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Nov/Dec 2004: Features |
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You've learned the basic functions of your hand-held computer (or PDA—Personal Digital Assistant)—and now you're wondering what more you can do with it, or how you can improve its function.
What makes the biggest difference in improving student performance? It's not the latest curriculum product or assessment tool or even parental involvement. Research indicates that it is precisely what the average citizen already knows: teachers and the quality of teaching.
Searching the Web may seem an easy task. Just type in your terms and look at all the results—until, of course, you are engulfed in your hits, drowning in the inevitable consequences of a bad keyword search. A more efficient, viable alternative is to search combinations of superb free Web directories/portals and free/fee-based vendor resources, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
Technological advances have provided new opportunities and greater power to support the teachers' endeavors and have simplified the process of collecting and using data to help them make informed decisions about their increasingly thinning resources, to better collaborate on what works, and, ultimately, to help all children learn.
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Nov/Dec 2004: Product Reviews |
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3dChor Kids provides young students with an introduction to basic animation.
An easy-to-use educational software program that enables secondary education teachers and college instructors to bring U.S. demographic data into the classroom.
Handles scanning and provides the ability to work with virtually any photography application.
Earth Science, Life Science, Physical Science
A comprehensive, integrated suite of CD- and DVD-burning tools.
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Nov/Dec 2004: Columns |
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Science Fair programs are awesome and can generate all sorts of amazing results from inspiring and engaging projects. Finding good resources that outline the process and suggest age-appropriate topics is a key component for getting students started. Another important factor is to involve parents so that they can assist their children throughout the process. Be sure to visit these CyberBee-selected Web sites for resources, tips, and experiments that will help jump-start your science fair program.
I have a theory. I think we have to prepare our students for the world they will encounter—not the one we suffered through. Sounds obvious, but so often we seem to forget. This came home to me in a recent experience that reminded me of my own school life.
We believe that ongoing reading promotion through our school media's technology program goes a long way toward supporting reading.
Shaw discusses his 3-day workshop for teachers, which is designed for technology training and model effective teaching. The lack of time available for teachers to experiment with technology and to develop ideas is one of the biggest problem they seem to have about technology training, so he designed his workshop with a mix of direct instruction activities and unstructured time in order to give them their flexible, free time.
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Nov/Dec 2004: In the Spotlight |
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A complete assessment package designed to help educators diagnose academic strengths and weaknesses.
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