Special points of interest: · Collaborative Curriculum Work Schedule January 2007 Page 1 · News and Notes – Happenings around ANWSU Page 1-2 · Teaching Typing – ANWSU Initiative and Who Should Teach Keyboarding and When Should It Be Taught? Article Page 2-4 · Programs at the Public Libraries Page 4 · Websites of Interest - for Educators Page 4-7

Collaborative Curriculum Work: Wednesday, January 10^th

PreK-4

Continue meeting in grade level groups at VUES, focused upon math.

Schoolwide Literacy Teachers

Meet to review sign up results and help plan for PreK-4 Informational Writing Inquiry groups for January through May. Work on common Parent School Compact.

Speech-Language Pathologists

Topic: article on sub-profiling by Bellis and ASHA task force “Central Auditory Processing: Current Status of Research and Implications for Clinical Practice.”

Collaborative Curriculum Work: Schedule for January, 2007

Grades 5 - 8

Wednesday, January 10th

· 5-6 Science Facilitator: Judy Elson  (at VUES - 3:20)

· 7-8 Science Facilitator:  Melissa Muzzy

· 7-8 Math Facilitator:  Kris Mueller

· 7-8 SS Facilitator:  Deb White

· 7-8 LA Facilitator:  Jenn Lawson

Thursday, January 11th

· Grade 5 Math Work Session # 3 12:00 - 3:00 HS  Guidance Conf Rm

· Grade 6 Math Work Session # 3: 8:00 - 11:00 Sue Dula's

Wednesday, January 24th

· 5-6 Science Facilitator:  Kitty Muzzy

· 7-8 Science Facilitator:  Melissa Muzzy

· 7-8 Math Facilitator:  Kris Mueller

· 7-8 SS Facilitator:  Deb White

· 7-8 LA Facilitator:  Jenn Lawson

Thursday, January 25th

· Grade 5 and 6 half day work sessions # 4

Wednesday, January 31st

· Grade 5 Science Teachers meet with 4th Grade Classroom Teachers about revision of Science Units

News and Notes:

Reading Assessment Study Team

The Reading Assessment Study Team will re-convene on January 30, at the ANWSU Central Office conference room, from 12:30-3:00 to develop a final recommendation for ANWSU’s system of reading diagnostic and screening assessments for grades 3-9.

Bridges Pilot Update

The Bridges Pilot teachers met on December 7 for the third training session with Sue Sears and Lisa Beck, Bridges Math trainers. The next informal discussion for the Bridges Math program is Monday, January 8 at the ANWSU Central Office from 3:15-4:15. The next informal discussion of the Everyday Math program is on January 15 at the ANWSU Central Office from 3:15-4:15. Everyone is welcome at either session.

PreK-4 Informational Writing Inquiry Groups for January through May

The Informational Writing inquiry groups will begin on January 24, at VUES, and will meet from 3:20-4:15. Facilitators will meet with Betty on Thursday, January 18^th at the VUES library from 3:15-4:15 to plan for the first session.

Focus on Science

There is some planning in the works for a meeting with the fourth grade teachers and some of our own ANWSU Science teachers who attended the network meetings, to discuss the upcoming NECAP Pilot Science Assessment that will take place in grades 4, 8, and 11 this coming May. The date under discussion is Wednesday, January 31. Stay tuned…

Looking for Volunteers?

If you are looking for volunteer help, here is the name of the contact at Middlebury College.

Betsy K. B. Mackey,

Assistant Director for Community Service

Middlebury College Alliance for Civic Engagement

139 McCullough Student Center

Middlebury, VT 05753

802-443-3010

bmackey@middlebury.edu

Teaching Typing – ANWSU Initiative

ANWSU has committed to a long term project that asks students to learn to touch type using "Writer" technology. A 'Writer' is a small, electronic keyboard with typing software embedded into the machine. Students follow the lesson on a small screen. Once students learn to type, they can use the 'Writer' to type assignments. Files from the Writer can be beamed directly into a Word document for further editing. The article that follows communicates some fundamentals of current thinking in the field about typing.

Who Should Teach Keyboarding and When Should It Be Taught?

By Margaret J. Erthal

Typewriting, once the domain of business education teachers, was taught in high school. The vocational business curriculum dictated a year of Typewriting I at the freshman level, a year of Typewriting II at the sophomore level, a year of Office Practice and Shorthand I at the junior level, and a year of Secretarial Practice and Shorthand II at the senior level. This curriculum was adhered to by the majority of schools as the objective of business education was vocational in nature. The introduction of the personal computer changed the business education curriculum and the method in which typewriting instruction was delivered.

