Coordinating Instructional Telecommunications and Video (ITV) with the Curriculum and SOL
With the pressures teachers face in teaching the SOL, many find it difficult to take time to learn methodologies and integrate video and other technologies into the curriculum. This workshop provides an opportunity for a teacher to sit down with an Education Specialist, plug ITV programs into their current curricular units, survey support materials, and locate existing media-rich lesson plans. The Education Specialist can be in the school for a full day to meet individual or groups of teachers during planning periods, before school or after school. This workshop has proven very successful in elementary, middle and high schools.
Education Services Overview
You have heard of WVPT and its ITV resources, but you are not really sure what they are or how you can use them to integrate technology in your lessons and teach those SOL. Well, just ask us. We would be glad to show you what our PK-12 Education Services are and share how we can work together.
Exploring WebQuests: Getting Started Using WebQuests
The use of WebQuests will enliven lessons, teach to SOL, stretch students’ higher order thinking skills, and immerse students in the content by getting them actively involved all at the same time! What is a WebQuest and what are the criteria for evaluating a good WebQuest? How do you find WebQuests on the subjects/grades/topics you teach? This workshop will provide answers to all of these questions as well as the tools and resources that you need to create a WebQuest for students or for students to use to create their own WebQuest.
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Digital Imaging
A picture is worth a thousand words, and students often learn best when visual content is either provided for them or they create it. The workshops described below provide participants with information on using digital images and digital cameras to enhance teaching and learning. Workshops can be delivered individually or may be combined into longer half and full day sessions.
Digital Imaging Basics
What is a digital image? How do you obtain digital images? This workshop will provide you with basic information about acquiring digital images from a variety of sources. Using scanners, digital cameras, and the Internet are some of the ways of getting digital images and will be covered in this hands-on workshop.
I Have a Digital Camera—Now What?
Using a digital camera in the classroom can both enhance instruction and engage learners. The use of the digital camera is applicable for all curriculum areas and all grade levels. In this hands-on workshop, explore the basics of using a digital camera and taking good pictures. Ideas for integrating the use of the digital camera into classroom instruction will be provided. WVPT can provide cameras for workshop participants to use. We recommend a three-hour session for this workshop.
Extreme Makeovers: Editing your Images
Rarely do we take a picture that couldn’t be improved by using some basic editing techniques. This workshop will provide instruction for editing your pictures using programs that are already available on your computer or by using freeware such as IrfanView for even more advanced editing techniques.
Take Your Best Shot
This hybrid, five-week online workshop incorporates instruction in the use of the digital camera, secrets for taking good pictures, ideas for using digital cameras in the classroom, and opportunities for participants to share photos and develop digital camera projects that have been implemented in their classrooms. The workshop requires face-to-face attendance at the first and last session with all other sessions occurring online.
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Inspiration and Kidspiration
These popular graphic organizer programs support visual learning techniques that have proven to aid student thinking, retention, comprehension and organization. Our workshops get you started with the programs and provide ideas on using them effectively in the classroom
Intel Teach Essentials Course
The Intel Teach program is an extensive program designed to provide face-to-face training on how to integrate technology into existing classroom curricula to promote student learning.
Interactive Use of Video
In order to teach any objective, including the SOL, educational tools must be used effectively. The focus of this workshop is the creative, effective and INTERACTIVE use of video. Utilization strategies are emphasized, such as using the pause button, rewind and replay, focused viewing, and hands-on activities or demonstrations. This workshop can be tailored to any specific curricular need, such as math and science, language arts and other SOL areas.
Interactive Whiteboards
Ever tried to get twenty-five third graders on the same website at the same time? Do you struggle to gather all of your students around one classroom computer? Are you up for some hands-on learning? If you are then this workshop which is based on the popular SMART Board is for you. Participants will learn how to connect and effectively use an interactive whiteboard (SMART Board) in a classroom or lab setting. Learn to use an interactive whiteboard with the software you already use in your classroom such as PowerPoint, Microsoft Word and Excel.
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Library 2.0: Using Web 2.0 Tools to Deliver Resources and Support to Your Teachers, Students, and Parents
With improved infrastructure and better access to the Internet, school libraries are finding new ways to deliver resources and provide assistance to teachers, students, and parents. In this session, we will explore some of the Web 2.0 tools that make it easier to work collaboratively with teachers and students and to share a wealth of resources. Find out how blogs, wikis, and social bookmarking can enhance what you are already doing to deliver valuable resources and services.
