Northeast Region

Einstein Teacher Fellowship Available

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:07:08 -0600

ND Math, Science and Technology Teachers,

Einstein Fellowship
Deadline: January 13, 2009

The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship

Smart Table from the makers of the Smartboard Coming Soon

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:26:43 -0600

The makers of the Smart board are getting ready to launch the debut of their “smart table” which is a multitouch interactive table that accepts multiple users working on the table at one time. The “smart table” is similar to Microsoft’s multitouch table that was showcased in 2007 see link;
(http://www.pcworld.com/article/132346/in_pictures_microsofts_multitouch_surface_table.html).

Smart Tech’s “smart table” is geared for the primary grade level and is ready to use out of the box. According to the company press release users of the “smart table” will not have to calibrate it, and will be able to use it right after plugging it in to a power outlet. The configuration of the table is 29 inches wide, 65cm high, with a 27 diagonal screen. The “smart table” supports audio and comes preloaded with primary level software to support core curriculum.

Windows 7 Operating System Coming Soon

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:00:28 -0600

Microsoft announced recently that the next operating system to replace Windows Vista would retain its development code name of Windows 7. Windows 7 according to Microsoft will have less troublesome integration with pc user’s computers. One thing to note is that computers upgrading to Windows 7 will have to meet the current Vista hardware requirements. So if someone is running XP on a computer, that user will either have to upgrade that pc to meet specification requirements, or purchase a new computer that does have the necessary compatibility.

Microsoft Web Application Installer Released

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:42:06 -0600

Microsoft released its Web Application installer Beta 2 days ago and is now by default going to be one of the biggest distributor’s of Drupal.

MegaConference Jr. 2009

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:43:36 -0600

Greetings! I would like to inform NE Region schools of the MegaConference
Jr. event in which schools can either participate in this across the globe
video event as viewers or presenters. K-12 schools from around the world
interact via the IVN video network, in which educators and students present
diverse topics that engage classrooms with interactive lessons.

EduWeb Service

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:37:05 -0600

EduWeb training was held at several schools this last month, and I’m happy to say that a lot of teachers were able to learn this exciting web page development program offered by EduTech to build their teacher websites. Participants of EduWeb training workshops were able to learn the skills necessary to build and publish their classroom websites on their own. I personally was excited to see teachers of all technology levels be able to create a website, and learn the options available to them within the web service to publish and share documents or files on the web.

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 now available

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:11:33 -0600

Internet Explorer 8 Beta V2 is now ready for download from Microsoft and is quite more enhanced than IE 7 which most pc users have as a browser. I have had the pleasure of using this new browser and am quite happy with its new features that include, web accelerators, web slicing, and private browsing capabilities.

Make a Quiz for your class that plays on an iPod or in iTunes

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:18:15 -0600

(Video Created by kr)
I recently came across a software program that allowed me the opportunity to make a quiz that plays on an iPod. The free software program allows a user to build simple quizzes that can then be imported into iTunes, and synced with an iPod so that a user can then take the quiz on the actual device.

IT Snooping?

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:25:36 -0600

According to a Reuters article 1 in 3 IT staff have snooped on colleagues email, or other electronic data. Surprisingly over 40% of those IT staff polled stated that they had peeked at confidential data to include emails that was not part of their professional role.

As I read the article further, one item struck me as a worthy note that IT personnel should consider. IT professionals that leave an organization maintain knowledge of sensitive passwords. Hence someone that has left your organization could potentially be looking back into your network, even after they have left employment. According to this article less than 9% of organizations ever change critical system passwords, thus exposing a potentially serious security risk.

Are you a heavy Internet User?

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:25:20 -0600

Are you a heavy Internet User? Someone who has a plethora of gadgets at home that utilize the Internet, such as Xbox 360, PS3, Skype, Vonage, and or Media streaming boxes. If so Internet Service Providers are moving towards setting Internet usage limits on subscribers. Just like standard home service utilities, such as water, gas, or cable, ISP’s are going to start charging for the amount of Internet you use. Yes, it has come down to charging for the bandwidth that a person uses at home.

Internet Browsing Risks

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:40:45 -0600

According to a recent article by the Associated Press the Internet is becoming increasingly a dangerous place to surf. The web surfing threat has increased in recent years due to infected domains created in foreign countries, where Internet domains are created easily without much regulation.

The Internet Security Software Company McAfee conducted a study recently that determined that domain names with the .hk for Hong Kong, .cn for China, and .info for Information posed the most serious threats to Internet users.

Picasa Web Albums

Fri, 23 May 2008 08:57:08 -0600

Picasa has become a better product as a result of a recent release and a new web addition that have given this free application more juice. First of all I’d like to say that if you’ve used Picasa before and you enjoyed its easy UI and its ability to process images and then load them onto your favorite store to have them printed, you more than likely were satisfied with what you could do. I enjoyed the external printing options because it has always been more economical to have them sent out for printing by a commercial entity than to print them myself.

Challenging ~ Engaging ~ Authentic

Sat, 10 May 2008 08:42:34 -0600

Join leaders in K-12 videoconferencing to learn structures and templates for student projects and collaborations. This class is team taught with VC colleagues in California, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and across Texas. Guest speakers each day will share additional engaging uses of videoconferencing. Team up with another teacher to create a VC project for next year. Along the way, learn about and use other collaborative technologies such as blogs, wikis, Flickr, Google Docs, and Skype.

Details
Dates: June 16th-20th
Time: 8:00 am-3:00 pm
Cost: FREE-EduTech is waving the $280 fee per participant!
Location: Devils Lake School for Deaf in Devils Lake, ND
GT Credit: 2 Hours of Graduate Credit will be available through NDSU ($65 per credit)

North Dakota Teacher Favorites Survey

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:11:24 -0600

This online survey will help EduTech gain valuable feedback for videoconference programs used by K-12 schools during the 2007–2008 school year. Responses given will provide useful information about the various types of programming and content providers schools across the state are using and to improve planning and implementation.

To complete the online survey visit http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB227RRV9WVRD. Completion deadline is Wednesday, May 14th.

Survey results will be shared through EduTech's website and the various North Dakota education e-mail lists mid May.

Wii Fit Coming May 2008

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:05:27 -0600

The Wii Fit is coming to a store near you. What is the Wii Fit? It is a part interactive scale and game board. The Wii Fit is going to revolutionize the way we exercise—or in most households in America—create the desire to exercise. According to statistics on this platform’s release in Japan, more than 1 million Wii Fits have been sold so far. In Europe the Wii Fit is selling faster than one could imagine a ‘toy’ could sell.