Technology Tidbits Newsletter
 From
Leanna Prater and Paula Whitmer 
District Technology Resource Teachers

 

 
 

.


January 2006
Volume 2 No. 4

 Happy New Year!
 

Paula Whitmer and Leanna Prater are
District Wide Technology Resource Teachers who can help
out with your technology needs.  We hope in this newsletter
you might find some interesting ideas, websites
 and lessons to keep you up to date with technology integration. 

Writing

 

Keep your eyes posted for our new Fayette County Literary E-Zine!

We are currently taking submissions for proficient and distinguished writing.  Check with your school's Language Arts Rep to see who your school contact person is.

Here is a link to our submission guidelines:

Have questions? Feel free to email Leanna Prater.
 

 

Other helpful writing sites:

Writing Prompts 

 Writers on Teaching- A poetry lesson from Tara Tandlich·     


Writers on Teaching:  Kent Alexander Teaching Playwriting to young students

All About Our Town: Using Brochures to Teach Informational Writing
 
 Techie Tip from Kim Overstreet
Old Favorite
Adding an Address to your Contacts

If you want to add a new address to your Contacts:

  • Click on File
  • Select New
  • Then select Contact
  • When you see this new window pop up, you will put the person's name where it says full name
  • Then in the box to the right type their email address (for example, jdoe@usa.com)
  • Then click Save and Close

If you have received an email from someone that you want to add to you Contacts, the process is much quicker and easier.

  • Open the email message from the person you want to add.
  • Right click on their name at the top of the message.
  • Choose Add to Outlook Contacts.

Now when you want to email that person, you can either type their name (just like you entered it in the Full Name box) in the To box or you can go into your address book and find Contacts and highlight their name. When you see their name underlined in the To box, you know that it has found their address and will send the message to them.
 

New Favorite

Creating .pdf documents for your web or email

If you create a homework assignment that you want to place on your web page, you want to make sure that all of your students will be able to open that file to printout at home.  If you use Word and save it as a .doc file, some, but possibly not all, of your students will be able to open that.  If you save the file as a .pdf and provide a link to Adobe's free reader, then anyone will be able to open that file and you won't lose any formatting like you might if you change the file format.  Here's how you can do it:

  • Go to this site http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp to download the CutePDF Writer. 
  • Click the Free Download link and choose Run.
  • Go through the defaults of installation.
  • Then click the Free Converter link and choose Run.
  • Go through the defaults.

Now to create a PDF:

  • Open a document in Word, Excel, Publisher, etc.
  • Choose File
  • Select Print
  • Then Instead of choosing a printer, select CutePDF Writer.
  • Then Print.
  • It will ask you where you want to save the file.

If you add this file to your webpage, be sure to include a link to Adobe's Free Reader http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html so people can download that if they don't have it.  Then they will be able to open and print your file.



     Literature Links

RePlay by Sharon Creech (reading group guide) pdf

Teach Creech (literature circle guide) pdf

Active Reading Using The Enormous Watermelon

Building a Matrix for Leo Lionni Books: An Author Study

Characters in Because of Winn-Dixie: Making Lists of Ten

 
Special Area Teachers!
Lessons

 

READING MUSIC IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Here Comes the Train Music Lesson


Nutrition

 
Favorites from Riverdeep Flyer


 WRITING PROMPTS TO IMPROVE SPELLING:
Spelling skills are integrated into writing exercises

NEWTON'S LAWS OF MOTION:
Lesson plans that examine Newton's Laws of Motion.
Complete with a summary and student quiz. A
step-by-step research report template is also included,
along with suggested sites for student research

ACTIVITIES FOR USING A PHONE BOOK  (PDF FILE)
Martin Luther King
Guess the word in the "I Have A Dream" speech

Study Guide for Teachers
 


Barbara Barr's January Holiday Links

Great Online activities and lesson plans

Breaking Away from the Math Book

Graphing a Cleaned- Out Desk
As part of your recycling unit, combine math graphing
 with a desired outcome - a clean desk!


 




2006 Winter Olympics
 

Kidsvillage
(If site comes up in something other than English, look on the right hand side of the screen for a British flag)

 

Freebies from Teacher Created Materials

January 25th Fun Fact Challenge
Martin Luther King, Jr
Sample Pages from Hands-On American History- American Revolution
Sample Pages for Electricity Unit