City Educators June/July 2011

Nashville’s Leading Teacher Lifestyle Magazine

City Educators

& Ways to Make Money Online from Home

TABLE OF

City Educators President/Publisher Michael Thompson

June/July 2011

Feature

14 Fashion

4 Technology

Read about retailers who offer nice discounts to teachers.

Dr. Judy Bivens writes about using eReaders in your school library.

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Recognition

Glencliff High ends the school year with a Grammy.

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Vice President Deborah Thompson Photography Deborah Thompson Michael Thompson Editorial Contributors Dr. Judy Bivens Cameo Bobo Tommie Richardson Paul Rowe Deborah Thompson Michael Thompson

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13 Teaching Skills Here are ways to develop skills over the summer.

8 Find out some common summer jobs for teachers and discover ways to make money online from home.

Advertising Sales Lori Dreiling (615) 512-9641

CITY EDUCATORS is published bi-monthly (Aug/Sep, Oct/Nov, Dec/Jan, Feb/Mar, Apr/May, Jun/Jul)

by Michael David Media, Michael Thompson, Owner. Post Office Box 2513, Brentwood, Tennessee 37024, (615) 832-5388. DISTRIBUTION: Free subscription to qualified recipients. See Website for additional distribution information. All rights are strictly reserved, and reproduction in whole or in part is expressly prohibited without prior written permission from the publisher. CITY EDUCATORS is funded privately and is not affiliated with--nor does it necessarily reflect the opinions of--the local school district, education associations, its advertisers, or any other entity. CITY EDUCATORS is printed in the USA. Web address: http://www.michaeldavidmedia.com. Copyright Š 2011 Michael David Media.

Published by Michael David Media P.O. Box 2513 | Brentwood, TN 37024 Tel. (615) 832-5388 | Fax (615) 832-1040 www.cityeducators.com

CITY EDUCATORS MAGAZINE

June/July 2011

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City Educators

Technology

Is Your Library Using eReaders?

BY JUDY BIVENS, MSIS, ED.D. publishers. While this all sounds pretty boring, that The Kids & Family Reading Report was part of the lack of enthusiasm for ebooks—having to read on the computer. Early attempts at [2010] found that when asked if eReadersthem included Rocket eBook with soft reader. Yet they would read more books for fun the cost availability of ebooks really hindered their popularity. Finally, in 1999, the eBookman, which if they had access to eBooks, one- could play and record sounds, was introduced by third of kids age 9–17 said yes, Gemstar (ereaders.wikidot.com). including kids who read five to Product Comparison seven days per week, and those who So what is happening today? eBooks and eReaders abound. According to the New York Times, the read less than once per week. competition continues to heat up. One of the major (www.scholastic.com/readingreport). players is the Apple iPad 2, priced at $499.00, with a 9.7 inch multitouch display, available with 3G and/or wireless connection.

Downloading the iBook app enables downloading thousands of books (www.apple.com).

You say, “What is an eReader?” Are you wondering why it isn't iReader?

Using an electronic device as a format for book reading isn't as new as we might think.

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s early as 1971, Project Gutenberg embarked on creating the first digital library. Since that time, electronic books and electronic reading devices have proliferated. In 1998, NetLibrary, a Colorado based company, began to provide ebook content for libraries.

Today OCLC, the Online Computer Library Center continues to provide that content, along with eBrary, and a variety of book

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Barnes and Noble Nook, at $259.00, has color display and access to two million books from B & N with one million free for instant download. The Nook can also download ebooks from public and school libraries ebook collections. It's available with 3G and/or wireless connection (www.barnesandnoble.com).

Sony Pocket Edition eReader, at $179.00, provides a five inch touch screen and two-week battery life. It also provides access to up to 1,200 ebooks and works with public and school library ebook collections (www.sony.com).

Amazon Kindle, at $139.00 is the lowest priced, but now offers a $114.00 version that includes advertising.

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It touts no glare reading in bright sun light. The Kindle does not work with public and school library ebook collections which would be a downside for school libraries (www.amazon.com).

Advantages What are some of the advantages of purchasing and circulating eReaders? According to an article by Jennifer Williamson on Distance-Education.org, there are pluses and minuses, but these two advantages seem worthwhile: Cost—ebooks cost a fraction of print books. Amazon and Barnes and Noble sell ebooks for around $9.99. eTextbooks are also offered at a discount by publishers.

Convenience—storage on eReaders allows for hundreds of books to be downloaded and stored on one device, making them available instantly (March 29, 2010).

Several universities have launched pilot projects using eReading devices, according to Inside Higher Ed (www.insidehighered.com).

A study at Princeton, Case Western Reserve, and Virginia's Darden found the Kindle DX not as user friendly since notetaking on PDF documents was difficult. They did find that storing numerous textbooks on one device was convenient, but they were more apt to use the Kindle for recreational reading. While the universities found some downsides to the Kindle DX, they felt positive about the use of eReaders in education, citing the smartpads like iPad as having more needed features (February 23, 2010).

What about students with learning disabilities?

Katie Ash in Education Week has taken a look at using eReaders for students with dyslexia. Ben Foss, at Intel, who has dyslexia himself created the Intel Reader.

This mobile ereader can convert to audio files within seconds. Students can change the size of text on the screen and the speed of the voice

(www.educationweek.org). Other professionals agree with the ability to change font size as being a major benefit. Alan Farstrup, past executive director of the International Reading Association, notes “regardless of what the preliminary research says, and much of it is inconclusive, kids are growing up as digital natives, and we're really thinking about literacy in a different way now” (October, 15, 2010).

At Trevecca Nazarene University, Dr. Judy Bivens is an Associate Professor in the School of Education and Associate Librarian in the Waggoner Library.

Sources Cited: Ash, K. (2010, October 15). Schools test e-reader devices with dyslexic students. Retrieved March 31, 2011 from http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2010/10/2 0/01dyslexia.h04.html History of E-book Readers (2010, August 30) Retrieved April 19, 2011 from http://ereaders.wikidot.com/history-of-e-bookreaders The Kids & Family Reading Report (2010).

Scholastic. Retrieved April 19, 2011 from http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport Kolowich, S. (2010, February 23). Highlighting eReaders. Retreived March 31, 2011 from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/02 /23/ereaders Stern, J. (2010, June 10). Among e-readers, competition heats up. Retrieved Mar 31, 2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10technolo gy/personaltech/10TAB.html Williamson, J. (2010, March 29). E-readers or traditional books: Which is better for education?

Retrieved March 31, 2011 from http:www.distance-education.org/Articles/Ereaders-or- Traditiona…

CITY EDUCATORS MAGAZINE

June/July 2011

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City Educators

Recognition

Glencliff’s Gr Glencliff High ends the year on a high note … with a Grammy!

Glencliff High School is ending the year on a particularly high note. The school won one of just 27 Grammy Enterprise Signature School Awards for excellence in music education.

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aking the award even more special, Glencliff was one of just three award-recipients to also receive a special Grammy Career Day featuring a panel of music industry experts.

“Glencliff High has one of the most diverse student populations in the state,” said Principal Tony Majors, “and we must continuously look for ways to ensure our students are engaged and getting the resources and support they need to succeed. Grants and awards such as this one allow us to continue offering programs that fulfill our students' passions.”

The Grammy Enterprise Signature School Award is one of four categories in the Grammy Signature Schools program, made possible in part through the support of Best Buy, Campbell's Labels for Education, Gibson Foundation, the Hot Topic Foundation, and Ford Motor Company which has given $7 million to Nashville over the past seven years and sponsors Glencliff's Ford Academy of Business.

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Glencliff, as well as the other 26 Enterprise Award winners, received a custom award as well as a $5,500 grant for music education. Glencliff will use the funding to enhance its strings program, specifically through the purchase of 15 amplifiers, 12 electric guitars, music stands, a jam hub, and two base amps.

The remaining funds will be used to pay for field trips, guest speakers and other special events.

“Our students will benefit for many years to come because of this award,” said Glencliff music instructor Daniel Combs. “The new equipment, lessons, and trips will improve all of our lessons and practice sessions; this award will give them that little something extra.”

In addition to the title and the monetary award, Glencliff students were privy to a Career Day Panel that only two other schools in the nation received.

Students spent more than an hour asking questions of some of the nation's top music industry executives.

Allen Brown, Vice President, Media & Corporate Communications, Sony Music Nashville; Shawn McSpadden, founder of McSpadden Music Group; Vicki Mack-Lataillade founder and owner of Gospo Centric and B-Rite Music; and Shannon Sanders, a two-time GRAMMY, Emmy and Dove award winning Producer/Songwriter/Vocalist/Musician served on the panel.

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rammy Win! Thursday evening, May 19, the Grammy Foundation made the official award presentation at Glencliff's Choice Awards, a “red carpet” event honoring students for a variety of special gifts and talents. On hand to present the award were David Sears, Senior Director of Education for the Grammy Foundation; Angela Polk, Ford Motor Company Fund Representative; Scott Goldman, Vice President of The Grammy Foundation; and Danny Gokey, Season 8 American Idol Contestant.

This award came after a year-long application process.

Combs submitted lesson plans, CDs, and video clips that showed his students' work. He has been at Glencliff since 2008. Prior to teaching, he worked as an Artist Management Assistant with Christian Artists and as a Publicist for Country Artists. Combs also has a recording contract with Solid Air Records in California, has been published in Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and arranged the guitar for The Christian Life Hymnal – The Accompanist Addition.

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S C H O O L O F E D U C AT I O N CITY EDUCATORS MAGAZINE

June/July 2011

7

Preferred Su

And Ways to M

ummer Jobs for Teachers

Make Money Online From Home

BY TOMMIE RICHARDSON AND PAUL M. ROWE

Each year, many school teachers start off searching for summer jobs. And who will not? During this time period of the season, colleges are usually off.

Whenever there are no classes, lecturers naturally have zero work. And with that stated, no salary for course instructors too.

Good thing for individuals who have continuous compensation regardless of the vacation.

Nevertheless for those who do not, summer careers are usually sensible methods to generate a modest revenue for the interim.

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There are a lot of summer jobs for school teachers.

With the kids naturally off, this in turn provides a lot of job possibilities. And also course instructors can grab this situation for locating an appropriate job.

Some are usually full-time, while the greater part are generally catered to part-time. Hence, if you're currently considering looking for several summer jobs, here are common alternatives that any instructors may go to.

Summer Job #1: Camp Counselor Camps are generally popular during summer. This is an ideal avenue for course instructors to indulge themselves in. This is advised for individuals who wish to experience the summer sun while generating some money as well. You should check the YMCA as well as Boy's and Girl's Club of America for a few opportunities and even hiring. I bet there is a couple of options specifically for school mentors.

Summer Job #2: Tutoring This remains the ideal summer job for school teachers.

Even though schools currently being off, you may still find pupils that requires academic coaching in preparation to the academic year. They are generally students who lagged behind in a subject or perhaps are experiencing trouble studying a topic. With any instructor, I am certain you have the right dosage of materials inside you that may obviously support any student. This is also a flexible type of job and simpler in comparison with a full school discussion.

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available for internship programs especially for professionals. Some give allowances along the way however, many don't. The bottom line is, you are accepting new know-how as well as innovative skills for your personal development.

Summer Job #4: Home-Based Work There are numerous work opportunities you may surely carry out whilst staying at home. First, you can research the web to find career listings which only require a small piece of your time to accomplish several responsibilities. The work can vary from educating online to writing; from blogging and sitebuilding to information encoding and multi-level marketing. It is possible to look through Craigslist or perhaps Teacher Job boards for associated prospects.

What about online jobs?

If you are a school teacher and would love to make extra money online during your summer vacation, then keep reading this article. You will be able to find a few good ways to make that extra cash on the Internet.

It is very possible to find a good and honest part-time summer job working from the comfort of your home.

Here is a list of some of the online jobs that you can do if you are a school teacher:

Summer Job #3: Internships This can be a best opportunity for instructors who want additional credit for their references. It's also an excellent encounter to understand new things.

Businesses and also industrial sectors are actually

1. Fill Out Online Forms One of the ways that you can earn an income online is by filling out forms of various services and products. This job opportunity is called type at home, data entry work, or web typing job. This is one of the most famous ways of making money online from home. You will be entering ads for other companies and making money every time a sale is made. You will get a check in the mail every 2 weeks so that is also nice.

June/July 2011

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CITY EDUCATORS MAGAZINE

2. Participate in Online Surveys Fortune 500 companies simply want your feedback on their products and services. They would rather spend money on people who participate in their surveys then spending millions and millions of dollars on market research and development.

you think that you don't have any junk that you can sell, go through your stuff and think if you really need it. You might be surprised at what you find.

A good place to sell your things is EBay. It is an auction site and there are plenty of people who would love to buy or bid on what ever you are These companies will pay you money for participating in selling. their surveys. Every time a survey is sent to you, you will know how much you will get paid for that individual survey. Summer time doesn’t have to be allocated to Some surveys will also allow you to not only earn money, but whisking about under neath sunshine or to win a cool prize. The best part of this is that you can do all accomplishing practically nothing. It could be a time for you to be effective and also earn some of this from the comfort of your own home. extra money. To help you along with your lookup, there are lots of platforms you can immediately 3. Sell Your Stuff Online Although this is not a job, it will allow you to take what visit. What is important is there are certainly ever junk you have in your house and sell it for money. If numerous summer jobs for school teachers.

CITY EDUCATORS MAGAZINE

June/July 2011

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Discover How You Could Repair or Replace Your Roof

All for the Cost of Your Insurance Deductible!

One unique aspect of living in Tennessee is the recurrence of windstorms that often happen several times a year. Within the Metropolitan Nashville area alone, we have noticed an elevated and heightened level of activity from these storms which leaves one to question just how much damage to my roof could this kind of storm cause.

The impact of a large variety of storms cannot dictate the blow windstorms can have on your roof. In some storms, one can clearly see the damage to their home, but when it comes to windstorm damage; it takes a specialist to help determine the significance of the damage that cannot be seen by an untrained eye. The damage that you cannot see could eventually compromise your roof's longevity.

