Free Webinars: RETA's Emerging Technology Series

Add some eLearning to your Monday nights. Web 2.0, Moodle, Wikis, Blogs, Copyright, and more....plus the experience of linking up with other edtech folks from around New Mexico -
RETA Webinars

More Wiki-tastic Adventures

From webinars@nmsu.edu

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We encourage you to forward this to other educators.

You are invited to the following free event:

Event: Wikis in the Classroom II
Description: You’ve selected a wiki and you’ve even attempted creating a few wiki pages. Now you want to start thinking about what type of activities work well using wikis and what strategies will help make the wiki activities successful. If so, then this is the webinar for you! So, come join us in this webinar and learn about some of the wonderful activities and strategies other educators have used to create an effective wiki experience.
When: Tuesday 15 April 2008, 04:30 PM - 05:30 PM


TO JOIN THIS EVENT
Our webinars are one hour and will begin promptly at 4:30 pm MST (5:30 CST; 6:30 EST; 3:30 PST).

* Please register for this event at least 24 hours prior to the event.

* To register, please go to the following link: http://nmsu.acrobat.com/wikis2/event/registration.html

* The email and password you use to register will be your login and password to attend the event.

* You will receive a reminder email with the link to attend 24 hours prior to the event.

* You can also attend the event by going to http://webinars.nmsu.edu/schedule.html and selecting the "attend" link (you still need to register prior to the event)


To participate speakers are required. A simple computer microphone and/or headset is ideal for complete interaction. A webcam is optional.

If you have never used Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at: http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

How do you use the Moodle Choice and Journal Activities?

This Sunday from 11 am to 12 pm, you can join a free webclass on the Moodle Choice and Journal Activities. These are simple and easy to use tools for interaction in your online classroom. Hope you can join us. For more info, click here.

Using wikis with your students

Integrating new and powerful tools with your students can be a bit challenging (even though it's incredibly rewarding as well)... Finding this resource on Educational Wikis prompted me post to RETA Moodle.. and so I repost here:

The educators wiki at PBWiki.com rocks.

Here are some valuable resources you'll want to use as you implement wikis and other collaborative read/write tools with your students.

How do you protect your students with these type of tools?
http://educators.pbwiki.com/Protect+your+students+online

What kinds of expectations/etiquette can you suggest for your students when they use wikis?

http://educators.pbwiki.com/Wiki%20Etiquette%20for%20Students

Best practices & more...
http://educators.pbwiki.com/AllPages

Go check it out! Contribute and share.

Have a great eLearning moment today,
H.

While we are on the topic - don't forget about tomorrows RETA Webinar on wikis in the classroom...

We encourage you to send this information to other teachers.

This is a reminder that you are invited to Wikis in the Classroom I, which is due to start at Tuesday 1 April 2008, 04:30 PM - 05:30 PM.

Below are the event details and instructions for participating:
Event: Wikis in the Classroom I
Description: Wikis are extremely useful tools for doing everything from helping you easily create web sites to providing your students with an engaging collaborative workspace. Yet, choosing the right wiki from among all those available can be quite challenging and time-consuming. In this webinar, you will explore a few different wikis and learn how to choose a wiki that’s appropriate to your class needs.
When: Tuesday 1 April 2008, 04:30 PM - 05:30 PM

TO JOIN THE WEBINAR
Our webinars are one hour and will begin promptly at 4:30pm MST (5:30 CST; 6:30 EST; 3:30 PST).

* If you have not registered for this event, please go to the following link to register at least 24 hours
prior to the event: http://nmsu.acrobat.com/wikis1/event/registration.html


* If you have previously registered for this event, attend by going to the following link and enter the email address and password you used to register: http://nmsu.acrobat.com/wikis1/event/login.html


Join the webinar 20-30 minutes prior to the start time to configure your computer. To participate speakers are required; a simple computer microphone and/or headset is ideal for complete interaction. A webcam is optional. If you have never used Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at:
http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm


TECH ASSISTANCE
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Cissy Lujan-Pincomb or Miley Grandjean at webinars@nmsu.edu or call us 575.646.6143.


FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please visit us at http://webinars.nmsu.edu


Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning Quotient) with us.


