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If you have a class set of palmtops, loading the software on each and every palmtop can be extremely time consuming. Here’s a way to save you some time. The directions assume you have a class set of thirty charged palmtops by Palm and are numbering them 1 – 30.

1. Load the palm software on the laptop/desktop and name that palmtop 01.
2. NOTE: Be sure to load ALL of the software essentials too, i.e. Docs to Go, ereader, etc.
3. Be sure to synchronize palmtop #1 and test out all of the software before proceeding. 🙂
4. Open the Palm Desktop on the laptop/desktop. Click on the drop down arrow in the upper-left of the screen. Click on “Edit Users…” Begin adding users 02- 30.
5. Once you have 30 users, you have to add the software for palmtops 02 – 30. Rather than installing the software on each palmtop, you can just copy the files into the new folders. Close Palm Desktop.
6. Open the 01 folder located in My Computer>C: Drive>Program Files>Palm>01. Select all and copy the files. Then go up a folder and paste the files into folder 02, 03, 04 … 30.
7. Now that each folder has the software files of 01, you can begin synchronizing each palmtop to the laptop/desktop. Be sure to go in order with palmtops that are labeled so as not to accidentally synchronize the same number twice. Test out the software on 02 before proceeding.

Today Maria Vasquez presented to the DoIT the amazing results from the research on using Promethean whiteboard technology in the classroom. Here’s an excerpt:

3rd Grade TAKS Reading Performance
The impact of the Digital Learning Classroom technology on ELL academic achievement was subtle .
The ELL Digital Learning Classroom students’ TAKS pass rate was 77.8% as compared to 84.6.0% pass
rate of the control group of ELL students in classrooms not using the technology. However, the percentage
of ELL Digital Learning Classroom students who achieved at the TAKS Commended level was 10%
higher than that of those in the control group of ELL non-Digital Learning classrooms.
The average assessment results of mainstream low-income students in the experimental and control
groups were within ±5% of each other. The mainstream non-Digital Learning Classrooms achieved a
TAKS pass rate of 95.1% compared to 90.9.% for those in the Digital Learning Classroom classes.
However, again, the percentage of students achieving “TAKS Commended” score levels was 10%
higher for those in the Digital Learning Classrooms than those in the control group of comparable classrooms
without the technology.

The district worked intensely with the SIOP model. All professional development with the new technology was layered upon that. The results are amazing!

• Incorporate ELL students’ prior knowledge, culture, interests, and experiences in new learning (BECTA, 2003; Burden, 2002; Miller & Glover, 2002).
• Provide opportunities for ELL student-interactions in a more socially supportive classroom setting (BECTA, 2003; Beeland, 2002; Bell, 2002; Burden, 2002; Edwards et al., 2002; Kennewell, 2001; Levy, 2002; Miller & Glover, 2002; Thomas, 2003).
• Integrate ELL strategies in different contexts, thereby supporting learning for students with diverse learning styles and needs (Bell, 2002; Billard, 2002; Burden, 2002).
• Contextualize instruction and use such strategies like graphic organizers that support ELL students’ development of higher-order thinking skills (Butler-Pascoe & Wiburg, 2003; Walker-Tileston, 2004).
• Incorporate short-cycle assessments into the lesson plan to provide ELL students with feedback on their progress (Miller & Glover, 2002; Richardson, 2002).

Ben Godrez (Technology EA) is pioneering the use of www.think.com to communicate and collaborate. His fourth and fifth grade students are using the site’s free email and blogging capabilities to begin communicating with each other. Soon this will be a platform for students to post projects. As they use district resources to research from a variety of resources, they will have a perfect place publish their work. We’ll keep you posted on this amazing project!

NETS: IIa. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media.

NETS for T: IIId. manage student learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.

Great things are happening at Fletcher Elementary! Here are a couple of examples of what’s happening.

Jeff Wentworth is taking advantage of the power of visualizer technology to demonstrate proficient and outstanding work to students. Friday he used students’ science journals to demonstrate the various techniques that students are using to organize the scientific data that they are collecting. Jeff took two well organized journals and asked questions of the class in order to engage them in considering how the authors organized their work and how the class might replicate the same kind of organization. While the two students whose work was shared were seemed to be enormously proud, the rest of the class benefited from their expertise. All of the circling, diagramming and arrows that were annotated over the student work was virtual. Because of this, student work was respected during the process. Students were given back their work without marks and scribbles all over it. What a powerful way to share “best practices” with a classroom.

NETS for T: IIIc. Teachers apply technology to develop students’ higher-order skills and creativity.

Jori Botvinick’s second grade students are building their number sense by interacting with the Promethean ActivBoard. The board was set up with an interactive “memory” game consisting of digits 1 – 9. Students used the pen to uncover cards and find matches that equaled 10. At the end of the activity, a discussion was held detailing all of the combinations that add up to ten. Throughout the entire experience, students were engaged and excited to share which cards were hidden where and how they added up to ten. As students were working you could tell they’ve developed their own problems solving abilities related to the board. For example as one student accidentally opened a new page, she instantly new how to close it and go back to the previous page. What an incredible way to support students that are kinesthetic and visual learners! This is a great way to develop interactive learning centers.

NETS: 1c. Students use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.

NETS for T: IIa. Teachers design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.

If you are interested in seeing technology-enhanced experiences during writing demonstrations, stop by Crawford Elementary. Jenny is combining the use of the Promethean ActivBoard with the visualizer (document imaging camera) to engage students in the writing process and help them to be outstanding writers. Today she used the ActivBoard to share how to ensure that students are thoughtfully developing an ending to a story that is full of meaning. Afterwards the board was utilized to facilitate and keep track of students as they work through the writing process. Outstanding! After having time to write, Jenny used the visualizer to show student work. Students were able see examples of proficient and outstanding writing whereby students clearly connected the meaning of their story within their ending. Great things are happening at Crawford Elementary!

NETS for T-III: A. facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards.