---

 

Wishing you all the best for 2004 from ISETS!

BEYOND DIGITAL. International Schools Education Technology
Services’ (ISETS) e-newsletter January 2004

In this issue:

What 2004 has in store: ISETS features 5 articles and links
to what various writers think will be the major themes and
hot topics in Information Technology in 2004.

Space and more: With the Mars probe landings and talk of a
manned station on the moon, ISETS highlights some of the
best Space sites available to educators and students.

Online courses: As international school teachers plan their
July-August breaks,  ISETS provides links to online and
offline Educational Technology Courses you might like to
consider.

Surf Byte of the month: Our monthly pick of two great sites
for you to use in your class today!

What does 2004 have in store? An ISETS perspective: There
is no doubt internet users are becoming more and more
reliant on instant access to the internet to shop, read,
travel, invest, educate, communicate, research and express
themselves. The online culture is becoming mainstream. Our
students multi-task with ease, juggling cell phones,
instant messaging, MP3’s and computer as they write, blog,
search or chat using their keyboards. The downloading wars
seem to continue, and everyone is trying to keep up with
the iPod revolution–a generation moving to an MP3 music
experience. Wireless technology is becoming a global
standard. As more and more schools explore and implement
programs for laptops and PDA’s, a paradigm shift towards
the way IT is integrated and perceived by school
communities is occurring. Information Technology
integration has become a necessity for schools. A greater
seamlessness seems to be occurring, partly pushed by the
students we work with, and partly spurred by the needs of
the world we all interact with.

Below find ISETS’ pick of 5 expert perspectives on the big
trends for 2004. Stephen’s Web 2004: The Turning Point
http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/website/view.cgi?dbs=Article&key=1072826566

Forbes.Com
http://www.forbes.com/execpicks/2004/01/02/102techtrendspinnacor_ii.html

Fortune.com
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/12/31/fortune.ff.tech.trends/

The Independent
http://news.independent.co.uk/digital/features/story.jsp?story=477004

E_Learning Guru
http://www.e-learningguru.com/articles/ezine/guru3_1.htm

Space Sites In the last few months there has been
significant media coverage of the European and American
probes arriving around Mars, and the successful landing of
the US probe. This month ISETS highlights 5 space sites for
educators.

Live From Mars Teacher’s Guide
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/teachers/tg/index.html This
site is rich in hands-on lesson plans. Students are
challenged to make Martian maps, and create their own
rockets and Martian land rovers. Activities and lessons
include an opportunity to learn about the geological and
meteorological make up of Mars, and related projects.

Space Link http://spacelink.nasa.gov/.index.html Created by
NASA, this site acts as a portal to the rich array of
resources on offer for students and educators. The site is
a launching pad for the NASA Library, a central resource of
education materials. Hot Topics covers the latest topics in
focus by the media. The Express Link connects you to their
mailing links. Cool Picks highlights the best of the NASA
sites. There is also a special Educators’ corner with
access to lesson plans, activities and more. This site is a
powerful search tool to explore many other NASA resources
available to educators

Windows to the Universe http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ This
site is broken into three levels: Beginner, Intermediate,
and Advanced. Included in this site is information about
Earth, the solar system, the universe, and space missions.
An interesting aspect: this site has a section on myths,
legends and people. This site is also available in Spanish.

Hubble Site http://hubblesite.org This site is the official
Hubble site, with information on the new Hubble
discoveries. You can view photographs of stars and
galaxies. There is a whole set of rich resources and
information about this remarkable telescope.

Views of the Solar System. http://www.solarviews.com/ This
site is a rich multimedia resource with excellent facts and
information about the sun, planets, moons, comets,
asteroids, and more. Included is the latest scientific
information with the history of space exploration,
rocketry, early astronauts, space missions, and spacecraft.
You will also find a vast archive of photographs,
scientific facts, text, graphics, and videos.

For a full listing of space sites at ISETS go to this link:
http://isets.org/eStudent/subject/Space_sites.htm

Online Education Technology Course for International
Educators As many of us prepare for the summer and think
about different professional development opportunities,
ISETS has put together a small list of resources to help
with decision making.

For the full list go to:
http://isets.org/eEducator/ProfessDev.htm

Teachscape http://teachscape.com/ Teachscape provides a
comprehensive system for K-12 teacher professional
development that includes Internet-based multimedia courses
community, on-site school support services, and diagnostic
assessments. The teachscape model allows teachers to become
active participants in an online community of educators.

Teacher Tap http://eduscapes.com/tap/ This is a free
professional development resource to support educators in
addressing common technology integration questions by
providing practical, online resources and activities.

Online Professional Development Workshops
http://www.tcet.unt.edu/START/profdev/webbased.htm This
site acts as a mini portal to a long list of online (free
and fee paying) courses with many focusing on Information
Technology. It is very comprehensive. A good place to
start.

T.H.E. Institute http://www.thejournal.com/institute/
T.H.E. Institute T.H.E. Institute provides professional
development for educators on a range of professional
development services and online classes for a fee. This is
an innovative program with great resources and all online.

Surf Byte of the Month “Project Cam”
http://www.ciconline.org/projectcam This site is devoted to
encouraging teens to read and write. Using an innovative
method called "Project Cam," schools in different locations
are able to collaborate on virtual poetry slams and
readings using Web cams and broadband access. This site
also has resources to promote curriculum in the areas of
reading, writing, social and personal development.

Inside ESL http://www.insideESL.com This site includes
resources for specialized ESL instruction such as business
and grammar, as well as lesson plans that teachers can
peruse and post online. To help prospective ESL
instructors, the site offers travel guides and school
directories for locating ESL opportunities. In addition,
the discussion board and teachers’ stories sections help
bring together ESL teachers to share their common
experiences.

Beyond Digital is a free online e-newsletter and part of
the ISETS’ (International Schools Education Technology
Services) web portal. To subscribe or unsubscribe please
click on the link below:
http://isets.org/Beyond_Digital/beyond_digital.htm

…until next month, http://isets.org

Who are we? http://isets.org/aboutus/About_Us.htm Comments:
contact@isets.org

Need a workshop Facilitated? eworkshop@isets.org

For back issues of Beyond Digital go to:
http://isets.org/Beyond_Digital/beyond_digital.htm