Thank you,
The RETA Webinar Team

Seeking Moodle Administrators in New Mexico

Running a Moodle site for education in New Mexico? Join us at http://minimoot.pbwiki.com/

Attention New Mexico Educational Technologists!

Thank you to Cissy and Miley for this information :)

You have been invited to the following event:
Event: NETS Standards / NMSTE
Description: Dr Jill Brown will provide you with information regarding the updated NETS( National Educational Technology Standards), an update on the International Society of Technology in Education, and information on the newly formed New Mexico Society for Technology in Education (NMSTE).
When: Tuesday 11 March 2008, 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

TO JOIN THIS EVENT
Our webinars are one hour and will begin promptly at 4:30 pm MST (5:30 CST; 6:30 EST; 3:30 PST).

-Please register for this event at least 24 hours prior to the event.
-To register, please go to the following link: http://nmsu.acrobat.com/nets/event/registration.html
-The email and password you use to register will be your login and password to attend the event.
-You will receive a reminder email with the link to attend 24 hours prior to the event.

To participate speakers are required. A simple computer microphone and/or headset is ideal for complete interaction. A webcam is optional. If you have never used Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at: http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please visit us at http://webinars.nmsu.edu
Have a cup of coffee, invite a colleague and raise your eQ (eLearning Quotient) with us!


Thank you,
The RETA Webinar Team

Show me the Moodle - Blocks! 5 pm MST Today!!

How do you add RSS feeds to the sidebar of your course? What if you want an interactive calendar for students? These are only a couple of the Blocks available in Moodle. In this one hour session, we will demonstrate implementation of these popular blocks and show you how you can add Widgets to incorporate other dynamic content into your course.

Find out today at 5 pm MST.

http://moodlebots.blogspot.com/2008/03/show-me-moodle-blocks-and-more.html

Reaching out to the middle school educators in New Mexico

I received this on email; seems like a very relevant post for this group.

Subject: **Special Announcement: PALMS seeking new Outreach Leader schools**

Dear Colleague:



The PALMS (Postsecondary Access for Latino Middle-Grades Students)
project is sending out a special announcement to members of our mailing
list and to individuals who registered to receive a copy of Tools for
Latino Family Outreach.



We are offering interested middle and high schools the opportunity to
join the PALMS Outreach Leaders Network for the 2008-2009 academic year.
The Outreach Leaders Network is a community of practitioners dedicated
to helping Latino students pursue education beyond high school. Members
of the network use the PALMS Tools for Latino Family Outreach to create
school-based programs focused on this mission. For a modest fee,
Outreach Leaders receive a six-week online course, a summer training
workshop, five telephone coaching sessions, a Starter Kit of materials,
and access to a members-only Online Resource Center.



Adaptable to any local setting, Tools for Latino Family Outreach have
helped create or strengthen programs in communities as diverse as
Montevallo, AL; Northwest Arkansas; Castro Valley, CA; Loveland, CO;
Chicago; Reno, NV; and Westchester County, New York. They provide a
framework through which to organize existing and future efforts to reach
Latino families and students. To download application and informational
materials, please visit http://www.palmsproject.net/tools/network.htm.
Schools applying from the same district may be eligible for a 10 percent
discount. Applications are due April 25, 2008.



We hope many of you will benefit from this opportunity in the coming
school year.



Best wishes,



PALMS Project Staff

Education Development Center, Inc.

55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02458

Telephone: 617.618.2608

Show me the Moodle Blocks! and more...

This is your eLearning Update for March 3, 2008.

This week’s RETA Webinar!

Blogs in the Classroom I by Cissy Lujan-Pincomb and Miley Grandjean
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 – 4:30 pm-5:30 pm
Register at: http://webinars.nmsu.edu/

You hear about blogs everyday from students or co-workers, but have you thought about using them in your classroom? In this webinar session you will be introduced to the refreshing world of blogging where you will begin generating ideas on how you might use blogs within your own classroom. In this first session we will introduce you to: what a blog is, what a blog can be used for, help you set up your own blogging account, and then send you on your way with resources, so that you will make an informed and enjoyable push into the “blogging world.”

This week’s Show me the Moodle Webclass!