Computers allowed students to become more efficient as they keyed letters, memos, reports, and tables within the business education classroom. Soon, other disciplines began to take advantage of the efficiency and effectiveness of computers. English teachers required typed papers in English Composition class, and mathematics teachers used BASIC programming to expand on paper and pencil problems. A new class, Computer Literacy, appeared in school curricula and eventually achieved the status of a "required" course. Business teachers believed they possessed the knowledge and expertise to teach Computer Literacy, but were soon faced with science and math teachers who also felt they possessed the knowledge and expertise to teach this course.

During the 1980s, personal computers began to appear at the elementary level. Young students used computers for drill and practice and the popular software program LOGO (Harvey, 1985). As elementary students reached high school, business teachers began facing two challenges: sections of keyboarding classes were declining, and keyboarding students had developed the unfortunate habit of keying with the "hunt and peck" method. Today, educators at all levels are challenged to integrate the capabilities of the internet into the learning environment. In fact, President Clinton foresees a computer in every classroom connected to the Internet and the computer literacy of all students.

If all students are to be computer literate, educators must address the following dilemma. Should students possess keying skills? If so, when should these skills be taught, who should teach them, and what part do keyboarding software packages play?

KEYBOARDING SKILLS

Keyboarding is the manipulation of the computer keyboard by touch. Performance expectations described in the National Standards for Business Education include students' ability to:

* Develop touch keyboarding techniques; ·

* Enter and manipulate numeric data using the touch method on a 10-key keypad; and

* Develop touch keyboarding skills at acceptable speed and accuracy levels.

Keyboarding is a psychomotor skill and resembles playing a musical instrument such as the piano: the fine motor muscles must respond to the brain's instructions. Eye-hand coordination is necessary for the fine motor muscles to locate and strike a key or ivory. Sound pedagogical procedures are inherent in learning and becoming proficient at touch keyboarding (Erthal, 1996). Various groups have suggested that keyboard learning should be taught prior to using a computer, especially since students need formal instruction to acquire keyboarding skills using the touch system (Prigge and Braathen, 1993; Nieman, 1996).Benefits of acquiring keyboarding skills include the enhanced use of time and effective use of computers (Elementary/Middle School Keyboarding Strategies Guide, 1992). Everyone who will use computers needs to develop "touch" keyboarding skills. The emphasis is on the skill of entering alphanumeric data for the primary purposes of obtaining, processing, or communicating information (Schmidt, 1985).Research shows that children with keying skills are able to compose faster, are prouder of their work, produce documents with a neater appearance, have better motivation and demonstrate improved language arts skills (Nieman, 1996).

WHEN TO TEACH KEYBOARDING

Students below the third grade, typically, do not possess the dexterity and hand size to manipulate the keys effectively. The suggested age for effective keyboard instruction is 10 to 12 years of age (Elementary/Middle School Keyboarding Strategies Guide, 1992).Children in grades four to six gradually exhibit greater smoothness and command of small-muscle expression, which is reflected in better coordination in activities (Prigge and Braathen, 1993). Correct keying should be used and reinforced from the beginning. Students should use the right index finger to key "Y" for yes and "N" for no; the right little finger to enter; the right thumb for the spacebar; and the mouse to point and click. Students need formal instruction to acquire keyboarding skills using the touch system before they use the computer for more than simple, single-key responses. Once students complete the initial keyboarding instruction, reinforcement activities are necessary. Keyboarding skills improve little or abate without consistent reinforcement (Elementary/Middle School Keyboarding Strategies Guide, 1992). If correct techniques are taught with initial computer use and progressively added each year, the level of keyboarding ability is continually strengthened (Davidson and Kochmann, 1996).A plan needs to be in place to assure the continuous development of keyboarding skills after the initial keyboarding instruction (Sormunen, 1991). Texas, Minnesota, New York, and Virginia have mandated keyboarding classes along with instruction time, speed, and accuracy standards. Keyboarding instruction begins from grade five and continues on to later grades. The goal is to prepare students for information retrieval and word processing (Nieman, 1996).

WHO SHOULD TEACH KEYBOARDING?

A knowledgeable teacher is needed to help students develop appropriate techniques, as well as provide motivation and reinforcement (Nieman, 1996). However, business teachers must understand the methodology of teaching elementary students, and elementary teachers must understand psychomotor skill development (Prigge and Braathen, 1993; Davidson and Kochmann, 1996). When first learning to touch type, students need about 30 hours of keyboarding instruction to acquire the ability to use the correct fingers (McLean, 1994).Oftentimes, elementary keyboarding instruction is limited to 10 or fewer hours and the result is poor or no keying skills (Sormunen, 1991). Instruction can be supplied by elementary teachers who have taken a keyboarding methods class, a business education teacher with elementary learning methods, or a combination of business education and elementary education teachers (McLean, 1994

KEYBOARDING SOFTWARE

The role that software plays can enhance keyboarding skills. However, software cannot take the place of a qualified teacher (McLean, 1994). Many popular keyboarding software packages violate psychomotor skill development (Davidson and Kochmann, 1996).The complexity of teaching keyboarding requires an extensive and extremely well-written software program. No software program has been shown to be superior to capable, live keyboarding instruction. Software programs serve well for drill, remediation, enrichment practice, as well as adding variety to keyboarding instruction. Software cannot be programmed to see, to hear, or to feel the keyboarding instructional needs of the student (Schmidt, 1985).On the horizon is speaker and dictation software. While this software has been technologically feasible for some time, the cost is prohibitive and the accuracy is questionable.

