[If you do not see a video above, make sure you're viewing the newsletter from outside of Citrix (i.e. open Internet Explorer from the START menu and paste the newsletter address}

Take a second to watch the above video from Promethean. Promethean is one of several Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) vendors. A handful of Promethean IWBs are currently in use throughout the district. Even if you aren't one of the lucky recipients of a Promethean IWB, their software and lesson plans are useable by ANY teacher who has just an LCD projector. By downloading the Personal Edition of ActiveInspire (formerly Flipchart Viewer) you can display and interact with thousands of teacher-created lessons, searchable by subject and grade level on Promethean's website: www.prometheanplanet.com.

Utilizing state/federal stimulus money, the district will be purchasing additional IWBs this year.  Nearly fifty teachers applied for IWBs . An announcement regarding the the latest recipients is imminent.

Shen uses Barracuda software to filter sites deemed inappropriate for educational use.  There is now a process in place for requesting sites be unblocked for instruction.

When searching for curricular resources, if you find a website you wish to use that works from home but is blocked at school, you can submit a HelpDesk ticket with the following information:

• web address

• course or content area in which it will be used

• brief explanation of how the site would be used instructionally

These tickets are forwarded to the Lead Teachers who then review the sites from home and make a recommendation to Jill Bush, Assistant Supt for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. Mrs. Bush makes the final decision on whether or not the site should be unblocked. This entire process may take anywhere from a couple of days to two weeks .

Starting in Sept. 2010, Office 2003 will no

longer be available. The following work-

shops are being  offered to help with the

transition to Office 2007.

• 
  Creating a website with Expressions Web (replaces FrontPage)
• Multimedia Presentations using PowerPoint 2007
• Getting Used to the Office 2007 Interface
• Mail Merge and Forms using Word 2007

Dates and descriptions can be found on the ShenPD blog at http://shenpd.wordpress.com/. Also, we have downloaded and posted several PowerPoint presentations, created by Microsoft, on our InsideShen page. These  presentations detail changes in each Office product. Look on the intranet  at: http://insideshen/DO/instruction/pd/LTIT/default.aspx
Click on Shared Documents, then Office 2007 Training Materials.
 
In addition you may wish to check out interactive guides for each application that show where a feature was in 2003 and where it is now in 2007. You can access these on the G: drive at:

 G:\Instructional Services\Teacher Resources\EdTech Resources\How To Guides and Resources\Office\Office 2007\Office Interactive Command Guide 

The Internet Scout Report is a project of University of Wisconsin-Madison's campus. They review websites, freeware and other internet resources on a weekly basis. People often ask where we find some of the great websites and tools we use and this is a great source.

Research That Delivers Results

"The Scout Project research team creates and delivers practical web-based information and software solutions for educators, librarians and researchers. Through stand-alone and collaborative projects we focus on joining concepts from both Library and Computer Science with the latest in internet technology to create tools and publication services that deliver.

Tools That Deliver Solutions

Our open source software tools are designed with academic and non-profit groups and users in mind. They are flexible, provide easy to use interfaces and can be set up with out a lot of technical expertise. Our turn-key portal software, for example, allows digital collection developers to share their unique online materials and collections with colleagues and students throughout the world.

Publications That Deliver Knowledge

The project's acclaimed reports and resource archive provide educators, students, researchers, and librarians with fast, convenient ways of staying informed about the most valuable online resources. Our most popular publication, the Scout Report, is one of the Web's oldest and most respected current awareness services. Published every Friday since 1994, it is read by more than 250,000 readers every week."