by Brian Metcalfe  - Technology Education

Employee Purchase Plan - Computer &/or Anti-Virus Software
Plans are once again underway to provide an opportunity for staff members to purchase a Dell computer for home use. In addition, our Division is also investigating an employee purchase plan for virus protection software from Eset Software, the makers of the Nod32 anti-virus system. Details of these offers will be sent out to employees in the next few weeks. Those wishing to investigate this anti-virus software for home use can download a 25 day free trial from:  http://www.nod32.com/download/trial.htm

Windows 95 "Fix" to Elementary Report Card Software
Recently some of our elementary educators downloaded this year's version of the Elementary Report Card (Version 3.8) software from the "Report Support" web site at: http://www.wsd1.org/wsd1report/
Unfortunately, when some of these individuals attempted to install this software on some Windows 95 computers, they were presented with the following error message: "A required .DLL file, WS2_32, was not found". Patrick Logan tracked down this error which occurs when one attempts to install and run Version 3.8 of the Elementary Report Card software on a WINDOWS-95 based computer which has not had the operating system upgraded. Fortunately Patrick was quickly able to find a Microsoft "patch" or "fix", which was created back in September, 1996. This file was placed in a "blue" colour-code frame near the top of three separate pages of the "Report Support" web site. Make certain when one visits the "Report Support" web site, one "refreshes" the browser or presses <Ctrl-F5> to display the blue warning frame. Windows 95 users who encounter the above error are instructed to visit the "Report Support" web site to download and run this fix before installing Version 3.8 of this year's Elementary Report Card software.

The Great Canadian Geography Challenge at: http://www.geochallenge.ca/
Marg Stimson, creator of the Info Zone, in the Pembina Trails School Division, recently shared this excellent geographical educational web site with me. "The 2003-04 school year marks the 10th anniversary of The Great Canadian Geography Challenge". The competition is designed at two levels: Level 1- Grades 4-6 and Level 2 for Grades 7-10 students. Educators and students are encouraged to take either the 5 or 10 question challenge, with its on-line checking as well as explore the Challenge archives. Whether you decide to enroll your class or not, mark May 15, 2004 down on your calendar and make certain you visit and view the National Final on-line.

Problem Solving with "Crazy Eights"
As a former Mathematics teachers, I am always intrigued by questions that provide students with an opportunity to test their problem-solving skills. Of particular interest, are questions which have more than one correct answer (which is often a quite different approach from the way in which educators were taught). Try this challenge: "Make a sum of 1000, using some eights (8s) with some plus signs (+s) inserted."

Since this problem can be solved in more than one way, students might find several solutions (888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000) is one solution. Likewise 888 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000) is another possible answer. Students should then analyze these solutions and discuss whether other solutions exist.

Quote of the Month
"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." -- John Cotton Dana

by Brian Metcalfe  - Technology Education

Recently I had an opportunity to work with some dedicated educators at Wolseley School who were exploring how they might integrate the use of digital cameras into their classroom teaching. Near the end of the workshop, I was showing Beth Mason, how Microsoft Word, with its "callout" function could be utilized to add "comments or thoughts" to images of students. When this technique was explained, this teacher immediately saw the potential for using this function in a "cartooning" unit that she was hoping to introduce with her class. Her excitement of this function's potential made me think that perhaps other readers may want to consider using this feature to add humour to existing digital images.

Having taught only Mathematics and Computer Science at the Junior and Senior high levels, I was not that familiar with where "cartooning" might best fit into Language Arts classes. To gain a better perspective, I started my browser and pointed it to the Manitoba Education and Youth's "Curriculum Navigator" tool at:    http://www3.edu.gov.mb.ca/cn/index.jsp

I searched for the word "cartoon" in the "English Language Arts" area in Grades 4-8. Imagine my delight to find that my search results included 30 links to different "Learning Experiences" with practical classroom strategies. Now knowing that "cartooning" could be integrated into many aspects of the Language Arts 4-8 curriculum, I proceeded to have my picture taken at the computer with a few props.

The results with their respective "callout" thoughts and verbal comments are illustrated below along with the process that teachers can use to add these Word components to existing photos or clip-art.

 

1. Start Microsoft Word. 2. Click the "File/New/Blank Document" menu items to begin with a new bank document. 3. Click in the blank document and then select "Insert/Picture/From File" menu items. 4. Navigate to the folder and specific digital image and click the "insert" button. 5. Once the image has been inserted into the blank Word document, click on the image, so that handles appear at the mid-points of the sides and corners. 6. Drag any corner handle to re-size, if required. 7. Click on the image to make it "active". Such active images display eight grey "handles" around the image. 8. With the image "active", click on the "Insert/Picture/AutoShapes" menu items.

 

9. From the "AutoShapes" toolbar, click on the "Callouts". 10. Click to select one of the following shapes: Rectangular Callout, Rounded Rectangular Callout, Oval Callout, or Cloud Callout (for thoughts). 11. Click on the image at the location where one wishes the callout to be placed. 12. Click within the callout symbol and enter the spoken or thought comment. Adjust the font and font-size as required. 13. Drag the yellow dot at the bottom of the callout and place it near the brain (if it's a thought) or the mouth (if it's a spoken comment). 14. Reposition the callout appropriately in relationship to the original digital picture by dragging the callout frame edge to a new position. 15. If one wishes, one can right-click on the callout boundary and from the "Properties" menu, select the "Format AutoShape" menu item. One may then choose to change the balloon background color from its default white setting. 16. Save your Word document. Clip-Art Callouts The same procedures can be used to add callouts to various clipart images. Educators using Office may wish to search the wide variety of clip-art available at: Microsoft Office Online at: http://office.microsoft.com/clipart/default.aspx If one has access to a digital camera, encourage your students to take some "zany" photos which can be used as the basis of cartoons. Students, working in pairs, should then be challenged to create callouts for each of the sample photos. Teachers will find that comparing callouts using the same initial image or clip-art will make for a very interesting discussion regarding humour and why a cartoon appears to be funny.

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Professional Development Using Technology 2003-2004

by Brian Metcalfe - Technology Education

Once again, MaryLouise Lisi and Linda Shelest of Technology Education, have worked very hard to coordinate and assemble a series of professional development opportunities for Winnipeg School Division staff. The matrix below provides basic information and readers are encouraged to visit the Professional Development web site at: http://www.wsd1.org/2004PD/  to gain more details about each specific workshop and, if interested, complete the on-line registration as required. This year an attempt to help a wide variety of participants including Administrative, Clerical, Instructional, Special Education and Technicians has been planned. A "hard copy" of this professional development opportunity should be printed and distributed to schools by the end of this month. So ... keep your eyes open for a rose-coloured booklet entitled "Professional Development Program" so that you may take advantage of the various sessions.