Project: Book Review, Activity: Tone

1. With a partner, read each sentence out loud.  
2. For each sentence, be sure to stress (emphasize) the bold, underlined word.  Practice a couple of times if you need to.

I didn’t say you stole my red hat.

I didn’t say you stole my red hat.

I didn’t say you stole my red hat.

I didn’t say you stole my red hat.

I didn’t say you stole my red hat.

I didn’t say you stole my red hat.

I didn’t say you stole my red hat.

4.  Then, with your partner, discuss how each sentence has a different meaning even though the words are the same.  

The emphasis you gave each word changed the TONE of the sentence.  You can think differently than your classmate does about the author’s tone because each of you may read the sentence differently.  That’s why you want to support your opinion with details from the story.

Book Review Project: "Maniac Magee"

Our first project for this school year is a Book Review of "Maniac Magee"

SmartNotebook Answer Reveal Strategy: Drag to Target

Dragging an Object Target

Hot Spots Interactivity

Creating a Hot Spot Activity is a great way to use SmartNotebook in your classroom to get students involoved in analyzing and interacting with visual material. this really brings a static photo or diagram to life, addressing your spatial/kinesthetic style learners. This is a very easily customized activity--you can use a custom graphic such as a picture, or I have used the grid system to assist with finding math coordinates. A hint displays at the top of the screen, and the students must use that hint to figure out where they need to touch on the smartboard based on the hint.

Capture, Paste, and make it Interactive!

I received a question via email and here is the How-to Video response.

• The Question: How do you copy a website or worksheet into SmartNotebook?


• The Answer: Use the Capture Tool (looks like a digital camera) from your floating toolbar. If you do not have the little camera, see my earlier video on how to customize that toolbar to include this very handy tool by clicking the cog at the bottom of the toolbar.

Thank you so much for the question, and I hope this helps! Have a fabulous day!

SmartNotebook: Checker Tool

SmartNotebook 10 has some excellent tools, one of which is the Checker Tool. This tool allows you to create instant feedback for the students by indicating if the answer they have chosen is correct or incorrect. You can use this in many ways, but one of the most common uses is as an interactive worksheet where the students use a word bank to fill in the blank, or to label diagrams or graphics. It's pretty simple to use, and I hope you find it very helpful. With this tool in your arsenal, you will have the kids up to the SmartBoard in no time, clicking dragging and learning! Once you get the hang of this particular tool, it can add alot of interest to your presentations.

SmartNotebook: Erase to Reveal with Reset Tutorial

Interactivities come in many forms. I believe the simplest is the tried and true fill-in-the-blank, but here the students fill in answers using the SmartBoard. Graphics can come from many sources, from your CD's that came with the books, online study guides, or a scan of your favorite drawing. For Erase to Reveal, you can also use typed text that you simply cut and paste from a word document. Four Steps for an Erase to Reveal Interactvity: 1. Insert Graphic or Text 2. Resize and Lock in place 3. White Out the Answers 4. Page Recording to allow you a no-fuss reset for the activity.

Customizing SmartNotebook Tools

First in the video series: Finding and Customizing your Floating Tools I have increased the video resolution, so I will try to present the tools in very short segments. Remember you can pause and rewind if I go to fast, and replay it if you find yourself lost. Once you have installed SmartNotebook 10.7, it's time to really use set up your new tool. Using SmartNotebook can be so easier when you have customized your floating toolbar with your favorite tools. I have made a short video showing you how to do this using the Settings cog at the bottom of the floating bar. Specifically, I show you how to create a wide white pen, and suggest you drag the camera tool to your toolbar.

How to CPS

How-to Videos are available here, which opens a new window with topic options.

The sheer volume of how-to videos selection can be overwhelming, but they are very helpful. I will post a narrowed down selection in the next few days based on the participant interests.

