NETS•T Aligned

MarcoPolo's training paradigm and materials are aligned to the International Society for Technology in Education's (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for Teachers. View information about the MarcoPolo alignment and learn more about NETS for Teachers.

Content Partners In the News

A Dancer's Journal: Learning to Perform the Dances of Martha Graham, a new Flash-based mini-site from ARTSEDGE, was named an MSN.ca "Site of the Day"; it was also a "Yahoo Pick" and a "Hot Site" in a recent USA Today review. For more information on this new resource for grades 5-12, see the article in the May 4, 2005, issue of MarcoPolo News.

The National Geographic Education Network (EdNet) was one of five Web sites nominated for a Webby Award for Best Community Site of 2005. EdNet is National Geographic's online resource, collaboration and discussion network for K-12 teachers, geographers, professors and educators of all kinds. National Geographic is MarcoPolo's Content Partner on the Xpeditions Web site.

Do You Know How To...

...Check for Plug-ins? When planning your training sessions, check the computers you will be using for the necessary plug-ins and utilities. Be sure to meet with your network technician or the person who oversees the computers at your organization prior to your training to determine what is already available on the network.

For a list of plug-ins and utilities you will need while browsing the MarcoPolo Partner sites, see the Plug-ins page in the Trainer Resource Center. If you will be using Illuminations applets, you will also need to enable Java (if using Windows) or download Java (if using Mac).

Detailed information is available on Illuminations' "Software Needed" page. Contact us for additional information.

Train and Win!
Contest Winners

Congratulations to the following Train and Win! Contest winners:

April 2005
Phyllis Williams (Burns Flat, Okla.); Wanda Martin (El Reno, Okla.); and Kay Rewerts (Waterloo, Iowa)

March 2005
Christie Cox (Wagoner, Okla.); Pamela Lee (Corpus Christi, Texas); and Phyllis Highland (Unionville, Va.)

February 2005
Bruce Cattanach (Denville, N.J.); Helen Lein (Floral Park, N.Y.); and Sara Atwell (Waco, Texas)

All Field Trainers who have completed the four required tracking steps for the training sessions they lead are eligible to win prizes in the random drawings that are part of the Train and Win! Contest.

Field Trainers of the Month Honored

Congratulations are extended to the following MarcoPolo Field Trainers of the Month:

April 2005
Jamie Church (Oklahoma)

February 2005
Sheila Bennett (Alabama)

All Field Trainers who train a minimum of 30 educators in a single month and earn mean survey scores of 4.5 or higher on a scale of 1 to 5 are recognized through the MarcoPolo Field Trainer Recognition Program.

The Field Trainer with the highest mean survey score for each month is named Field Trainer of the Month. In order to be eligible, Field Trainers must complete the four required tracking steps for the training sessions they conduct.

Three Trainers Earn Certification

Three trainers have recently earned certification through the MarcoPolo Certified Trainer Program – Jeff Anderson and Elizabeth Whitehead of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Shawndra Johnson of Alabama State University.

These trainers were certified through MarcoPolo's Rollout Partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham on behalf of the Alabama Department of Education. There are now 29 Certified Trainers in the MarcoPolo Training Network.

MarcoPolo Certified Trainers have completed advanced workshops and demonstrated proficiency delivering MarcoPolo training sessions to Field Trainers and/or teachers. They are required to complete the four tracking steps for the training sessions they lead. Certification is renewable on an annual basis. For more information, please contact us.

How Do You Use...

...Math Applets? In the spring 2005 issue of the Trainer MarcoGram, we took an in-depth look at how math applets help educators with the "Rule of Four." Included was information about the benefits of using these interactive tools in the mathematics classroom and tips for how trainers can present applets during training sessions. Please tell us how you introduced these resources during your training sessions and how your trainees reacted.

Bookmarks

About MarcoPolo

Agenda Creator

Audience Inventory Worksheet

Browsable Content Index

Featured Resources and Lessons

Field Trainer Recognition Program

Free Awareness Sessions

Global Considerations

Glossary of Internet Terms

Glossary of MarcoPolo Terms

Internet Plagiarism

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

Trainer Tips

Training Logistics Forms

MarcoPolo News is a quarterly e-newsletter that brings "big picture" program updates to members of the MarcoPolo Education Community. It's a great tool for trainers who often are asked general questions about the program and those who integrate program news into their training sessions. Trainers and trainees are encouraged to subscribe. All issues are archived online.

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. Encourage your attendees to subscribe today!

Recent topics include:

June 2005
Keeping the Peace

May 2005
Communication: Connecting People and Ideas

April 2005
Leonardo da Vinci and the Spirit of Invention

Share the Wealth...
and Your Feedback!

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.

Trainer MarcoGram archive

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Whether you spend your summer delivering training sessions, continuing your own personal professional development or both, these "training solutions" can keep you current and growing as a MarcoPolo trainer.

Consider participating in an hour-long trainer-facilitated Awareness Session, offered via Web conferencing on a weekly basis. These sessions provide an opportunity to catch up on the latest additions to the MarcoPolo resources, like new student interactives and updates to the Search Engine and Content Partner Web sites. There is no charge to take an Awareness Session. Registration is on an individual basis.

If you completed the TRN-1: Content and Resources trainer session, be sure to follow up with the TRN-2: ICFC Activity Development trainer session which focuses on Internet Content for the Classroom Activity Development and builds upon the skills presented in the TRN-1 session. You'll learn to develop Internet-based lesson plans and learning activities using MarcoPolo content and strategies for training teachers to do the same. Individuals or groups may register for TRN-2 sessions, which are delivered by MarcoPolo Staff Trainers via Web conferencing or on site. Detailed descriptions are on the MarcoPolo Web site.

Experienced MarcoPolo Field Trainers who have completed both TRN-1 and TRN-2 Trainer sessions may be eligible for certification under the MarcoPolo Certified Trainer Program. This is the next step on a professional development track for qualified, active Field Trainers, who have demonstrated proficiency delivering MarcoPolo training to trainers or end-users as tracked in Rusticello, the MarcoPolo Program's online program management system. For more information, contact us.

The Professional Development Team looks forward to supporting your continuing education as a MarcoPolo trainer and a vital participant in the rollout of MarcoPolo training to educators everywhere.

MarcoPolo representatives will present to educators during several scheduled sessions at the 2005 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Philadelphia.

The first session, "ISTE NETS Aligned Professional Development Exemplary Models," is scheduled from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Tues., June 28. Jennifer Fritschi, MarcoPolo's new Professional Development Program Officer and a former Rollout Partner representative from Alabama, will discuss MarcoPolo's training model and resources, which are aligned to the NETS for Teachers. This is a facilitated panel discussion that focuses on specific professional development models to help teachers enrich their learning environments, while promoting and demonstrating a standards-based curriculum.

"Engaging Students, Empowering Teachers: Incorporating MarcoPolo's Free Online Resources" will run from 11 a.m. to noon on Wed., June 29. Kristin Townsend, manager of MarcoPolo Content Partnerships and Educational Resources, will deliver this overview session, which is designed to help teachers, technology specialists and administrators understand how to successfully incorporate MarcoPolo's free, high-quality resources to engage students and empower teachers.

During the facilitated panel discussion, "Favorite Learning Resources: Students and Teachers Share Where and Why," scheduled from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on June 29, Dr. Susan Lancaster, MarcoPolo Field Trainer of the Year for 2004, will present MarcoPolo content, including new student interactives. The session highlights free resources provided by philanthropic organizations, such as the MCI Foundation, that are members of the ISTE 100, a group of forward-thinking corporations and nonprofits who share ISTE's commitment to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in education.

Susan also will facilitate a session on June 29 from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. that is titled "MarcoPolo 2004 Field Trainer-of-the-Year Facilitates Brainstorming Discussion." This informal forum provides groups of participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and feedback on various MarcoPolo educational resources.

To register for one of the conference sessions featuring MarcoPolo, visit the NECC 2005 Web site.

In addition, Elisa L. Liang, president of the MCI Foundation, will represent MarcoPolo at several other ISTE 100 events, including the ISTE Leadership Forum. Rollout Partners, Content Partners and representatives of the MarcoPolo Trainer Network also will meet on June 29 for late afternoon working sessions and a networking dinner.

Online versions of the new Science NetLinks Internet Content for the Classroom courses for teachers and trainers are currently in development, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), MarcoPolo's partner on Science NetLinks and these courses, is seeking middle and high school science educators to help test them during late summer and early fall.

The courses were first introduced and delivered in February as face-to-face sessions during the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The Science NetLinks team also presented information about the courses during the recent National Science Teachers Association conference in Dallas. At both conferences, educator response was overwhelmingly positive. Now, AAAS is looking for educators to test the new online versions of the courses for teachers and trainers.

These are the first content-specific training courses to be developed by the MarcoPolo Consortium; others are in the planning stages. For more information, see "AAAS, MarcoPolo Launch Science-Specific Training Sessions" in the winter 2005 issue of the Trainer MarcoGram and "Science NetLinks Courses Get Rave Reviews" in the May 4, 2005, issue of MarcoPolo News.

To learn more about participation in the pilot tests for the new online courses, contact Clinton Turner, senior program manager for Science NetLinks, via e-mail or by phone at 202-326-7011.

Last month, Susan Jenson, director of EDSITEment, the MarcoPolo Content Partner site developed in collaboration with MCI Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, met by Web conference with the MarcoPolo Training Advisory Group (TAG). The discussion centered on recent enhancements to the EDSITEment Web site.

Susan reviewed changes to EDSITEment's Lesson Plan Index, which will allow for easier searching, sorting and filtering of lesson plans. She also shared some of the projects that the EDSITEment team is working on for the future, including new lesson plans, additional resources for the Reference Shelf, and more student interactives.

Susan pointed out that "This Month's Feature – Asian Pacific Heritage Month" includes samples of "Student LaunchPads," which are described as a cross between a WebQuest and a scavenger hunt and are available for Grades K-5 and 6-12.

TAG members also discussed with Susan the relatively small collection of resources for foreign language study. An action item that all trainers can help support is the nomination of foreign language sites for the EDSITEment team to review for possible approval and posting.

Visit the MarcoPolo Features page for more information on the EDSITEment updates. See "Tutorial: Explore EDSITEment with Your Trainees" in this issue for suggestions on introducing the site, including the latest enhancements, during your next training session.

The Training Advisory Group is comprised of a cross-section of exceptional active MarcoPolo trainers from across the nation. For more information, please contact us.

This section of the Trainer MarcoGram offers step-by-step instructions for introducing each of the Content Partner Web sites to your training session attendees. This month, we focus on EDSITEment, presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the MCI Foundation-MarcoPolo Program. Susan Lancaster, MarcoPolo's Field Trainer of the Year for 2004, walks us through a typical training session agenda that includes recent enhancements to EDSITEment.

Before Your Training Session

• Register your training session. (NOTE: Certified Trainers and Candidates do not use the Field Training Registration process. Please check with your organization's Training Administrator for assistance.)
  
  
• Familiarize yourself with the look and navigation of the EDSITEment Web site.
  
  
• Review resources available in the Trainer Resource Center to help in your preparation. (You'll need your MarcoPolo login and password to access this portion of the Web site. Register for free or get help remembering your password from this page, as well.)
  
  
• 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 with exploring navigation and resources with attendees.
  
  
• Ensure the availability of a working Internet connection at your training site, as well as ensuring each machine has the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program. Test out some of the applets to ensure that JavaScript is enabled both on the presentation station and at least one workstation.

During Your Training Session

• Have trainees Roster at the beginning of the training session or during a break using the new rostering process described in detail in the fall 2004 issue of the Trainer MarcoGram.
  
  
• Begin on the MarcoPolo home page and click the link to EDSITEment. Remind your audience that clicking on a link to a Partner site in MarcoPolo opens up a new window. 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.
  
  
• Walk attendees through the layout of the EDSITEment home page. Features found on the home page include the horizontal Subject Catalogue navigation bar containing buttons for the categories of Art and Culture, Literature and Language Arts, Foreign Language, and History and Social Studies. The navigation bar also includes links to All Subject Categories, All Lesson Plans and All Websites.
  
  
• Remind attendees that the MCI Foundation-MarcoPolo Partner on EDSITEment is the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agency established to promote knowledge of human history, thought and culture. For more than 30 years, educators and students throughout the nation have benefited from NEH grants that create and preserve knowledge, identify and disseminate reliable learning resources, and empower teachers through professional development programs.
  
  
• Point out that EDSITEment features interdisciplinary lessons and teaching units. Lesson plans are organized around guiding questions and include background information for the teacher; supporting resources; and learning objectives aligned to national standards for the disciplines of arts education, civics and government, English language arts, foreign language and geography. Lesson plans now also include an "Additional Teacher/Student Resources" section, where activities and handouts can be found; an "E-mail this Lesson" feature; and several new, dedicated fields in the left sidebar including date posted and author.
  
  
• Explain that the vertical navigation bar on the right side contains links to This Month's Feature and a Monthly Feature Archive, which can help trainers find timely resources to kick off or integrate into their training sessions.
  
  
• The left navigation bar links to the monthly Calendar and Calendar Archives, also great tools for finding timely resources that trainers and trainees can use right now. Have attendees click on the Calendar link on the left side of the home page just below the EDSITEment logo. Explain that EDSITEment's calendars now display commemorative monthly themes, such as Asian-Pacific Heritage Month for May, in addition to links to lesson plans or Web sites appropriate for the special event of any given day.
  
  
• Also available in the left navigation bar is a link to the NEH Spotlight. Updated monthly, the Spotlight includes featured lessons and Web sites for topical humanities themes. Take a moment to discuss how trainees might use this resource with students.
  
  
• Mention that the link to the Reference Shelf provides information regarding classroom internet integration, while Professional Opportunities features National Endowment for the Humanities grants, stipends and professional development opportunities for teachers and schools.
  
  
• Show trainees how easily the site is navigated. To return to the EDSITEment home page from any page, just click on the EDSITEment logo in the upper left corner.
  
  
• Help trainees see how EDSITEment's lesson plans and Web sites are available and specific to each discipline: Art and Culture, Literature and Language, Foreign Language and History and Social Studies. Users can search lessons by a subcategory and grade level.
  
  
• Point out that the All Lesson Plans page has recently been updated to make the search for lesson plans even easier. Allow trainees some hands-on experience using the secondary navigation bar that has been added to allow users to filter lessons by grade level, subject or subcategory. Hyperlinked column headers also can be used to sort lessons by grade level and date posted, ensuring that the most recent lessons are easily available. A new Quick Search tool has been added, allowing users to search for lessons by keyword. Curriculum units and connected lesson plans now display together in the lesson index, making it easier to find related lessons. And, lesson descriptions have been added to the lesson index enabling users to easily view a brief synopsis of a lesson plan or unit.
  
  
• Permit attendees time to explore some EDSITEment lessons. Suggestions for lessons to preview include:
  
  Fairy Tales Around the World, a K-2 lesson which includes the subject areas of Art and Culture and Literature and Language Arts. Several fairy tales are analyzed for plot, character and setting.
  
  Family and Friendship Quilts, a K-2 lesson that addresses Art and Culture and History and Social Studies. Quilts served as records of family or community history, observations of surrounding landscape, and documentation of life cycle events.
  
  Born on an Mountaintop?: Davy Crocket, Tall Tales and History, a 3-5 lesson addressing folklore, U.S. history and American biography, through a study of Davy Crockett, a legendary frontiersman who embodied myth and reality. This lesson includes Art and Culture, Literature and Language Arts and History and Social Studies.
  
  Egypt's Pyramids: Monuments with a Message, another 3-5 lesson, addresses Art and Culture and History and Social Studies topics. This lesson incorporates anthropology, archaeology and architecture with ancient world history by exploring Egyptian pyramids to discover the messages left behind.
  
  A Story of Epic Proportions: What Makes a Poem an Epic? is a 6-8 lesson that addresses Art and Culture, Literature and Language Arts, and History and Social Studies. Some of the most well-known, and most important works of literature in the world are epic poems.
  
  The World of Haiku, a 6-8 lesson addressing Art and Culture, Literature and Language Arts, Foreign Language, and History and Social Studies. In this lesson, students explore the traditions and conventions of haiku, comparing this classic form of Japanese poetry to a related genre of Japanese visual art and composing haiku of their own.
  
  In Old Pompeii, a 9-12 lesson in which students take a virtual field trip to Pompeii. This lesson addresses the disciplines of Art and Culture, Literature and Language Arts, Foreign Language and History and Social Studies.
  
  The Debate in the United States Over the League of Nations: League of Nations Basics, a 9-12 lesson addressing Literature and Language Arts and History and Social Studies topics. In this lesson, students read the words and listen to the voices of some central participants in the debate over the League of Nations and American foreign policy.
  
  
• A visit to All Web Sites will produce a treasure trove of Art and Culture, Literature and Language Arts, Foreign Language and History and Social Studies related Web sites.
  
  
• Ask attendees to select the Search link, which appears at the top of every page. The search can be limited to the EDSITEment resources or extend to the entire MarcoPolo site. Searches will report results for Partner-Developed Content or Partner-Reviewed Content.
  
  
• A Contact Us link is provided at the top of each page for sending ideas and suggestions for online humanities resources to the EDSITEment staff as well as reporting any broken links or other issues. Encourage attendees to use this link when they conduct their own training sessions in the future. Teacher and trainer feedback help keep the MarcoPolo Program responsive to teacher and student needs.
  
  
• Reflect on all of the resources mentioned during the session, leaving enough time to answer questions. How will teachers use these resources? With MarcoPolo, the teacher is always the final arbiter. Ask your participants to make their own suggestions for how they would use EDSITEment in their classrooms.
  
  
• Finally, ask attendees to complete the Training Session Survey.
  

After Your Training Session

• Complete the Training Follow-Up Form. (NOTE: Certified Trainers and Candidates do not use the Field Training Follow-Up Form. Please check with your organization's Training Administrator for assistance.)
  
  
• 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 the next time you sign in to Rusticello.
  
  
• Send us feedback on how these suggestions worked in your training session.