I decided to repost all of my previous blogs, since it is a chronology of my life in the DEN.
September 06, 2007
Gala Premiere Update
I just flew in from New York after attending the gala Premiere of “In the Shadow of the Moon” last night at the 
American Museum of Natural History in
New York City. The story the astronauts tell is captivating. It brings such a human and emotional side of these heroes. I spoke with Charles Duke and Buzz Aldrin who are so charming and bright! Growing up with these, and other, astronauts being my childhood heroes made the trip even more meaningful. I want my students to truly see what these men did and how it impacted the entire world. I have already started developing some lessons for my math classes.
Everyone needs to see this film. It offers an insider’s view of what the astronauts were doing and thinking, with some of it being hysterically funny! I have photos with these two astronauts as well as with Discovery’s own Stephen Wakefield and
DEN NJ member Bev Plein who was oh so helpful in giving me directions and information. I am not one to really be star struck, but I was over the moon at having shaken hands with men who have actually walked on the moon. Thank you Discovery for the incredible chance I was given to relive history with these history makers! Susan
Susan Tompkins and Stephen Wakefield, DEN Communications
Posted by sltompkins on Thursday, September 06, 2007 12:41 PM
Comments
4 Comments:
lisashusband said…
I am so jealous! Glad you got to go. What an incredible experience. Tim
Thursday, Sep 06 2007 at 09:20 PM
mageet1 said…
Wow! What a great experience you had that will be treasured for a lifetime. Thanks for sharing! ~Teryl
Friday, Sep 07 2007 at 06:33 PM
sltompkins said…
Meeting the men is something I never dreamed of as a nine year old child glued to the television on July 20, 1969, holding my breath to see what was going to happen when man and moon connected! It is on my top ten list for major events in my life. Thanks for the comments Teryl and Tim.
Friday, Sep 07 2007 at 07:43 PM
sltompkins said…
Oops, I guess I just gave away my age…I like to think of it as being Thirty-Seven-teen.
Friday, Sep 07 2007 at 07:44 PM
August 17, 2007
Louisiana Has a Blog
Hallelujah,
Louisiana is on the map! Thanks to Brad, Steve, and Jannita for getting us up. We are so excited to see our state listed with the others! Check out the states on right -side of the page. Anyway, check it out here! Oh, and KTBS came out again today to take additional video that included my students! This has been a very exciting week, plus I just RSVP’d to go to
New York!
Posted by sltompkins on Friday, August 17, 2007 9:05 PM
4 Comments August 17, 2007
Louisiana Has a Blog
Hallelujah,
Louisiana is on the map! Thanks to Brad, Steve, and Jannita for getting us up. We are so excited to see our state listed with the others! Check out the states on right -side of the page. Anyway, check it out here! Oh, and KTBS came out again today to take additional video that included my students! This has been a very exciting week, plus I just RSVP’d to go to
New York!
Posted by sltompkins on Friday, August 17, 2007 9:05 PM
4 Comments
August 15, 2007
Second Life Gala
The Gala tonight was a great experience. Although I had difficulty with my computer response time, I was able to make some contacts. Some with familiar people, some new. I especially enjoyed seeing everyone’s avatar. Okay, I will admit, my avatar resembles me…maybe about 20 years ago, but it technically is accurate. I recognized some people by their SL names but with others, I was not able to figure out who they were in RL. Anyway, I can’t wait to meet up in SL again, once I nurse my bruised and battered body back to health. Flying is killer and too many wrong turns can hurt a girl. I did offer to be the designated driver to a few party goers. You know who you are!
Posted by sltompkins on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 9:59 PM
3 Comments
August 15, 2007
Second Life Gala
The Gala tonight was a great experience. Although I had difficulty with my computer response time, I was able to make some contacts. Some with familiar people, some new. I especially enjoyed seeing everyone’s avatar. Okay, I will admit, my avatar resembles me…maybe about 20 years ago, but it technically is accurate. I recognized some people by their SL names but with others, I was not able to figure out who they were in RL. Anyway, I can’t wait to meet up in SL again, once I nurse my bruised and battered body back to health. Flying is killer and too many wrong turns can hurt a girl. I did offer to be the designated driver to a few party goers. You know who you are!
