ORVSD Community Forum

Lesson 1

kimberwarden — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:53:23 +0000

This is the text for Lesson 1

ORVSD Community Forum

Kimber's Sample Course

kimberwarden — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:59:01 +0000

This is the content for Kimber's Sample Course. It's ~~cool~~ neato.

ORVSD Community Forum

AP Chemistry Syllabus

SylviaHarvey — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:53:57 +0000

ORVSD Community Forum

Free Online Text Books

snelson — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:25:16 +0000

This is an interesting site run by a nonprofit in California. You can use, modify or create your own text book. You can even print it. And it's free. They are STEM focused.

http://flexbooks.ck12.org/flexr/

ORVSD Community Forum

Recovery.gov running Drupal

gchaix — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:07:23 +0000

A bit of interesting technology news coming out of the federal stimulus package: the http://recovery.gov web site is running the Drupal content management system. Drupal is the same system that powers many of the Oregon Virtual School District web sites.

ORVSD Community Forum

OVSD and Implementing the Oregon Diploma

snelson — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:38:17 +0000

What is OVSD?

The Oregon Virtual School District in neither a district, nor a school, but rather a set of powerful applications and content provided to schools for the modernization of classroom instruction. OVSD does not employ teachers, teach courses, or award credit. OVSD is developed and hosted by Oregon State University and is offered to all schools by the Department of Education.
The goal of OVSD is to provide every teacher and every student with on demand teaching and learning that is flexible enough to create an environment of customization that increases student achievement.
The content in OVSD is aligned to Oregon Standards. The content includes 90 course templates for middle school and high school including AP level. The portal also has streaming education videos and interactive learning objects for all the core content areas.
The applications allow for curricular and delivery personalization for teachers and students.
Professional development is available through OVSD trainers and online courses.

How Does OVSD work?

OVSD is provided to schools at no additional charge.
OVSD utilizes two approaches to Oregon education to engage educators and districts with the level of digital instruction for which they are ready. OVSD offers both a grassroots platform for teachers ready to use digital tools and district-wide platform for schools that are ready to expand their use of digital instruction and tie it to student performance. While each tool differs in the approach they both utilize the same high quality content aligned to Oregon Standards and provide multiple features for communication between the teacher and student and collaboration for groups of students. Teachers have access to 80 course templates, thousands of interactive learning objects, thousands of videos and the platforms to instruct with them.

1. The ORVSD.org portal is designed for the individual teacher to easily create an account and begin teaching with the system. The teacher controls all the courses, content and how it is delivered to the student. 16,237 teachers and students currently use ORVSD.
2. The Knowledge Community is a district-wide portal provided through the regional ESD that focuses on consistency in approach to providing instruction, utilizing student achievement data and communication between the teacher, the student and the parent. Knowledge Community is currently being deployed by three ESDs and has 85,200 users. While early in its deployment, KC offers a great potential for standardization of content delivery and encourages teachers to work in teams and share their own learning and best teaching strategies.

How are teachers and schools using OVSD?

Ashland high school: 1,713 OVSD users. Comments submitted by Dana Rensi

"Kids learn this way (with technology) on their own already," Max, our student test pilot, tells me. Max is training to help students with this new technology through our Student Tutor Center. "Interactive activities add spice and catch our attention," he says. "Plus, it helps us communicate better with our teachers and get our homework done." As Max and his peers so often remind me, kids are already using this kind of technology outside of the classroom, so bringing it inside the classroom doesn't require much of a transition.

"It's the new MySpace," one of my students exclaimed when I first demonstrated how to post messages to the forum in our portal. But while students may be tech savvy in certain areas, they often do not know how to apply these skills to learning. Even so, within no time, my students were posing questions to their peers outside of class, creating cooperative wikis, viewing peer-created videos (over and over), even leaving me audio messages online - all in Spanish. The students are expanding their knowledge by applying what they learn in ways that are relevant to them, plus they're able to supplement their studying at home, review lessons, and get extra help when they need it. Best of all, their Spanish is improving because of it. Not only are they learning the content, but students are also becoming more familiar with the technology that they are expected to know when they get to college. Even planning for college is easier, as students are able to see details about schools online and even check out campuses on Google Earth.

