Teacher Feature
By Andy Littlefield, Technology Coordinator, Cooperative Middle School

Tony Baldasaro is a 7th grade Science Teacher at The Cooperative Middle School. Tony previously taught Science for six years in both a middle school and high school setting. He has been instrumental in infusing technology into the curriculum. He is a mentor teacher for Project New Teacher; designing and implementing uses of technology into the middle school Science curriculum.  Tony attended a three day training session on WebCT this past summer with 25 teachers from SAU 16. I asked Tony to share his thoughts about WebCT.  WebCT stands for Web Course Tools. It is a course management software that can used to create entire courses online.

 What attracted you to WebCT?

I authored a web site for my team of teachers the past two years. I thought WebCT would allow me to deliver more content to the students with less effort. I wanted to use the tools the school district promoted and supported.  This prompted me to participate in the summer workshop.

 What do you like about WebCT?

Compared to what I had to do with my web page, the file management is easier. Just from the management side, you can make changes on the fly. You don’t have to log onto First Class and wrestle with folders and HTML code. WebCT gives you the option to release materials to students on specific dates. All of my Science notes are on my site, all I need to do is set a date to release the information for students to be able to view the notes. Another key feature is that our team of 5 teachers and a paraprofessional has access to the site. Last year I was maintaining the site for the entire team, which took up a lot of time. This year teachers manage their own content. The paraprofessional on our team leaned how to input daily assignments; which in the past was handled by me the night before. Managing the site is now a group effort.

 What are some misconceptions you had about WebCT?

When I first saw the program I thought it would be above what we needed because it was designed for universities. But after taking a closer look at the tools I was able to adapt some of my assignments to fit my classroom model. You can give tests and quizzes to the students. I know that Clara Whitney is giving practice tests. Rich Descoteaux developed a home survey for students. I thought the test and quiz area might be limited, but it turned out to be a positive tool.

 Did you find the WebCT difficult to master?

I didn’t have a difficult time learning WebCT because of my back ground with computers. Some teachers had a difficult time getting used to its interface. Parts of program are tedious and you have to get used to using it.

 What advice would you give to teachers just beginning to use WebCT?

Get organized. Organize yourself and have an idea of how you want to organize your pages. Make sure your files are organized in the managed files area of WebCT.

 Also understand your limitations. Make students and parents aware that you are learning how to use a new tool. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. As you learn, you will make mistakes. Give yourself time to learn the tools. It may take you a year to feel comfortable.

 Was it difficult to sell it to your team?

No, it was very easy after I showed them what it was all about. They liked WebCT because it gave our team an identity on the web. It gave our kids another way to be unique.

 How did you first introduce students to WebCT?

I introduced it to students the second day of class. I rolled a Gateway Destination into my classroom and showed them the page. I explained that everyone was getting an account and password and it would be a requirement to get logged on and use WebCT. I understand that not all kids have a computer at home. It was made clear that it would augment what was going on in the classroom

 I also dangled a few carrots in front of students. I made discussion groups and chatting available to them; these are secure features built into WebCT. These features made it more desirable for them to visit. I added pictures of students working on projects and it soon became an on-line yearbook. Quite a few of my students visit WebCT before surfing the web. Some even explore new links on the team's page. We have some kids who have already logged on six-hundred times. We have had over 3000 hits on our page.

 What do parents think of WebCT?

Parents love it. The entire open house night was focused on using WebCT. They were blown away. This is something you don’t see in middle schools. Parents liked the secure student environment.

 What are your personal goals this year for using WebCT?

Classroom management and dispersal of information are at the top my list. Students need to have alternative resources in case they lose their notebook of assignments. I also plan on displaying student work. Another objective is to pull faculty and students from other schools to our site. We want to show off our successful projects.

 How do you measure your success with WebCT?

We are well on track of having 10,000 hits this year which is evidence that our site is being used. Students are participating in discussions. It has become a real resource for our students. In the future, we will deliver more tests, quizzes, and web quests. I realize that some are using the site to chat, but they are chatting in a curriculum enhanced environment where they just might stumble upon some new information about their classes. I have seen students come to class with notes taken off the site.

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MultiMedia for Educators
By Richard Pratt, Technology Coordinator, Exeter High School

This course will explore the teaching of critical thinking and problem solving skills with the aid of technology.  Students will develop skills in using computers and appropriate software in the completion of a variety of tasks related to this exploration. These will include but not be limited to: digital image acquisition and processing in both video and still camera formats, using scanners, digital sound editing software, and hypermedia such as PowerPoint and HyperStudio.  This technology will be applied to the presentation and analysis of information.  The class will examine how teachers can easily switch from a traditional teacher-centered classroom model to a true student-focused learning environment.  Both implementation and evaluation strategies will be considered.

What to expect

1)      Teachers will work individually or in small groups of their own choosing toward the completion of a number of hands-on projects which will, by design and requirement, be useful (and usable) in their own classrooms. 

2)      Teachers will greatly increase their comfort and skill levels using a number of different software tools as well as computer peripherals with both Mac’s and PC’s.

3)      The class itself will follow a constructivist model, with instructors circulating between groups and providing help as needed. Lecture will be kept to a minimum (promise!).

4)      This class will be interesting, rewarding, and fun. 
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Who should take this course?

 Teachers at all levels of expertise in computer use and integration into the classroom are welcome. 

New SAU 16 Websites

SAU 16 Webmaster, Kathy Weise, has been working with schools throughout the SAU on updating websites.  Kensington Elementary School has a new website which is available at : http://www.kes.sau16.k12.nh.us.  Welcome to the Web!  Look for East Kingston to be on-line soon.

SAU 16 also has a new website which is available at:  http://www.sau16.k12.nh.us.  This site includes news about issues concerning SAU 16 schools as well as information useful to staff and community members.  Breaking news items will be added on a regular basis, so stop in often!  Or, better yet, make this site your browser's home page by following the steps outlined below.

For Internet Explorer users:

1.  Open the SAU website in your browser

2.  Go to Tools, then Internet Options

3.  Click on Use Current under the Home Page section

4.  Click on Apply, and then OK. 

For Netscape users:

1.  Open the SAU website in your browser

2.  Go to Edit, then Preferences

3.  Click on Use Current Page under the Home Page section

4.  Click on OK.

Technology Update from Main and Lincoln Street Schools 

By Dianne Thompson, Technology Coordinator, Main Street & Lincoln Street Schools

Diane Taylor, Main Street School librarian, has made a wonderful page for children about what life is like in Afghanistan. The URL is http://www.exeter.k12.nh.us/mss/MainPages/afghanweb/afghan.htm

This was Diane's first webpage, and she had great fun creating it in Microsoft Word. She really wanted to have a way to explain how children live in Afghanistan.  Teachers are using the site at Main and Lincoln to give information to students and to encourage children to think about how others live. Diane is waiting to see how events unfold in Afghanistan to see what changes need to be made. She invites students to send her questions and she will try to research the answers and put them on the web.

Professional Development