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School / Work Affiliation: Heritage High School - Wake County Public School System

About Me: I am a High School Science teacher with a concentration in Biology. As a former Technology Coordinator, I am always on the lookout for technology rich lesson plans and collaborative opportunities.

Kara Norris's Blog

Curriculum Mapping

Posted on January 10, 2009 at 2:09pm 0 Comments 0 Likes

I teach in a small, rural school. At times, many times, we have to be creative due to our lack of resources, whether that be financial or physical. Needless to say, I do not have, what I would call, a usable curriculum map or pacing guide. I smell a new project! Normally, I merely "borrow" whatever I can from seasoned teachers, internet sites, etc. My situation is a little different because we are a Catholic school. I have to follow their content standards which means I can't just copy from… Continue

Teachers forfeit raise?

Posted on January 7, 2009 at 11:30am 1 Comment 0 Likes

I was watching Fox and Friends this morning and a story about a school that was asked to forfeit their raise in order for everyone to keep their jobs. It was reported that if everyone, in this particular school system, agreed to give up their raise, then none of the teachers would be laid off. Talk about being put in a tough situation. On one hand, you want to be a humanitarian but, on the other hand you need to take care of your own family. There is also the issue of those teachers close to… Continue

Cheap Interactive Whiteboard using Wii remote?

Posted on January 4, 2009 at 1:31pm 1 Comment 0 Likes

I was poking around on You Tube and find a post by Johnny Chung Lee from Carnegie Mellon University. He is working on different projects that incorporate the Wii remote. In the video he details how to use a Wiimote, a homemade LED pen, and a plain surface to create an interactive whiteboard. The other fascinating idea was that he projected the image onto a table manipulated the computer programs from there. My mind started spinning with… Continue

After Holiday Let-Down

Posted on January 2, 2009 at 6:30am 0 Comments 0 Likes

So, now that the holidays are over, it's time to get "back to reality". I will be finishing up my first Science Fair in the next month. This has been an experience I have enjoyed however, it has become rather bothersom at the same time. It is at times difficult to motivate the students. In my class (7th and 8th graders) we have been working on Science Fair since before Thanksgiving. They have had ample opportunity to complete all of their research, type all of their papers, etc. in class. I… Continue

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At 8:10am on December 1, 2009, Lindsey @SmartEd Services said…: Would you be interested in presenting or attending our upcoming Ohio Free-Tech 2010 Conference? I extend this opportunity to you, your colleagues, and graduate students to share research findings regarding technologies in the classroom, 21st century pedagogical approaches, 24/7 learning environments and communication skills that effectively engage digital natives.

Following the conference(s), SmartEd Services will be happy to make your research available via www.teachsmart.org and other social media networks.
Though we are a technology reseller, our mission is to create understanding, not simply to sell “stuff.” This conference offers teachers and administrators the opportunity to come together and explore these integrated technologies and methodologies.

Recognizing the fiscal constraints facing Ohio’s schools, and with the knowledge that training budgets have been cut, we have taken it upon ourselves to bring professional development to these educators. Conferences will be held in January and February at locations in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo. They are offered at no charge to the attendees. Also, please know that we will not use this as a platform for sales.

Our goal is for attendees to walk away with a better understanding of their students’ needs and how proper technology integration addresses those needs through a range of disciplines and learning styles.

Presentation application forms can be downloaded at www.teachsmartconference.org. For more information, please call (800) 251- 4077 x397.

At 5:03pm on April 27, 2009, Mark Cruthers said…: Hi Kara,

With your interest in Distance Learning, I recommend you take a look at Wiziq's virtual classroom and authorstream's power point presentation platform. Both are web based platforms, have a bunch of features and free basic service. Here’s a public class recording conducted by Nellie Deutsch on Technology Integration.

Integrating Technology into the Classroom Using Moodle and Wikis by Nellie Deutsch

Get your own Virtual Classroom

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This is my photsynthesis webquest I created for a class at the University of Rio Grande.

Here is the link to the podcast that I created to go along with the above webquest.