...Maintain Contact With Your Trainees?
Your training session is only the first step in coaching and mentoring your trainees, whether you are a building-level MarcoPolo trainer or one who is responsible for training on a broader scale. After your training session, stay in touch with attendees and offer your support as they implement what they've learned.

Tailor the suggestions you include in follow-up e-mail messages based on information from the session's Roster page in Rusticello. For example, send updates on New Lessons appropriate for your trainees' grade band or subject area; point out current events from the MarcoPolo Content Calendar; or add information about relevant Featured Resources. You can even insert a link to the latest MarcoGram or Trainer MarcoGram with a recommendation to subscribe.

Let your trainees know the level of ongoing support MarcoPolo can provide, in addition to other resources available through their building, district and state.

Tracking Field Training Activity

All MarcoPolo Field Trainers should complete the following four tracking steps for each training session: Before the training, (1) register it. During the training session, (2) have your attendees sign in on the roster and (3) take the training survey. After the session, (4) report on the session you have led. For more details, view the "Four Steps to a Successful Field Training" PowerPoint Tutorial.

After each training session, MarcoPolo e-mails trainers aggregated reports based on trainee surveys entered into the system. Field Trainers may go to Rusticello and view surveys from any of their training sessions.

These reports provide you with complete documented information on the MarcoPolo trainings you have conducted and make you eligible for the MarcoPolo Field Trainer Recognition Program and the Train and Win! Contest (see related stories in this issue). They also provide vital tracking information on your organization's MarcoPolo rollout. For more information, consult the Field Trainer FAQ.

Note to MarcoPolo Certified Trainers – Please be sure the Field Trainers you train have this information. Contact your organization's Training Administrator for additional information on tracking your own training activity.

...the "Powers of Ten" Applet?
In the Spring 2004 issue, we introduced you to the Powers of Ten applet, which was reviewed and approved by MarcoPolo Content Partner Science NetLinks. Based upon the concept advanced by architect Charles Eames, this student interactive resource reinforces the mathematical concept of exponential notation. It can be used to help students understand and compare the size of things in their world and universe.

Please tell us how you've integrated this applet into the training sessions you are conducting for educators and other trainers. Describe some of the ways you (or your trainees) suggest educators might use this resource with students.

Thank you in advance for sharing. Your feedback helps us keep MarcoPolo responsive to educator and student needs!

Do you have a story or training tip you'd like to share? Let us know!

Agenda Creator

Audience Inventory Worksheet

Featured Resources and Lessons

Global Considerations

Glossary of Internet Terms

Glossary of MarcoPolo Terms

ISTE Alignment

MarcoPolo Content Calendar

MarcoPolo Search Engine

New Partner Lessons

Partner Site Overviews

Partner Site Talking Points

Plug-Ins and Utilities

Standards Alignment

Trainer FAQ

Trainer Resource Center

Training Logistics Forms

WebEx Awareness Sessions

The MarcoGram is written especially for K-12 classroom teachers, principals and trainers. Distributed by e-mail each month, this edition features themed activities to use in the classroom, along with links to lesson plans and other resources available through the MarcoPolo Partnership.

The MarcoGram is a great training tool, whether you copy and distribute it to trainees at your sessions or point them to the online archived editions. Remember to encourage your attendees to subscribe to this popular newsletter!

Recent topics include:

June 2004
It's Off to Work We Go

May 2004
Lewis and Clark: Corps of Discovery

April 2004
Let's Get Moving!

The Trainer MarcoGram is a quarterly newsletter that provides MarcoPolo Trainers with tips, activities, news and links to online resources. Permission is granted to reprint and distribute the Trainer MarcoGram for use in a training session or classroom, or on Web sites devoted to the field of education or professional development. All Web addresses and links must be maintained in their original form as they appear in the published version.

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MarcoPolo's Professional Development Team is gearing up for this year's National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), June 20-23 in New Orleans. Highlights include a workshop and the celebration of two key anniversaries.

Workshop on Implementing Federal Mandates

MarcoPolo Veteran Staff Trainer and Consultant Ron Harrison, who has delivered more than 80 training sessions, will present "Building Successful Schools: Developing a Comprehensive Plan," a workshop on how MarcoPolo content and resources can be used to address federal mandates. The hands-on session is scheduled for Monday, June 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The workshop is geared toward educators, administrators, staff developers, technology integration facilitators and technology coordinators. There are no prerequisite technology skills, but participants should be prepared to discuss their organizations and how they plan to meet federal educational technology mandates.

After the workshop, Yetta Lewis, manager of Professional Development, and Stan Dunlap, program officer for MarcoPolo Trainer Certification and Strategic Alliances, will meet and greet MarcoPolo Trainers who attended the workshop.

NETS Alignment, ISTE 100 Alliance Partnership Anniversaries

It has been one year since MarcoPolo announced its agreement with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to align the training paradigm and materials to the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for teachers. To view the alignment summary and get more information, click here.

MarcoPolo is entering its second year as a member of the ISTE 100 Alliance, a select group of forward-thinking corporations and nonprofits dedicated to furthering ISTE's goals for educators and students. Read more about MarcoPolo's ISTE partnership and look for the MarcoPolo logo on the ISTE signs throughout the convention hall next week.

MarcoPolo Content Partners are working to embed student materials within the majority of their lessons. Thanks to a recent $200,000 grant from Microsoft, MarcoPolo will be able to more quickly scale the number of student interactive materials that can be produced in a time- and cost-effective manner.

Most of these materials will be Flash-based interactive resources, such as graphic organizers and publication tools, that engage students and support standards-based curricula.

To locate student interactive resources, use the MarcoPolo Search Engine and search for "student interactive'' or go to the following sections of these Content Partner sites: Illuminations' Interactive Math Tools, Science NetLinks' Tool Index or ReadWriteThink's Student Material Index.

Behind the Scenes with ReadWriteThink's Interactives Developer

The ReadWriteThink team (a partnership of the National Council of Teachers of English, the International Reading Association and MCI-MarcoPolo) has provided valuable insight for the MarcoPolo Consortium into the development of interactive student resources.

We asked Traci Gardner, ReadWriteThink's online content developer, to explain the project and provide tips for introducing interactive student resources in a training session.

Q: What is the goal of the student interactives project?

A: Our primary aim in designing interactives is to ensure that the tools we develop fit sound, pedagogical goals. We try to develop interactives that stretch the thinking of the teachers and students who use them. At the same time, we hope that the tools we create help simplify and enrich classroom lessons and student learning.

For example, our Stapleless Book interactive takes folded bookmaking to a new level by enabling students to use an online tool to write and design their texts and then publish their work as a book. The online tool makes the whole process smoother and easier for teachers and more engaging for students.

Q: What process is used to design or select an interactive resource for a specific lesson or concept?

A: ReadWriteThink focuses on matching interactives closely to the educational goals of each lesson. Our design process begins with thinking about standards-based lesson plans and educational practices that teachers rely on, and then working to identify ways that we can use the available technologies to help teachers and students reach their goals. Once we identify a possible interactive, we go to our organizations’ publications to find supporting theory and practice that helps shape our designs.

For example, the Alphabet Organizer is based on research that tells us that providing student-centered vocabulary instruction is one of the most significant ways in which we can improve students’ reading and listening comprehension. The tool that we’ve designed provides a way for students to collect and define their own vocabulary words and then publish their collections. As tools are designed and programmed for the site, we always return to the touchstone of the teacher in the classroom to ensure that our choices support the teacher’s educational mission.

For the Alphabet Organizer, we know that students work at different developmental levels, so we designed the tool to allow for a variety of options -- for instance, students can track words for each letter of the alphabet or as many letters as they choose. Further, the tool allows for multiple ways of collecting vocabulary words, giving students the option to choose a single word for each letter, three words per letter, or a word and related notes for each letter. The key for us is to create interactive tools that always work in the way that the Alphabet Organizer does -- providing standards-based, theoretically sound literacy engagements that offer the flexibility necessary to meet the needs of multiple learners.

Q: What is the most effective way to introduce ReadWriteThink student interactives during a training session?

A: Our Student Materials Index is the best place to start when you’re sharing the interactives with other teachers. By clicking on the name of each interactive in the index, you get information about the tool and a list of the ReadWriteThink lessons that use it. From there you also can access the tool directly and use it in your training. These Student Materials pages are an extremely valuable feature for the site because they match the interactives with standards-based practices where they are used. This additional context helps take the interactives from the level of “cool tools” to pedagogically valid instructional materials.

For instance, if you displayed the Comic Creator by itself, teachers would only see an interactive that allows students to compose their own comics. By sharing the Comic Creator’s Student Material page, teachers see a full range of ways that comics can be used in the classroom. Simply by scanning the list of lesson plan titles, teachers will see applications ranging from genre study to comprehension and from critical literacy to phonics.

Q: How might a classroom teacher use these interactive resources with students?

A: The Persuasion Map is an example of a student interactive resource that provides exciting possibilities for teachers and students. This interactive graphic organizer enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate as a pre-writing tool as well as to pinpoint the structure of an essay or speech as a post-reading tool.

In the classroom, a teacher can use the interactive tool to model the process of outlining a persuasive document, stepping through the process from determining a thesis to identifying supporting facts or examples. The map graphic in the upper right-hand corner allows the user to access any section of the map as opposed to working in a linear fashion. By clicking the printer icon, you can preview the map, return to the map for revisions or print the completed map for future reference. Once the teacher has modeled this process, students can use the tool independently as they read, write and think about persuasive documents.

In this and future issues of the Trainer MarcoGram, this section will offer step-by-step instructions for introducing each of the Content Partner Web sites to your training session attendees. We'll begin with ARTSEDGE, presented by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Before Your Training Session

• Register your training session.



• Familiarize yourself with the new look and navigation of the ARTSEDGE Web site, especially the three main components -- Teach, Connect and Explore -- as well as the Spotlights section. Notice also that the Finder search tool is specific to the related section, i.e., as a Lesson Finder, a Standards Finder, a Weblinks Finder or a How-To's Finder.



• Review resources available in the Trainer Resource Center to help in your preparation. Visit the During Training section to access the Partner Site Talking Points, which provide comprehensive overviews of each Partner site. In addition, MarcoPolo Hot Links and Partner Site Overviews will help you with exploring navigation and resources with your attendees.



• Ensure the availability of a working Internet connection at your training site, as well as Adobe Acrobat Reader, a common plug-in used in many Partner-created lessons. Use this opportunity to ensure your participants are comfortable using Adobe Acrobat, including downloading the plug-in if they don’t have it. This may also open up discussion about varying network requirements and constraints.

During Your Training Session

• Have trainees Roster at the beginning of the training session or during a break.



• Begin on the ARTSEDGE home page. Remember that you are helping your participants learn the process of finding their way to a resource as well as learning how to use it. Have trainees go to the Teach section and click on Lessons. Point out the Lesson Finder and Lessons Quick Search features, as well as the New Lessons listed in the left-hand side bar. Then, draw their attention to the small size of the "elevator box" in the right-hand scroll bar of their browser window, indicating the depth of the page.



• Point out the fact that the ARTSEDGE lesson plans are in a database that can be sorted by field by simply clicking on a different header or field title. Ask a guiding question, such as, "Under what circumstances would you choose to sort the list by one of the other fields?"



• Remind trainees that there are a variety of ways to find the lesson they need. As an example, have attendees scroll down the lesson list and click on the link to "A Lens Into the Past." This can be a good moment to be sure that each participant knows how to "Add to Favorites" or "Bookmark" the lesson for future reference. Remind them of the three option links in the upper right hand corner of the lesson that invite them to e-mail, print or send feedback about this lesson.



• Walk your attendees through "A Lens Into the Past." This lesson uses photographs to visually describe the transition from Old World to New World as experienced by immigrants to the United States. Students gain historical perspective on the immigration experience by comparing and contrasting photographic images of the past and the present.



• Focus their attention on the metacognitive and ask attendees how they plan to evaluate the overall effectiveness of this lesson in helping their students learn and meet the relevant standards.



• Discuss the three extensions in the "Lens Into the Past" lesson. Let this become a good "trainable moment" to connect with the best practices of differentiated instruction. Encourage participants to suggest additional options and strategies for meeting the needs of the variety of students they face each day.



• Provide your attendees with additional time to review other ARTSEDGE lessons and resources. After their review, have your participants share how they can use what they found with their students.



• Next, ask attendees to name some topics they are currently discussing in class for which they'd like to find additional materials and information. Select one or two topics and show attendees how to find the Search MarcoPolo link at the top of each page in ARTSEDGE to locate relevant Partner-created lessons and Partner-reviewed content. Scan the audience to see if they need a few additional moments of instruction on the four search methods in the MarcoPolo Search Engine.