Posted by sltompkins on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 9:59 PM
Comments
3 Comments:
fsinfo said…
Thanks for coming.Glad you enjoyed the gala. Hope to have more time to chat with you in SL. I was a little busy tonight. Lor
Thursday, Aug 16 2007 at 12:19 AM
AnneTruger said…
So glad you had such a great time! Come back again soon! There are always people lurking around the DEN house. ~JessieMarie
Thursday, Aug 16 2007 at 11:16 AM
glad2be said…
Thank you so much for being there! You and everyone else who showed up really made us realize what an enthusiastic group of educators the DEN really is! As JessieMarie said, be sure to stop by anytime! — Celestia
Friday, Aug 17 2007 at 11:07 AM
August 07, 2007
Interview with local ABC
I just finished giving an interview to our local ABC news station! They were here to do a follow-up interview on a grant I received and to find out more about the DC DNI I attended! It will be awesome exposure for our Louisiana DEN and hopefully we will get some new members out of it! I hope I “represented” well! Thanks to all the people who support the DEN Community members! From the DEN leaders to the classroom teachers, you are by far my most valuable resource.
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 10:52 AM
5 Comments
August 15, 2007
Second Life Gala
The Gala tonight was a great experience. Although I had difficulty with my computer response time, I was able to make some contacts. Some with familiar people, some new. I especially enjoyed seeing everyone’s avatar. Okay, I will admit, my avatar resembles me…maybe about 20 years ago, but it technically is accurate. I recognized some people by their SL names but with others, I was not able to figure out who they were in RL. Anyway, I can’t wait to meet up in SL again, once I nurse my bruised and battered body back to health. Flying is killer and too many wrong turns can hurt a girl. I did offer to be the designated driver to a few party goers. You know who you are!
Posted by sltompkins on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 9:59 PM
Comments
3 Comments:
fsinfo said…
Thanks for coming.Glad you enjoyed the gala. Hope to have more time to chat with you in SL. I was a little busy tonight. Lor
Thursday, Aug 16 2007 at 12:19 AM
AnneTruger said…
So glad you had such a great time! Come back again soon! There are always people lurking around the DEN house. ~JessieMarie
Thursday, Aug 16 2007 at 11:16 AM
glad2be said…
Thank you so much for being there! You and everyone else who showed up really made us realize what an enthusiastic group of educators the DEN really is! As JessieMarie said, be sure to stop by anytime! — Celestia
Friday, Aug 17 2007 at 11:07 AM
July 30, 2007
Google your Phone Number
Just a quick post for those of you who prefer to remain anonymous from people using your phone number online to find out more information about you. My number is not listed, however, my sister’s is. If I wanted to know her address, who lives there, and a map to her home, well that info is easily accessible. You can use the link Google has for removing your number; however, I am not sure if that takes the info from all other search engines. At least this will be a start:
http://www.google.com/help/pbremoval.html
I am still assimilating information from my conferences this month, so hang in there until I can share!
