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Winter/Spring Catalog

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Alternatives to Traditional Textbooks: e-Text and Audiobooks to Help Struggling Readers:

Computer technology and the internet offer excellent opportunities to motivate struggling readers and increase their reading comprehension.  This workshop will provide an in-depth look at alternatives to traditional textbooks, including scan/read systems, e-text files, and audio formats such as DAISY and MP3.  Participants will learn how to locate and download e-Text from internet sites, and how to use text-to-speech software with these files to support to struggling readers.  Participants will also learn how to locate files in audio formats and how to use audio playback devices such as digital book players and MP3 players with students who have learning disabilities.
Recommended for: Inclusion and special education teachers, child study team members, parents

Inspired Learning in the Classroom
Find out how to engage and support the learning of special education students in the mainstream by providing them with material that is visually supported. Learn how  Inspiration teachers will have the opportunity to  create concept maps, webs, and timelines to use in the  classroom.
Recommended for:  Special and regular education teachers, media specialist, parents.

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I Can't Believe it's Free: Software for School and Home
Which suite of applications has a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program, and database…and it is free?  You were sure you knew the answer until you read the ‘free’ part.  Yes, Open Office, if an example of Free Open Source Software (FOSS).  It can be downloaded for PC’s and Mac’s and is a viable solution for the basic software almost everyone needs.  Files created in Open Office open seamlessly in Microsoft Office and vice versa.  Com and use Open Office and TuxPaint, a free variation of KidPix.  Now you can legally install software on your computer with a ZERO DOLLARS BUDGET.
Recommended for: Anyone interested in using free software.

Interactive Curriculum            NEW
 Enhance your curriculum with a collection of interactive webpages made by you using a Word template.  Participants will develop Bloom-style questions focused on quality Internet resources for students to explore, respond, and  then submit to you with the click of a button!
Recommended for:  Teachers of Grades K-8

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Infuse your Curriculum with Technology
 Come with a colleague to enhance your curriculum!  Participants will be guided through the process of selecting technology-based activities that will enrich curricular units.  The sessions will be customized to meet the needs of each participant.
Recommended for: Interested teachers

Using Technology to support Differentiated Instruction and Critical Thinking
Come use a technology integration matrix created for teachers to use in implementing differentiated instruction while addressing multiple intelligences. See how technology serves the needs of our students’ diverse learning styles while enriching teaching across the curriculum.
Recommended for: Middle through high school teachers

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Engineering our Future NJ: Pro/ENGINEER in the Classroom            NEW 
Under a partnership with Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC), Stevens Institute of Technology and the Educational Technology Training Centers (ETTC) Stevens will train middle and high school teachers in the Pro/ENGINEER (Pro/E) Schools Edition software.
Pro/E is an engineering computer-aided design (CAD) tool with fully associative capabilities spanning modeling, assemblies, drawings, animations, kinematic analysis and design optimization, renderings and more.
Pro/E Schools Edition is developed specifically to introduce middle and high school students to design technology and help them to become better problem solvers, critical thinkers and collaborators. Participants will learn Pro/ENGINEER thorough multimedia tutorials and project-based activities.
After completing the 2-day training workshop, PTC will donate 300 licenses of Pro/ENGINEER Schools Edition 3D design software to each teacher.  The commercial value of the software is $2,500 per license, an equivalent of $75,000 per teacher.

GarageBand for Non-Musicians       NEW
Any teacher who has access to a Mac computer can get rolling with GarageBand no talent  or musical training required.  Participants will learn to harness the power of GarageBands built-in music creation, recording and podcasting features in one fun-filled session.  Integrate music, record lessons, make new songs & podcasts, or create exciting, motivating student projects. Pump up your classroom in person or on the web!  Participants are encouraged to bring CD’s of favorite music to use during the session. SESSION TO BE HELD AT EBHS D-11 MUSIC LAB
Recommended for: All teachers

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Kidspiration in the K-5 Classroom
Kidspiration is a visual learning tool especially for K-5 students. Designed for emerging readers and writers, Kidspiration helps students develop confidence as they learn to organize information, understand concepts and connections, create stories, and express and share their thoughts. In this session you will learn how to create visual outlines and dynamic graphic organizers. You will also learn practical methods for integrating Kidspiration into your language arts, science, and social studies lessons. All participants will receive a free demonstration copy of Kidspiration.
Recommended for:  All Teachers and parents of grade K-5 students.

