GradeQuick Web & Edline Help Guides

Feel free to download and view the help guides for GradeQuick Web and Edline for the current 2008-2009 school year by clicking the links below:

GradeQuick Web Help Guide:

GQWeb_Teacher_Guide.pdf

Edline Help Guide - Full Edition

TeacherEdlineGuide_FULL.pdf

GradeQuick Web For New School Year

New for the upcoming school year, GradeQuick Web version. All teachers will now have the ability to access and manage their gradebooks via the web 24/7 from any computer that can connect to the Internet.

More details in the coming weeks. 

Google Apps Available For The 2008-2009 School Year

Google Apps will give us a custom email address, tools for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, a shared calendaring system and access to a flexible intranet system. This feature will be available to all students and staff for the 2008-2009 school year. More information will be presented soon!

You can also find more information by clicking the link below:
http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/users/user_features.html

Edline Interactive Classroom - Arriving for the 08-09 school year district-wide

With Edline’s Interactive Classroom, you can bring classroom web pages to life with online discussions, electronic homework hand-in, interactive assignments and online assessments. These features allow us to access popular Blackboard features from a familiar application such as Edline.

Some key features include:

Online discussions that maximize participation

Integrate online discussions with instructional content on any web page to engage students at the point of interest. Leverage your Edline data to easily target or restrict certain students within your classroom. (Teachers can review all comments before they are posted.)

Interactive assignments

Easily post homework that integrates online practice exercises, quizzes, or worksheets. Students complete the learning activities completely online. No paper!

Homework hand-in

Quickly create a homework “drop-box” where students can submit documents or other files to hand in their homework electronically.

Flexible online tests & quizzes

No more waiting at the copier! Create your own online exams for your students to take. Choose from several different components: text entry fields, radio buttons, drop-down lists, file attachments and more.

Automatic grading

Assignments can be graded automatically with no intervention by the teacher. Grades can then be transferred to your GradeQuick gradebook.

Track and review student responses

Track which students have and have not submitted a response. With a single click, send an e-mail reminder to students who have not submitted a response.

NOTE: We will be providing training on all of these new Edline features this fall to all staff.

Please Vote on Technology Upgrades!

"Mr. Combs is Cool!" New Richmond Elementary School Video

Click the play button below the video to watch the New Richmond Elementary School presentation titled "Mr. Combs is cool" courtesy of Judy Meyer and her 5th Grade class.

Summer Upgrade - Faster Computers, More Tools, United Streaming & More!

During the summer break, we will be performing a much needed upgrade to the network at all buildings which will increase the speed we have to the Internet. The upgrade will most benefit the buildings that currently experience the slowest access (Locust Corner, Monroe, and the Central Office) but will benefit all buildings in the district.

Some of the key features for this upgrade:

• Faster computers: Although it seems like some of our computers run slow, most of the time it's the Internet access that's actually slow instead of the computer itself. Once the network upgrade is complete, NRE, NRMS & NRHS should experience 10x the Internet Speed. Monroe Elementary, Locust Corner Elementary and the Central Office are currently on very slow links and should experience 130x the Internet Speed once the upgrade is completed!
  
• United Streaming - District Wide: With the faster speeds come the ability to access streaming video for buildings that didn't have the Internet speed necessary before. This valuable web-based application provides lesson-based and standards-based educational videos from any computer, anytime. The network upgrade will also provide faster video streams with less choppiness for all buildings.
  
• Distance Learning - Video Conferencing: A great tool for presenting dynamic content to your classes. With our video conferencing equipment you can literally connect to anyone in the world and present standards-based material that will make a strong impact on your students. Dramatic improvements have been made to this equipment to improve reliability and performance.
  

This project is expected to be completed in June 2008.

New Video Conferences at NRE

Ms. Meyer has utilized several live interactive video conferences into her classroom yesterday and today.

Mrs. Meyer’s 5th grade class participated in a program via distance learning that discussed transportation in the Ohio region prior to 1825 and how the construction of canals changed the lives of many Ohio residents in many ways. The 45 minute video conference was an excellent educational experience for children that allowed them to ask questions and be included in other activities during the session.