Posted by sltompkins on Monday, July 30, 2007 5:21 PM
0 Comment
July 13, 2007
Scripting, Blocking, & Editing PowerPoint Slides
I am at SREB in
New Orleans this week and absorbing information on lots of technology from a new perspective. Right now, I am learning to use the tips we used in DC for movie making in another medium – PowerPoint! I didn’t see the connection myself, Roger Fuller from Grand Prairie ISD shared it in one of his sessions. It parallels movie making and the steps he listed were:
1- Write
2- Script
3- Block
4- Shoot
5- Edit
If we use what we already know, our presentations can go much more “socially attractive” and “engage students.” I will post more later.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Friday, July 13, 2007 10:07 AM
3 Comments
July 13, 2007
Scripting, Blocking, & Editing PowerPoint Slides
I am at SREB in
New Orleans this week and absorbing information on lots of technology from a new perspective. Right now, I am learning to use the tips we used in DC for movie making in another medium – PowerPoint! I didn’t see the connection myself, Roger Fuller from Grand Prairie ISD shared it in one of his sessions. It parallels movie making and the steps he listed were:
1- Write
2- Script
3- Block
4- Shoot
5- Edit
If we use what we already know, our presentations can go much more “socially attractive” and “engage students.” I will post more later.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Friday, July 13, 2007 10:07 AM
Comments
3 Comments:
lisashusband said…
I’m envious! You are soaking up all sorts of knowledge at another really cool workshop, and I’m stuck in TN packing boxes to move out of my house! Not fair! Seriously, can’t wait to see what else you have to share. PowerPoint is SOOOO misused, especially by teachers! Tim
Friday, Jul 13 2007 at 01:58 PM
mageet1 said…
Sounds like you are learning some great stuff! Can’t wiat to hear more! ~Teryl
Friday, Jul 13 2007 at 03:07 PM
alimok said…
That sounds very cool. I’m really interested in hearing more. Using AFI ideas with powerpoint seems odd, yet cool. Can’t wait for more information from you. Alison Keene, AZ DEN
Saturday, Jul 14 2007 at 01:44 AM
June 23, 2007
DNI Rocks!
Just home from D.C. and already I am having withdrawals from having my laptop, camera, and diet coke attached as appendages. The experience at Discovery Headquarters was unbelievable! The contacts I made are priceless and will help reinforce my capabilites in the classroom. Jannita, Lance, Scott, Steve, and Joe were even better in person. I appreciated the opportunity to have face time with some of the best minds in educational resources. Although I have 7 weeks before school begins, I am already anticipating it…how crazy is that?
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Saturday, June 23, 2007 9:05 PM
1 Comment
June 23, 2007
DNI Rocks!
Just home from D.C. and already I am having withdrawals from having my laptop, camera, and diet coke attached as appendages. The experience at Discovery Headquarters was unbelievable! The contacts I made are priceless and will help reinforce my capabilites in the classroom. Jannita, Lance, Scott, Steve, and Joe were even better in person. I appreciated the opportunity to have face time with some of the best minds in educational resources. Although I have 7 weeks before school begins, I am already anticipating it…how crazy is that?
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Saturday, June 23, 2007 9:05 PM
Comments
1 Comment:
lisashusband said…
Susan, email me at tchilders@bradleyschools.org. I met some LA DEN members at NECC that would like to talk to you about a leadership council. Thanks! Tim Childers
Tuesday, Jun 26 2007 at 02:21 AM
June 21, 2007
DC INSTITUTE
Another fantastic day conspiring with cohorts and using new technology. The DEN has the ears of the developers and designers who are truly interested in what we have to say, suggest, and sing about. How great is that? They really appreciate us and acknowledge our value in life’s purpose. I have worked hard tonight to prepare for a two minute presentation tomorrow…it is a very condensed version about M.A.S.H. which so happens to be mentioned in my early posts. Check it out! And good night!
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Thursday, June 21, 2007 12:57 AM
2 Comments
June 23, 2007
DNI Rocks!
Just home from D.C. and already I am having withdrawals from having my laptop, camera, and diet coke attached as appendages. The experience at Discovery Headquarters was unbelievable! The contacts I made are priceless and will help reinforce my capabilites in the classroom. Jannita, Lance, Scott, Steve, and Joe were even better in person. I appreciated the opportunity to have face time with some of the best minds in educational resources. Although I have 7 weeks before school begins, I am already anticipating it…how crazy is that?
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Saturday, June 23, 2007 9:05 PM
Comments
1 Comment:
lisashusband said…
Susan, email me at tchilders@bradleyschools.org. I met some LA DEN members at NECC that would like to talk to you about a leadership council. Thanks! Tim Childers
Tuesday, Jun 26 2007 at 02:21 AM
June 19, 2007
DEN INSTITUTE
Greetings from
Silver Spring, Maryland. We are learning and having a great time. We have already covered one full day and cannot wait until we see what each day holds! We will update later this week.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 7:29 AM
2 Comments
June 19, 2007
DEN INSTITUTE
Greetings from
Silver Spring, Maryland. We are learning and having a great time. We have already covered one full day and cannot wait until we see what each day holds! We will update later this week.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 7:29 AM
Comments
2 Comments:
Ktingly said…
I am glad you are having fun Susan! Have fun! 