CONCLUSION

Keyboarding skills are no longer vocational in nature, but necessary to communicate, extract, and disseminate information. Poor or no keyboarding skills will severely hamper people in their quest for knowledge. Keyboarding should be taught at about the fifth grade, and instruction should be a partnership of the elementary education and business education teachers. Sufficient time should be devoted to initial keyboarding instruction (about 30 hours minimum), and the new skill should be reinforced throughout the school years. Keyboarding software packages should be carefully scrutinized to ascertain if they follow should pedagogical, psychomotor principles. You would not sit a child down at a piano and use a software package to teach piano playing. Similarly, children are taught to play sports with a coach and much guided practice. The coach provides motivation, reinforcement, and corrective action. Students and parents should expect no less from keyboarding instruction.

References

1. Davidson, L. and Kochmann, B. (1996, February). Integrating Technology Into the Elementary Curriculum. Business Education Forum, 50 (3), 26-29.Erthal, M. (1996).

2. Keyboarding Software and Touch Keyboarding. Tennessee Business Education Journal, 4 (1), 11-13.Harvey, B. (1985)

3. Computer Science Logo Style, Volume 1, Intermediate Programming. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. McLean, G. (1994).

4. Teaching Keyboarding. Little Rock, AR: Delta Pi Epsilon. National Business Education Association. (1992).

5. Elementary/Middle School Keyboarding Strategies Guide. Reston, VA: National Business Education Association. National Business Education Association. (1995).

6. National Standards for Business Education. Reston, VA: National Business Education Association. Nieman, P. (1996, October).

7. Introducing Early Keyboarding Skills. Business Education Forum, 51 (1), 27-30.|Prigge, L. and Braathen, S. (1993, October).

8. Working With Elementary Students in Keyboarding. Business Education Forum, 48 (1). 33-35.Schmidt, B. (1985).

9. Keyboarding: Classroom Problems and Solutions. Delta Pi Epsilon Tips,1 (1).Sormunen, C. (1991 March). Elementary School Keyboarding: A Case for Skill Development. Business Education Forum, 45 (6), 28-30

PROGRAMS AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES

February 7 – Italian Opera and “The Marriage of Figaro”

Fletcher Free Library – 235 College Street, Burlington 802-863-3403 7:00 p.m.

Opera expert Peter Fox Smith asks whether the greatest of all Italian operas could have been written by an Austrian and gives a brief overview of Italian Opera from Monteverdi to Puccini. Sponsor: National Italian American Foundation

February 7 – Looking Back at Vermont: Farm Security Administration Photographs in Vermont, 1936-1942

Ilsley Public Library – 75 Main Street, Middlebury 802-388-4095 7:00 p.m.

Over seven years, nine photographers working for the Farm Security Administration’s Historical Section documented Vermont’s rural culture. In this richly illustrated talk, historian Nancy Price Graff examines the impact of this project on Vermont.

