Instructional Technology Department

TechFocus is a monthly feature on Schoolhouse 20, the district's cable TV channel (Cox Cable Channel 20 in Wichita) where we show you some of the innovative ways in which teachers throughout Wichita are using technology to engage kids in school. Each month we will highlight classroom projects, innovative technology, technology tips, and great internet resources for students and teachers.

February 2010

Click HERE to download the entire episode.

	Feature:This month we will get a glimpse at how versatile Polycom Interative Distance Learning Systems are and the wide range of ways they are being used in USD 259.
	Classroom Focus: See how Erin Lewis' 3rd graders at Hyde International Magnet School are using Skype to learn more about the world!
	Tech TIp of the Month: Learn how easy it is to create a survey and collect the results in a spreadsheet using Google Docs Forms!
	Focus on the Internet: This month Velma Davis shows you how to easily jazz up your photos with a website called Big Huge Labs.
	SMART Tip of the Month: Brandon Bench shows you tips and tricks for how to navigate and use the lesson activity toolkit.

December 2009

Click HERE to download the entire episode.

	Feature: This month we will learn about an exciting middle and high school program called Project Lead the Way that helps students learn about engineering.
	Classroom Focus: See how Spaght's fifth graders used their Polycom Distance Learning System to interact with students from New York.
	Tech TIp of the Month: Picasa is a software download from Google that helps you organize, edit, and share your photos. It's free, and easy to use. Cammy Todd show you how it works.
	Focus on the Internet: Tired of the same old PowerPoint presentations? Then give Animoto a try. Velma Davis shows you how in this month's Focus on the Internet.
	SMART Tip of the Month: This month learn how to utilize the record page feature in SMART Notebook software.

November 2009

Click HERE to download the entire episode.

	Feature: Wichita Public Schools has a new exciting elementary math curriculum called Everyday Math. Technology plays a key role in the new adoption. Watch this video to see how it supports teachers, students, and parents.
	Classroom Focus:Take a look at how students in Mrs. Wegeng's class at L'Ouverture Technology Magnet School took a simple descriptive writing assignment and turned it into a fun multimedia project.
	Tech TIp of the Month: Cammy Todd shows how easy it is to convert Word documents in to PDFs with a free add-in to Microsoft Word.
	Focus on the Internet: Learn about the world of Creative Commons and what it means to you!
	SMART Tip of the Month: This month learn how to use Ink Aware with your SMART Board. This tool allows you to easily interact with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.

October 2009

Click HERE to download the entire episode.

	Feature: A Flip Video is simple camcorder for digital video creation. It is an easy and economical way to bring digital video into your classroom. This video clip show just how versatile this little device is!
	Classroom Focus: Glenda Buche students at South High School have fun while improving their writing skills using netbooks and wikis.
	Tech Tip of the Month: Zamzar is a free online file conversion program that can be used for a variety of purposes. Watch this video to learn how Zamzar can be useful to you.
	Focus on the Internet: Tired of using PowerPoint for your presentations? Check out Prezi, a free online presentation tool!
	SMART Tip of the Month: Brandon Bench shows how many things can be done using the drop down menu in SMART Notebook software.

September 2009

For the first TechFocus of the 2009 - 2010 school year, we'll show how teachers are learning to better integrate technology into their classrooms, share some information about a social networking site for educators called Edmodo, demonstrate some helpful URL shortening websites, show some tips for using tables in SMART Notebook software, and share some information about a streaming video subscription called Discovery Education streaming. Click HERE to download the entire episode.

	Feature: DE streaming Discovery Education streaming is a subscription website that all USD 259 employees can access in order to find media resources for their classrooms as well as create writing prompts, assignments, and assessments.
	Classroom Focus: Technology Training for Teachers A number of Wichita Public School teachers, learning coaches, and instructional coaches participated in intensive training this summer in order to learn how to more effectively integrate technology into their instruction. These sessions were hosted and led by members of the Instructional Technology Department.
	Tech Tip of the Month:Tiny URL and Bit.ly This month Cammy shares two website that shorten long, complicated, difficult to type web addresses into short and easy to share URLs.
	Focus on the Internet: Edmodo Edmodo is a safe and secure social networking site for educators that allows teachers to create a virtual classroom online.
	SMART Tip of the Month: Tables in Notebook 10.0 Brandon will demonstrate a few tips and tricks about working with tables in Notebook 10.0 that will make using them even easier and more efficient.