Teachers in Wallowa County: 360 OVSD users. Quotes submitted by Josh Kesecker, Wallowa ESD

"I just did a unit with my genetics class, almost entirely on the OVSD moodle. I have to say that students who are usually not very enthusiastic about anything seemed to really enjoy it - and I saw students who were unable to understand how to do Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium problems be able to do them on OVSD. Strange! It worked really well to have them post their lab results on there, as well. It saved me a LOT of time going through piles of lab notebooks, and they were able to discuss the results that they found on the forum."

"I just did a unit with my genetics class, almost entirely on the OVSD moodle. I have to say that students who are usually not very enthusiastic about anything seemed to really enjoy it - and I saw students who were unable to understand how to do Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium problems be able to do them on moodle. Strange! It worked really well to have them post their lab results on there, as well. It saved me a LOT of time going through piles of lab notebooks, and they were able to discuss the results that they found on the forum."

Salem Keizer School District. OVSD hosts the Salem-Keizer District web portal and Crossler Middle School has 797 OVSD users.

"Salem-Keizer Public Schools learned in May 2008 about the opportunity to work with the OVSD to develop a new district Web site. Our old one was built using outdated 1990's technology. The OVSD helped us develop a site using the 21st Century technologies, and worked seamlessly with our internal technology staff to switch over from our old site to the new one. The ORVSD has also provided important ongoing training and support.
We are the second-largest school district in Oregon. We have over 40,000 students, 70 schools, and 5,000 employees. In an organization this large, the Web site is crucial in communicating both internally and externally. The Web site is the first impression many get about our school district. The impact of having a first-rate Web site is important to our mission of providing high-quality service to our community. The ORVSD has provided outstanding support both before and after the launch of our district site. We could not ask for better service or a higher level of professionalism. The OVSD is also working with McKay High School staff and students to develop a new school Web site, and with Crossler Middle School teachers using the Web for teaching. These projects bring modern technologies directly to students and help them learn by doing. " Jay Remy, director Communications and Community Relations

Willamette ESD: WESD is using the Knowledge Community to provide student data dashboards for teachers in 29 school districts and their 85,000 students.

Why are there two approaches offered to Oregon public schools in OVSD?

The OVSD strategies are a pragmatic approach to improving technology in classroom instruction and improving teaching and learning through innovation and the use of 21st century learning skills. Oregon ranks low nationally in adopting technology as a tool for educating students. The dual approach recognizes the teachers, schools and districts the low end of adoption while also providing those educators and regions in the state that have moved ahead with technology integration in their daily teaching and learning.
A dual approach allows for teachers to choose what will work best for their students and superintendents to choose what will work best for their districts. The OVSD program has successfully used the legislative appropriation as leverage to create agreements with Oregon Higher Education and the private sector that make a two-front approach cost effective. For every legislative appropriated dollar, OVSD matches it with donated resources, price reductions, or private funding programs.

How does OVSD fit with Online Schools?

While OVSD focuses on brining 21st century tools into the classroom, any ESD, district, or public school is welcome to use the resources to provide online instruction. The quality of instruction remains with the district.

How is OVSD Supportive of the Diploma Implementation? A full analysis is attached.

OVSD offers a new approach for a new set of rigorous requirements. The new Diploma Requirements make student project based learning, student collaboration and personalized learning a higher priority. OVSD offers flexible resources to support those priorities.

ORVSD Community Forum

2009 OVSD Facts

snelson — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:15:12 +0000

ORVSD Community Forum

NCCE 2009 - Open source sessions

gchaix — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:55:34 +0000

There are some very interesting sessions at NCCE this year focusing on open source applications for education - including what is sure to be an excellent session on Moodle by NWRESD's own Paul Nelson. The conference runs from Feb. 17th through the 20th.

Is there any interest in the ORVSD community in having an informal meetup at the conference?

ORVSD Community Forum

New book: Drupal for Education and E-Learning

gchaix — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:09:54 +0000

A local Oregon educator and Drupal expert has published a great new book for educators interested in using Drupal: Drupal for Education and E-Learning

The author, Bill Fitzgerald, is currently working with us to add some new content repository and e-portfolio tools to the ORVSD systems. We'll be posting more information about the new tools this spring. In the mean time, I highly recommend checking out Bill's book.