Tuesday, Jun 19 2007 at 02:29 PM
lisashusband said…
Man, do I need to lose weight or what?!? Can’t wait to see your green screen assignment! Tim
Tuesday, Jun 19 2007 at 03:02 PM
June 05, 2007
A Guide for Resources
I just uploaded a presentation I used during an inservice to showcase different resources for different subject areas. I love finding good stuff to use and I enjoy sharing my stuff with others. Thank goodness for the DEN! Can’t wait until the summer institutes!
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, June 05, 2007 6:25 PM
0 Comment
May 15, 2007
Technology Integration
I presented a workshop to our faculty on the availability of ready-made technology that can be used to easily incorporate technology in the classroom. Most are in PowerPoint format and are user friendly. Other sites listed are virtual field trips and ideas for classroom integration. I appreciate all of the resources you all bring to the DEN. It helps me become a better teacher and allows me to share your thoughts with others. Thanks for a great year! Listed below are links to some of the resources I noted in my workshop and a link to my website:
http://www.geocities.com/mrstmath/TECHNOLOGYINTLINKS.htm
www.susantompkins.com
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 8:48 PM
2 Comments
June 19, 2007
DEN INSTITUTE
Greetings from
Silver Spring, Maryland. We are learning and having a great time. We have already covered one full day and cannot wait until we see what each day holds! We will update later this week.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 7:29 AM
Comments
2 Comments:
Ktingly said…
I am glad you are having fun Susan! Have fun!
Tuesday, Jun 19 2007 at 02:29 PM
lisashusband said…
Man, do I need to lose weight or what?!? Can’t wait to see your green screen assignment! Tim
Tuesday, Jun 19 2007 at 03:02 PM
April 26, 2007
Camstudio
I just uploaded my first attempt at using Camstudio. If you haven’t heard about it through Teachertube.com or elsewhere, you need to check it out. It is free software that will record your desktop and convert it to AVI format. It is great for uploading a slideshow presentation with professional flair. Let me know what you think!
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Thursday, April 26, 2007 8:23 PM
2 Comments
April 26, 2007
Camstudio
I just uploaded my first attempt at using Camstudio. If you haven’t heard about it through Teachertube.com or elsewhere, you need to check it out. It is free software that will record your desktop and convert it to AVI format. It is great for uploading a slideshow presentation with professional flair. Let me know what you think!
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Thursday, April 26, 2007 8:23 PM
Comments
2 Comments:
lisashusband said…
Thanks for reminding me of this terrific resource. I had heard about Camstudio previously, but I had never used it. I downloaded it today and it is extremely easy to use! I’ve been using Wink, but I believe I’ll be switching as of today. Tim
Saturday, Apr 28 2007 at 10:18 AM
phawkenson said…
I will be looking into Camstudio as well. Lately have been caught up in the design and sewing of my daughter’s prom dress! With that life moment behind us, I will have more time to check out great sites. Keep on suggesting them! (Try http://www.go2web20.net) That is my latest web port of call. I doubt I can ever exhaust that resource. Check it out!
Saturday, Apr 28 2007 at 10:47 PM
April 21, 2007
Long time since…
I finally mailed off my National Board Portfolio that has consumed my time and energy these past few months. I have had to deal with my father’s death and resulting paperwork which also complicated things. I am relieved to have state testing over with as well. Now, I am ready to prepare for my NBC assessment in June, a few days before the Maryland Summer Institute. I have also been invited to
New Orleans for the Southern Regional Education Board Conference in July. Seems like my summer is just about booked! Take care everyone. I will try not to wait so long before I post again. I have been active on the site since joining - uploading and downloading resources, viewing podcasts, joining discussions and such; however, I just neglected my blogs…since I don’t get many replies anyway.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Saturday, April 21, 2007 6:41 PM
1 Comment
April 21, 2007
Long time since…
I finally mailed off my National Board Portfolio that has consumed my time and energy these past few months. I have had to deal with my father’s death and resulting paperwork which also complicated things. I am relieved to have state testing over with as well. Now, I am ready to prepare for my NBC assessment in June, a few days before the Maryland Summer Institute. I have also been invited to
New Orleans for the Southern Regional Education Board Conference in July. Seems like my summer is just about booked! Take care everyone. I will try not to wait so long before I post again. I have been active on the site since joining - uploading and downloading resources, viewing podcasts, joining discussions and such; however, I just neglected my blogs…since I don’t get many replies anyway.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Saturday, April 21, 2007 6:41 PM
Comments
1 Comment:
phawkenson said…
Susan, Not getting replies in no way indicates the number of people who read these DEN blogs. I am one of them. I read them all but don’t always feel I have the time to reply. Often, I get caught up following the links and suggestions that the writers like you share. As a NBCT, I understand the total consumption that the process takes. Now that you have time, please keep giving me more great insights to read!
Monday, Apr 23 2007 at 08:23 PM
October 21, 2006
State Math_Science Conference
Greetings!
I just returned from our joint math and science state conference where I had the privilege to share with several people the benefits of being a DEN member! My field manager sent a box of supplies which were used to get the word out to fellow
Louisiana educators about all the wonderful things available from the Discovery Educator Network.
I presented a session sponsored by the DEN and was able to provide compact disc copies of my presentation to all participants who attended. The DEN and unitedstreaming materials were useful as well as the funding to provide snacks and cd’s to help get the energy level up! I look forward to seeing a surge of new participants in the DEN since so many were excited to hear about the wonderful things going on here. I can’t wait until I get another chance to share, share, share…
Posted by sltompkins on Saturday, October 21, 2006 4:22 PM
0 Comment
September 27, 2006
Hats Off to DEN!
How wonderful the DEN is to provide us with such diverse information! I am always discovering new ideas and events each time I log on to DEN. I want to publicly thank our manager, Jennifer Gingerich, and all the other DEN managers for providing educators the opportunity to learn, discuss, and involve! This website is a blessing to me and to my faculty since I re-direct almost all of my information at staff meetings and/or conferences. Can’t wait to see what else is out there…
Sincerely,
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:18 PM
0 Comment
August 11, 2006
School’s In…already!
Greetings-
Don’t read anything into the color of my ink. I do not have the school-start blues! I am tired though. How do I forget the chaos of opening school each year only to relive it each fall! Oh, excuse me, it is still summer. I am more excited to see my new students, only about 15% which I know by name, which is really odd for me. I have all kinds of achievement levels, attitude levels and activity levels. Probably sounds familiar, right? I really did enjoy summer, but it is much more fulfilling to be productive and responsible for student learning. Am I crazy or do we all feel this way? I appreciate any remarks to let me know if I am a normal educator.
Thanks,
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Friday, August 11, 2006 8:57 PM
0 Comment
July 14, 2006
New Powerpoint Resource Uploaded
I am excited to upload another project. Be sure to check out my PowerPoint resource for the Ruler Postulate and the Segment Addition Postulate. I created this a few years ago to help with some of the basic Geometry terms, including a review of the Distance Formula learned in Algebra I.
I am an official National Board Candidate and will welcome any feedback on how you may have used one of my resources and how it impacted student learning. You may email me at susantompkins@gmail.com.
Posted by sltompkins on Friday, July 14, 2006 6:03 PM
0 Comment
June 29, 2006
City Project Information
Check out my recent update under Educator Resources for a City Project in Geometry! It deals with Interior, Exterior, Corresponding, and Consecutive angles and Transversals. A great way to assess student learning using posterboard and markers! Check out my classroom website to see some of the finished projects.
http://www.susantompkins.com
Posted by sltompkins on Thursday, June 29, 2006 5:16 PM
0 Comment
May 17, 2006
Powerpoint Tools
Recently I was introduced to the Microsoft Agent Scripting Helper and fell in love with the capabilities. MASH is animated characters that you can attach to your new or existing Powerpoint presentations. You can copy and paste your existing text from your slides and choose from a number of characters (after downloading) to recite, with animation, the text so you may save your voice. I use it mainly with Powerpoint, but you could develop the characters to appear on your desktop, documents, anywhere! MASH helps bring your presentations to life in such a powerful way. The program only $25 and worth it plus more! Use the link to access the site:
http://www.bellcraft.com/mash/
If you have any questions, please email me!
