Technology At Northglade Montessori

Our technology at Northglade Montessori is driven by the Montessori Curriculum. We refer to our part of the team as "Technology Support". Technology is integrated into the program to enhance the learning experience of the student. When teachers schedule time for their classs in the computer lab, software is provided to support or supplement the efforts of the classroom. (i.e. reading, math, science, art, etc.) During the daily enrichment time, students enter the computer lab for a time of exploration. The individual computers are organized alike with one enrichment folder that contains folders representing the different areas of study and subject matter. Inside the subject matter folders, the students choose from many different programs representative of the subject matter they wish to explore. Older students assist younger students. Tech savy students offer their skill and expertise to help other students grow in their abilities to use technology to enhance their learning experience. The students grow together as they sample and share the environment of the computer lab that has been prepared for them. The computer lab and the technology support is a small part of the whole school environment. Each part interacting in the lives of our students.

Technology 2007-2008

We have finished 4 weeks of school! We arrived at school this fall to find that we had 4 new computers with flatscreens in each classroom. In the computer lab, we gave the students access to headsets with microphones. And oh the places they can go. Very quickly they have figured out how to use the Audacity program, and the microphone to make their own podcasts. They not only understand how to record but also how to splice together what they record. (We are talking about 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.) When they have the tools, they are quick studies in how to use it.

The students involved in the podcasting are polishing their skills. Soon we will use those skills to produce some unique broadcasting for Northglade. Our students are the digital natives that Marc Prensky has written about. They are growing up with it and they catch on to it very fast.

Researching How to Reference Technology Resources Into Content Areas

Google For Educators
Tools for your classroom.

Google Classroom Activities
How to documents for using Google tools.

Infinite Thinking Machine
The Infinite Thinking Machine (ITM) is a Google sponsored blog designed to help teachers and students thrive in the 21st century. Through an active blog, an Internet TV show, and other media resources, the ITM shares a "bazillion practical ideas" for turning the infinite universe of information into knowledge at InfiniteThinking.org


New York Times Learning Network
An online current and special events news site for grades 3-12; updated weekdays during the school year.


AT&T Knowledge Network Explorer

The AT&T family of companies has a long commitment to improving education. The Knowledge Network Explorer (KNE) is the official web site of our education program and has been on the Internet since 1995. Our mission is to help schools and libraries acquire and effectively use Internet and videoconferencing technology. We have online lessons and activities that you can easily incorporate into your classroom. Find out how you can schedule a free workshop, training, or consulting session with an Education Advocate in your area.

Internet Public Library
The Internet Public Library (IPL) features a searchable, subject-categorized directory of authoritative websites; links to online texts and newspapers.

Education for Life


Center for Technology and Teacher Education

Sites for Integrating Technology Across the Curriculum

Educational Resources Directory
A directory of resources unique to the content area.

PPS Teacher Resource Page
Portland Public Schools Curriculum Resource Page

Teaching Today

A Sampling of Web-Based Resources for Content Instruction

Integrating technology into a curriculum requires that teachers and students have access to sufficient software and Internet resources which fit course and curriculum objectives. The Internet is a terrific source for materials which can be used in content-based courses. However, there are three major challenges in using the Internet as a source for classroom instruction: 1) finding (and culling) appropriate sites 2) developing classroom activities which effectively utilize the sites (for content and language instruction) and 3) providing students (and other teachers) dependable and easy access to the sites and the accompanying teaching materials. The following resources provide some help in meeting these challenges.

Great Websites for all Content Areas

Website resources for content areas

Thornburg’s Technology Resource Page

Resources for Professionals

Teaching With Electronic Technology
The World Wide Web sites collected on this page reflect the considerable variety of uses for computing and related forms of electronic technology in teaching. They are arranged in no strict order, but tend to proceed from rather general and theoretical resources to some instructive examples of specific applications of technology to teaching and learning.

Consortium for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching with Technology (COATT)

COATT is a partnership among Michigan universities, colleges, schools, and educational professional organizations aimed at making our state first in the nation when it comes to training preservice and practicing teachers to use technology as an effective teaching tool.

Online Resources for Teachers

Misc. resources for teachers.

Think Quest

ThinkQuest inspires students to think, connect, create, and share. Students work in teams to build innovative and educational websites to share with the world. Along the way, they learn research, writing, teamwork, and technology skills and compete for exciting prizes.

Educator’s Hot List

Technology resource hot lists.

Read, Think, Write
The Web Resources Gallery offers links to a myriad of useful English language arts resources on the Internet. You may use the drop-down menus above to sort ReadWriteThink's Web Resources by grade band and resource type. See our Resource Definitions for a description of each resource type.


Edutopia (The George Lucas Foundation)
Information and inspiration for innovative teaching in K-12 schools.

Federal Resources For Educational Excellence (free)
Free Teaching and Learning Resources from Federal Agencies

Encyclopedia of Life (Science)

Comprehensive, collaborative, ever-growing, and personalized, the Encyclopedia of Life is an ecosystem of websites that makes all key information about life on Earth accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. Our goal is to create a constantly evolving encyclopedia that lives on the Internet, with contributions from scientists and amateurs alike. To transform the science of biology, and inspire a new generation of scientists, by aggregating all known data about every living species. And ultimately, to increase our collective understanding of life on Earth, and safeguard the richest possible spectrum of biodiversity.

