Concurrent Sessions 58-76

Wednesday, 4:15-5:15

Session:   58    Title:  A Teacher's Guide to RSS
Presenter(s):  David Warlick, The Landmark Project
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Salon 1   Seats:  260   Featured Speaker
Only rarely does a technology emerge that we know, outright, is going to change things. RSS is one such innovation. Although it is still evolving, RSS is already helping educators become better informed on issues of professional and instructional interest and to publish content to students and other classroom stakeholders in powerful new ways. Forget about finding information. We're now training information to find us.

Session:   59   Title:  Putting the "New" in News Shows
Presenter(s):  Chris Curchy and Keith Kyker, SchoolTV.com
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Salon 2   Seats:  260   Featured Speaker
Is your news show ready for an update? You're guaranteed to leave this session with ideas for spicing up your school news show with video segments, graphics, sets, music, and more. Topics include: ideas for news show segments, eye-catching graphics, creative news show openings, simple sets, and affordable teleprompting systems. Learn how to integrate your computer into your school news show. This session will be useful to both novices and experienced producers.

Session:   60   Title:  Can a Wireless Network Really Be Secure?
Presenter(s):  Brent Williams, Kennesaw State University ETTC
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Salon 3   Seats:  260    Featured Speaker
Wireless networks are becoming more and more popular. Their use in schools and by teachers and students at home is complicated by a need for excellent security. This session will discuss and demonstrate various security options for wireless network security - from the simple to the exotic. Can your wireless network be really secure? Find out in this session!

Session:   62   Title:  Improving Learning through Research-Based Practices
Presenter(s):   Wanda Creel, Georgia Department of Education
Time:  Thursday, 9:30-10:30   Location:  Salon 5    Seats:  88
Participants will explore available tools and resources available through the Georgia Department of Education's School Improvement Division that will assist in building capacity for improving learning through research-based practices. In addition, actions being taken to support the Single State Accountability System (SSAS) will be discussed.

Session:   63   Title:  Predicting CRCT Success
Presenter(s):  Shari McGilvray and Carol Wilson, Pearson Digital Learning
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Salon 6   Seats:  260   Vendor
Imagine having the ability to predict your students' performance on the CRCT! Students across the state of Georgia have participated in reading and math courseware correlated to the Quality Core Curriculum and the Georgia Performance Standards. This data was analyzed to determine the reliability of using courseware target levels as accurate indicators of CRCT performance. Results of this analysis reinforces the predictive nature of the courseware target levels for future performance on the CRCT.

Session:   64 Title:  Big6 TurboTools: Giving Students Tools for Successful Researching
Presenter(s):  Ryan "Bob" Rothe, COMPanion Corporation
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Salon 7   Seats:  260   Vendor
Learn how Big6 TurboTools, a Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz software solution, provides tools to guide students through the Big6 process. Tools for recording, organizing, and synthesizing information as well as templates for reporting and evaluation tools are available to address the students' research needs.

Session:   65   Title:  How 105 Online Moodle Classrooms Are Changing One High School
Presenter(s):  Cindy Adams, Vestavia Hills High School, Birmingham, Alabama
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Salon 8 Seats:  260
After running a small pilot program for 18 months, Vestavia Hills City Schools in suburban Birmingham, Alabama, launched full teacher access to an online course management system for its teachers: MOODLE.  This presentation explains the many features of the MOODLE environment and how we are training an entire high school faculty and student body to use them.

Session:   66   Title:  Creative Use of Excel Spreadsheets in All Subject Areas
Presenter(s):  Carol Bohannon and Janet Blanchette, Crews Middle School, Gwinnett County Schools
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Swiss 1-2   Seats:  88
Learn creative ways to use spreadsheets in science, language arts, math, and social studies. Participants will learn how to use Excel to create teacher-led and student-led activities that enable students to learn about topics such as parts of speech, earthquake and weather prediction, three-dimensional ocean floor mapping, topographic mapping, genetic traits, dot density maps, and self-checking activities for math skills. Templates and demonstrations provided.

Session:   67   Title:  Using the TI Navigator in the Classroom
Presenter(s):  Carla Pollard, Bremen High School, Bremen City Schools
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Swiss 3-4   Seats:  88
This session will allow educators to see how to incorporate TI Navigator technology in the classroom by combining TI graphing calculators with a classroom PC to create a wireless network for up to 30 students. 

