SMARTBoard Online Tech: Opening the Notebook 10 Software

Written by: Kadeijah

With the arrival of nine new SMARTBoards at TLC students will be able to directly engage in content in a way that they have never been able to before. To start off this journey, students at TLC will be creating screencasts to explain how to use the SMARTBoard technology. The below video explains how to open the Notebook 10 Software.

Click HERE for alternative link to screencast.

Creating an Elephant Dictionary

Did you know that scientists at Cornell University are trying to develop a dictionary so we can understand what elephants are saying when they communicate with each other? This topic seemed to spark interest with students at The Learning Center so we partnered via video-conference with high school students from New York to learn how they were assisting the Elephant Listening Project to work on this task.

Video footage of an elephant's natural habitat was shown to us and then the New York students showcased recording equipment that is used in the field to collect the sound recordings. After we understood the environment and procedures for sound recordings, the students from New York explained to us how they obtained actual elephant sounds and then translated those recordings into graphs. It is by analyzing these graphs that scientists are able to construct a dictionary of their sounds.

This was a very fascinating video conference in which students learned about ultrasonic sounds, elephant habitats and elephant forest conservation. It left us pondering...could we create an animal dictionary based upon sounds? If so, then what animal would be like to be able to communicate with on a regular basis?

TLC Students Training Teachers

Seeking to improve your technology skills by learning how to use Google Docs? Then look no further than Josh and Tiffany, two of our most technological savvy students at The Learning Center. Tiffany and Josh took their expertise to Stonewall Elementary teachers by providing two professional development trainings entitled "Google Docs Part I" and "Google Docs Part II". For both trainings they met with teachers in Ms. Ford's computer lab so that everyone in attendance could have a first hand experience using the resource.

To start off the event, Josh and Tiffany explained the basics of Google Docs and assisted everyone with creating an account and logging into the site. The fun really began when everyone had the the ability to edit a  document that was shared with everyone in attendance. Imagine typing a document at the middle of your screen then seeing words appear at the top and bottom of yours at the same time. That was the experience the participants had as they were given first hand experience of the power to use a Google Doc for collaboration. In fact, up to 50 people can edit the document at the same time and a single document can be shared with up to 200 people.

Once everyone was comfortable with the editing process Josh and Tiffany plunged right in with "Google Docs Part I" by explaining basic features such as creating and naming a document, simple editing features, auto saving, sharing and modifying permissions, finding newly created documents, and how to use the revision history for accountability. It was an exciting session, so much so that Ms. Ford asked Tiffany and Josh to return to Stonewall for a "Google Docs Part II" training.

The "Google Docs Part I" training involved working with documents in Google Docs while "Google Docs Part II" revolved around the creation of forms and how to use the spreadsheet to collect data. Josh and Tiffany started out "Part II" by asking if anyone needed clarification from the past training and reviewed information they provided. Once the review session was complete they briefly explained how to organize files in Google Docs, showcased some of the editing features and explained how to upload files. 

Once these tasks were completed, the topic of Google Forms became the focus of the event. Different question types that are available on a Google Form were showcased by having participants answer questions from a form that was created specifically for them. Participants were then led through the simple process of creating their own form and shown how to analyze the resulting data. In order to illustrate the power in Google Forms the website "66 Interesting Ways to Use Google Forms in the Classroom" was shared with participants.

Both of these trainings were conducted in a very professional and organized manner which resulted in many kudos for Tiffany and Josh. This was a wonderful learning experience for students at The Learning Center in which many valuable lessons were learned from how to successfully organize and conduct a training to learning of the topic itself. We would like to graciously thank Stonewall Elementary for giving us the opportunity to be a part of their school as they patiently allowed us to venture into unknown territory.

If you have a technological topic that you would like for our students to provide a training, please contact Mrs. Humble at The Learning Center.