ORVSD Community Forum

Overview of Survey for Board Subcommittee November Meeting

snelson — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:53:40 +0000

Brief overview of survey with response samples from Legislators, Parents School Board Members and Students.

ORVSD Community Forum

Summary of comments from Online Learning survey

snelson — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:48:52 +0000

ORVSD Community Forum

Result Summaries the State Board's Online Learning Surveys

snelson — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:06:39 +0000

We prepared surveys for the different interest groups. The surveys were all the same and were sent to the following groups for distribution to their constituencies. This process was one way to gather input from the various interest groups.

Primary Stakeholders

OEA

OSBA

Parents, Online Charter Schools

Students, Online Charter Schools

Open Web Posting on ODE Website (url sent to charter school advocates)

Legislators

ESD Superintendents

ORVSD Community Forum

2008 Keeping Pace Report

snelson — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:51:05 +0000

Below is the link to the 2008 Keeping Pace Report. Keeping Pace surveys all the states on all types of virtual learning.

This year they were unsuccessful in representing how ODE performs oversight of the programs that provide instruction. The authors collapsed all ODE functions under OVSD. Also, they failed to focus on any of our ESD and District programs that provide instruction. This was not for lack of effort. Multiple people interfaced with the authors attempting to give an accurate representation of what ODE does and the mix of District Programs, ESD Programs and Charter schools Oregon currently has iproviding online learning instruction.

They did get the OVSD resources portion correct.

2008 Keeping Pace

ORVSD Community Forum

State Board of Education Online Learning Survey

snelson — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:41:20 +0000

The State Board of Education is conducting a survey of online education opinions, and your response would be appreciated.

Here is a link to the survey:

Click here to take the survey

You are also welcome to submit additional information directly to the State Board. If you would like to submit information, please send it directly to Jan McComb at ODE (Jan.McComb@state.or.us)for Board Delivery.

This survey will be open for your response until October 30, 2008. If you have requested a survey for your stakeholders it will be sent to you in a separate message.

Thanks for your participation!

Steve Nelson

ORVSD Community Forum

How would you rate your experience at Outdoor School?

gsald20 — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:40:51 +0000

ORVSD Community Forum

Outdoor School Survey

gsald20 — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:36:32 +0000

Please fill out this survey to give us feedback on Outdoor School and the training we provided. We also want you to know how great you were at Outdoor School and how much we appreciate your time and commitment to our students. Please complete this survey by October 30, 2008.

ORVSD Community Forum

Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety--check out what this school district did!

darren — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:10:27 +0000

http://www.kenton.k12.ky.us/internet_safety/default.htm
Digital Citizenship and Internet Safety

Digital Citizenship is a concept which helps teachers and technology leaders understand what students should know to use technology appropriately. But Digital Citizenship is more that just a teaching tool, it is a way to prepare students for a society full of technology. Too often we are seeing students as well as adults misusing and abusing technology. The issue is more than what the users do not know but instead what is considered appropriate technology usage.

Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship

1. Digital Etiquette - electronic standards of conduct or procedure
2. Digital Communication - electronic exchange of information
3. Digital Literacy - process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology
4. Digital Access - full electronic participation in society
5. Digital Commerce - electronic buying and selling of goods
6. Digital Law - electronic responsibility for actions and deeds
7. Digital Rights & Responsibilities - those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world
8. Digital Health & Wellness - physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world
9. Digital Security (self-protection) - electronic precautions to guarantee safety.

Understanding Digital Citizenship

citizen - "a native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a larger state or collective and who shares in the rights and responsibilities afforded all members of that collective"
a citizen both works for and benefits from a larger society.

October is always Digital Citizenship month in the Kenton County School District. Many of the resources on this page are used by staff and students as they learn to become responsible Digital Citizens.