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 8:02 PM
3 Comments
August 15, 2007
Second Life Gala
The Gala tonight was a great experience. Although I had difficulty with my computer response time, I was able to make some contacts. Some with familiar people, some new. I especially enjoyed seeing everyone’s avatar. Okay, I will admit, my avatar resembles me…maybe about 20 years ago, but it technically is accurate. I recognized some people by their SL names but with others, I was not able to figure out who they were in RL. Anyway, I can’t wait to meet up in SL again, once I nurse my bruised and battered body back to health. Flying is killer and too many wrong turns can hurt a girl. I did offer to be the designated driver to a few party goers. You know who you are!
Posted by sltompkins on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 9:59 PM
3 Comments
August 07, 2007
Interview with local ABC
I just finished giving an interview to our local ABC news station! They were here to do a follow-up interview on a grant I received and to find out more about the DC DNI I attended! It will be awesome exposure for our Louisiana DEN and hopefully we will get some new members out of it! I hope I “represented” well! Thanks to all the people who support the DEN Community members! From the DEN leaders to the classroom teachers, you are by far my most valuable resource.
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 10:52 AM
5 Comments
July 30, 2007
Google your Phone Number
Just a quick post for those of you who prefer to remain anonymous from people using your phone number online to find out more information about you. My number is not listed, however, my sister’s is. If I wanted to know her address, who lives there, and a map to her home, well that info is easily accessible. You can use the link Google has for removing your number; however, I am not sure if that takes the info from all other search engines. At least this will be a start:
http://www.google.com/help/pbremoval.html
I am still assimilating information from my conferences this month, so hang in there until I can share!
Posted by sltompkins on Monday, July 30, 2007 5:21 PM
0 Comment
July 13, 2007
Scripting, Blocking, & Editing PowerPoint Slides
I am at SREB in
New Orleans this week and absorbing information on lots of technology from a new perspective. Right now, I am learning to use the tips we used in DC for movie making in another medium – PowerPoint! I didn’t see the connection myself, Roger Fuller from Grand Prairie ISD shared it in one of his sessions. It parallels movie making and the steps he listed were:
1- Write
2- Script
3- Block
4- Shoot
5- Edit
If we use what we already know, our presentations can go much more “socially attractive” and “engage students.” I will post more later.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Friday, July 13, 2007 10:07 AM
3 Comments
June 23, 2007
DNI Rocks!
Just home from D.C. and already I am having withdrawals from having my laptop, camera, and diet coke attached as appendages. The experience at Discovery Headquarters was unbelievable! The contacts I made are priceless and will help reinforce my capabilites in the classroom. Jannita, Lance, Scott, Steve, and Joe were even better in person. I appreciated the opportunity to have face time with some of the best minds in educational resources. Although I have 7 weeks before school begins, I am already anticipating it…how crazy is that?
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Saturday, June 23, 2007 9:05 PM
1 Comment
June 21, 2007
DC INSTITUTE
Another fantastic day conspiring with cohorts and using new technology. The DEN has the ears of the developers and designers who are truly interested in what we have to say, suggest, and sing about. How great is that? They really appreciate us and acknowledge our value in life’s purpose. I have worked hard tonight to prepare for a two minute presentation tomorrow…it is a very condensed version about M.A.S.H. which so happens to be mentioned in my early posts. Check it out! And good night!
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Thursday, June 21, 2007 12:57 AM
2 Comments
June 19, 2007
DEN INSTITUTE
Greetings from
Silver Spring, Maryland. We are learning and having a great time. We have already covered one full day and cannot wait until we see what each day holds! We will update later this week.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 7:29 AM
2 Comments
June 05, 2007
A Guide for Resources
I just uploaded a presentation I used during an inservice to showcase different resources for different subject areas. I love finding good stuff to use and I enjoy sharing my stuff with others. Thank goodness for the DEN! Can’t wait until the summer institutes!