Making Movies with iMovie and/or Movie Maker
Learn the basics of how to turn classroom home movies into Oscar winning productions using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. This workshop gives teachers a taste of how to combine video and still pictures with music and special effects to create a movie worthy of the big screen. Tips for working with students on movie-making are shared.
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Palm Empowered: Use All of the Features of Your Palm
Bring your Palm to this hands-on workshop which will introduce you to the four basic applications of the Palm as well as other features that help to both personalize the device and to expand its functionality.
Palm Power Plus: Beyond the Basics
Once you have learned the basics for using the Palm, it is time to explore additional features and applications. This hands-on workshop will focus on setting preferences, taking advantage of multimedia capabilities, and using productivity tools such as Documents to Go, Palm Reader, and Adobe Acrobat Reader for the Palm. You will need to bring your Palm to this workshop.
PBWiki: A Collaboration/Communication Tool for School Librarians
Wikis are used by school librarians for a variety of tasks. PBWiki is easy to set up and provides countless opportunities for communication and collaboration. This workshop will provide an overview of the features of PBWiki, include examples of how this application is being used in school libraries, and provide opportunities for participants to share ideas about how they are or would like to use wikis to support their program goals.
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PowerPoint
PowerPoint is one of the popular applications in the Microsoft Office Suite. While it can be used to develop basic presentations, it can also become a tool for creating engaging and interactive educational activities. WVPT offers training in the use and educational application of PowerPoint as outlined below:
PowerPoint for Beginners
Tired of boring student paper reports? Scared to try because you don’t know a slide from a text box? We can get you started. Learn about slides, backgrounds, text boxes, clip art and more. Then go back and rev up your students when you assign their next report.
PowerPoint: Next Steps
You have mastered the basics of PowerPoint, and you are ready to try some of the more advanced techniques. This workshop will get you on your way to creating presentations using a variety of media and animations as well as developing customized slideshows.
PowerPoint: Not Just a SlideShow
Once you understand how to create slides and customize their content and delivery, you are ready to use this versatile application to develop games, talking picture books, multimedia albums, and other engaging activities. This workshop will help you to develop these activities yourself or prepare you to teach your students how to use PowerPoint to create multimedia projects that will deepen their understanding of content and demonstrate what they have learned.
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Share the Skies
Share the Skies is the nation’s first statewide initiative that enables students and teachers to study astronomy in real time during the daytime without leaving the classroom. This innovative project was developed by the Virginia Department of Education, New Mexico Skies, Software Bisque, and Virginia Tech’s Institute for Connecting Science Research to the Classroom. It enables Virginia students to access and control research-grade telescopes to explore Australia’s night skies via the Internet. Students use CCD (charge-coupled device) imaging techniques to capture digital images of deep space for further study.
In this Share the Skies training session you will learn how to use the telescope and capture images. Upon completion of the training, you will receive a login account which will enable you to continue your use of the telescope and to integrate its use into classroom instruction. As part of this training, you will explore additional resources to bring the study of astronomy to your students, K-12 and across the curriculum.
Thinkfinity
The Verizon Foundation in partnership with 8 content partners known for developing high quality, online educational resources now provides easy access to lesson plans, interactive activities, and other online resources. Whether you need a quick overview or a more extensive review of the site, WVPT Education Services staff can deliver Thinkfinity professional development tailored to meet your needs. These workshops can be designed to provide everything from awareness sessions to complete training that allows teachers to walk away with a customized integration plan.
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Videostreaming Your Way
Discovery Education Streaming is a video download and streaming system that is now available to many schools. It gives any teacher with an Internet capable computer anytime access to 5000 educational core-curriculum digital videos, 50,000 digital video segments, images, clip art and much more. Whether you are looking for an introduction to the service, wanting to know how to integrate the video into presentation software or WebQuest, or need help getting started with the administrative side of the service, our Education Specialists are ready to help. Contact us today and request a video streaming workshop that is tailored for your needs. To be most effective, this workshop should be conducted in a computer lab.
Webbin’ It All Together: Website Resources for Teachers
Teachers, we have done the legwork for you. This workshop will introduce you to a host of reliable, time-saving, website resources to add technology and the Internet to your lessons. Many resources are free. Those that are not are worth knowing about.
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Contact WVPT Education Specialists Linda Holt (
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) , Bly Brown (
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), or Kathryn Staton (
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) (800) 345-9878.
* ITV programs and services are funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia and are designed, acquired, and provided specifically for classroom use, not for general audiences.
** Workshops are provided free to PK-12 schools in the WVPT service area.
