Feature:
Tapping the Potential of Audiobooks
May 14, 2006
School of Education
Editor: Karen Franker
Tech Tips
~
Printing Backgrounds in MS Word 2003
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Saving Scratched CDs
Feature:
Tapping the Potential of Audiobooks
Hot News
Announcements
~ Registration Deadline Approaching for Courses Beginning on June 12
What Our Students Are Saying...
For More Information
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TECH TIPS
TIP #1 Printing Backgrounds in MS Word 2003
Those attractive document backgrounds that you can select in Microsoft Word 2003 will not always print automatically.
To get backgrounds to print:
- Go to Tools – Options, and click on the Print tab.
- Under the “Include With Document” section, click to place a checkmark next to “Background colors and images”, then click on OK.
TIP #2 Saving Scratched CDs
CDs can easily become scratched in normal use. Surprisingly, many of these scratches can be removed with a common household item –- toothpaste.
Here’s how:
- Choose a paste-type toothpaste rather than a gel for maximum abrasion.
- Put a small amount of toothpaste on a soft cloth and rub firmly on the scratch on the underside of the CD. You may need to add a few drops of water if the paste is too dry.
- If the surface of the CD looks dull after this, repeat the process with a lighter touch.
- Next, buff the underside of the CD with a clean, dry and soft cotton cloth.
FEATURE: Tapping the Potential of Audiobooks
Although audiobooks have been around for a long time in cassette and CD formats, the popularity of the iPod and other MP3 players has vastly expanded the availability and appeal of using audio to enhance instruction and improve literacy.
Audio Book Options Have Grown
Joyce Kasman Valenza describes the benefits of using audiobooks in the classroom. Included are online sources for downloading audio content.Louder, Please
Barbara Wysocki describes exemplary uses of audiobooks for children at different stages of development, from preschool through grade 8.Audio Books Can Be a Great Learning Tool
Karen MacPherson explains how the use of audiobooks can be a terrific tool for literacy instruction.AudioFile’s Best Audiobooks of 2005
The editors of AudioFile magazine have selected 38 must-hear audiobooks. All are intimate, amazing, and unforgettable audio performances representing the best of what the medium can do.Prick Up Your Ears for Great Audiobooks
The Kidsreads staff lists more than a dozen excellent audiobooks with high “kid appeal”.
HOT NEWS ABOUT E-LEARNING:
How is Technology Changing the Way We Teach?
PBS has recently launched a major new blog called learning.now, which will explore how new technologies and Internet culture are significantly affecting the ways we teach and children learn.Hosted by educational technology writer Andy Carvin, learning.now will offer a continuing look at how wikis, blogs, RSS, podcasts, social networking sites, and the always-on culture of the Internet are impacting teachers' and students' lives.
*Thanks to UW-Stout Online instructor Judy Mitschelen for this information!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Aramco Educators to Saudi Arabia Program
Applications are available to participate in a fully-funded, ten-day study tour of Saudi Arabia November 14-28, 2006. Sponsored by Aramco Services Company, this professional development opportunity is open to grades 1-12 full-time social studies teachers and library media specialists. The program will examine Saudi education, culture, history and global relations through site visits, panel discussions and cultural activities in Dhahran, Riyadh and Jeddah.
Deadline: June 15, 2006
Online Courses Begin in June- Sign up today!
Consider taking a summer online course from the comfort of your home and earn graduate credits to meet your professional development goals for licensure renewal.
REGISTER ONLINE OR BY FAX (PDF FORM)
Tuition is the same fee for in-state and out-of-state participants.Call University of Wisconsin-Stout Online Professional Development (715-642-0209) if you have questions.
Register today for courses beginning on June 12th to provide time for assigning your university user name, password, university email address, ordering class materials and online orientation.
COURSES BEGINNING ON JUNE 12
EDUC 744 921F Reading Strategies for the Content Areas
EDUC 744 917F Inspiration and Kidspiration: Strategies to Build Study Skills
EDUC 744 939F Intermediate Web Design: Making Your Website a Learning Center
EDUC 744 924F Inclusion-Strategies for Special Needs/ESL Learners
EDUC 744 957F Differentiation in the Classroom
EDUC 744 911F Effective Classroom Management
EDUC 744 954F Instructional Leadership Skills
EDUC 744 927F Advocacy and Emerging Issues for Media Specialists
WHAT OUR STUDENTS ARE SAYING...
About the Inclusion-Strategies for Special Needs/ESL Learners online course:
“The organization of the course was very well done, and it moved along at a fairly even pace. The information gathered and shared about ESL and Second Language Learners was the most useful, and it opened up the biggest questions for me as an international educator. The same thing is true of the module where our small group researched ADHD.”
4th Grade Teacher
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia“I enjoyed the CHOICES we were given throughout the assignments. Being able to choose areas of interest and relevance to our personal situation motivated me to research, reflect and compose responses with real-life application. The topics we studied related directly to the things I do daily. ”
5th Grade Teacher
Tel Aviv, Israel“I liked the professionalism, helpfulness and timeliness of the instructor responding to questions and her positive attitude toward students."
~ Second Grade Teacher
Vienna, Austria“I enjoyed meeting classmates from all over the country (and world) who had so many great ideas and brought their own areas of expertise to the discussions.”
Guidance Counselor
Kempton, Pennsylvania“It was my first online class experience, and I liked how it fit into my crazy schedule.”
K-8 Substitute Teacher
Arcadia, Wisconsin
Online Reading Certification Courses
Gain your certification in teaching reading through a sequence of six courses. Apply soon to join the September 2006 cohort.
Master of Science in Education - Online Program
Apply to join the January 2007 cohort! University of Wisconsin-Stout's two-year, 30-credit MS Ed degree program is offered online, and no travel to campus is required. For additional information, email Amy Gullixson at gullixsona@uwstout.edu or call Amy at 715-232-5167.
Financial Aid is available for degree-seeking students. You can apply online at www.fafsa.ed.gov , or to speak with a financial aid advisor, call UW-Stout's Financial Aid Office at 715-232-1363 or email finaid@uwstout.edu .
FOR MORE INFORMATION...
Request for Information Form
Email: Joan Vandervelde
Online Professional Development Program Coordinator
University of Wisconsin - Stout
Online Courses and Dates
Archive of Past Newsletters
Call University of Wisconsin-Stout Online Professional Development (715) 642-0209 if you have questions.
The next issue of Infobytes newsletter will feature: Creating Awards and Certificates Online.
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