Show me the Moodle Blocks by Holly Rae Bemis-Schurtz
Thursday, March 6, 2008 - 5 – 6 pm
Register at: http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/register+here

How do you add RSS feeds to the sidebar of your course? What if you want an interactive calendar for students? These are only a couple of the Blocks available in Moodle. In this one hour session, we will demonstrate implementation of these popular blocks and show you how you can add Widgets to incorporate other dynamic content into your course.

This session is for Moodlers who have already had an introduction to Moodle Course Design.

This session will be recorded for on demand viewing. Details will be shared after the session.

Attending these sessions

A simple computer microphone and/or chat headset is ideal for participation. A web cam is also nice, but not required. Please plan to join the session at least 20 minutes prior to the start time to configure your computer.

If you have never used Acrobat Connect Professional, please test your connection at:

http://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

Tech Assistance

Support will be available 30 minutes prior to the start of session for tech assistance.

More great eLearning webinars and webclass sessions coming up every week! For more information, see
http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/Synchronous+Learning+Events

For more information on Moodle

Our ancillary resource for this session is the Moodle 1.8 Handbook at our site at http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle. After attending, you should be able to practice the ‘hands on’ component in your own Moodle classroom (contact me if you would like a course environment for your use at RETAMoodle - http://reta.nmsu.edu/moodle).

Can’t make it?

Sessions will be recorded. A link for a session recording will be available. Contact me for more information.

Upcoming Show me the Moodle Sessions

Hi Everyone ~ Happy Leap Year to all from RETA Moodle!

I have some information I'd like for you to know. Feel free to share this with friends. In addition to the wonderful RETA Webinars coming up in the next couple of months, I have scheduled some 'Show me the Moodle' webclass sessions on specific topics. These topics are designed to help you with specific parts of Moodle course design. You will find more information at the Moodlebot Wiki - http://moodlebots.pbwiki.com/Synchronous+Learning+Events

Show me the Moodle - Blocks - March 6 - 5 pm MST [register here]

How do you add RSS feeds to the sidebar of your course? What if you want an interactive calendar for students? These are only a couple of the Blocks available in Moodle. In this one hour session, we will demonstrate implementation of these popular blocks and show you how you can add Widgets to incorporate other dynamic content into your course.

Show me the Moodle - Adding Resources - March 13 - 5 pm MST[register here]

Adding content to your course is a breeze with Moodle. Find out how to add websites, HTML, PowerPoints and other types of files in this one hour on Moodle Resources.

Show me the Moodle - Assignments - March 16 - 11 am MST[register here]

There are four main ways to use the Assignment activity in Moodle. In this one hour session we will demonstrate each of these and give examples of how they can be used in online teaching and blended instruction.

Show me the Moodle - Choice and Journal Activities - April 6 - 11 am MST [register here]

Moodle Choice and Journal Activities are some of the easiest Moodle activities to implement. In this hour long webclass we will demonstrate how to implement these activities and discuss how we can use them in our online and blended classrooms.

Moodle Administration Professional Learning Community [register here]

March 11 - 4:30 pm MST and April 8 - 4:30 pm MST

This is an open learning community of educators who are currently or planning to administer a Moodle site. Topics of discussion may include security, course management, user management, troubleshooting, etc. Participants in this group are invited to return on a monthy basis to share ideas and discuss how they can support Moodle in their schools and districts.

MIT highlights High School content

As you check out content repositories, you'll want to note MIT Open Courseware now has a section for High School students and teachers.

MIT Open Courseware High School Highlights page (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/hs/home/home/index.htm)

I would imagine much of this would need to be adapted for your use, but any new content resource for online teachers is a great resource for a Moodlebot.

How to make PowerPoints smaller (optimization!)

At least once in the lifetime of every Moodler, the question arises... "how do I (or my students) make a PowerPoint which isn't too big?"

The answer is here (http://www.somacon.com/p133.php). I've been putting a link to it in every Moodle course I make, but maybe that's just not enough! Maybe I need to blog about it. *hums to self 'we didn't start the fire' and thinks of this YouTube clip - Blog, blog, blog it all about 1:23 into it*

...but it's not the only answer. You, as a teacher, can also (if you feel like sharing) upload your PowerPoint to Slideshare and make a supercool widget like the one below. Teachers who want to use this may find a need to propose Slideshare as a respectable site worth unblocking. So since we have those Internet filtering issues, we can always rely on the answer above (using the good old picture toolbar).

| View | Upload your own