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This month's theme is Service. As we highlight throughout this newsletter, the term service can take on many meanings -- from client service to community service. For example, our May integration idea combines community service, hands-on science/mathematics, and the use of spreadsheets. Check it out if you're looking for a way to engage students out-of-doors during these final months of the school year.
Also, be sure to take our latest reader survey. It's very brief and will help us create an even better Sun Associates News in coming months.
This issue and back issues of Sun Associates news are available online.
Please feel free to email any of the contributors of our newsletter with your comments and suggestions for upcoming issues. We are always looking for submissions and ideas to make Sun Associates News better and more relevant to your work.
IN THIS ISSUE
I. THIS MONTH'S FEATURE -- Service, Surveys, and Sessions
II. INTEGRATION IDEA OF THE MONTH -- Trashy Graphs
III. SPOTLIGHT ON THE WEB-- Service Project Resources
IV. ON THE HORIZON -- May Calendar Listings and Upcoming Events
V. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
I. THIS MONTH'S FEATURE: Service, Surveys, and Sessions -- Jeff Sun
As we consider the subject of service as this month's theme, it occurs to us that we would do well to ask you, the Sun Associates News reader, about the service this newsletter provides to you. Are we covering topics of interest? Is there something you'd like to see us focus upon in greater depth? Overall, how do we compare to other online newsletters?
While you're always welcome to send us your comments, we thought we'd take opportunity this month to create a very brief (only 9 questions, including two that are optional!) online survey that gauges how well we are serving our readers.
If you choose to take this survey, you can register to win a copy of Click on Success, our highly-acclaimed resource book for infusing technology across the curriculum. The URL for the online survey is -- http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?L3K2Q8S8CEEXXBAXH0132SX8
Speaking of surveys and assessment, those of you attending NECC in Chicago this June might be interested in two of the sessions presented by Sun Associates. This year, we will be presenting a full-day, Saturday, workshop on creating meaningful technology assessments and evaluations (SAF229). We are also conducting a "Make and Take" session on creating web-based online surveys (Monday, 6/25, at 1:30pm). Full descriptions of these sessions, and the entire NECC program, can be accessed online at the neccsite website. We hope to see you there!
Those of you who aren't able to go to Chicago can still access our resources on technology evaluation. The Sun Associates website has a frequently-updated page of evaluation resources. Look for the NECC session handouts and PowerPoint presentations to be posted here after the conference.
Finally, if program evaluation, professional development, and client service are topics which truly motivate you professionally, you might be just the sort of person we need on-staff at Sun Associates. Currently, we have several positions we are working to fill. For a position description and more information on applying, visit our position openings page.
II. INTEGRATION IDEA OF THE MONTH -- Heather Hurley
Welcome to the Integration Idea of the Month. Each month we share a technology project that you can implement in your classroom. All lessons are designed for the one or few computer classroom, though a lab setting will work just as well.
This month's idea is for a community service project which strikes close to home at many schools. School grounds often get littered with trash from student snack food containers. Our idea for this month is a service activity that students can do to help keep their school grounds clean and trash free.
For a detailed description, check out the lesson plan for "Trashy Graphs."
If you have questions or suggestions for future projects, email Heather.
Happy integrating :)
III. SPOTLIGHT ON THE WEB -- Melissa Chatfield
Have you thought about starting a service project in your school or wondered how to find volunteers to help in your classroom? This month, Spotlight on the Web features two web sites that are excellent resources for service learning and volunteers in the classroom.
The Texas Education Network (TENET), developed by The University of Texas at Austin, features a Community Volunteers page for educators who coordinate volunteer and community partnership activities between schools and other organizations. The site includes an extensive collection of online resources, including: tools educators can use to work with volunteers and the community, tools to assist volunteers and students interested in service, and additional information for anyone who works with volunteers.
If you would like to involve your class or school in a national volunteer initiative, visit Kids Care Clubs, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to youth community service. You can register your club online and find projects for kids to do in school as part of their regular curriculum.
World Wide Web Update:
On December 21, 2000, President George W. Bush signed into law the Children's Internet Protection Act (the CHIP Act), included as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001. The CHIP Act stipulates that in order to be eligible to receive discounted Internet access, Internet services, and internal connection services, schools and libraries that have computers with Internet access must have in place certain Internet safety policies. To learn more about the legislation and how your district/school may be affected:
Questions, comments? Email Melissa.
IV. ON THE HORIZON -- Lara Buchko
When educators think of community service, it is often from the perspective of students and teachers working with the communities in which they live. There are other ways to view service, and one way in which educators benefit from service efforts is when companies and organizations perform service for the educational community. Here's an example of an organization -- in this case the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the Emmy people) -- providing a service which addresses the increasingly important topic of media literacy.
Drs. Jerome and Dorothy Singer, Directors of the Yale Family Television Research and Consultation Center, developed the "Creating Critical Viewers" curriculum in 1992 to give students an authentic introduction to the media. Now, with a curriculum designed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, educators are teaching students to be literate, critical analysts of what they watch on television, why they watch it, and how they could make it better. The curriculum, aimed at students in grades 4-12, is currently being used in over 10,000 schools across the country. Students are learning to assess the relevance and truth of what is portrayed in the media, as well as the accuracy of its representation of the real world.
As the definition of "media" has grown to encompass much more in the past decade, teaching students to be critical users of information technology has become a meaningful goal in many schools across the country. Those schools that are successfully integrating technology into the curriculum are recognizing that there is more to student use of technology than simply being able to access information, data, and resources. Students must also learn to analyze and evaluate what they read on the Internet, discern how and when to use appropriate technologies, and realize the impact of technology on the world around them. The same principles that students use to assess what they see on television can also be applied to current technologies. Teaching students to critically analyze information technology is an important step in preparing them for success in and beyond the classroom.
For more information on the Creating Critical Viewers curriculum, locate your regional chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
May Educational Technology Events:
May 17-19, 2001
Anaheim, CA
Spring 2001 Computer Using Educators Conference: An Education OdysseyFor a full list of conferences, shows, and other events where you can find Sun Associates, visit our website.
Answer to Last Month's Trivia Question:
What is this country’s longest running weekly non-news show on television? "Soultrain" has been on the air 25 years. This makes the syndicated show the longest running weekly non-news show. For more info visit the Soultrain website.
Next Month:
The Newsletter theme will be *PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT*. We invite you to submit related ideas, resources, or information to any of our writers (email addresses are in each section's byline). If we publish your contribution in our next newsletter, we'll send you a free gift!!
If you have questions about our upcoming events, or if you would like to submit an educational technology event for our calendar, please email Lara
V. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
We hope you enjoyed reading the ideas and information in Sun Associates News. If you have received this newsletter forwarded by a friend and would like to to receive your own copy, simply send an email -- with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject -- to us at newsletter@sun-associates.com. If you would prefer not to receive future issues via email please let us know by emailing to newsletter@sun-associates.com. Just put the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject of your email message.
Sun Associates offers this monthly newsletter as a service to educators interested in issues related to the integration of technology in schools. Our firm specializes in technology evaluation, planning, and professional development. We work with teachers across the country and bring this breadth of experience to all of our work. This newsletter is designed to share some of our recent findings and experiences.
{tagline}Information on this site that has been produced by Sun Associates is Copyright 1997 - 2013 Sun Associates and is available for individual, one-time, use by educators. Duplication is prohibited without permission. All other material is the property of its authors and Sun Associates makes no warranty for its use or accuracy.
Last updated, May 7, 2001