FREE Internet Safety Course Available

Clermont County ESC is offering a FREE course on Internet Safety to all Clermont County teachers.

The 2 hour course reviews the following:

• Keeping Students Safe from Predators
  
• The Child Internet Protection Act
  
• Email Use and Security
  
• Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights
  

This course increases awareness on the importance of recognizing the dangers of children using the Internet.

Please let me know if you're interested in this course.

Web Washer is now our new web filtering software

Our Internet Service Provider (HCCA) has updated our web filtering software to a new product called Web Washer. You’ve probably noticed the new ‘block’ screen when you’re accessing web pages that were available before the upgrade.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any web sites that you need unblocked from the filter. I’ll just need the full web address (example:www.yahoo.com) to unblock the page.

Conserve paper when printing from the web

Have you noticed how much paper you waste printing from the Web? Between the random blank pages with only a line or two of text on them, and pages you print just to save a paragraph or two of content, chances are a lot of trees have given up their pulp while you gather and print information from the Web.

With HP’s Smart Web Printing, you’ll get rid of all those extra wasted pages. This free Internet application is a convenient and user-friendly solution to this annoying and expensive problem. It enables simple, predictable Web printing and gives you control over what content you want to save and how you want it printed.

Smart Web Printing gives you the power to:

• Save paper and ink
• Take control of your Web search findings
• Organize your compiled Web content to suit your needs
• Get more accurate and useful prints

HOW IT WORKS

Surf the Web and keep multiple Web pages open as you research. When you’re ready to compile and print your research, choose the content, graphics or images you want by selecting Smart Web Printing from your Web browser’s toolbar, and simply dragging your cursor around the object you want to save. Then you can print it immediately; it’s scaled to match the size of your paper. Or you can place the clip in a Clip Book for editing later.

Smart Web Printing is available now free for everyone, even if you don’t currently use an HP printer.

DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL

Click here to download and install

New Richmond EVSD Video Page Now Available

The video page is now available on the district web site. Be sure to view our new district video page for recently uploaded school related videos such as:

• The New Richmond High School Fight Song recently completed by Jim Robinson's Video Production Class.
  
• Video footage of the New Richmond High School Troubadours on their recent trip to perform in Chicago.
  
• The NRHS Band performances from Fall of 2007.
  

Click here to access the video page.

Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any school related videos you’d like to see posted to our video page.

Ms. Davis (NRMS) and her new iPod Nano

Sherie Davis has found an exciting way to utilize an iPod Nano into her classroom by having particular audio-based exams podcasted to her students:

“Did my homework with the new ipod. I bought the iTalk accessory from Circuit City (online) to record the tests on the iPod. Just got it yesterday so I was able to record a science test for the trial. It was very simple to use!!! After recording the test, I plugged the iPod into the computer, copied the file into my documents and then through the student (S) drive, pasted a copy of the test -into an individual student folder. Works great! Plan on putting into use for the next test!!!! Thanks so much!”

Picasa and Tux Paint - NRE & LCE Labs

Ms. Mays & Ms. McConnell have two new free applications they are using with their students that were recently installed:


Picasa is a free software download from Google that helps you:

• Locate and organize all the photos on your computer.
  
• Edit and add effects to your photos with a few simple clicks.
  
• Share your photos with others through email, prints, and on the web: it’s fast, easy and free.
  

Tux Paint is a free, award-winning drawing program for children ages 3 to 12 (for example, preschool and K-6). It combines an easy-to-use interface, fun sound effects, and an encouraging cartoon mascot who guides children as they use the program.

Mrs. Connie Hammer (5th Grade Teacher - NRE) Utilizing Her SmartBoard Airliner in the Classroom

After being extremely patient while waiting for her Airliner to be repaired, Connie Hammer has found several exciting ways to integrate this new technology tool into her classroom.

With the AirLiner slate teachers can interact wirelessly with their SMART Board interactive whiteboard from 52 feet away. The battery-free tethered pen allows them to control any software application, write notes and highlight information in digital ink.

