computerdisc-l: RCU Professional Developmnt E-Newsletter

["Robin" <rab3@ra.msstate.edu>]

Title: RCU Professional Developmnt E-Newsletter

Research and Curriculum Unit Professional Development Newsletter

Volume 1, Issue 1

October 28, 2002

Professional Development (http://205.146.39.13/)

This web site is great!  It has a place where you can go to learn about technology, learn how to teach with technology, resources to use when you teach with technology and links that will help you integrate technology into your lessons.  It has sample lesson plans that you can use as a guide when you are planning activities/lessons in your classroom. If you have time, check out the Standards Based Lessons link that is on the lower right side of this homepage.  With President Bush’s No Child Left Behind, it is important that our classes have the standards integrated throughout our lesson plans.  Under the “Learn” section of this web site, not only will you find tutorials, but you will also find proficiency checklists that you can use to determine your own proficiency and your students’ proficiency level.

Assessment with Rubrics (http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-6359.html)

This web site has great examples of evaluation rubrics.  Research shows that students will improve the quality of their work if they know what is expected of them.  Using rubrics to evaluate projects and activities is a great way to do this.  Remember, when you use rubrics, sometimes it is a good idea to let your students see the rubric before they turn the project in to be evaluated. 

Blackboard Resource Center (http://products.blackboard.com/gs/training/bb55.cgi and http://products.blackboard.com/gs/training/general.cgi)

As all of you know, the RCU and MDE have partnered to provide free Blackboard courses for all vocational and tech prep teachers.  There have been many requests for Blackboard web sites.  Teachers are now asking for professional development on how to build and integrate the Blackboard course into their classroom.  We have taken that request to heart, and we are in the process of planning regional face-to-face trainings in the spring semester.  If you would like to start building your course now, Blackboard has created great step-by-step tutorials for teachers.  They even have an instructor manual that you can follow to create and build your web site.

RCU Online Learning Series (http://www.rcuonlinelearning.com)

We are still working on the RCU Online Learning Series web site.  Please remember to visit the web site periodically.  We have added information on how to get a Blackboard web site for your classroom, and we have also posted training materials for the different face-to-face workshops that are going on throughout the state.  Even though the workshop may not be for your area, it may have information that may apply to you.  We have recently added materials from a workshop on Advisory Committees.  There are some great handouts that you are welcome to use.

One Computer Classroom (http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/organization/onecompclass040799.html)

This is a web site that has ideas on how to incorporate technology into your classroom if you only have one computer.  All of the ideas and suggestions came from teachers and they are very practical.

Classroom Organization (http://www.teachnet.com/how-to/organization/)

This is a web site that has ideas on how to get organized and stay that way!  Although some of the topics may not apply to you, you may want to look at it to find basic organization ideas on dealing with journals, budgets, inventory, and time management.  All of the ideas and suggestions on this web site also came from classroom teachers.

Robin Ann Parker

Professional Development Specialist

Research Curriculum Unit

Mississippi State University

Phone:  662-325-8553

E-mail:  rab3@ra.msstate.edu

Homepage:  http://www.msstate.edu/~rab3