Northborough-Southborough Schools Director of Technology Jean Tower will host the first in an ongoing series of parent technology workshops tomorrow night. It will be held in the Algonquin Library starting at 7:00 pm. All community members are welcome to attend.
The agenda is below. You can find more details on the Technology Department website (www.nsboro.k12.ma.us/technology/).
7:00 – 7:45: The iPod Touch and Mobility Applications for the Classroom
Presenter: Dan DelVecchio, Senior Systems Engineer, Apple Inc.
The learning landscape is changing in drastic and exciting ways. With the advent of mobility tools like the iPod Touch and a number of free applications from the iTunes App Store teachers can connect with students in class in unprecedented ways. Parents, your questions will be welcomed and we will be sure to show some applications you will find engaging.
7:45 – 8:00: Blogs and Teacher Websites Enhancing the Curriculum
Presenter: Matthew Querino, Algonquin Regional High School Teacher
Many Algonquin Regional High School teachers use technology with their students to expand and enhance the curriculum. Matt will share weblog assignments and his teacher website, where he can check homework online. He will demonstrate how he integrates multimedia with an example of a video of an author interview. Matt makes me wish I could get a “do over” for high school!
8:00 – 8:15: Students use Google Earth to Understand and Explore the World Virtually
Presenter: Pat Lally, Neary Elementary School Teacher
Pat will demonstrate a lesson using Google earth with fourth graders. Students created maps of North America using the software, Pixie, and drew the mountain ranges and the Mississippi River and labeled the Great Lakes. Then, they used Google earth to “visit” the places that they labeled. Pat will also show some fun and educational uses of Wordle, an interactive web site for creating word clouds.
8:15 – 8:30: Middle School Students Creating Books and Animations
Presenter: Lynne Maynard, Trottier Middle School
Lynne will demonstrate the use of Tar Heel Reader, an online collection of free, ready-to-read, books that cover a multitude of topics, and which may be downloaded as PowerPoint slideshows and read or listened to online. Students create original books using copyright-free pictures or uploading their own photos. Lynne will share examples of student-created student books.
She will also demonstrate Scratch, a free 2-D programming language developed at MIT. Students create animations, interactive stories, music and art which they share in the lab and online.