Digital Citizenship Focused Resources (as researched and provided by the KCSD Media Specialists):
Staff Favorites:
-NETS Smart Kids
-Cyber Smart Curriculum
-Onguard Online

Evaluating Web Sites
-Evaluating Websites - PowerPoint
-Information Detective Checklist
-Web Site Evaluation

User Beware Program
-Cyberbulling
-Text Messaging
-Personal Safety
-Safe Profile for MySpace
-Deleting Your MySpace Account
-Everyone Knows My Name (Sara public service announcement 7th - 12th)

Internet Safety Curriculums

Be a Safe Surfer
http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/MinorES/techsafety.htm
An Internet Safety WebQuest

Cable in the Classroom Digital Ethics
http://www.ciconline.org/digitalethics
Curriculum that teaches ethical, courteous, and productive behavior while using digital media. Included are resources on plagiarism, copyright, and using digital media productively.

Center for Media Literacy
http://www.medialit.org/
Provides educational resources to develop skills needed to live fully in the 21st century media culture.

Chatdanger
http://www.chatdanger.com/
The Chatdanger website has been created to inform young people about the potential dangers and ways of keeping safe in interactive areas online, such as chatrooms, instant messenger, online games and email, and also via mobile phones. The aim of the site is very much to inform and empower users of these services, so they can use these services safely, and not at all to discourage people from using these services.

Cybercitizenship.org
http://www.cybercitizenship.org/index.html
Provides approaches for teaching children about "Cyber Ethics." This site also includes sets of links for adults and children to gain a better understanding of the Internet.

CyberSmart!
http://www.cybersmartcurriculum.org/home/
The CyberSmart! Curriculum is non-sequential and is easily integrated, in part or in full. Organized in five units, each teaching an important facet of Internet use, it consists of 65 original standards-based lesson plans with Activity Sheets. The number of lessons per grade increases as students' reading and critical thinking skills develop.

GetNetWise
http://www.getnetwise.org/
GetNetWise is a user empowerment campaign and Web site designed to give Internet users a user-friendly, easy-to-find, online resource that can be found on the most popular entry points to the Internet, as well as on many of the most popular Web sites. GetNetWise offers tips, tutorials and other interactive tools.

Internet Safety (ppt)
PowerPoint created by Judy Spegal on Internet Safety. Includes a pledge for kids.

i-Safe
http://www.isafe.org/
i-SAFE provides age-appropriate K-12 curriculum to schools in all 50 states free of charge. The curriculum is a dynamic interactive program designed to educate and empower the student. Each lesson includes Activity Pages and Discussion for the class. The high school curriculum is a video Webcast hosted by teens on either VHS or DVD format. Some of the lessons taught by i-SAFE are: Cyber Citizenship, Personal Safety, Cyber Security, Intellectual Property, Cyber Bullying, and Predator Identification

Kidz Privacy
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/kidzprivacy/
Educates kids, parents, and businesses about the privacy rights of children online. Site provided by the US Federal Trade Commission.

Media Awareness Network on Chat Rooms
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/wa_teachers/safe_passage_teachers/chatrooms_safety_t.cfm
discusses the chat room environment and related safety and privacy issues.

Play it Safe Online (ppt)
From i-Safe. PowerPoint slideshow with dangers of giving personal information online.

Sample Chat (doc)
Students look for mistakes chatters have made in revealing personal information online.

Resources for Kids

Cyberethics for Kids
http://www.cybercrime.gov/rules/kidinternet.htm
Site by the U.S. Department of Justice's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. It provides adults, children and teens information on how to use the Internet safely and responsibly.

Internet Safety Tips for Kids
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=208
From the Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Just for Kidz
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/kidzprivacy/kidz.htm
Educates kids about their privacy rights of online. Site provided by the US Federal Trade Commission.

NetSmartz Kidz
http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexFL.htm
Games and activities for kids to learn about Internet safety and have fun at the same time

Resources for Teens

Internet Safety Tips for Teens
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=207
From the Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Just for Kidz
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/kidzprivacy/kidz.htm
Educates kids about their privacy rights of online. Site provided by the US Federal Trade Commission.

NetSmartz Teens
http://www.netsmartz.org/netteens.htm
Watch teens share their own “Real-Life Stories” about issues affecting them on the Internet such as cyberbullying, online enticement, and giving out too much personal information.

X-Block
http://xblock.isafe.org/
Part of the i-Safe website, X-Block is a place for teens to hang out, share their online experiences and learn more about Internet safety.