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, June 05, 2007 6:25 PM
0 Comment
May 15, 2007
Technology Integration
I presented a workshop to our faculty on the availability of ready-made technology that can be used to easily incorporate technology in the classroom. Most are in PowerPoint format and are user friendly. Other sites listed are virtual field trips and ideas for classroom integration. I appreciate all of the resources you all bring to the DEN. It helps me become a better teacher and allows me to share your thoughts with others. Thanks for a great year! Listed below are links to some of the resources I noted in my workshop and a link to my website:
http://www.geocities.com/mrstmath/TECHNOLOGYINTLINKS.htm
www.susantompkins.com
Posted by sltompkins on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 8:48 PM
2 Comments
April 26, 2007
Camstudio
I just uploaded my first attempt at using Camstudio. If you haven’t heard about it through Teachertube.com or elsewhere, you need to check it out. It is free software that will record your desktop and convert it to AVI format. It is great for uploading a slideshow presentation with professional flair. Let me know what you think!
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Thursday, April 26, 2007 8:23 PM
2 Comments
April 21, 2007
Long time since…
I finally mailed off my National Board Portfolio that has consumed my time and energy these past few months. I have had to deal with my father’s death and resulting paperwork which also complicated things. I am relieved to have state testing over with as well. Now, I am ready to prepare for my NBC assessment in June, a few days before the Maryland Summer Institute. I have also been invited to
New Orleans for the Southern Regional Education Board Conference in July. Seems like my summer is just about booked! Take care everyone. I will try not to wait so long before I post again. I have been active on the site since joining - uploading and downloading resources, viewing podcasts, joining discussions and such; however, I just neglected my blogs…since I don’t get many replies anyway.
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Saturday, April 21, 2007 6:41 PM
1 Comment
October 21, 2006
State Math_Science Conference
Greetings!
I just returned from our joint math and science state conference where I had the privilege to share with several people the benefits of being a DEN member! My field manager sent a box of supplies which were used to get the word out to fellow
Louisiana educators about all the wonderful things available from the Discovery Educator Network.
I presented a session sponsored by the DEN and was able to provide compact disc copies of my presentation to all participants who attended. The DEN and unitedstreaming materials were useful as well as the funding to provide snacks and cd’s to help get the energy level up! I look forward to seeing a surge of new participants in the DEN since so many were excited to hear about the wonderful things going on here. I can’t wait until I get another chance to share, share, share…
Posted by sltompkins on Saturday, October 21, 2006 4:22 PM
0 Comment
September 27, 2006
Hats Off to DEN!
How wonderful the DEN is to provide us with such diverse information! I am always discovering new ideas and events each time I log on to DEN. I want to publicly thank our manager, Jennifer Gingerich, and all the other DEN managers for providing educators the opportunity to learn, discuss, and involve! This website is a blessing to me and to my faculty since I re-direct almost all of my information at staff meetings and/or conferences. Can’t wait to see what else is out there…
Sincerely,
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 7:18 PM
0 Comment
August 11, 2006
School’s In…already!
Greetings-
Don’t read anything into the color of my ink. I do not have the school-start blues! I am tired though. How do I forget the chaos of opening school each year only to relive it each fall! Oh, excuse me, it is still summer. I am more excited to see my new students, only about 15% which I know by name, which is really odd for me. I have all kinds of achievement levels, attitude levels and activity levels. Probably sounds familiar, right? I really did enjoy summer, but it is much more fulfilling to be productive and responsible for student learning. Am I crazy or do we all feel this way? I appreciate any remarks to let me know if I am a normal educator.
Thanks,
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Friday, August 11, 2006 8:57 PM
0 Comment
July 14, 2006
New Powerpoint Resource Uploaded
I am excited to upload another project. Be sure to check out my PowerPoint resource for the Ruler Postulate and the Segment Addition Postulate. I created this a few years ago to help with some of the basic Geometry terms, including a review of the Distance Formula learned in Algebra I.
