Streaming A to Z

Wow I’m really digging my new digs here on this site! Way to go Mr. Dembo!

Yesterday I had a chance to speak with a lot of DEN Stars, members and teachers from all over the country during the DEN Stream-a-thon. I promised you all that I would post the presentations that I used during my session.

As promised - please find the attached PowerPoint Presentation. Each builder is covered in detail and the animations will walk you through the steps that you need to take to complete each builder. Please feel free to modify them or use them to help others learn about these tools!

I promise this presentation isn’t as wonky as what you saw on the Stream-a-thon!

Assignments and Quizzes, and Writing Prompts - Oh My Power Point - At Last

Matt

I know, I know, we have been stuck on the letter "B" forever.  I promise to resume the march through the alphabet very soon. 

Recently I have been on a whirlwind tour of the states.  I was in Berkeley, CA participating in the DEN Institute, then it was off to MD, VA, PA, NJ (pretty much in that order) to meet with educators and deliver a few presentations.

During the two Days of Discovery in Lawrenceville, NJ, I had the opportunity to deliver the 50 Ways to Integrate unitedstreaming presentation to educators from all over that great state.

Many of them asked for the presentation, and as promised, here it is.  Download 50_ways.zip

Feel free to download, modify, and use it however best meets your needs.  And while we don’t go through all 50 ideas, I encourage you to check it out - it just may spark an idea or two

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan

The idea of this posting, and its subsequent postings comes, from my good friend, and DEN Star Member, Stevie Kline - Intermediate Unit One Coal Center in Pennsylvania.

During a recent conversation Stevie asked me if we could include some information for users that are not only brand new to unitedstreaming, but may be getting their feet wet with technology as a whole.  I thought this is a great way to turn tech-NO-logy into Tech-KNOW-logy (sorry I love a cheesy pun).

As we all know there is a great diversity of tech skills and knowledge within our schools and workplaces.  To help level the playing field (just a wee bit), I’m going to create a series of postings called "Back to Basics." 

Each Back to Basics blog will address technology and/or unitedstreaming terms and break them down into layman terminology.  They’ll also include tips and tricks, and easy-to-follow instructions for you to share with your colleagues. 

I’ve also created a Back To Basics Category (located in the grey bar on the left-hand side of your screen).

Finally, I’ll update and attach this information as a Word document so that you can print it out and use as a reference.

We’ll start with the A’s and go through to the Z’s (I may have to be liberal with some letters like X or Z).  Of course I welcome your input so please feel free to add your knowledge to the postings - I’ll capture your comments and add them to the document.

Ok let’s get started!

A
Adding Content - unitedstreaming allows users to save ("bookmark") links to unitedstreaming assets (videos, quizzes, images, assignments, etc) so that, once they find them,  they don’t have to search for them all over again.  Links to these assets are stored in the "My Content," "School Content," or "District Content" folders. 

Now here’s the really cool thing, you can organize your unitedstreaming bookmarks and create customized folders. 

For example, let’s say that I want to teach a unit on Cells.  I can click on "My Content," create a folder called "Cells" and store videos on cell division, images of mitochondria, articles on the nucleus, quizzes, writing prompts, assignments and more, all in my Cell folder.  Then, when I want to access my unit on Cells, I simply click on My Content, the Cell Folder, and voila - there’s all my stuff!

It is important to note that this material is not physically saved on your hard drive, it is simply saved as a link within unitedstreaming.  To print out step-by-step instructions, click on link at the end of this posting.

You can also go to the blog posting My Content, Your Content, Our Content.

Audio Files - unitedstreaming houses elementary songs, famous speeches, and over 3,000 sound effects.   These audio files are in MP3 Format.  MP3 is an audio-specific computer format. It takes the audio and compresses it (makes it smaller) by filtering off certain sounds that cannot be heard by the listener, i.e., outside the normal human hearing range.

Since the audio files are compressed, they can easily be downloaded and embedded (put inside) things like Word, PowerPoint, and even Google Earth!

