ETV Hosts Teachers From Over Half of SC School Districts for Free Three-Day Technology Seminar

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ETV Hosts Teachers From Over Half of SC School Districts for Free Three-Day Technology Seminar, July 31-Aug 2

For Immediate Release
July 10, 2007

Columbia, SC...Over 240 educators will converge on ETV’s Columbia-based headquarters from July 31 to Aug. 2 for an intensive three days of free training on educational technology tools. Representing 47 of South Carolina’s 85 school districts, and 138 institutions of learning--including public and private schools, district instructional technology offices, colleges and universities, and more--attendees will be learning everything from creating their own podcasts and videos, to using powerful tools such as Google Earth, SMART Boards and Kidspiration educational software.

Scheduled just prior to the beginning of the 2007-08 school year, the hands-on workshops, which teachers can cherry pick, will equip teachers with new skills that they can immediately put to use in their classrooms.

"With the new SC Virtual School in place and districts like Kershaw giving laptops to every student, it is more important than ever that South Carolina’s teachers be able to effectively use the many tools that are available," said Debbie Jarrett, marketing and content coordinator for ETV’s StreamlineSC, who is also one of the organizers for the workshops.

"We want teachers all across the state to experience first-hand why the 'E' in ETV stands for Educational," said Bobbi Kennedy, senior vice president of Education for ETV.

Sixty-six classes will offer 26 different topics over the three-day period, providing not only a wide range of topics, but an array of experience levels as well. Sessions from "Where does this cable go?" to "Podcasting/Vodcasting," have all been designed to allow teachers to jump in at their ability-level and learn new ways to reach their students.

What began as a workshop on how to use ETV’s StreamlineSC, an Internet-based video-on-demand service, has now become so popular that it has become a "sell-out."

"We have always been filled to capacity at our workshops," said Jarrett. "In fact, for this coming session, we had over 100 people sign up by noon on the day we opened registration."

This is the fifth workshop hosted by ETV, which provides the free workshops as part of its mission to create new, innovative ways to improve learning in the Palmetto State.

Additional Information:

Sessions are offered from 8:30-10 a.m., 10:15-11:45 a.m. and 1:15-2:45 p.m., allowing teachers to take up to nine different courses over the three day period.

Sessions include:

Podcasting/Vodcasting - Using Audacity Audio recording software and Microsoft Windows Movie Maker, educators will be given the opportunity to create a podcast/vodcast, as well as brainstorm on how to use them in the classroom
Podcasting - Explore podcasting and its benefits for education including the creation and distribution of podcasts
E-Portfolios - Designed to help teachers across all grade levels and subject areas take an in-depth look at the power of digital portfolios as a tool to document student learning
Basic Google Earth - An introduction to this powerful and free tool
Google Earth - Look at land formations and mineral resources in South Carolina, see examples of wetlands, water, ocean formations across the state, and learn how to use the archive map file on Google Earth, to show how cities were in past years compared to now
Basic SMART Board - An introduction to the many uses for this interactive chalkboard
Advanced SMART Board
SMART Board/SMART View - Learn how to combine these two technologies to creatively and enthusiastically teach math. A SMART View is a calculator emulator used for math and science lessons
Knowitall.org - ETV's free, Web-based multimedia portal featuring a collection of interactive sites for K-12 teachers, parents, and students, including standards-based and award- winning animated games and simulations, virtual field trips, research resources, close-up investigations of the environment and much more
Basic StreamlineSC
StreamlineSC “Builders” - Learn how to create a Quiz, Assignment and/or a Writing Prompt in ETV StreamlineSC
Basic PowerPoint
PowerPoint in the “Kiosk” Mode - Learn how to create quizzes and tests for your students using PowerPoint in the Kiosk mode
Social Studies Alive - Use tools such as StreamlineSC and PowerPoint to create engaging lessons that include videos and games
Digital Storytelling - Learn how to use copyright free photos and images from StreamlineSC to create great instructional projects with Microsoft’s free program Photo Story 3
Movie Maker - Free editing software that is already preloaded on most computers and can be used to create educational videos from StreamlineSC clips, pictures taken by students, and more
EDI Math Lessons - How to create an EDI (Explicit Direct Instruction) math lesson using interactive and varied methods of teaching
Electronic Field Trips - Go anywhere in the world and create Social Studies or Science trips by using Internet sites, activities and various forms of assessment
Where in the World is...??? - Create a virtual field trip to historic places and use MSPaint and digital cameras to superimpose a picture of the teacher at any location or historic event
Web Design - How to create a simple classroom Web site using basic HTML, CSS and Adobe Dreamweaver
Cool Collaborations - Explores the free collaborative elements available to educators on the web
Kidspiration - a software program designed to help K-5 learners to build graphic organizers by combining text and graphics to represent their thoughts and ideas, while at the same time developing their literary and comprehension skills
Where Does This Cable Go?
Media Literacy - Where does media literacy fit in standards and how can educators integrate media and today’s youth culture into instruction
Teaching with Technology - Actual integrated mini-lessons taught at an elementary level will be used to show how many different forms of technology can be used to encourage class participation
21st Century Learning - This session will focus on true 21st century learning with a focus on integrating multimedia into instruction, especially the use of mp3 players and podcasting

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.