Several teachers have inquired about the availability of Moodle space for use with their classrooms. Moodle is an application that must be hosted on a server and administered by someone with background knowledge in Moodle. Several resources are available for teachers who are interested in obtaining a free Moodle space to experiment with the program for possible use with students or to set up actual Moodle spaces to use with their students.
Missouri teachers only
Contact the Missouri Virtual School sponsored by Missouri State University. For more information, send e-mail to Jim Tice, K-12 Liaison.
SqoolTools - for any teacher in U.S. and Australia
SqoolTools is a virtual learning environment, built on Moodle open source software, that allows K-12 teachers to create interactive websites to either support classroom instruction or to deliver instruction completely online. Teachers are invited to create a free account and request a free classroom. Once your classroom has been approved, you will gain access to support materials including user manuals, videos and discussion forums.
Several positions are now open with eMINTS in Missouri. Openings for Area Instructional Specialist (NE quadrant) and two Instructional Specialist positions (one in North Central Missouri and one in Central Missouri) are available. We anticipate posting another position for an Instructional Specialist in West Missouri soon.
Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) article authors needed
Become a published author. Share your experiences and suggestions with other Missouri educators through the regular 'technology' column with focus on educational strategies and technologies for Missouri educators in K-12 classrooms. You will receive support from eMINTS Communications specialist as you write and refine your article. If interested, send e -mail to emints-info@emints.org with your name, district, grade/subject taught and article you are interested in writing. Articles should be 800-1,000 words in length. MSTA membership is required for author and required for any teacher named or quoted in article (unaffiliated is OK).
Topics and deadlines
Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers
Deadline July 15, 2008
How to become more interactive in your classroom and work environment. Beyond blogs, wikis, social networking and Open Office - incorporating them and more applications (Flickr, Meebo, Slideshare, del.icio.us, more) to make your class more interactive.
Online Student Safety in Web 2.0 Classrooms
Deadline Oct. 1, 2008
What does a Web 2.0-enabled classroom look like/feel like? What does it mean for AUP, use/misuse of resources and consequences, filtering, 21st Century literacy and life-long learning skills?
Green Classrooms: Does Technology Enable or Prevent Eco-Friendly Classrooms?
Deadline Dec. 15, 2008
What is the effect of technology use on greening classrooms? What is the true cost of technology use in classrooms? Does the savings in paper and text books offset increased energy costs? Can virtual field trips be taken more effectively?
Mashups
Deadline March 15, 2009
What are they? Where do you find existing mashups; how can you use them in the classroom? How can you create your own, without programming - information from different sources mashed together into a whole new web application?
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Division of Special Education will provide scholarships for four selected e-Learning for Educators: Missouri courses (for Missouri educators only). The courses are appropriate for elementary/middle school educators in general and special education classrooms on a first-come, first-served basis. Enrollment is limited; first-come, first-served.
Regular summer registration for teachers from all states is open for e-Learning for Educators online professional development courses. Discounts are available for groups of three or more teachers taking the same course. Graduate credit is available at the low cost of $100 per credit.
Scroll down to Step 2 and click the link to "Submit information now..." Register new participants in all eMINTS programs (new eMINTS Comprehensive and Replacement Teachers, new and replacement eMINTS4All Teachers, and new and replacement PD4ETS participants) at this site.
Deadline for registration is June 15, 2008, with some exceptions noted on the website.
Registration for new and replacement participants in other states is handled through each district's project contact. Please contact the eMINTS National Center office with questions at emints-info@emints.org or (573) 884-7202
Registration for Missouri eMINTS summer workshops open
Registration for several different Missouri-based eMINTS workshops is now open. Workshops include options for veteran eMINTS teachers to brush up their tech and inquiry-based learning skills in Springfield and St. Louis; a special Inquiry in St, Louis workshop that brings enhanced learning to the field trip experience; and a special exploration of Web 2.0 tools in Columbia.
Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Registration will remain open until workshops reach capacity enrollment or until two weeks before the first meeting date.
Additional eMINTS/METS and eMINTS teachers featured in METS coalition newsletter
eMINTS and eMINTS/METS teachers from several districts are again featured in the most recent METS (Mathematics, Engineering, Technology and Science) Coalition newsletter. Keep up the good work!
Congratulations to Valley Park middle school teachers on article publication
Congratulations to Valley Park Middle School teachers for the recent publication of their article in the Meridian Journal. Susan Biffignani, Erin Steinkamp and Jaime Rhoades collaborated with Dr. Linda Bennett from the University of Missouri to write an article entitled "Applying the Refreshed NETS-S to Civic Ideals and Practices." The article was accepted for publication into the most recent edition of the journal.
A link for the most current newsletter and teachers featured in that newsletter will be provided in the next Weekly Update.
Tom Nedreberg (UT) recognized as a technology leader by Technology and
Learning
Special congratulations to Tom Nedreberg, Technology Coordinator and certified eMINTS Instructional Specialist in the Tintic, Utah School District for his recognition by Technology and Learning magazine as a Technology Leader of the Year for 2008.
Ron Barlow (UT) recognized as tech-savvy superintendent
Congratulations to Ron Barlow, Superintendent in Tintic, Utah School District, for his recognition as a Tech-Savvy Superintendent by e-School News. The Tintic may be a small district but is has made a big commitment to technology and to professional development based on eMINTS.
Lori is representative of the many fine eMINTS teachers around the state of Missouri and the U.S. and now Australia. We are proud of all of you and the work you do with your students every day! Read about Lori's classroom and see how much of what you do is reflected in her story. Congratulations, Lori and thanks for representing all eMINTS teachers in a very positive way.
Publications about eMINTS
The About eMINTS portion of the eMINTS website has been updated to include a link to publications about eMINTS. Find links to online articles and publications that feature or include eMINTS.
If you find references to eMINTS in regional or national publications, please forward the information and links to emints-info@emints.org so that we can keep the list as current as possible.
RSS feeds from eMINTS
Now you can use an RSS reader to receive notifications of eMINTS news and updates. Simply download an RSS reader (aggregator), then click the orange RSS icon on this page and subscribe to the eMINTS news feed.
Subscribe to eMINTS podcasts by clicking on the RSS icon for Pigs DO Fly, the eMINTS podcast feed.
Send any awards, honors, special achievements that your school, eMINTS classrooms, teachers or students receive this year to emints-into@emints.org so we can celebrate by announcing your accomplishments to the eMINTS discussion list. Be sure to include as much information as possible so that the special announcement can be complete and correct.