To search for a unitedstreaming audio file simply log into unitedstreaming and choose Audio: Songs, Audio: Sound Effects, or Speeches in the "WITHIN" box and hit Go.

Now here are some really cool applications:

1. Use unitedstreaming images and sound files to help English Language Learners by inserting them into Word or Powerpoint
2. Make your own Student sound files and combine them with images to tell a digital story
3. Use the unitedstreaming songs as activators in your elementary classroom
4. Use the unitedstreaming songs, images, and speeches to help illustrate a lesson or unit

Check the attached documents to see how to do step by step instructions for some of these ideas. Download back_to_basics_document.doc

Tune in for the next Back to Basic when we discuss terms like "bandwidth, bits, bytes and more"

Talk to you soon!

Matt
Discovery Educator Network!

They say that imitation is the purest form of flattery.  Well this posting and the ideas attached in it aren’t so much imitation as much as they are blatant "borrowing" from our very own DEN Manager Extraordinare, Lance Rougeux.

Recently I had the opportunity to present to a group of educators attending WHRO’s Tech Trek 2007 in Norfolk, VA.

Before I traveled to Norfolk, I had the chance to see Lance’s presentation, Summer Streamin’ Great Tips To Get You Ready For The New School Year and asked him if I could borrow it for my presentation.

I made a few modifications so that I could highlight the Discovery Atlas feature as well as a couple other things, and of course not feel so guilty to attach my name to it.

I encourage you to check out the attachment so that you too can borrow, modify, and make these great tips your own.

Download back_to_school1.ppt

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Educator Network!

Exciting news! We have just improved and updated the Assignment, Quiz and Writing Prompt Builders.

Here is how each builder has been made better.

Assignment Builder Improvements

Now, when you build your content, you can Bold Text, change the color of your text, add numbering and bullets, sub and super scripts, special characters, tables and more!

You can also click on the View Grade Report link to see which of your students has completed your assignment or choose to have an assignment notification e-mailed to you.

Finally, when adding material to your Assignment, you can now search your saved content instead of the entire unitedstreaming library.

Quiz Builder Enhancements

Just like the Assignment Builder, the Quiz Builder, gives you the ability to add Bold Text, change the color of your text, add numbering and bullets, sub and super scripts, special characters, tables and more!

Writing Prompt Improvements

I think the following enhancement is too cool for school.  When your students log into the Student Center to access your writing prompts, they can now type in their work.  Students also have the ability to bold text and do all of that fun stuff in their response. 

PLUS, once your students click on on the submit button, you can access their written work either by e-mail or by logging into unitedstreaming.com and clicking on the view grade report links.

Finally, as with the other two builders,  the Writing Prompt Builder now gives you the ability to add Bold Text, change the color of your text, add numbering and bullets, sub and super scripts, special characters, tables and more!

These changes were brought about because of you, and your comments.  Thank you for helping us continue to make unitedstreaming better!

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Over the past few weeks we have received lots of "How Do I…?" e-mails and phone calls.  The response has always been to provide the answer and direct them to the appropriate blog posting for future reference.

Now it used to be that if you were searching for a particular solution, say getting closed-captioning to work, you had to know to look in the "Tips and Tricks" category and then scroll down until you found an answer to your question.

Well no more my friend! Yesterday, in an effort to speed things up a little bit, I did a little spring/summer cleaning and created a bunch of new categories.

Check out the left-hand side of your screen and you will see categories like: 

• Burning CDs and DVDs
• Close Captioning - Everything You Need To Know
• Get More Booklet Order Form
• Getting the Point Across with PowerPoint
• Grants - How to Find Them!
• Professional Development

And a whole bunch more!

So the next time you or your colleagues get the inevitable "How Do I…?" question, check out the categories on the left to find your solution.

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Soon after Planet Earth aired on the Discovery Channel, requests from educators around the country started to pour in.  We received questions like, "How soon will DVDs be available?" "Can I use the DVDs in schools?" And, of course the inevitable, "How much?"