Michigan Learnport
The Michigan LearnPort® professional development website is your opportunity to grow professionally with the support of exceptional online professional development and communications tools. In this time of unprecedented accountability in education, your challenge is to reach beyond traditional approaches to professional development. Michigan LearnPort will allow you to maximize your professional development activities by bringing them to you via any Internet connected computer with exceptional time flexibility. The Michigan Department of Education and Michigan Virtual University invite you to join and become an active member of the growing Michigan LearnPort learning community.

EdPerformance Testing

To: All Teachers

Re: Ed Performance – District Testing

Date: March 5, 2007

Ed Performance testing will take place in the computer lab from March 6 – March 22 for grades 3-6. We will test Reading and Math. All regular scheduled Computer Lab time will be cancelled during those dates. The schedule and make-up schedule are attached.

Please observe the following:

1. Students must arrive promptly to make the most of their test time.

2. An adult should be sent from the classroom to help proctor the test. (The district encourages classroom teacher involvement whenever possible.)

3. Students who are disruptive will be sent back to the classroom and tested at another time.

4. Students who do not finish or who are absent will need to come to a makeup time.

5. Check your mailbox each morning and listen to the announcements to help keep track of makeup students.

6. Remember the scheduled dates are set by the district and after those dates pass we are unable to make up or reschedule a test.

7. Ed Performance testing should be a #1 priority. Our goal is to test 100% of Northglade students in grades 3 thru 6.

REMINDERS WILL COME OUT THE END OF FEBRUARY. SCHEDULE COPIES WILL ALSO GO TO YOUR GROUPWISE E-MAIL.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EdPerformance - District Testing

March 6 – March 22

Schedule for Northglade Montessori

Day	Date	Class	Time
T	6	Brown/Waller -3rd	9:05 – 11:05
W	7	Heard/Smith -3rd	9:05 – 11:05
Th	8	Harrell -3rd	9:05 – 11:05
F	9	Callahan – 4th	9:05 – 11:05
M	12	Hemingway – 4th	9:05 – 11:05
T	13	Wester – 4th	9:05 – 11:05
W	14	Callahan – 5th & 6th	9:05 – 11:05
T	15	Hemingway – 5th & 6th	9:05 – 11:05
F	16	Wester – 5th & 6th	9:05 – 11:05
M	19	Make-Up	9:05 – 11:05
T	20	Make-Up	9:05 – 11:05
W	21
T	22

Make- up Test Schedule

Day	Date	Class	Time
W	7	Brown/Waller -3rd	2:00 – 3:15
Th	8	Heard/Smith -3rd	2:00 – 3:15
F	9	Harrell -3rd	2:00 – 3:15
M	12	Callahan – 4th	2:00 – 3:15
T	13	Hemingway – 4th	2:00 – 3:15
W	14	Wester – 4th	2:00 – 3:15
Th	15	Callahan – 5th & 6th	2:00 – 3:15
F	16	Hemingway – 5th & 6th	2:00 – 3:15
M	19	Wester – 5th & 6th	2:00 – 3:15

Technology and School Closings

Well, winter finally arrived and boy did it arrive. Snow and freezing rain were dumped from Texas to New York by way of Michigan. And of course, we had a snow day in Kalamazoo because of the freezing rain. That means parents of school age children and school employees had to listen to the radio or sit by the TV waiting to read or hear the phrase "no school at Kalamazoo Public Schools."
If you have internet and use e-mail there is an easier way.

1. Go to www.woodtv.com
2. Click on School and Event Closings
3. Click on E-mail School Closings
4. Click on Registration
5. Fill in the e-mail information and create a username and password.
6. Select the School District and/or Local Organizations that you want notification of when they are closed.
7. The next time weather is severe get up and check your e-mail for a message from WOOD TV
or browse the closing list at their website.

More Favorite Internet Places

Yahoo became one of my favorite Internet place when I first began to use the Internet. Like Google, Yahoo has many free services. Yahoo Mail is one of their most used services. Yahoo Instant Messenger is another popular service. With Messenger, you can talk free to friends and family anywhere in the world if they have a computer and an IM service. For a small fee you can get a phone number and your friends and family worldwide can call your computer from their telephone. With My Yahoo (also free), you can have all of your Yahoo services in one easy to find place. Finally, I would not want to neglect to tell you about Yahoo 360. This is a free place offered by Yahoo, where you can build community with your friends and family. You have free space to build and share online photo albums. From your online album, there are multiple local places where you can send your pictures for printing and pick the up 2 hours later (don't forget to have copies put on a CD). For a complete list of services, go to Yahoo and click More Yahoo Services.

Favorite Internet Places

One of my favorite places on the Internet is Google. They offer software and tools for free. There are neat things in Google Labs. And Google Earth is out of this world. Google Mars gets even better. If you want free software to manage your pictures, you want Google's Picasa. Google has made it possible to produce, and store Documents and Spreadsheets online for free. Gmail is among the best (You need a friend to invite you.) You are able to IM your friends who have Gmail while you are inside your mailbox. Blogger is also offered by Google (Did I mention free?). Blogger is a versatile tool designed to create your own weblog. At Northglade we have used Blogger for an online Art Gallery, the Principal's Newsletter, PTO Newsletter, Student Showcase, and the Technology Newsletter. A weblog can and should be used to keep people informed. Blogs can be webbed together. In the process, they become a major source of information. Google can help with our online efficiency and our ability to communicate effectively.