Finding Help When You Need It

Since the Microsoft Office Suite is the primary productivity tool that is available to us on the PESD network, there are frequently questions about how to use the software. I confess, when someone calls me for help, I frequestly use the Microsoft "help" tab. It takes me directly to the Microsoft web site. I type in my question and most of the time I get the help I need. This is a good concept to teach to students so that they can be self-sufficient.

If you are a novice user and would like to work on some on-line tutorials, you can go to the "In & Out of the Classroom" on the Microsoft site to find help specifically designed to assist teachers.

Another resource that I frequently use is "templates." On the Microsoft web site, templates are sorted into categories for easy searching. You will find document templates that are appropriate for home use as well.

The Instructional Technology area of the Phoenix Elementary District web site also provides a number of helpful resources that are specific to PESD.

Links to these resources can be found in the links area on the right.

Beginning a New School Year

Preparations are underway for the 2007-08 school year at PESD. Our first task as a team will be to welcome a group of new teachers to the District. We'll do that on July 23 with a session on Marzano's "Classroom Instruction that Works."

Since I'll be on vacation in Europe on the 23rd, this is my way of participating in the in-service and introducing myself to the new teachers. Let's start by taking a look at our children in action.

Emerson Elementary School Tech Buddies -- Using laptop computers and a SMART Board, a sixth grade class and a second grade class work together to learn technology skills and to learn and practice their academic skills.

Dunbar Elementary School Writers -- A combination fifth/sixth grade class uses SMART Notebook to write "Dora the Explorer" stories that include the facts from their geography research. The stories are then presented to the students from other classrooms using a SMART Board.

Garfield Elementary School First Grade -- Watch the Garfield first graders learn to use the laptop computers for the first time. They learned how to get the computers from the cart, set them up, log in, open MS Word, type text, and change fonts including changing the colors--all in about an hour.

Check out these projects by clicking on the links on the right.