Well, my friends, here is the good news. Discovery Education has procured a number of Planet Earth DVD Box sets.  Every school that subscribes by June 15th to Discovery Education unitedstreaming™ or unitedstreaming Plus will receive a Planet Earth DVD Box Set - a $650 value!

Now here is the deal.  In order to receive the Planet Earth DVD Box Set with your subscription, your school must either be renewing their license by upgrading to unitedstreaming Plus or be a brand new unitedstreaming school and purchase Discovery Education unitedstreaming at its list price. 

Basically it breaks down like this-

Current unitedstreaming users:
Upgrade to unitedstreaming Plus for an additional $995 per building and receive one Planet Earth DVD set per school*
K-8 building Current unitedstreaming license + $995
9-12 building Current unitedstreaming license + $995

New unitedstreaming users:
Subscribe to unitedstreaming and receive one Planet Earth DVD set per school*

unitedtreaming price:
K-8 building - $1,495
9-12 building - $1,995

unitedstreaming Plus price:
K-8 building - $2,495
9-12 building - $2,995

*It goes without saying that this offer is available as long as supplies last.

To learn more about this offer simply click on this link unitedstreamingsales@discovery.com and send your request.

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

Ok so here we are on Friday and, as promised, here is the third of three postings on The Builders (Assignment, Quiz and Writing Prompt).

Today we’re going to tackle the Writing Prompt Builder.

The Writing Prompt Builder is a tool that allows you to tie together any image that you find on unitedstreaming with a caption they you create. 

Just like the other two builders, you can copy from the unitedstreaming Writing Prompt Builder question bank.  Once you’ve copied them you can customize them to make them your own!

And, like the Assignment Builder and Quiz Builder, your content is stored on the web so your students can access your quiz from any computer that has Internet access - even at home!

The over 500 unitedstreaming writing prompts are based on the national English/Language Arts standards for writing by the NCTE—National Council of Teachers of English.

These prompts also feature:

• Difficulty levels that cover students from those beginning the writing process to those who are in AP courses
• Descriptive, Narrative, Expository, and Persuasive prompts for grades 3-12
• Analysis prompts for grades 9-12

Each prompt includes images that relate to content taught across the country—both literary and non-literary, i.e., social studies, science, philosophy, cultural, community, and more.

To access the Writing Prompt library, log into unitedstreaming and click on the Teacher Center.  Then click on the Writing Prompt Icon.

To search the entire Writing Prompt Library, look inside the Search Writing Prompt Library box and uncheck the top three boxes - leaving only the unitedstreaming Writing Prompts box checked.   And in no time you’ll see the 500+ writing prompts appear on your screen.

I have attached a small PowerPoint presentation to this e-mail.  It includes step-by-step instructions for creating a Writing Prompt.  Feel free to download and customize it to meet your needs! Download writing_prompt_builder.ppt

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

True or False - within unitedstreaming you can find three great tools to help you integrate technology into the classroom?

True of course!  Way to go you passed the Pop Quiz!

And speaking of Pop Quizzes - let’s dive a little deeper into unitedstreaming’s Quiz Builder.

The Quiz Builder is a tool that allows you to tie together videos and video segments to questions that you design.  You can create Multiple Choice (Single Answer), Multiple Choice (Multiple Answer), True and False, and even Essay questions (unitedstreaming won’t grade essay answers). 

You can even copy entire quizzes and/or questions from the unitedstreaming Quiz Builder question bank.  Once you’ve copied them you can customize them to make them your own!

And, like the Assignment Builder,  your content is stored on the web so your students can access your quiz from any computer that has Internet access - even at home!

You can find the Quiz Builder by going to the Teacher Center. Once there, click on the blue Go To arrow and let your imagination loose! 

I have attached a small PowerPoint presentation to this e-mail.  It includes step-by-step instructions for building a Quiz and viewing a grade report.  Download the_quiz_builder.ppt

NOTE: I recommend that you use the online grade report to view your students grades.  If you choose to have them sent to you by e-mail you will receive individual reports for each of your students - which can add up to lots of e-mails!