Resources for Educators

Cable in the Classroom's Media Smart for Teachers
http://www.ciconline.org/mediasmartteachers
Explore these links to get an overview of the key concepts of media literacy, digital ethics, and online safety, along with ideas for using those concepts with your students.

Cybercrime.gov
http://www.cybercrime.gov/
Site by the U.S. Department of Justice. It contains information, and up-to-date news about cyber crimes.

i-Safe for Educator
http://www.isafe.org/channels/?ch=ed
Resources and online training for teacher to implement the i-Safe curriculum

Kidz Privacy for Teachers
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/kidzprivacy/teachers.htm
Educates teachers about the privacy rights of children online. Site provided by the US Federal Trade Commission.

Netsmartz for Educators
http://www.netsmartz.org/educators.htm
This page is designed to show educators and administrators how to use NetSmartz interactive materials in their classrooms, accumulate more information about Internet safety and technology, and take steps to bring their classrooms into the 21st century.

Resources for Parents

A Safety Net For The Internet: A Parent's Guide
http://www.nypl.org/legal/safety.cfm
Created by the New York Public Library, this site offers links and resources for helping parents protect their children online.

Cable in the Classroom's Media Smarts for Parents
http://www.ciconline.org/mediasmartparents
Cable in the Classroom has developed a variety of resources for parents to use to educate themselves and teach their children how to evaluate media messages, practice digital ethics, and stay safe in the digital world.

Cybercrime.gov
http://www.cybercrime.gov/
Site by the U.S. Department of Justice. It contains information, and up-to-date news about cyber crimes.

Get NetWise Tools for Families
http://kids.getnetwise.org/tools/
provides a database of tools that parents can employ on their home computers to guidetheir children to safe and rewarding online experiences.

Internet Privacy and Safety Information for Parents
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/forlibrarians/internettech/internetprivacysafety.htm
From the Association for Library Service to Children

Internet Safety for Parents (ppt)
Created by Oldham County Schools, this powerpoint contains valuable information for parents on helping keep their kids safe on the Internet.

i-Safe for Parents
http://www.isafe.org/channels/?ch=op
Parents can be the key to safe and rewarding online experiences for the whole family. i-SAFE helps educate parents about hazards in cyberspace, and gives them opportunities to spread this valuable information within their communities.

Kidz Privacy for Parents
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/kidzprivacy/adults.htm
Educates parents about the privacy rights of children online. Site provided by the US Federal Trade Commission.

Netsmartz for Parents
http://www.netsmartz.org/netparents.htm
NetSmartz provides on- and offline learning activities for parents to facilitate discussions with their children and teens about Internet safety. Visit "Parent FAQ" to learn more about how and why parents should use NetSmartz.

The Parents' Guide to Internet Safety (pdf)
Published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Parents' Guide to the Information Superhighway (pdf)
Describes the advantages and risks of getting children online. This site is co-published by The Children's Partnership, National PTA, and National Urban League.

Other Internet Safety Activities

Be a Safe Surfer
http://www.gwinnett.k12.ga.us/MinorES/techsafety.htm
An Internet Safety WebQuest

Educational Games
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/index.cfm
From the Media Awareness Network, these games are grouped by age and teach students how to be safe Internet users and media consumers.

Elmer the Safety Elephant
http://www.elmer.ca/splash_flash.html
This Canadian site uses Elmer the Elephant to teach kids about safety through activities and games.

Interactive Safety Quizzes
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=714
Child Safety quizzes from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

KidsCom Jr.
http://www.kidscomjr.com/games/safety/safety.html
Games and Tips for Internet Safety and Good Manners

Surf Swell Island
http://disney.go.com/surfswell/index.html
Help Mickey and the gang with their adventures in Internet safety.

ORVSD Community Forum

Try "What if Uping" ORVSD?

darren — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:13:03 +0000

I know this is a different approach but sometimes we need to change our perception so we can see the many possiblities! ORVSD offers so much for Oregon educators and students the question is what if you sought to seek possibilities and found inspired action?

"what if up" (verb) To ask "what if" questions in a way that expands possibilities and inspires innovation. Variations: "what if upping," "what if upper"

They are perhaps the two most powerful creative words in the English language: WHAT - IF! How we use the power of these words can be the difference between being a frustrated idealist and being someone that manifests miracles in the world.