The Great Gatsby Goes to Pennsylvania

Students in Ms. Straney's English class had the opportunity to lead a Literature Circle with students from Hickory High School in Hermitage Pennsylvania via videoconferencing. The selected book was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald


It was very evident that Ms. Staney's students had spent many hours in reading, researching and preparing for the event based upon the thought provoding analysis and questions that they offered to the participating school. Not only were they mentally prepared for the event, but they had even designed posters and created a board game to illustrate to the partner school how an effective Literature Circle can be orchestrated.


The in-depth analysis that The Learning Center students provided to the partner school was outstanding and a deeper understanding of the classic novel was achieved. Ms. Straney's leadership in organizing and conducting this Literature Circle is to be commended in which she has top notch students who are very passionate about making opportunities such as this a success.

KET + Virtual Art Galley = Amazing!

"Thank you KET!" is the  resounding statement that the educators at The Learning Center wish to express to our presenters who instructed us on how to create a PowerPoint Virtual Art Gallery. Not only did we learn how to develop a Virtual Art Gallery, but KET also shared with us the plethora of resources that they have available. 

Resources shared included: KET EncycloMedia, Scale City,  Lincoln: ‘I, too, am a Kentuckian', Electronic Field Trips, Mission US and the Kentucky Virtual Art Museum. Regarding the Art Museum, be sure to take the time to view Bottle Up! 

Once we had absorbed these resources, the training regarding constructing a Virtual Art Galley was initiated. Our presenters were kind enough to provide us a template from which to work.  Upon viewing this template it was obvious that a considerable amount of time was involved in its creation. Yes, we are very grateful for their hard work since it allowed us to "jump right in" and start adding artwork to our own Virtual Art Galley. It was amazing how easy it was to create (given guided instruction, of course) and modify our own imported images. From the intense looks of concentration in the room, it was obvious that everyone was focused upon creating their own Gallery.

Example of a PowerPoint Virtual Art Gallery

Once we had determined  how to add items into our Virtual Art Gallery and were comfortable with the process we had the privilege to tour the KET facilities.  It was amazing to get a "behind the scenes" view relating to a production studio! The entire experience was incredible! Thanks KET! 
 
Links related to our training:

Creating a PowerPoint Virtual Art Gallery

Online Student Art Galleries

Pics4Learning-Copyright free images

Wikimedia Commons-Public Domain Images

Copyright Information

Greetings-Yonkers, New York!

Thanks to the Kids Creating Content Community Contest http://kc3.cilc.org/ TLC students were able to connect with students in Yonkers, NY and present a videoconference entitled "The Progressive Era in America". Our students worked diligently in constructing student generated videos and guided discussions to lead students from the Educational Opportunity Center of Westchester to a deeper understanding of the events in the Progressive Era.

The event started with our talented moderator Danielle who warmly welcomed our guests into TLC and provided highlights of our Lexington culture. She then passed the discussion over to Josh's group who started the presentation with a very creative puppet show which led to a student designed introductory video on the topic of Woman's Suffrage. His group would introduce an idea, provide a video clip for our guests and then discuss its implications.  His group's discussion concluded with a question/answer session that produced many thought provoking responses.

Danielle once again took the stage to introduce Korey's group as they talked about Racial Inequality. The interaction with our guests was powerful as they were able to answer many questions that were given to them on the topic. The highlight of their presentation was a student developed video that showcased racial inequality as it occurred during the Progressive Era. Korey's group asked our guests many questions about the video and they responded in kind which produced a high level two-way discussion across our country.

The Kids Creating Content Community Event was a success and TLC is looking forward to further opportunities to "Go Global!".

Going Global!

Brandon and Nick setting up the Polycom

Finally, the long wait is over. The eager anticipation of any type of delivery truck to make it's way onto the grounds of TLC has now ended. The Polycom HDX 7000 has made its way into our school and is awaiting its first connection. What is a Polycom you might might ponder and how did it make its way into the TLC doors? Simply stated, a Polycom HDX 7000 will allow us to participate in and provide video-conferences to groups both locally and around the world. We are Going Global! All of this was made possible by a grant that our students wrote and the district awarded us, without their leadership none of this would have been possible.  As you can see from the picture, our students assisted in the set-up and programming of the device to make it ready to go for our first video-conference with the device. Details on that conference will be coming soon!