SMART’s AirLiner wireless slate enables our teachers to instruct from anywhere in the classroom and allows students to interact with information from their seats. Multiple slate users can write at the same time as someone at the SMART Board interactive whiteboard.

New Computer Lab at NRMS

Thanks to grant money from E-Tech Ohio, we were able to purchase and create a new computer lab at the New Richmond Middle School. The lab features 25 new HP computers with Windows XP. This is the third computer lab at NRMS at gives us a total of 13 computer labs in the district.

New iPod Nanos for Podcasting in the classroom!

Ms. Cahall (NRE), Ms. Davis (NRHS), Ms. Hammer (NRE), and Ms. Snouffer (NRE) all received new iPod Nanos for utilizing podcasting in the classroom this week!

I’ll have more updates soon that include the various ways these iPod’s will help deliver educational material to their students.

Autopsy Presentation at NRHS

Ms. Minning took the opportunity to schedule another fantastic distance learning session for her science students involving a real Autopsy presented by COSI and the Ohio State University.

Mrs. Minning’s Forensic classes connect with COSI several times a year to Experience a REAL autopsy from start to finish. Students are guided by a forensic pathologist and follow a videotape of an actual autopsy from beginning to end. Students work through the “case” and solve for cause of death.

9 New Airliners at Locust Corner Elementary School

Special thanks to the LCE PTO for assisting with the purchasing of 9 new SmartBoard Airliners at LCE! The following teachers recently received this classroom tool for use with their SmartBoards in the classroom:

• Tim Cook
  
• Jeff Durm
  
• Kelly Gabriel
  
• Diana Glass
  
• Michele Jackson
  
• Todd Jackson
  
• Lisa Mays
  
• Erin Parker
  
• Chris Schlaak

Got Mac?

Apple computers are making a strong comeback in the marketplace with good reason. Apple now offers new computers starting at just $579 for educators with your discount and the quality and service can’t be matched. Don’t forget you can run Windows as well as OS X on a Mac too.

Browse here for more information.

http://www.apple.com/getamac/whymac

District SmartBoard Update

We’re happy to announce that the New Richmond EVSD is currently utilizing more than 35 SmartBoards in classrooms across the district. SmartBoards are interactive whiteboards that allow teachers to give enhanced, dynamic classroom based instruction to their students!

We choose the SMART Board interactive whiteboard because it helps energize presentations and motivate learners. Combining the simplicity of a whiteboard with the power of a computer, the SMART Board interactive whiteboard engages students across classrooms in our district.

The touch-sensitive display connects to a classroom computer and digital projector to display the computer image. Our teachers can then control computer applications directly from the display, write notes in digital ink and save their work to share later.

Best of all, our teachers have found the SMART Board interactive whiteboard incredibly easy to use. If they can use a computer, they can use a SMART Board interactive whiteboard.

New iMac’s For Mr. Robinson’s Class (NRHS)

Mr. Robinson’s class recently received 5 new 20” iMacs for his video production class. The new iMacs give his students the ability to use the latest iLife applications for multimedia creation including iMovie, iPhoto, Final Cut Express HD, Aperture and more.

Call Notification Service 08-09 School Year

We're pleased to announce that we will be implementing a new call notification service to all staff and parents for the 08-09 school year for school closures and delays. This service will improve the notification times district-wide when announcements need to be made about snow days, etc.

E-Tech Technology Conference

If you'd like to attend the Ohio eTech Statewide technology conference in Columbus please notify me by Friday 1/11/08. We only have a few spots left to attend. This is the largest (and best) technology conference in the state.

February 4-6 - Columbus Convention Center

**Features 300 concurrent sessions** (Something for everyone)

Teacher and Student displays

Experience New Technology Items

Vendor Exhibits

I will pay for conference registration and mileage. Lunch is provided at the conference. Please notify me if you'd like to attend and I'll take care of the registration process.

You can find more information online including a calendar at eTech's web site:

http://www.etech.ohio.gov/conference/

New Online Courses Available

Clermont County ESC is offering 15 online based courses for Winter term (Jan 28- April 25 2008). Please contact me if you'd like to be registered for a particular course. There is some professional development grant money for use with this type of training.