How to What If Up:

STEP ONE: Identify a challenge or idea.

STEP TWO: Notice how you mentally approach the idea or challenge.

Do you "What if DOWN" considering all the "worst-case scenarios" for what would happen if you took action? What if it fails? What if it's too hard? What if it takes all your time, money and energy?

OR... Do you "What If UP" seeking possibilities and taking inspired action? What if this really works? What if all the resources I need show up exactly when I need them? What if it's fun, and meaningful, and rewarding?

STEP THREE: WHAT IF UP!

Challenge yourself to mentally expand possibilities beyond what you believe to be possible. Notice where you feel inspired to take action - and get into motion!

http://www.whatifup.com/home.htm

ORVSD Community Forum

Report: Retool instruction, or U.S. will fail

snelson — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:46:49 +0000

U.S. schools must teach 21st-century skills for the nation to be globally competitive, it says

From eSchool News staff and wire service reports

ORVSD Community Forum

School policies for online classes

sholmstedt — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:04:47 +0000

Astoria School District is in the beginning stages of adding online courses to our curriculum. As an administrative team we have had numerous discussions concerning online policies for students and staff. We know that there are many school districts throughout the state that have established online programs that must have policies in place and might be willing to share what they are doing. Rather than having to reinvent the verbage that goes with what we trying to say, we would greatly appreciate any help or suggestions that we can get from other districts. Is there a statewide acceptable use policy or is this something that needs to be discussed?

ORVSD Community Forum

Policies for online classes

sholmstedt — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:52:30 +0000

Astoria School District is in the beginning stages of offering online courses for our MS and HS students. We are having discussions and trying to work out policies for our students and staff that pertain to expectations. I know that there are many districts that have gone down this road before and have created policies that are working. Unfortunately we are not one of them. We would great appreaciate any help that we can get if you wouldn't mind sharing your online policies or know of a good resource.

ORVSD Community Forum

29 new Course Templates on ORVSD

snelson — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:22:33 +0000

Greg has now loaded the 29 course templates purchased from SK online for everyone's use. They can be found in the course creation drop down.

ORVSD Community Forum

Business sees Online K12 Education as Huge Market

jgranger — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:37:57 +0000

Here are links to two articles in the August 11, 2008 issue of Forbes Magazine I think that if you read through, you will see that the those people in the private sector of online education see primary and secondary education as a huge new area of privatization. Can't happen here? It already is. Comments?

Virtual Schools, Real Businesses
K12's Ron Packard is winning the fight against the school establishment.
By David K. Randall

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0811/084.html?partner=email

How to Change the Way Kids Learn
Computers have failed to improve education. That's because no one has gotten disruptive with technology.
By Clayton M. Christensen Michael B. Horn

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0811/081.html?partner=email

ORVSD Community Forum

Top Ten Technology Tools for Teachers

virginia.petitt — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:30:24 +0000

Good morning all!

Hope you've had a good summer! I'm in the process of creating a workshop entitled, the Top Ten Technology Tools for Teachers. My concept is to showcase ten Web 2.0 tools that are the most useful for teachers. I'd welcome any suggestions ya'll have!

Thanks for your input!

Virginia Petitt, Southern Oregon ESD

ORVSD Community Forum

Come see us at OSCON!

gchaix — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:40:24 +0000

The OSU Open Source Lab will be exhibiting in the expo hall at OSCON this year. Please feel free to stop by and visit our booth!

When: July 23-24, 10am-5pm
Where: Oregon Convention Center, Portland
Cost: Expo hall badges are available for free at the conference registration desk

ORVSD Community Forum

AP Literature and Composition Entry 1

mboyer — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:21:16 +0000

This is the huge assignment that you have to accomplish now.

ORVSD Community Forum

AP Literature and Composition Entry 1

mboyer — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:21:15 +0000

This is the huge assignment that you have to accomplish now.

ORVSD Community Forum

Video Conferencing Through ORVSD?

snelson — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:31:57 +0000

We are currently testing a browser based video conferencing application that we may release in the fall. This is the URL for the demo server. This is an open test server and not the application that is currently running on our system. It is the same version. All you need is a decent connection, a web browser and a webcam.