Website of Interest

		For Educators
Education Home Web Search Earth Book Search Maps Docs & Spreadsheets Getting Started Blogger SketchUp Calendar Picasa Personalized Homepage Google Apps for Education	Google Docs & Spreadsheets Google Docs & Spreadsheets is an easy-to-use online word processor and spreadsheet editor that enables you and your students to create, store and share documents and spreadsheets instantly and securely and collaborate online in real time. If you know how to use any word processing or spreadsheet editing program, you can easily use Google Docs & Spreadsheets, and you can even upload older documents and spreadsheets instead of creating new ones. There's no software to download, and all your work is stored safely online and can be accessed from any computer. Learn how to get started » or Sign up now » How Students and Teachers can use Google Docs & Spreadsheets Google Docs & Spreadsheets' sharing features enable you and your students to decide exactly who can access and edit documents. 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Students will find that Google Docs & Spreadsheets can help them stay organized and manipulate data more effectively. They never have to remember to save their work; it happens automatically. It's easy to collaborate online with fellow students, even when they aren't in the same place, and they can get feedback easily from teachers, parents, relatives and tutors, and enter updates anytime from anywhere. And through a document's Revisions history, kids can check how they've revised a given word processing document and who has helped. Along with specific assignments, students can use spreadsheets to keep track of their grades, assignments, semester goals, baseball statistics, car expenses, or anything else that strikes their fancy, piques their curiosity and gets them learning to manipulate data in effective ways. Take a tour of Google Docs & Spreadsheets Found or developed a lesson using Google Docs & Spreadsheets? Tell us about it! Teachers speak out As a teacher of English and journalism, I sign all my students up for Google Docs & Spreadsheets accounts to help facilitate their work. I have found that my students are making significant improvement in their writing because of Google Docs & Spreadsheets. It facilitates peer editing and revising. I stress writing a process, teaching students that it takes multiple versions of an article or essay to achieve a level of excellence. The word processor component of Google Docs & Spreadsheets enables my students to revise, to peer edit, and to keep track of all the changes [to a document] in the Revisions History. I can also see who students collaborated with and when. It is easy and fun to use and they no longer lose documents either by failing to save or having crashed hard drives. Google Docs & Spreadsheets enables them to have 24/7 access to their documents from anywhere in the world since they are online. Students no longer have to email documents or worry about incompatibility of platforms. Documents are always accessible. I am really happy to be have a tool like Google Docs & Spreadsheets for my students. It has changed the way I teach writing... for the better!! Esther Wojcicki, Journalism Teacher, Palo Alto High School Read more user stories Learn how to get started » or Sign up now »
Education Home Web Search Earth Book Search Maps Docs & Spreadsheets Getting Started Blogger SketchUp Calendar Picasa Personalized Homepage Google Apps for Education	Getting started with Google Docs & Spreadsheets As a student or a teacher, you work differently than most. Google Docs & Spreadsheets is different, too. You write essays. You collaborate with peers. You revise, edit, and revise some more. Google Docs & Spreadsheets is tailored to suit your needs as a busy academic. You're smart, your time is important, and we're here to help. This guide will take you through the easy steps of creating a Google Docs & Spreadsheets account, creating your first document, and exploring all the neat features we've packed into your browser's window. In order to use Google Docs & Spreadsheets you need to have a Google Account. To sign up for a Google Account. Visit Google Docs & Spreadsheets and click on Create an account now on the main page. Follow the instructions to create an account. If you already have a Google Account, sign in with your existing username and password. Your first document Quick-Start School can be difficult. Using your word processor shouldn't be. Knowing that, we've made it simple for you to sign up and get started in just a few minutes. Create your first document Click the New Document link at the top of the page and a blank document window will open. Type away Now that you've created a blank document, type something into the window. Feel free to change the style and color of the text to your liking to create engaging book reports, presentations, and homework assignments. Other fun things you should know The word processor in Google Docs & Spreadsheets comes with a full-fledged spell-checker. It may not give you an A+, but it sure comes in handy. What about all those past reports, papers, and documents? No problem. Just upload them using our simple upload tool. Google Docs & Spreadsheets recognizes many formats including Microsoft Word, Plain Text, Rich Text, and OpenOffice. Work from anywhere. Work from the library, school, an internet café, or home. Your documents are always there. Try Google Docs & Spreadsheets Your first spreadsheet If you have yet to discover how Google Docs & Spreadsheets can help you as a student or teacher, you're in for a treat. Spreadsheets are the most universal tool to keep track of data. Google Docs & Spreadsheets can help you keep track of test scores, grades, scientific data, and even addresses. Better yet, unlike most spreadsheet programs, Google Docs & Spreadsheets allows you to collaborate online with your fellow students and teachers, making it easy to collect information quickly and reliably. This guide will take you through the easy steps of creating a Google account, creating your first spreadsheet, and exploring many of the useful and relevant features to help you get through the school day. Create your first spreadsheet Click on the New Spreadsheet link at the top of the page and a blank spreadsheet window will open. You can add text to any cell by double clicking on the cell and then typing. Hit the enter key when you're done. Manage Lists and Data Spreadsheets are great for managing lists and data. In your blank spreadsheet, enter in the name of your classmates in the column under 'My Classmates'. In the column to the right, enter each person's age and favorite food. You may also style the cells by clicking and dragging over cells to highlight a range, then selecting the style you want from the toolbar above. Formulas Also, you may use one of our many formulas to analyze your data. In this example, we typed in =average( into cell C8 then clicked and dragged our mouse from cell C3 to C6 then we typed ) and hit enter to see the average age of the class. For other formulas, click on the Formulas tab above the toolbar. »Try Google Docs & Spreadsheets Sharing is Easy Sharing is easy! With Google Docs & Spreadsheets, it's simple to share your document with teammates, other students, and even your teachers. Click on the Collaborate tab in the top right-hand corner and enter the email address of the people that you want to invite to edit your document. These people may include teammates or teachers. You may also specify individuals who may see, but not edit the spreadsheet in the 'Invite people to View' box. Try Google Docs & Spreadsheets »
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