Make sure to check back on Friday when we review the final builder in this series, the Writing Prompt Builder.

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

We posted these 13 page works of wonder within the Professional Development section of unitedstreaming. 

To access and print these booklets out you can either click on this link: Get More Booklet.

Or you can fill out the form below. Please note - The Get More Booklets are shipped in packs of 10. So if you order 20 - you’ll receive 200 booklets. You can request as many and as often as you want - for as long as we have them in stock.

As you all know by now unitedstreaming is much more than a video library.  It is also full of tools and applications that you can use in the classroom.

This week we’re going to tackle three of those tools, the Assignment Builder, the Quiz Builder, and the Writing Prompt Builder.

Let’s start by saying right off the bat that before creating an Assignment, Quiz or Writing Prompt you will need to turn OFF your Pop-Up Blockers.  When you go to save an Assignment, Quiz, or Writing Prompt, a second confirmation window appears. If you have your pop-up blockers turned on you won’t see this window and thus not be able to continue.

And here’s a helpful hint - even though you may have turned off your pop-ups in your Internet Explorer/Safari settings, you may also have to turn them off in tool bars like Yahoo and Google.

I’ve put together a quick how to turn on/off pop up blocker instruction-sheet for you.  Feel free to download it and share with your peers! Download turning_off_popup_blockers.doc

For this posting we’ll be concentrating on the Assignment Builder.

The Assignment Builder is a tool that allows you to tie together all of the assets (Videos, Images, Sounds, Quizzes, etc) that you find in unitedstreaming and create a unit.  Since the content is stored on the web your students can access the assignment from any computer that has Internet access - even at home!

You can find the Assignment Builder by going to the Teacher Center. Once there, click on the blue Go To arrow and let your imagination loose!

I have attached a small PowerPoint presentation to this e-mail.  It includes step-by-step instructions for building an Assignment.  I’ve also included notes on most slides.  That way you can print out the slides and refer to their instructions.  Feel free to download the presentation and make it yours!  Download assignment_builder_directions.ppt

Tune in on Wednesday when we explore the Quiz Builder!

Talk to you soon,

Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

With about one month to go, many of you reading this post may already be dreaming of those picture perfect days at the beach, relaxing in the garden, or spending joyous summer day after summer day outside in the sun -blissfully free of password requests or technical worries.

But before you fall full into a summer trance, I wanted to highlight a few key unitedstreaming resources.  That way when you plan your in-services, professional development days, and set your tech agenda’s you’ll know just where to look!

1. Interactive Training. These go-at-your-own pace modules are available 24/7 and cover everything from navigating unitedstreaming to in-depth instructional strategies.  You can take these modules in any order and unitedstreaming even remembers where you stop.  That way you can resume right where you left off!  To access these modules, simply click on the Professional Development link within your navigation bar and then click on the Interactive Training  icon.
2. PowerPoint presentation.  We’ve uploaded a great PowerPoint to help you present unitedstreaming to your staff.  Once you download it you can edit it to meet your needs - after all its yours!   Check it out by clicking on Professional Development , then  Trainer’s Toolkit,  and then the Full Training Presentation  (under the Getting Started  column).
3. Passcode flyer. The flyer includes step-by-step instruction for getting started with unitedstreaming.  Print it out, insert your school’s code and distribute! You can get to the flyer by clicking on Professional Development , then  Trainer’s Toolkit,  and then the Passcode Flyer (under the Getting Started  column).
4. The unitedstreaming Training Guide is a great resource for staff developers and trainers. This document addresses training strategies, troubleshooting, training set up, and more. You can get to the flyer by clicking on Professional Development , then  Trainer’s Toolkit,  and then the Training Guide (under the Staff Development Resources column).
5. I’ve put together a quick, fun and easy unitedstreaming Scavenger Hunt.  Feel free to download and customize - it is your for the taking. Download unitedstreaming_scavenger_hunt.ppt

Hopefully these resources will save you time, and maybe, just maybe, prolong that grass-between-the toes, sun-on-the-back, pass-me-another-hot dog summer time fun.