I am an official National Board Candidate and will welcome any feedback on how you may have used one of my resources and how it impacted student learning. You may email me at susantompkins@gmail.com.
Posted by sltompkins on Friday, July 14, 2006 6:03 PM
0 Comment
June 29, 2006
City Project Information
Check out my recent update under Educator Resources for a City Project in Geometry! It deals with Interior, Exterior, Corresponding, and Consecutive angles and Transversals. A great way to assess student learning using posterboard and markers! Check out my classroom website to see some of the finished projects.
http://www.susantompkins.com
Posted by sltompkins on Thursday, June 29, 2006 5:16 PM
0 Comment
May 17, 2006
Powerpoint Tools
Recently I was introduced to the Microsoft Agent Scripting Helper and fell in love with the capabilities. MASH is animated characters that you can attach to your new or existing Powerpoint presentations. You can copy and paste your existing text from your slides and choose from a number of characters (after downloading) to recite, with animation, the text so you may save your voice. I use it mainly with Powerpoint, but you could develop the characters to appear on your desktop, documents, anywhere! MASH helps bring your presentations to life in such a powerful way. The program only $25 and worth it plus more! Use the link to access the site:
http://www.bellcraft.com/mash/
If you have any questions, please email me!
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 8:02 PM
3 Comments
May 17, 2006
Powerpoint Tools
Recently I was introduced to the Microsoft Agent Scripting Helper and fell in love with the capabilities. MASH is animated characters that you can attach to your new or existing Powerpoint presentations. You can copy and paste your existing text from your slides and choose from a number of characters (after downloading) to recite, with animation, the text so you may save your voice. I use it mainly with Powerpoint, but you could develop the characters to appear on your desktop, documents, anywhere! MASH helps bring your presentations to life in such a powerful way. The program only $25 and worth it plus more! Use the link to access the site:
http://www.bellcraft.com/mash/
If you have any questions, please email me!
Susan
Posted by sltompkins on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 8:02 PM
Comments
3 Comments:
nikki.slinkard said…
This looks like it would make things more interesting for students! I will have to consider trying this next year! Thanks for sharing!
Thursday, May 18 2006 at 08:10 AM
said…
Since reading this on Friday night I have done little else but to improve some interactive lessons. I found that the Microsoft agent script helpers are great to imbed into a PowerPoint presentation. I used the character scripting to help explain types of volcanoes in an interactive lesson. Using two characters and writing a script for each, allowed a dialoged to occur between the two characters. It is easy to use and the character animation features give expression to your presentation. Once the characters are built you can save the file and then hyperlink it into your PowerPoint. All you have to do is click on the hot button in the lesson and you have a character explaining content. A text bubble appears above the character and as the character talks the text appears in the bubble. Script helper is a great tool for reinforcing reading skills, giving direction and reviewing and reinforcing content. You can do a lot more with script helpers including adding WAV files.
Saturday, May 20 2006 at 11:16 PM
sltompkins said…
I have linked a character with a song and it was interesting, especially if you get creative with the animations each character has! I love this program and think it is great for reinforcement as well as helping keep the students interested in the content. Thanks for trying it out!
Wednesday, May 24 2006 at 10:02 PM
What an exciting weekend I have had. I hosted an in-person VC event at my school yesterday and hosted our new Governor, Bobby Jindal, with our church today! Here is a photo my husband, Stephen, and I took with him. I also had the opportunity to mention a little about education to him and he was appreciative to ALL educators for their selfless service! He is certainly open to listen to what people have to say, so who knows what may come from this. I look forward to seeing how our LC may work with him and his office in the future! Stay tuned!
Congrats to everyone who shared, shared and shared some more! Our group had a great time and were rushing home after our in-person event to catch the last couple of repeated webex presentations. They really did not want to leave because they were learning so many great things. I think we really got the word out about the strength of our DEN Management Team. You guys are the best and we appreciate you tons! Now, take a well-deserved rest (esp. Jannita) since you deserve it!
