May 17, 2006

Article posted May 17, 2006 at 04:28 PM GMT • Reads 239

Welcome to our Resident Expert blog.

I want to invite my REs and their parents to blog with me on this safe and comfortable site.



Last week in RE we discussed myspace.com and how blogging is part of our lives now. We spoke about safety and the responsibility involved, so I wanted to start this blog to give us a safe place to learn about it. I will let my REs know the information at this week's class.



Mrs. D.

Hello REs and Parents

Article posted September 22, 2006 at 02:26 PM GMT • Reads 39

Today I am starting to post general information just for the practice and knowledge. If you are reading this you are either a Resident Expert or an RE parent. We are the only ones invited to join in our blog.



It is good to see you! Welcome!



A big issue I see with kids and blogging is that they are not aware that some of the things they say can be misunderstood, or should just be kept private. By having this safe zone I can identify some issues before they are made public and help the kids learn what works and what doesn't. Safety is my goal.



Here is the first biggest misunderstanding most kids have: www stands for World Wide Web. That means ANYONE, ANYWHERE can be out there. Most kids (my own included) need to reminded of that on a regular basis.



So, that is our first lesson. You should never put anything on the web that you wouldn't be willing to yell out loud in a crowd. Respect yourself at all times.

Let's Talk in Abbreviations!

Article posted September 29, 2006 at 08:09 PM GMT • Reads 34

Before we go any further I want to make sure we all know what all those letters and abbreviations mean. I already mentioned that www stands for World Wide Web.

How about IM? That's pretty well known as Instant Message. You are IM-ing when you "talk" to others on a computer screen and they can respond back right away (if they are on the Internet too.)

If you are "talking" on your cell phone but you aren't talking, but typing the words, that is Texting, or Text Messaging. (Remember, texting can cost you each time you send a message, and often every time you receive one! This one can be expensive!)

I don't want to get too much into cell phone use as much as computer use, but many of the things we talk about can apply to your safety just about anywhere. But, let's stick with computers here.



eMail stands for Electronic Mail. eMail is a message, usually text, sent from one Internet user to another. You need a computer and an email address to do this.



Blogging is what we are doing here. We are communicating using the Internet and a computer. The site we use here let's me control who gets to "see" us, because everything on the Internet is able to be seen by anyone, from your friend in Vernon Hills to a store owner in Japan. That's why we are being so careful.



I have to get back to work now. I'll write more later.



Bye!



Mrs. Dierbeck

Good meeting yesterday!

Article posted October 5, 2006 at 02:26 PM GMT • Reads 36

It is good to have the RE meetings started up again. Don't forget to bring your badges with you to the next meeting, October 18th. If you don't have it, take a good look around your house. If you still can't find it, let me know and we will get you a new one- with a cost- most likely a chore for Mrs. Vrabel or myself. So, try to find your badge so we can mark off more skills.



I also want to hear what you want to learn the most this season. I know most of you love to work on Garage Band, and we need to get more comfortable uploading pictures from cameras to computers. I would be thrilled if everyone gets marked off on the video board also. Lots to do!



So, let's get working! This is fun!!!



Mrs. D.

REs as Teachers

Article posted October 16, 2006 at 03:37 PM GMT • Reads 39

I am very excited to have the opportunity for the REs to train students at Elementary South. Their specially trained kids will be called the A-Team and they are trying to start up their own morning broadcasting just like ours here at Aspen. This is our chance to show all we have learned over the last many months.

Tuesday, 10/17 will begin the training immediately after morning broadcasting. Note: if you haven't had your parents sign a permission slip which allows you to miss class from 8:05 until 9:00 that morning, get it to me before 7:45 on Tuesday. Otherwise you will not be able to participate in this training session.

Thursday, 10/19 will be held at Elementary South after school, until 3:30. Again, that permission form must be signed so your parents know you will be walking over to ES with me. Don't forget to be picked-up promptly at 3:30 at the front door of ES.



This will be a very exciting week!

Welcome to New Bloggers!

Article posted October 16, 2006 at 03:55 PM GMT • Reads 38

I want to welcome REs and some parents who have decided to join in this blog. Feel free to comment on any tech/RE issues you would like to. I will continue to post my thoughts also.



Remember, joining in is entirely optional. If you have any questions about this blog or other RE issues, feel free to ask here or contact me directly at school.