Session:   68   Title:  Quick and Easy Ideas for Using Digital Cameras in the K-5
Presenter(s):  Melanie Holbrook, Pine Street Elementary School, Rockdale County Schools
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Kenyan 1-2   Seats:  88
This session will provide student examples of quick and easy projects for use with K-5 students and a digital camera. Internet sites with great projects and resources for using digital photographs with students will be shared. Participants will receive many ideas for easy projects they can use tomorrow.
Electronic Handout - Link to Website

Session:   69   Title: Blogging in the Classroom with Software, Setup, and Students
Presenter Larry (Pete) Fuller, Jackson County Schools
Time:  Wednesday 4:15-5:15   Location:  Kenyan 3-4
Session Description: Blogging has become one of the premier uses of the Internet; it makes Web publishing easy for anyone. This session will walk you through the process of blogging in your district. We'll compare several free software packages and walk through an installation. Some best practices for use and potential pitfalls will also be discussed.

Session:   70   Title:  Why Weblogs Work in K-12 Education
Presenter(s):  Hillary Meeler , House Elementary School, Sandi Dennis, Sims Elementary School, Derek
Fort, Rockdale County Schools
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Italian 1-2   Seats:  88
Ways to use weblogs in education will be explored in this session. The possibilities are endless when weblogs are used effectively in K-12 education. Come to this session to learn how weblogs have the potential to transform our curriculum.

Session:   71   Title:  Science Education Using Discrepant Events and Promethean ACTIVboard
Presenter(s):  Gautam Saha, Norcross High School, Gwinnett County Schools
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Italian 3-4   Seats:  88
The HEI approach, a Japanese way to teach Science called HEI (Hypothesis, Explanation and Inquiry), is a simplistic way to present basic and fundamental science demonstrations in the form of an entertaining, mysterious magic show with discrepant events. The key is a five-step approach to science teaching that makes a student more comfortable in taking a position without feeling pressured and then coming to a conclusion based on peer interaction and self-analysis. This approach, coupled with Promethean's ACTIVboard and ACTIVote polling technology using wireless handheld polling devices, is very effective in science education.

Session:   72   Title:  Creating a Professional Virtual Learning Community
Presenter(s):  Lisa Watkins and Carl Dekker, Georgia Virtual School, Georgia Department of Education
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  German 1-2   Seats:  88
In this Department of Education presentation, participants will learn to foster professional growth and a sense of community through the online environment. In this session, Georgia Virtual School's Teacher Forum will be highlighted including tools to help develop professional collaboration.

Session:   73   Title:  Internet Safety (Including a Live Chat Session)
Presenter(s):  Sue Dowling and Sandra Putnam, Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  German 3-4   Seats:  88
This discussion points out the risks that our children face using technology that is available to them, including Internet, thumb drives, cell phone, digital cameras, PDAs, and other memory capable devices. Internet Safety instruction at school, security measures, and policy/procedures to make a CyberSAFE environment will be discussed. A real time online chat will be ongoing during the session. This presentation discusses online risks and includes an online undercover chat room session to demonstrate what our children face when they are online. The presenters will also discuss what can be done at the school level to assist our children to make wise choices when using technology. Note to attendees: Some of the language used in the chat room may be graphic and distasteful (not by the agent/child but by others speaking to her).

Session:   74   Title:  Full T.I.L.T. Media Centers
Presenter(s):  Gail Hendrix, Mabry Middle School, Cobb County Schools
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Spanish 1-2   Seats:  88
How can media centers help students and staff keep pace with the information deluge and changing technology while promoting media programs? Learn how to maintain a media center that is full T.I.L.T.--Teaching Information Literacy with Technology! This session will define information literacy, review the information literacy standards, and provide practical lessons/units that include how to integrate technology with research, train in the use of hardware and software, manage an online technology notebook, and facilitate learning new technology.

Session:   75   Title:  Bartow County is Developing WYNNers!
Presenter(s):  Chris Swaim, Bartow County Schools
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Spanish 3-4   Seats:  88
Bartow County School System developed a pilot program at Woodland High School implementing WYNN and
Test Talker to support students with learning difficulties in special education and inclusion classes. This
presentation will focus on the implementation plan currently in progress, various funding sources, and training
issues that helped to get students and teachers off to a great start. Student and teacher testimonies will be
included to share their perspectives regarding these programs.

Session:   76   Title:  GeorgiaStandards.Org: Your One-Stop Shop Teacher Resource
Presenter(s):  Barbara Fardell and Fred Haws, Georgia Department of Education
Time:  Wednesday,  4:15-5:15   Location:  Australian 3-4   Seats:  88
Come to this hands-on session to learn how the new and improved GeorgiaStandards.Org portal can help you with the unpacking and teaching of the Georgia Performance Standards. We will also be soliciting your opinion on how we can best serve Georgia teachers with a new Unit Plan Builder and other resources to make this your one-stop shop for all your needs to ensure that you and your students fulfill the vision of of leading the nation in improving student achievement.