You can find more information by clicking the following

link:

1. Teaching with Smart Interactive Boards
   
2. Best Practices in Technology Integration
   
3. Content Area Literacy
   
4. Problem-Based Learning Math
   
5. Across the Curriculum Video Conferencing
   
6. Teaching Geometry
   
7. Connecting Real World Issues to the Curriculum
   
8. Classroom Interventions
   
9. Geometer's Sketchpad
   
10. Differentiating Instruction
    

http://www.ccesc.org/ccesc2002/technology/technology_online_courses.htm

Google Earth in the Classroom

Google Earth, Google's satellite imagery-based mapping product puts the whole world on a student's computer. It enables users to "fly" from space to street level to find geographic information and explore places around the world. Like a video game and a search engine rolled into one, Earth is basically a 3D model of the entire planet that lets you grab, spin and zoom down into any place on Earth. Now, with Google Earth 4.3, you can tour distant cities with Google StreetView, view photo-realistic 3D buildings, and even show your students sunset around the world with the new Sunlight feature.

Browse to http://www.google.com/educators/p_earth.html to get started!

John Callebs Utilizing His New SmartBoard

Thought I’d share with you a couple of photos of Mr. Callebs using a SmartBoard in the classroom today.

Monica Davis’ Interactive Computer Based Game

Ms. Davis (NRHS) has created a new educational game called “The Dunking Booth” which allows students to participate in a question and answer session and ‘dunk’ their favorite teacher in the virtual water. Ms. Davis created the game using Adobe Flash.

http://www.polyglot.angelcities.com/dunk/dunktheteacher.htm

FREE Blogs Available

Nicole Parker is using a blog to help her class collaborate with each other and you can too. Best of all, it’s free!

Just browse to http://www.blogger.com to sign up and start your own blog. You can control which students have access to the blog and even choose if you’d like the blog to be publicly viewed or only viewed by the users you select.

Be sure to contact me for great ways to utilize a blog in your classroom!

Help Desk Reminder

Just a quick reminder about utilizing the current help desk system that's in place for our district.

For all technology-based issues simply send an e-mail to the following address:

Helpdesk@nrschools.org

In the message please indicate the classroom location of the issue, the specific computer, and a summary of the problem you're experiencing. Error messages are very helpful if the situation applies.

Please refrain from contacting technology support staff directly via phone or in person with support issues as this breaks an important channel of communication and causes the department to run much less efficiently.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.

GradeQuick Help Available

Don't forget, there is an excellent assistance document available inside of GradeQuick to help with such tasks as entering assignments, entering grades, customizing reports, sending attendance, weighting, and more.

To access:

Once GradeQuick is open click on 'Help' on the top toolbar and select 'Illustrated Roadmaps'.

This document contains detailed information to assist you with tasks you may want to complete in your gradebooks and is always available.

Of course, don't hesitate to send a request to helpdesk@nrschools.org if you would like to schedule a time to meet face-to-face for any GradeQuick questions you may have.

GradeQuick Attendance Reminder

Just a reminder for the new school year:

When sending attendance using GradeQuick in the morning, please remember to only select U (Unexcused) when a student is absent.

Selecting A (Absent) or T (Tardy) will cause the attendance upload to fail for the building. The student absent record is then modified in the office later in the morning to reflect any changes to that student.

United Streaming Available NRHS, NRMS & NRE

Just a reminder that United Streaming is available to all teachers at the High School, Middle School, and New Richmond Elementary school. Please contact me for your username and password to access United Streaming content.

Discovery Education United Streaming is a digital video-on-demand and online teaching service to help improve students' retention and test scores; it is aligned to U.S. state and provincial standards.

Autopsy Video Conference

Ms. Minning’s Forensic Science classes were able to see a real autopsy from start to finish. This was a truly memorable learning experience! The students were able to ask questions and interact with a forensic pathologist, while watching a taped, ninety-minute autopsy.

Prior to the session the teacher and students received a kit of materials with information regarding the autopsy procedure and associated careers.