OpenMeetings

ORVSD Community Forum

Many of you have expressed a need for Moodle Tutorials. Please look at this Two Minute Moodle Model.

darren — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:55:02 +0000

I can't take credit for finding this, so we all must thank Skip Offenhauser! What a clear and concise step by step set of short turtorials that walk through Moodle.

http://human.edublogs.org/

ORVSD Community Forum

New Statistics content available on the Oregon Hippo campus

snelson — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:56:55 +0000

ORVSD Community Forum

NROC Professional Development Resources

snelson — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:42:03 +0000

NROC has a variety of Teaching Resources for your use. Our Lease grants you access.

ORVSD Community Forum

Web 2.0 and Education

snelson — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 21:16:44 +0000

Excerpted from
Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools
Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum

ORVSD Community Forum

Interactive Learning Objects for Teaching

snelson — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:46:44 +0000

Examples of Interactive files for ORVSD Users. We are considering adding interactive Learning Objects like these to the Repository for teachers to link into their courses. Please let us know what you think of them.

Fractions

Linear Equations

Geometry

Science: Pollution

Science: Global Warming

Health: Food and Diet

English: Child Language

World History: Race and Conflict

Economics: Community Enterprise

ORVSD Community Forum

Interesting PDF about Technology, the U.S. and our future

snelson — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:05:07 +0000

ORVSD Community Forum

How Much Is Enough?

camcross — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:44:09 +0000

We teach you that Energy + Vision = Success, but when does Success = Excess? That's what Affluenza is all about.

ORVSD Community Forum

Resources, Resources: You said you want resources!

darren — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:30:15 +0000

We had Kathy at ITSC. What a great site for all kinds of resources K-12. Make sure you check this out:

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html

ORVSD Community Forum

Cool A/V Slideshow

jkeseck — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:55:53 +0000

Check out www.vuvox.com

It'll create a slideshow with pictures, audio, and video content that you can then put on your page.

ORVSD Community Forum

Free mind mapping software

gchaix — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:29:21 +0000

This is an interesting tool: Personal Brain

ORVSD Community Forum

Technology-rich classrooms and textbooks

gchaix — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:43:28 +0000

While I think the title is overblown and not really accurate, this is an interesting post via the AP and Teacher Magazine: Technology-Rich Classrooms Render Textbooks Useless

ORVSD Community Forum

Should teachers model in workshops what they expect from their students in the classroom?

darren — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:25:34 +0000

Would love to read your comments with regards to the title question or the attached cartoon?

ORVSD Community Forum

Article about some of the pitfalls when using online tools

gchaix — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:53:36 +0000

This is another article from the higher education environment, but it does bring up some issues relevant in a K-12 environment: Learning to Leisure

I found the comments somewhat more interesting and insightful than the article. They highlight the importance of establishing solid guidelines for acceptable behavior in online forums. Online communities can become self-moderating, but it takes careful moderation and a lot of intention early on in the creation of the community to establish those the norms and culture.

ORVSD Community Forum

Attention May 19-20 ORVSD grant awardees

darren — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:02:25 +0000

Hello ORVSD Grant Awardees,

It's been a while since we have touched base formally, so I wanted to remind you all about our up and coming training a week from today (May 19-20) at NWRESD (same place in Hillsboro). Greg and I are looking forward to seeing all of you at the training. If you have a specific questions or information about changes in your group please feel free to email me!

Following is the schedule and a few of the topic that will be addressed at the training.

Monday, May 19th

Breakfast: 8:30-9:00

Work Session: 9:00-12:00

Lunch: 12:00-12:30

Work Session: 12:30-3:30

Tuesday, May 20^th

Breakfast: 8:30-9:00

Work Session: 9:00-12:00

Lunch: 12:00-12:30

Work Session: 12:30-3:30

Various topics to be addressed:

Moodle: Gradebook, Quiz/Questionnaire development, resource/assignment developments (book, etc.); Community forum; NROC overview; New features in Mahara; DrupalEd; Google Tools; What trainings have people done so far (trainer share)?; Create your Region/District training plans and share them (time to create and discuss with other groups will be allotted in the two day sessions).