Mrs. Dierbeck

I've learned something new

Article posted October 18, 2006 at 09:02 PM GMT • Reads 38

Today I approved an article that Mrs. Schrems submitted and I learned that it did not show up in this group of articles I have written. You can find her article if you look on the left side of this page where it shows Student Entries. Mrs. Schrems titled her article Training Elementary South and if you click on it you can read it.



I am trying to figure out how to make student entries show up like this one that I wrote. So, I am studying the directions and hope to have it figured out quickly.



Until I learn the right way to make it happen, please look on the left side of this page for other blogs in our RE group. And, feel free to add your own.



Mrs. D.

Training at ES

Article posted October 20, 2006 at 02:27 PM GMT • Reads 39

What a great training session we had at Elementary South! I could not have been more proud of the work the REs did and how well you all behaved. Having help train students sure made a difference, and I know the kids at ES liked working with other students who have first hand knowledge of how to get a broadcast up and running.



Parents, thank you so much for arranging your schedules to be able to pick up the REs at 3:30. I am a parent also and I remember how much effort it takes to make sure my kids were where they needed to be, when they needed to be there. Your help is greatly appreciated.



Have you seen the photo albums the REs created on Wednesday? We learned iPhoto and created some really cute projects in a very short amount of time. Ask your kids about it if you haven't seen the final product already. They did a great job.



Mrs. Dierbeck

Welcome NB!

Article posted October 24, 2006 at 10:35 PM GMT • Reads 39

I am so glad for you NB! I love your enthusiasm, and find your comment "I feel like a teenager!" so interesting. Can you tell me more about why you feel that way? I think it is great and want to hear more from you.



Mrs. Dierbeck



Those of you who wonder what we are talking about, take a look on the left side of this page and see the Student Entries. Read the 10/24 Oh My Gosh!! entry, and all the others too.

Well Done NB!

Article posted October 25, 2006 at 12:40 AM GMT • Reads 38

NB, I like the way you are not naming yourself in any other way than NB. Such a simple thing keeps you much safer on the Internet.



NB, and anyone else who is reading this: What do we still need to learn in RE? I know that a few of you still need to learn the video board, and I promise we are starting on that at the next RE meeting. But, what else do we need to work on? I want your input.



Mrs. Dierbeck

Good question

Article posted October 25, 2006 at 01:47 AM GMT • Reads 39

NB asked if she could try to change something on the control panel. Good question, and I don't know if she can make changes or not. So, I said yes, go ahead and try.



I am comfortable with our group trying new things on this site because it is created as a very safe spot for students and adults alike. Be creative, and let us all know what you find.



Mrs. D.

How many do you think?

Article posted October 25, 2006 at 02:25 PM GMT • Reads 35

A question to think about:

How many web pages do you think there are in the Internet? I wondered about this when I used Google to get some information and lots of pages came up on just one subject.



How many pages do you think there are these days? Of course it changes every day but I found a recent estimate and wondered if you could too.



I'll post my answer another day.



Mrs. D.

Come one, come all!

Article posted October 26, 2006 at 12:50 AM GMT • Reads 36

NB has been blogging, but everyone is welcomed to join in. NB, feel free to talk to the other REs about your blogging, and ask them to blog also. Most of the others have logins, but we can't make anyone write in.



Maybe if you ask them some questions someone else will respond. Give it a try, and talk to them at school.



Mrs. D.

How many webpages?

Article posted November 27, 2006 at 02:32 PM GMT • Reads 37

To answer the question I posed a few weeks back... There are currently more than 2 BILLION webpages indexed by Google. And, this number is expected to double every 8 months. So, now the question is how can anyone know this information? Google has that many pages to offer anytime you go to their website. So, the next time you ask Google, or any other search engine a question, be patient. That 2 seconds of waiting is very understandable when you know how many pages they have to look through to get you your information.



Mrs. D.

New Batch of REs coming in

Article posted January 19, 2007 at 10:15 PM GMT • Reads 123

Yes, we are about to add 5 new students to our Resident Experts crew. On January 24th we will meet the students who are being invited to join in and learn all things tech.



This is what I need from all current REs. I want the new kids to "buddy-up" with someone who is experienced, and learn from them. I will help teach also, but I like to believe that when you teach you also learn. So, if I ask you to help teach please give your best effort. Your behavior is a reflection of yourself and the RE group, so please continue to be respectful, helpful and kind. I know you will all be since I see this behavior daily from you now. I appreciate it very much.



So, come to the next meeting, 1/24, and meet your new group members!



Mrs. Dierbeck