• Reflect on all of the resources mentioned during the session, leaving enough time to answer questions. Encourage the attendees to use the feedback link on the top of any ARTSEDGE page if they have additional questions or comments.



• Have attendees complete the Training Session Survey.

After Your Training Session

• Complete the Training Follow-Up Form.



• Review the aggregated survey report, which you will receive via e-mail the morning after your session (provided your trainees completed their surveys during the session) or you may view the survey report in Rusticello.



• Send us feedback on how these suggestions worked in your training session.

Illuminations, presented by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, has provided teachers and trainers a wide range of interactives to help students learn the principles of mathematics. Exploring the concept of equivalence is easy when using the various versions of the Pan Balance found in the Tools section of the Illuminations Web site.

Starting with the Shape Pan Balance, elementary students work with an electronic version of the balances they have been using as manipulatives in their classrooms, strengthening their technology skills at the same time. The program tracks successful measurements as students balance their scales using a variety of combinations. This double pan balance provides an interesting environment in which to consider the concept of "equivalence." The weight of the objects can be specified and fixed, or students can assign their own values.

As students get a bit more mature, they can move on to the Number Pan Balance. This technology tool makes a transition from the physical shapes and colors to balancing equations. For some students, the tool will be useful to make connections to more abstract experiences. (In understanding equality, one of the first things students must understand is that equality is a relationship, not an operation.)

The Expression Pan Balance is a natural extension of the Shape and Number Pan Balances. Students can use this interactive pan balance to "weigh" numeric or algebraic expressions. They can practice arithmetic and algebraic skills as they investigate the important concept of equivalence.

These tools offer great opportunities for teachers looking for resources to differentiate instruction and meet a combination of student needs. These tools are aligned with National Educational Technology Standards for Students 1, 3 and 6.
 

Five trainers recently earned certification through MarcoPolo's Certified Trainer (MPCT) Program: Katie Cole (Alabama); Jane Brown (Colorado); Lena Kanemori (Hawaii); and Bill Maitland (New York); and Linda Batty (Texas). There currently are 16 MarcoPolo Certified Trainers nationwide, based in nine states: Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia.

This program is a collaborative effort of MarcoPolo and Rollout Partner Organizations. Certified Trainers train Field Trainer candidates and other educators who are end users of MarcoPolo resources in K-12 classrooms and school sites in their service areas. MPCTs also train administrators, pre-service teachers and college-of-education faculty. Certified Trainer candidates undergo a rigorous training and mentoring program prior to earning certification and are recertified annually.

New York Trainers Recertified

The MarcoPolo Certified Trainer group from New York state became the first group to complete annual update and recertification sessions via WebEx web conferencing. Stan Dunlap, program officer for MarcoPolo Trainer Certification and Strategic Alliances, and Christen Cummings, MarcoPolo staff trainer, hosted the trainings. Participants learned in-depth information about recent Content Partner site enhancements and tips for using the many new student interactive resources. MPCT groups in several other states are approaching their one-year anniversaries and will participate in similar update sessions over the next few months. The Certified Trainer Program is available to all MarcoPolo Rollout Partner Organizations to help expand their MarcoPolo training programs. For more information, contact us.

Nine more Field Trainers have become winners in MarcoPolo's monthly Train and Win! Contest.

March:
Robert Holloway (Rapid City, S.D.); Nancy Kuznicki (Pinellas Park, Fla.); and Lorie Layfield (Sebring, Fla.)

April:
James Weber (Batesland, S.D.); Becky Brinlee (Seminole, Okla.); and Shannon Flynn (Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.)

May:
Shayne Hamilton (Keller, Texas); Tere Burton (La Porte, Texas); and Chris Gliko (Huron, S.D.)

To date, the Train and Win! Contest has awarded prizes to 24 winners. All have received pre-paid MCI phone cards ($75 value for first place, $45 value for second and $35 value for third place).

How the Contest Works

All Field Trainers who have completed the four required tracking steps for the MarcoPolo training sessions they lead are entered into random monthly drawings. If a trainer delivers multiple completed sessions in a given month, that trainer's name is entered once for each completed session. The more completed sessions, the more opportunities to win! Check out the PowerPoint tutorial for more information on the four required tracking steps Field Trainers should complete to become eligible for the Train and Win! Contest.