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, unitedstreaming

When you found out that your school had access to unitedstreaming, you proclaimed the news from the rooftops!  After the campus police encouraged you to come down, you held the initial training, registered your teachers, and familiarized them with the site.  You dutifully passed out your school kit material and hung up your posters.  Teachers were excited about it….and then little or nothing happened.

Is this you (except for the rooftop thing – that was for dramatic effect)?  Are you struggling to re-engage your staff?

How about incorporating a Teacher Challenge into your weekly faculty meeting? 

Sounds’ cool, “What’s a “Teacher Challenge,” you ask?

A Teacher Challenge can be any number of things that encourages teachers to incorporate digital media into their classroom. 

One way you can challenge your teachers is to provide a 10-15 minute demonstration of a new initiative in your school.  You can even work with your dedicated Implementation Representative to present the initiative, create a unique e-mail, newsletter, or just brainstorm.

For example, you and/or your Rep could demonstrate hyper-linking unitedstreaming videos into Inspiration or embedding videos into Power Point.  Then “Challenge” your staff to incorporate this new technique into a lesson during the week. 

At your next faculty meeting, encourage teachers to share how they used digital media the week prior.  This is an innovative way to utilize your staff’s creative energy to inspire the use of digital media.   It’s also a great way to continue to engage your staff.  For more ideas, call your Implementation Representative today.  Or, even better, share some of your "challenges" with us by responding to this blog!

Talk to you soon,

Sabrina-Yvette d’Almeida

Discovery Education unitedstreaming, Implementation

I thought I would first highlight this week’s Top Question for integration and then offer some great Fall integration ideas.  Feel free to submit any integration questions you/your colleagues may have–

What would be your suggestion to effectively show unitedstreaming videos to a classroom?  I think it is a common perception that videos = movies = projector.  I will start off by saying my school had two projectors and they were basically "cemented" in our library and computer lab.  When I became the technology specialist, I was determined to get classroom projectors– but then reality hit, funding was limited.  There are alternatives and I realized that video streaming does not require a projector for your students to enjoy the videos.

Scan Converters–these are becoming very popular in schools.  Not only are they much cheaper, but most classrooms are already equipped with TVs and you can easily hook up your TV and computer to display a video.

Small Groups (see my earlier blog)– an effective way to show a video to your students throughout the school day.

Independent workstations– this could be a computer lab or 1-2 computers in your classroom.  Basically students rotate to view the video and complete the related assignment or quiz.

Projector Checkout Schedule– Buy a cart to put the projector on (another affordable alternative), attach set-up directions, and allow teachers to share the projector throughout the school day.  For easy-to-use directions call 1-800-323-9084 or email to have your Implementation Contact send you a school kit and/or the How To Guide with directions for setting up projectors and scan converters. Click here for basic troubleshooting with LCD Projectors.

October and November are busy months– so many events, so little time!  Here are a few of our favorite videos…

October 23-31st: National Red Ribbon Week (Stay Drug Free)
Drugs and Alcohol Series for Children: Alcohol: It’s Not For Me (K-2)
Reality Matters: Smoking: Smoke Signals (6-8)
LegalEASE: Performance Drugs (9-12)

November Elections
Almost Painless Guide to the Election Process (3-5)
Campaign Essentials: Ballot Battles (9-12)
Campaign Essentials: Politics and the Media (9-12)

November 11th: Veterans’ Day
This Is Our Country (K-4)
Buffalo Soldiers (6-8)
Great Books: The Red Badge of Courage (9-12)

Lastly, I thought I would share two creative ways to use several features on the unitedstreaming site…

Virtual Field Trips: Schedule a regular "Lunch & Learn" club, where students can eat lunch while they watch a video about somewhere else in the world.

The Great Debate: Give student teams a topic and challenge them to defend their arguments by using video segments, articles, and research as evidence. 

Have a great week and please, feel free to post your Fall integration ideas! 

~Monika Davis, Discovery Education

So now that your teachers are comfortable searching for videos and downloading them onto their computers or streaming them live for their students what is next?

