February 2008 News

NEWSLETTER: February 2008

As the temperature dropped to nearly 30 degrees below zero I thought: Why write “NEARLY 30 degrees below” as if it’s not quite cold enough? Will folks know this is Fahrenheit and not Celcius and does it really matter? How do I make that little degree symbol? The moonlight against ice crystals in the sky creates a stunning halo (click to see images).

The good news is that Spring magazines are starting to arrive promising blooming flowers and green covered fields! Warm weather cannot be too far behind.

Please tell your friends and colleagues about these important updates:

• As of March 1st there will be a slight increase of $4 per sefl-study course from Professional Learning Board.
  All courses purchased before February 29th will have the $25/self-study course price honored
  (This includes Purchase Orders!). Please help us spread the word.  

• We’re proud to announce NEW FACILITATED COURSES. Sessions start the first Monday of each month beginning Monday, March 3rd. Register now. All courses 15 clock hours/CPDUs:  
  1. NEW: Web Technology for Teachers
  2. NEW: Accommodating All Learners
  3. NEW: Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies
  4. NEW: Reading Instruction Techniques: Enhancing Learning in All Subject Areas

Scroll down for info on these resources in which I think you might be interested:

• FREE student courses through HippoCampus by the National Repository of Online Courses (NROC)
• Shameless Plug (My sister wrote a children’s book!)
• Tech Trials
  • YackPack
  • KnightCite
• Student Competition

Thank you for your continued support of Professional Learning Board.

Best regards,

Ellen Paxton, MEd, NBCT

A free, public website for high school and college students that offers multimedia correlated to most major textbooks and in the following areas:

• Algebra
• American Government
• Biology
• Calculus
• Calculus (Spanish)
• Environmental Science
• Physics
• Psychology
• US History

To Be Released: March 13th

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803731957?ie=UTF8&tag=everyonisat06-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0803731957

Lulu’s older brother says she is too little to play with him. Her mama and papa are busy too, so Lulu has to make her own fun. This is a situation for Ladybug Girl!

Ladybug Girl saves ants in distress, jumps through shark-infested puddles, and even skips along the great dark twisty tree trunk—all by herself. It doesn’t matter what her brother says, Ladybug Girl is definitely not too little!

In this sweet and cheerful story by husband and wife team Jacky Davis and David Soman, one not-so-little girl discovers how to make some fun that is just her size, right in her own backyard.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Dial
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0803731957
ISBN-13: 978-0803731950
Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches

YackPack http://www.yackpack.com

They say, “We help people use the power of human voice to build relationships.“

 

KnightCite http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/index.php

They say, “Maintained by the Hekman Library at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI. Questions about Citations and Styles? Try the fantastic resources available at DianaHacker.com. “

I say, “An incredible tool for citing resources (books, anthologies, periodicals, multimedia and communications) in MLA, APA and/or Chicago style.”

 

I say, “The voice quality sounds top-notch. I’ve sent questions to their posted email addresses and receive bounce-backs every time. Why can’t they hear me?”

 

Doodle 4 Google is giving U.S. students in grades K-12 the opportunity to design a doodle (see samples here) for the Google homepage. Students will be asked to draw a doodle that best represents the theme “What if…?” We ask ourselves this question every day when we build our products, so we thought we would ask the same of the future doodlers.

Check out www.google.com/doodle4google for more details. All that’s needed to get started is a teacher or principal to register the school. Registration closes on 3/28/08, and entries must be postmarked by 4/12/2008.