Learning through Learning Centers
Whether you have one computer or four computers in your classroom, learning centers can be an integral part of the learning environment.  Come explore a collection of learning center ideas and learn to create some of your own.
Recommended for:  K-6 Teachers.

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Digital Storytelling with Photo Story 3
Using your digital photos and Photo Story 3 to tell your stories. Photostory 3, a free program from Microsoft makes it easy to add music, narration, titles and special effects to turn your photos and images into movies.  Come see how you can promote literacy skills across grade levels and content areas by becoming a digital story teller. It is easy and it is fun. Your Students can learn to make photostories, also.

Bring your own digital photos or you can work with samples that will be provided.

Take home your digital story on a CD and start checking submission deadlines for the Sundance Film Festival.
Recommended for:  Participants who have basic computer skills

Smart board for Beginners
Are you getting the most out of your SMART interactive whiteboard? Do you know how to use the new features that have been added to the latest version of SMART software? Be able to answer 'yes' to these questions with confidence by attending this workshop. Learn how you can create interactive lessons that will make teaching and learning more engaging for you and your students.
Recommended for: Anyone interested in using a SMART board.

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SMART board Across the Curriculum : A First Course
Make the most of your SMARTboard and watch class participation and engagement soar. First you will master SMARTboard basics. Then you will learn how to plan and prepare your SMART lessons on any computer using SMART notebook software. Come and take back interactive enhanced lessons to use with your SMARTboard. We will provide a list of websites that are particularly SMARTboard “friendly.” No more fumbling for transparencies, hyperlinks, diagrams, or files. Your lesson will flow seamlessly and learning will increase as students participate as active learners. Please bring your curriculum materials. Note: Smart Board software is free to Smart Board users and can be purchased for use on other boards
Recommended for: Anyone interested in using a SMART board

Advanced SMARTboard Users: Creating Interactive Lessons
You’ve been using your SMART board for a while and you and your students really like it.  Now thanks to the latest upgrades in the SMART notebook software there is more for you to learn.  And thanks to the growing community of SMART board users you will access terrific Internet sources for ready-made Smart notebook lessons.  Use the downloaded lessons as is or modify.  During this workshop you will learn to use action buttons, insert video clips, and create your own interactive manipulatives for the content area and grade that you teach.  After learning advanced skills and examining Internet resources in the morning the afternoon will be a SMART notebook lesson studio, providing time for you to prepare a dynamite lesson that will inspire others your students, your colleagues, and you.  If you like bring SMART notebook files you’ve created and raise the lesson to new levels.
Recommended for: Participants who took SMART board for beginners or SMART board Across the Curriculum or who can create SMART notebook lessons and use a SMART board. This class is not for beginners.

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Thinkfinity               NEW
Verizon's education portal, provides the highest quality educational resources to teachers and students. Developed by world-renowned organizations who are experts in their fields, these standards-based resources include lessons plans, student materials, reviewed Web resources and interactives. Learn more about Thinkfinity's free teacher resources and how to effectively integrate online educational resources into your curriculum to increase student achievement.
Recommended for: All Teacher

Financial Literacy and Math: Personal Finance
Show your students the real-world value of knowing math; how to manage their personal finances to get the most for their money.    This workshop will provide you with activities involving banking and compound interest, comparison shopping, use of coupons, credit cards, check books and much more.  All activities are correlated to middle school math content. You will leave this workshop with lessons your students will profit from for the rest of their lives.  You may learn some things yourself.  Now that's a good return on your investment.
Recommended for: Middle school math teachers and HS basic skills teachers

Video Content in Your Classroom:  Unitedstreaming, PowerPoint, and Google Earth          NEW
Learn how to make the most of Unitedstreaming.  Discover the features of Unitedstreaming that you haven't had time to investigate like themed lessons, lesson plans, interactive quizzes, and calendar of events.  After you have had a chance to identify video resources that relate to your curriculum we'll show you how to insert Unitedstreaming clips into your PowerPoint presentations.  You'll also learn how to use the free, interactive program, Google Earth, and see how you can add Unitedstreaming videos to your own Google Earth trips.  Make your lessons multimedia lessons visual. If you do not have a Unitedstreaming supscription we will give you a 30-day full version trial account.
 Recommended for: All Teachers

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Introduction to Microsoft Word
After this full-day workshop, you won't be able to imagine how you existed without Microsoft Word.  You will learn to create, save and open documents; change the style and color of text; add borders and shading; and use the spell checker and thesaurus. This course fulfills the "Word Processing" requirement for NJDOE's Beginner Technology Proficiency Level Certificate.
Recommended for: Anyone who wants to learn word processing.  Some experience using a mouse and Windows is suggested, but not necessary.  No experience with Word is expected.

Intermediate Microsoft Word
Move beyond the basics of Microsoft Word.  In this workshop you will learn how to import pictures and other objects, create and customize tables, generate personalized letters to replace form letters, and create and use templates.
Recommended for: Users comfortable working in MS Word.

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Make and Take with Microsoft Word
If you have Microsoft Word you have all you need to create labels, pencil flags, signs, certificates, and letters all personalized with your students’ or parents’ names. You’ll add photos or graphics to add flair to your creations. Bring a class list to use when we learn ‘mail merge’ and take back a disk of completed projects.
Recommended for: Participants who have completed Introduction to Word, or who can create and edit using Word.

Creating Professional Worksheets and Tests using MS Word
Creating professional looking math worksheets and tests can be a challenge.  Discover how easily it can be done using Microsoft Word’s built in tools that will allow you to create those “workbook-like” materials.  Learn how to use the “drawing tools”, set up shortcuts to symbols such as, @, D, ^, p, ±, ³, and to use the “equation editor” to  indicate lines, segments and rays, and show fractions, division or square roots. Spend the day with us and leave with the ability to use Microsoft Word as more than just a basic word processor.  Basic knowledge of Microsoft Word is suggested.  Bring a disk or flash drive to save the professional files you create.
Recommended for: Math teachers with a basic knowledge of Microsoft Word

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From Excel to Access and Back
Do you have lists of information in an Excel spreadsheet?  Do you have to download NJDOE reports using Excel?  Are you limited in how you can extract specifics within Excel?  Then this half-day workshop is for you.  We will show how to import Excel worksheets into Access, design simple select queries and reports, and then export back to Excel for analysis.  Bring your spreadsheets with you and leave with the reports you need.
Recommended for:  Participants familiar with Excel and basic database design.

Introduction to Microsoft Excel
Ready for the next step beyond calculators? This full-day workshop will cover the skills needed to create basic spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel. Learn to create, save and open spreadsheets; enter and edit data in a spreadsheet; build formulas and create charts. This course fulfills the “Introduction to Spreadsheet and Graphing” requirement for NJDOE’s Beginner Technology Proficiency Level Certificate. 
Recommended for: Anyone interested in creating spreadsheets.  Experience using a mouse is needed.

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Intermediate Microsoft Excel
Take Excel to the next level. First, get some tips to increase your efficiency: keyboard shortcuts, handy functions, and pitfalls to avoid. Then, learn to use the database analysis functions of Excel such as sorting and filtering. Finally, learn to create and use macros to automate those repetitive tasks.
Recommended for: Experienced users of Microsoft Excel

Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
This workshop is for anyone who needs to learn the basics of correcting digital picture faux pas and has an interest in learning techniques to embellish reports, plans, documents and letters.  Learn how to use color correction and image enhancement tools.  Create an original work of art and save a copy for the Internet.   We will learn red eye correction and scanned picture restoration procedures.   Participants are urged to bring images to scan and/or their own digital pictures to work on. 
Recommended for:  K-12 teachers and digital camera enthusiasts.