I'm looking forward to working with you again,

Darren

ORVSD Community Forum

Free textbooks?

gchaix — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:06:02 +0000

This is an interesting article in the Chronicle of Higher Education: An Online Company Tries an Unexpected Publishing Model: Free Textbooks

While this particular article is focused on higher education, I'd be interested to hear the ORVSD community's thoughts on the idea and whether it's a relevant issue in the K-12 arena as well. Do you think textbook publishers can succeed with a business model more akin to the open source world than traditional publishing?

ORVSD Community Forum

Battle of the Books

hazel.smith — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:51:40 +0000

By now you should have read several of the Battle books. Which of the books were the most interesting for you?

Pick a book from the list.

Shakespeare's Secret

The Next-Door Dogs

Listening for Lions

Sasquatch

Punished

what book did you pick?

What is the setting?

Who are the main characters?

When does the book take place?

What is the most important part of the story?

What was the most interesting part of the books?

Write a short review to persuade other kids to read the books.

ORVSD Community Forum

Make images come alive in the classroom: slideshows or a visual research resource

darren — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:44:22 +0000

I think this is one of the most visually interesting tools I have been shown all year! Only exception being ORVSD :)

http://piclens.com/site/firefox/win/

PicLens Products		Click to download
PicLens 1.6.3 for Firefox (Windows)		Download
PicLens 1.6.3 for Firefox (Mac)		Download
PicLens 1.6.3 for Internet Explorer (Windows)		Download
PicLens 1.5.16 for Safari		Download

PicLens Publisher (Windows)		Download
PicLens Publisher (Mac OSX)		Download
PicLens Plugin for WordPress		Download

Cooliris Previews		Click to download
Cooliris Previews for Firefox (Windows, Mac OSX, Linux)		Download
Cooiris Previews for Safari (Mac)		Download
Cooliris Previews for Internet Explorer		Download

ORVSD Community Forum

Success Stories

greg.collver — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:43:00 +0000

I would like to read any success stories anyone would care to share on their use of ORVSD resources.

ORVSD Community Forum

On a Bloom role today!

darren — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:59:41 +0000

Another great site full of resources on Bloom's taxonomy:

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/bloom0405-1#4-0-0

ORVSD Community Forum

Neat Wiki for teachers (Bloom's Taxonomy with Excellent Rubrics for Digital Assessments)

darren — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 22:00:46 +0000

Might want to explore this wiki! Interesting resources: http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/

ORVSD Community Forum

New E-Portfolio Feature: Institutions

gchaix — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:38:26 +0000

We've upgraded the Mahara e-portfolio server!

New features include:

Lots of work on usability. In general, using Mahara should be reasonably simple and straight forward to people with a basic knowledge of computers and the internet.
Devolved administration - each institution in the system can have their own administrators and staff members, leaving the site admin free to manage the overall running of the site.
Group forums - groups can now have their own forums, in which all group members may post. The forums have moderators, closed/sticky topics, threaded replies and subscriptions.
Social networking - It's much easier now to find friends and groups, and users' profile pages are greatly improved. All logged in users can see important information about themselves in a new sideblock.
Heaps of other minor bug fixes and improvements, especially around such areas as database independence, browser support and packagability by distributions.

As you can see, among its the new features is the ability to create multiple institutions. With institutions, we can allow you to segregate and manage your own Mahara users without having to rely on ORVSD staff for simple things like password resets. If you would like to have an institution created for your school or district, please send an e-mail to support@orvsd.org with the name of the institution and the name of the person(s) you'd like to have set as administrators and staff.

Regardless, please give the new version a spin and let us know what you think!

-Greg

ORVSD Community Forum

Child Abuse Prevention Training on ORVSD

snelson — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:46:34 +0000

Child Abuse Prevention Training Course

http://courses.orvsd.org/moodle/course/view.php?id=254

This is the training designed to meet the requirements of Senate Bill 379: Child Abuse Identification, Prevention and Reporting. This training, as I have previously told you, is designed for all ESD and SD employees in the state of Oregon. It is also designed to be accessible to all parents. It is NOT designed to meet the requirements in the law regarding training students K-12 and, therefore, is not a training for students.