This expected deterioration of the roof's protection is the reason insurance companies authorize replacing your old roof. The coverage of the insurance, however, will depend on your homeowner's insurance policy.

We strongly recommend that you receive a free inspection of your roof if it is at least 10 years old. You should also follow-up every subsequent year and of course if you should have missing shingles and/or interior leaks from past or present.

Contact National Roofing & Restoration to get your free inspection today!

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Developing Teaching Skills Over the Summer During the summer months, most teachers will take a few weeks off from the classroom and rejuvenate the body. Vacations are important and spending time with their families are number one priorities. But after a few weeks of R and R, teachers will begin to spend time looking at workshops and technology improvements to make the classroom setting more conducive to learning.

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ounselors and Principals will encourage the teacher to find something unique and fascinating to attend, to hopefully keep the summer vacation mode going, but to also help the teacher have fun while learning. Listed below are just some of the subjects that educators might find interesting and unique to their classroom while taking summer vacation.

Depending on the classroom you teach, one inspiring and knowledgeable program a teacher could attend is called Rock Out, and electrifying musical teaching situation that will improve the classroom with other teachers across the country. It will bring teachers together with top notch experts in the business to learn how to use music technology to teach to your students. You'll also have a chance to see arts education specialists on arts integration, the power of popular music, with advancements in music technology. Their will be workshops, multimedia presentations, and lectures from the staff at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and they will give you tips with new activities to provoke kids' creativity.

Train at the NASA Field Centers. NASA has many exciting and adventurous outings that teachers enjoy year in and year out. In

2010, NASA invited teams of educators for science, math, and technology instruction. NASA always offers up many learning activities that make any summer vacation continue while educating the mind, body, and soul that teachers need during the off months.

Maybe taking a trip to New York would trigger the body back into shape! While you are there, you could check into the New York City Reading and Writing Institute. This type of workshop offers the teacher a chance to brush up on their skills of reading and writing and strengthen the methods of teaching. You will rub elbows with all types of teachers at this workshop because of its diversified areas. Many times the institute will have coaches, teachers, administrators, and the like. It isn't a workshop to be bored in, but one that expands the mind and helps the teacher realize what is missing in the secondary settings of the school day.

Whether you are on vacation in some cool city or sitting at home on the computer is up to you. Many times, these workshops are either free or affordable for teachers. Decide what you would like to do this summer and help develop more skills necessary to develop better learners in your classroom.

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City Educators

Fashion

Retailers Offer Teacher Discounts

BY CAMEO BOBO

The school year has ended, warmer days and summer break all lead to a well deserved vacation!

The p e o p l e a t N e w Yo r k & Company appreciate teacher's hard work and are rewarding their service by offering “teacher discounts.”

New York & Company, a nationwide, women's retailer here in Nashville, offers teachers a 15% discount on in-store p u rch a s es excl u d i n g clearance items. Show your employee badge or payroll stub and you automatically knock 15% off of your purchase!

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n a recent visit to their Green Hills Mall location, I checked to see if they carried styles for the teaching profession.

I discovered that New York & Company is a “one stop fashion shop” offering reasonable prices and frequent sales. The

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store was filled with the latest color trends melons, oranges and purples - along with styles such as trendy scoop neck tees and tanks, three piece suits (shorts, pants, and jacket), empire waist and maxi dresses, matching accessories and even shoes. The clothing is professional yet comfortable and could be easily dressed up for any occasion.

For more information on New York & Company's discounts and other exclusive savings for teachers visit: teachers.nyandcompany.com.

Be sure to check out the next issue for the scoop on other retailers that offer teacher discounts.

Enjoy your summer and utilize that discount!

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Wish you were there?

From May 1 through July 31 any purchases made with your TTCU credit card through a qualifying vacation merchant will be at a special rate of

3.90% APR* Hotel accommodations, car rentals, cruises, airline tickets, travel agencies, motor home rentals and tour packages are just a few examples of ways to save!

Contact your local branch for details.

*Annual Percentage Rate current as of 5/1/11 and based on credit qualifications. All rates and terms subject to change. 3.9% for 12 months from date of first qualifying purchase, standard rate of purchase applies thereafter.

Don’t have a credit card with us? Here’s why you should:

NO BALANCE TRANSFER FEE 4.90 APR* for 12 months

on balance transfers from your high interest department store and credit card accounts made within the first 90 days of opening your new TTCU card. *Annual Percentage Rate current as of 5/1/11 and based upon credit qualifications. All rates and terms subject to change. 4.90% APR for 12 months from date of first qualifying transfer, thereafter the standard rate for purchase applies.

Employees of Metro Nashville Public Schools are eligible for membership.

(615) 244-1910 www.ttcu.org