TMS BLIF Update
10/9/15
Duties
Please Keep Your PDSAs Up To Date!
Florida Center for Reading Research Activities and Games
Regarding El Capitan From Dr. Blattner
Social Studies: October 1: Legislature Approves Changes To Founding Principles Act
Adam Pridemore | NCASA – Additions to those items required to be included in instruction in the Founding Principles Act was approved by the General Assembly this week and now heads to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
In addition to those items already prescribed in statute, Senate Bill 524 requires the following to be included in the curriculum of the founding principles course:
Constitutional limitations on government power to tax and spend and prompt payment of public debt,
Strong defense and supremacy of civil authority over military, and
Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.
Resources
PBL project: Here's a link to this week’s Problem-Based Learning exercise:
**Based on the current event regarding water on Mars** Should the United States dedicate more resources to the space program, or are those resources more valuable being used in another way? It can become a very heated debate with good points made on both sides. Here's a link to this exercise: http://pblproject.com/page.aspx?pageid=PBL-Space
As always, the Teacher Instructions, Classroom Discussion sheet, "Stimulus Items" (videos, articles, etc.), thought-gathering sheets, and grading rubric have been provided. These are usually very well planned.
What’s the difference between a “group” and a “team”?
NCLOR
What is NCLOR?
The North Carolina Learning Object Repository (NCLOR) collects documents, audio/video clips, simulations, learning modules, assessments, and more – virtually any type of learning resource that can be digitized and processed. Teachers from around the state can then search the NCLOR, find materials appropriate to the classes they are teaching, and use them as is or modify them to suit their needs. This concept of sharing and reusing is the core of the NCLOR philosophy. Teachers can become more productive and efficient. If quality course or digital materials exist and are free for North Carolina faculty, why reinvent the wheel?
The NCLOR is managed by the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) but is a collaborative effort between the NCCCS , University System of North Carolina , NC Department of Public Instruction, NC Virtual Public Schools, and Independent Colleges and Universities.
How can you access NCLOR?
NCLOR is available to every teacher right now! It is also free with over 130,000 resources!!! There are two ways to access NCLOR. This can be done through Canvas, which is a learning management system, recently purchased by Iredell-Statesville Schools or you can access NCLOR through an Internet Browser (Safari, Chrome, etc.). Please visit the links below as a guide to access NCLOR in one of these formats and browse for the content you are searching for.
Using NCLOR via Canvas (tutorial)
Using NCLOR via Web Browser (tutorial)
Questions? If you have questions regarding this new resource for your classes please contact your school Instructional Technology Coordinator for support!
Professional Development Opportunities
Apple Vanguard Training
- Authoring Dynamic Documents with Pages (3 hours) Learn how to create visually pleasing, clearly organized, and personally expressive documents with Pages.
- Creating Compelling Presentations with Keynote (3 hours) Learn how to use the intuitive, built-in features of Keynote to design fun, dynamic, and interactive presentations for learning and teaching.
- Documenting and Reflecting with iMovie (3 hours) Discover how to use the powerful features of iMovie to enhance personal learning by fostering digital storytelling, creative collaboration, and reflective sharing.
- Making Data Meaningful with Numbers (3 hours) Learn how to build meaning from data and display it in compelling ways by using built-in calculation tools, interactive charts, tables, and other expressive media.