
To Blog or Not To Blog? - That is the Question! By Sylvia Martinez
Second graders at Madison Elementary under the direction of Mr. Paul Gates, teacher, have decided to take on one of the World Wide Web's newest technologies. Within a matter of 2 months, these second graders have gone from writing in their science journals about plants to using "blogging" to publish their writing. Since communication is not only limited to writing, students have also used "blogs" to upload audio and scanned graphics to their postings. Students look forward to publishing their work and eagerly await comments from their peers and most importantly from others outside their classroom.
The second graders in Paul Gates classroom at Madison Elementary School have used a word processor for writing the Internet for research since the beginning of the school year. They have also acquired additional technology skills while following their science curriculum since January. Some of the skills learned in Mr. Gates' classs are:
o Accessing, writing and editing a blog,
o recording and editing audio using Audacity (an audio editor)
o scanning graphics
o recording audio in PowerPoint
If you are curious to read about what second graders at Madison Elementary are learning about plants, flowers, caterpillars, and butterflies, visit their website at http://lms.saisd.net/cblog/index.php?blog=6 . You will be amazed at what these second graders know!
Gradebook and Attendance Tracking System - End of the Third Nine Week Cycle By Sylvia Martinez
The end of the 3rd Grading Cycle is right around the corner! The Third Grading Cycle ends on March 9, 2006. So who does what and when?
Teachers
All assignments, grades and comments MUST be entered into grade book by Monday, March 20, 2004 no later than 4:00pm.
After all assignments, grades and comments are entered, teacher MUST VERIFY his/her grade book (no later than Monday, March 20 by 4:00pm). This will lock teacher out of grade book for a couple of days meaning grades cannot be entered. However, teachers will still be able to take attendance everyday.
Principal
Must Verify the Campus on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 no later than 12:00pm
Must refer to the Calendar for Principals that details the end of cycle procedures.
Contact the Office of Instructional Technology at 527-1400 if you have any questions or you can look for updates on the GATS website at http://itls.saisd.net/gats/
Welcome to the podcast of the Instructional Technology and Learning Services’ Office (ITLS).
ITLS would like to share some of the exciting initiatives that will transform teaching, learning and leadership through the strategic application of technology.
You may need to install the FREE VLC Media Player on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer to listen to the audio files in OGG format on this page. “OGG” is a free alternative sound format to the more popular, albeit proprietary, “MP3″ format. Need help installing it? Contact the SAISD HelpDesk at 281-9090 or your campus Active Directory Installer.
Some of the topics for this month include:
1) Blogging and podcasting have really taken off but school districts are still wrestling with a variety of issues.
A) San Antonio ISD has launched the SCRIBE Initiative (http://itls.saisd.net/scribe ) as a way to deal with these issues and realize the benefits.. It is a fantastic opportunity for teachers to engage students in writing across the curriculum, as well as publishing online using blogs. We’ll hear from two of the organizers, Sylvia Martinez and Larry Stegall later in our broadcast. SCRIBE is an acronym for Students Composing, Reflecting and Investigating with Blogs, Everywhere!
B) Blogging on Palms: Continuing in the spirit of publishing student writing online, Graebner ES is experimenting with using wireless Palm Handhelds to publish student writing in blogs. Larry Stegall and Jim Baldoni share their experiences in planning and beginning this initiative. Blogging on a Palm in 5th Grade
2) Palm Handheld Assessment: With over 1400 Palm handhelds in circulation in SAISD, this ranks as one of the largest handheld initiatives for teachers and administrators in the Nation. Just last November (2005), all the Palms in circulation became obsolete. We’re facing some issues as a result of that. Claude Ascolese will meet with us to discuss what’s happening and what has been done to address those issues.
3) Campus Web Coordinator Initiative: With over 48 schools now using the content management system–an easy way to maintain and update web pages without being a “techie”–Tonya Mills is extremely busy facilitating an initiative that literally has saved the District thousands and thousands of dollars.
4) Replacing the Professional Development Planner (PDP): The PDP has been in place for the last 3.5 years (ever since I arrived, actually!) and working to enable district staff to register for workshops online instead of sending in faxed registrations. It has saved secretaries and clerks many hours, and enabled end-users to track workshops they’ve taken more easily, as well as run district reports. Unfortunately, the PDP is now obsolete–and has been so for the last 2 years and is in danger of failing. To replace it, the District is considering Learning Management Systems. Claude Ascolese shares some of the highlights of learning management systems in this brief podcast.
5) LOTI District Report: Over the last 3 years, we’ve been collecting assessment data. I take a look at the data for the 2005-2006 school year and share some reflections on where we’re at, where we need to go, and how we might get there together.
All photos used in this newsletter are copyrighted and may not be displayed elsewhere (including web sites or any electronic media), saved to computer hard drives except when viewed in a browser, or reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the Director of Instructional Technology and Learning Services (ITLS), San Antonio ISD. Please note that use of photos on this site is in accordance with SAISD's Acceptable Use Policy and Administrative Procedure F33.
Copyright 2006 San Antonio ISD. San Antonio Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, or disability in providing education services, activities, and programs, including vocational programs, in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
Es norma del Districto Escolar Independiente de San Antonio de no discriminar por motivos de raza, religion, color, origen nacional, sexo o impedimento, en sus programas, servicios o actividades vocacionales, tal como lo require el Título VI de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964, según enmienda; el Título IX de las Enmiendas en la Educación, de 1972, y la Sección 504 de la Ley de Rehabilitación de 1973, según enmienda.
Filed under: TechTips — February 28, 2006 @ 12:01 pm
Note: If you’re already familiar with listening to audio via the Internet, you can skip down 14 podcasts available at the bottom of this document. Note that these were prepared for Technology & Learning’s web site and can be found in their original format at http://www.techlearning.com/podcasts
INTRODUCTION TO PODCASTS
Driving to and from work, I often wished for ways I could listen to experts on topics I was personally, as well as professionally, interested in. Of course, these days, technology enables lots of people to be “experts” as it enables them to share what they are doing in their classrooms or districts.
One way to accomplish this is through the use of audio blog entries, also known as “podcasts.” Podcasts are an easy way of publishing audio files to the Internet. More importantly, you are able to subscribe to podcasts and listen to them as they become available. This activity is known as “podcatching.” Of course, you do not have to subscribe to podcasts. You can always play them via your Web Browser. Special software to “catch” podcasts–a.k.a. “podcatching”– for listening is available below.
Take a moment to get and install a copy of the free “podcatching” software for your computer’s operating system (e.g. Windows, Mac, or Linux), and the enter the URL or web address for the XML or RSS feed. This will immediately give you a list of available podcasts you can listen to. Note that if you have iTunes–not likely on SAISD computers because of inappropriate music sharing potential– installed on your computer, you can also use that. Instead of iTunes, however, try one of these free, open source software programs.
Software available for podcatching includes the following: Windows and Macintosh - Juice
To subscribe to TechTips, copy-n-paste the following address into a new subscription in Juice or iPodder:
http://lms.saisd.net/blog/?feed=rss2
While you may not need any extra software to listen to these podcasts, you should consider installing a copy of the free VLC Media Player (http://www.videolan.org/vlc).
It is available for Macintosh, Windows, and Linux and will allow you to listen to many of the audio–and video–formats podcasts appear in, such as MP3 and OGG.
Filed under: TechTips — February 28, 2006 @ 12:38 pm
Although the Internet provides us with access to millions of images that can be used under Fair Use, we often cannot be certain whether we can use them due to copyright considerations. As such, finding free, open source clip art–free from copyright restrictions–becomes a necessity, especially for illustrating documents we create. That’s why when you run across a resource that prints this statement–”The images found here can be used for any purpose without any conditions. “–you have to share it with others. The images came from a variety of sources, cited online for your review.
Filed under: Teaching and Learning — February 28, 2006 @ 12:46 pm
Check out this video on the necessity of becoming information literate! Here’s a brief quote from the article and I encourage you to view the video:
Most young people today do not remember a time when there wasn’t a World Wide Web. As we step into the new century, rapidly changing technologies and growing diversity are dramatically reshaping how we live our lives. This is especially true in the classroom and library where technology has transformed the opportunities for learning. Yet a computer and Internet connection are not enough. The resulting explosion in new, often unfiltered information requires enhanced literacy skills.
On Monday, January 9th, all summer workshop offerings will be accessible via the Online Professional Learning calendar accessible at the address below:
I studied the prewriting my son completed while at school. I quickly noted that many of the ideas he generated were superficial. The depth of details and clarity in his writing were almost nonexistent. By using an electronic graphic organizer, Inspiration, my son quickly started elaborating on his central ideas and the supporting details. He also became more engaged in what he was doing. He was no longer writing a “story," instead he was using the computer to help him think about his ideas.
Many San Antonio ISD teachers are taking advantage of the thinking and teamwork that robotics can foster in their classrooms. Lego Robotics purchased last year for the summer gifted and talented enrichment program are being used by several GT teachers throughout the district. Many of the teachers who participated last summer are extending the experience to GT students on their campus. Other teachers have participated in training during the school year in order to obtain the kits to use with their students. There are a variety of grade levels involved. Irving Middle School also realized the power of robotics for teaching and under the guidance of teacher Frank Hawley participated in the TCEA robotics competition in Austin on February 6, 2006.
Second graders at Madison Elementary under the direction of Mr. Paul Gates, teacher, have decided to take on one of the World Wide Web's newest technologies. Within a matter of 2 months, these second graders have gone from writing in their science journals about plants to using "blogging" to publish their writing. Since communication is not only limited to writing, students have also used "blogs" to upload audio and scanned graphics to their postings. Students look forward to publishing their work and eagerly await comments from their peers and most importantly from others outside their classroom. 
If you are curious to read about what second graders at Madison Elementary are learning about plants, flowers, caterpillars, and butterflies, visit their website at You may need to install the FREE VLC Media Player on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer to listen to the audio files in OGG format on this page. “OGG” is a free alternative sound format to the more popular, albeit proprietary, “MP3″ format. Need help installing it? Contact the SAISD HelpDesk at 281-9090 or your campus Active Directory Installer.
SCRIBE Overview