Why incorporating them into the The Builders course!

The Assignment Builder, Quiz Builder and Writing Prompt Builder (The Builders) give teachers the ability to tie images, audio files, videos, clips, and all of the other good stuff within the site together in one place and assign them to students. 

And here’s the really neat part - students can access the assignments in school and/or at home!  Homework made cool.

Click on the links below to download easy to understand instructions for each of The Builders.

Assignment Builder , Quiz Builder , Writing Prompt Buider

If you like that, here’s something that will really knock your socks off. 

unitedstreaming has added a new member to the family albeit a virtual one.  Check out the Interactive Training modules and meet our virtual instructor.  That’s right the interactive training is, well, even more interactive!

Check out module two and learn how to embed and hyperlink videos, images, clip art, and more into Word and PowerPoint documents.

Click on the Professional Development link within your navigation bar and then click on the Interactive Training icon to access the Interactive modules.

And what would an Implementation blog be without a little take-home tip or trick? 

In staying with our PowerPoint/Builder theme, I’ve put together a few slides for you to share with your colleagues and or incorporate into your training. I hope that they help! Download embedding_and_hyperlinking.ppt  Tune in next week for the latest and greatest!

Talk to you soon,

Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, Implementation

The “yellow limousines” are filled with inquiring young minds… so how can we help teachers meet the needs of their students and pass the grade of coolness?  Here are a few beginning of the year integration ideas to get things started on the right foot!

Welcome to Our Zoo (All About Me) –easy

Have students choose an animal that best represents them.  Let them find 2-3 images (Image Gallery) to add to a word document.  Students can then describe their animal and how/why it represents them.  If you really want to get creative, hang the documents on a bulletin board and string yarn in front… just like a real cage!  Don’t want to use animals?  Have students pick a planet, geographic location, food, etc… anything to get them to describe themselves to their classmates.

The First Six Weeks: Character Development — easy

The first few weeks are the most important for teachers when it comes to setting the mood in their classroom and establishing some ground rules.  Promote teamwork, cooperation, and conflict resolution with such videos as:

Let’s Get Along: Nice Things Kids Can Do (K-2)

Kids Learn Respect: Courtesy // Disagreements (3-5)

Conflict Resolutions (6-8)

Buzz Clip –easy to hard

Want to motivate those older students?  Using their editing software, teachers can edit several video clips together and show it as a montage of what’s to come this school year.  If they don’t have editing software or want an easier way to show highlights, PowerPoint is always a great alternative (embed or hyperlink videos).  Teachers, stimulate their minds with visual concepts of what your class is all about!

Of course, don’t forget Parent Night—what a great way for teachers to display how students in their class are integrating technology.  Have them display projects their students have created or will be working on using resources from unitedstreaming.  Even better, put together a short PowerPoint demonstrating video streaming and ways that their classroom is on the cutting edge of cool (and technology)—play the PowerPoint on a TV, projector, or a computer situated for all to see (they can choose to loop the slideshow—less maintenance)!

More integration ideas to come…but don’t hesitate to contact your Implementation Rep at 800-323-9084 to get a few creative ideas.

And as always, we want to hear from you!  Reply to this blog with some of the ways that you’ve integrated unitedstreaming into your classroom.

~Monika Davis
Discovery Education, Implementation

OK so for a lot of you, your school has just begun.  Feeling tied down to a mountain of papers yet?  Hopefully this post will leave you feeling a little lighter - zero gravity lighter!

Recently ultra-unitedstreaming user and, micro-gravity explorer, Janet English, got to experience a sensation most of us can only dream of.  Janet left the constraints of our gravity laden world and flew, literally, within a zero-gravity world. 

"This was a profound experience. It made me step back and think about where we live, and how insignificant the Earth is in size compared to the rest of the universe, which is infinite. On Earth, we have a specific mass and a certain force of gravity. But how objects move on Earth is very different than most everywhere else because of our mass and force of gravity. It’s unique. It’s special. It also makes you realize how important it is to do research in space, because that environment is perhaps more authentic for how things actually behave."