Great Smartboard resource

Although they do have repeated "buy my stuff" in every post, they have some excellent looking resources.  Check out
http://www.teacherslovesmartboards.com/notebook/#tp

Portable Storage Device for Class

I had included a note about our class next week, suggesting everyone bring a thumb drive.  And I was asked--what is that?  Thank you so much for asking early!  It will make next week go much easier if everyone has one to work with.

My post in a nutshell: 

http://www.geekalerts.com/usb-bug/

 *Don't get anything that is measured in MB, it's too small and a waste of money!  Technology is developing so quickly now that there are 512 MB drives for $15, next to a 2 GB drive for $7.  MB is smaller, go for the GB.

*Lids are made to be Lost--if it has a cap or lid, it's probably going to be missing within 6 months (if you are lucky).

 *If this is the first time you are shopping for one, go for a 4 or 2 GB and spend $10 to $15

CPS How-to Videos and PASS linking

 Videos and PASS Linking
There are how-to videos showing you screen by screen how to use CPS.  We will watch a few of these in class, bookmark this page because I have found this resource very helpful.  
Following the link to the video index, I have step by step instructions on how to download the Oklahoma Pass Objectives and import them into your CPS to be able to gradually build a very concise tool.  However, please consider the Core Curriculum changes that are in the works before you spend alot of time building this.  

Schedule

Welcome to Mrs. Menzie's Fall 2010 Professional Development.  This year the class will meet in 4 sessions, tentatively as below:

Thu Oct 28, 2010		3:20pm – 4:50pm	Session 1: CPS - N-01
Thu Nov 4, 2010		3:20pm – 4:50pm	Session 2: SmartBoards for Differentiation - N-01
Thu Nov 11, 2010		All day	Inservice - No School
Thu Nov 18, 2010		3:20pm – 4:50pm	Session 3 - N-01
Wed Nov 24-26, 2010		All day	Thanksgiving Holiday - No School
Thu Nov 25, 2010		All day	Thanksgiving Holiday - No School
Fri Nov 26, 2010		All day	Thanksgiving Holiday - No School
Thu Dec 2, 2010		3:20pm – 4:50pm	Session 4 - N-01
Thu Dec 9, 2010		All day	Make Up Session
Fri Dec 10, 2010		All day	Make Up Session

The Make-Up Session will be EITHER Thursday or Friday, not BOTH!

The books will be placed in your in-boxes or given to you personally after the faculty meeting on Wednesday Morning before the P/T conference as we finalize the schedule.  Curriculum 21 is a collection of essays by several different authors, so we will have focus essays for each session that we will determine during our planning sessions that relate to the participants area of interest.

This schedule is subject to revision. Post comments to this if you have any comments or input.  See you soon!

New Home PC + Same Old School PC = Argh

As we move back into the school year, I often get requests from co-workers for assistance. Currently one of the most common problems my co-workers are encountering is file compatibility with their home to work files.

If you have updated your home PC and are working in Windows 7 instead of Windows XP/2000 like most of our workstations in the public education sector, it can be extremely frustrating when you realize that awesome worksheet or powerpoint you have created will not open on your school workstation. Another time I encounter this is when students work at home, then bring it in to share with the class and it wont open.

There is a simple patch from Microsoft to download, located here. Click the DOWNLOAD button near the top of the page.

If you find this does not work for you, please let me know so I can revise my link.

Day 4: Master Teacher Conference

Last Day! Morning was spent with our content area, which means I was with the Science group. Loved it! We talked about inquiry and observation, and clarity in directions when conducting a lab. We practiced observations with small machines and exotic fruits, a great way to enhance skills and of course address differentiation.

After lunch, we finally got together with our regional group to begin planning for next years summer conference. The Southwest Region's PASSages conference focus looks to be instructional differentiation, something I am a big fan of.

I have begun previewing the books selected by SDE over the week, but I find myself going back to one of the books Jana Rowland from SDE-Curriculum Standards in Science, it's Science: Formative Assessment by Page D. Keeley. It discusses 75 specific strategies and their implementation with accomodations noted. Got to love that! I am reading it and seeing where I can work them in. I love this book, the more I read the more I like it!