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Intermediate Adobe Photoshop Elements

This workshop picks up where the introductory course ends.  Looking at the tools provided in the program, web designers, presentation and digital portfolio enthusiasts alike will export original works of art for any and all multimedia K-12 requirements.  We’ll look at creating type face graphics, shaping buttons, color gradients’ and photo masking to name a few.  Participants will leave this workshop with a cache of graphics to use in their classrooms.
Recommended for: Participants who have completed Introduction to Photoshop Elements.

Digital Essay:  It’s not Steven Spielberg, but…
If you have heard of digital essays, but have been afraid to tackle a project with your class because it looked too daunting, than this is the course for you.  Let us demystify technology.  If you can create a PowerPoint, you can also create a movie. Using MovieMaker (a free program that comes with XP) this workshop will model examples of digital essays, provide you with structure for teaching the digital essay in large class instruction,  let you try your own hand on creating a short movie.
Recommended for:  Participants with basic computer knowledge

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Digital Portfolios Using PowerPoint and PhotoStory
See the possibilities offered by digital portfolios in capturing what your students have learned. Use a microphone to capture a singer’s talent or a new reader's abilities, use a digital camera to record a sculpture or science project, use a scanner to bring in a finger-painting or watercolor piece. Then pull it all together with software and produce a CD-ROM that brings that student's accomplishments to life in a way that a letter grade never can.  Participants will choose either PowerPoint or PhotoStory to produce a finished digital Portfolio. 
Recommended for: Participants familiar with digital media file creation.

Google Rocks!     NEW
Not finding what you want when using Google? Come learn to use the advanced search pages of Google, and then explore possibilities for locating Maps, Images, News, Blogs, Books, Calendars, Documents, Patents, Labs, and Mars.
Recommended for: Anyone who needs to research the Internet.

Web 2.0 in the Classroom
Find out how Web 2.0 is transforming the way we think about software and using applications. Come learn about how you can access word processors, graphic organizers, spreadsheets, video conferencing and more right within your browser. Find out how these tools can support collaboration and transform your  classroom. This will be a fast paced workshop showing you how to use various applications that are on the web. With schools on limited software budgets this can be an ideal way to bring  these exciting applications into your classroom
Recommended for: All educators and parents

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ePALS                                   NEW
Looking for ways to use email as a way for integrating reading, writing and technology? Come learn how to use ePALS as a “living textbook.” Your students can participate in an information exchange with other students around the world.  EPALS provides a “walled garden” where students and teachers can communicate with others all over the world in a protected environment. Registered users only see other participants’ names. No email addresses are exchanged so communication outside ePALS is not possible. Come explore the ePALS showcase collaboration projects and then joining one or create your own.
Recommended for: Anyone interested in worldwide information exchanges

Design a Treasure Hunt on the Internet
Learn to design an Internet treasure hunt loaded with activities that will get your students searching for specific information. Your students can have fun while they are learning some critical thinking skills. In this workshop you will surf the Internet for appropriate sites, download pictures, generate questions/clues and put it all together using Microsoft Word.
Recommended for: Anyone experienced with Internet surfing and word processing software.

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Organizing Your Computer Files
You know you saved that file … somewhere.  How can you find it?  This workshop will teach you how to organize your computer desktop and hard drive to make locating files quick and easy.  You will learn how to make electronic folders, remove unwanted files, use the Search feature to find missing documents, and even change the look of your desktop.
Recommended for: Anyone who wants a less chaotic electronic filing system

Classroom Management Strategies that Work: From Whitaker to Wong     NEW
Come and learn proactive, respect based classroom management strategies that work from K-12. This workshop will focus on the educational philosophies of Todd Whitaker and Harry Wong. Participants will learn how to create and implement a successful Classroom Management plan. Internet resources will be provided.  Take this workshop to enhance teaching and learning in your classroom.
Recommended for: All educators

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