Janet was one of the chosen few to participate in a program sponsored by Northrop Grumman.  You can read more about her experience by clicking on the link.

And while it is pretty hard to change your classroom into a zero-gravity room, what with all the chairs floating around and the release forms you have to get filled, you can still take your students on a voyage to the stars.

In fact this week unitedstreaming is featuring a Thematic Focus (teacher feature for all of you veteran users) that focuses on Pluto…remember when it was a planet?

Take your students on a tour of our universe and discover why the solar system just got smaller, how Pluto differs from the ‘big eight’ planets, and what a planet is after all…

I know that there are more cool stories out there and we want to hear and post about them.  Tell us what you did over the summer, in the classroom, for dinner (OK maybe not dinner) and we’ll get them posted on the site.

Next week guest bloggers, Monika Davis and Stephen Wakefield will share with us some really neat back-to-school integration ideas as well as highlight a new administrative feature - so be sure to check back in!

Talk to you soon,
Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, Implementation

Welcome Back Educators!

As you make your triumphant return into the classroom, full of energy and rested from a relaxing summer vacation, I wanted to provide you with a little something special. 

The Implementation Team has a unitedstreaming a school kit for your school.

This year Discovery Education has purchased two different school kits for schools with two very different needs.

The first kit is a Roll-out or Beginner’s kit. This kit is really designed for schools that are either brand new to unitedstreaming or haven’t quite adopted its use.  Typically, these schools have less then 10 teachers that are using the site frequently

The contents of the Roll-out (beginners) kits are as follows:

• A Canvas Tote Bag
• Teacher’s guides (including how to hook up your computer to a Projector and/or Television)
• Poster (with space for each school’s passcode)
• A Liaison package which includes:
• A CD-Rom with lots of tips and tricks
• A unitedstreaming support folder
• A guide to integrating unitedstreaming into the classroom
• A passcode flyer
• A guide to rolling out unitedstreaming to your teachers

The second kit is an Integration or Advanced kit.  This kit is designed for schools that have readily adopted the use of unitedstreaming  and have 10 or more teachers that are using unitedstreaming in their classroom and/or lesson plans.

The contents of the Integration (advanced) kit are as follows:

• A Canvas Tote Bag
• Six posters
• A more in depth teacher guide with lots of tips and tricks
• A poster with 20 unique ways to use unitedstreaming in the classroom
• A poster on Bloom’s Taxonomy and how it applies to unitedstreaming
• A Liaison package which includes:
• A CD-Rom with lots of tips and tricks
• A unitedstreaming support folder
• A guide to integrating unitedstreaming into the classroom
• A passcode flyer
• A guide to rolling out unitedstreaming to your teachers

Wow that is cool! How do I get my hands on one of those kits?
Easy! Simply call the toll-free number, 1-800-323-9084, tell us the school and school district that you are calling from, and ask for your Implementation Representative.  Once you get your Rep on the line, ask them for your kit!

But Matt, once I receive this awesome kit, what do you recommend I do with it?  Man you guys are on the ball - another great question!

Since each kit is chock full of goodies and ideas you are only really limited to your imagination.  You should definitely post the posters in highly visible areas and incorporate your kit’s tools and material into your training.

But there’s so much more….in fact on Sept 18, 19, and 20, 2006 at 3:30 p.m. and again at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, we’re going to be hosting a series of Chit Chat webinars on the School Kits.  We’ll discuss unique ways to roll-out, interesting ways to integrate, and come together and share successful ideas. 

To register for one of these Chit Chat sessions contact me at matt_monjan@discovery.com and let me know your name, school, school district (if applicable), and your preferred Chit Chat date/time.  Once I receive your information, I’ll send you the sign-up instructions.

But first things first, please call your Implementation Rep and request your kit.

Second, be sure to block out some time on either of the dates mentioned above and attend a Chit Chat webinar.

Finally, keep checking out this blog and its new postings!

Talk to you soon,

Matt Monjan
Discovery Education, Implementation