A Website Change

Unfortunately posts to this website will become far and few in between due to the Billerica School District’s latest website integration of Edline.  I will provide new pages in Edline for both the Dutile and Kennedy websites.  Please navigate to their pages and look under Programs/Resources for the links to the Technology pages.

I will also maintain the links on this website as I transition them to Edline.  Thanks for your cooperation and understanding.  Here are the web addresses for both schools:

Kennedy Elementary http://kennedy.billerica.k12.ma.us

Dutile Elementary http://dutile.billerica.k12.ma.us

Technologically Yours!

Mrs. McDonnell

Beryl Reid – A Finalist in Google’s Model Your Town Contest

Beryl Reid, a retired Billerica teacher, needs your help.  Beryl’s 3D model collection of Lowell is a finalist in the 2012 Model Your Town Contest. This is a Google sponsored international contest for 3D modelers who create buildings for Google Earth.

Beryl inspired many of the elementary kids in Billerica, including those at the Dutile and Kennedy, to use the program Google Sketchup to draw 3D models like her own.  So this is BIG NEWS!

The contest will be decided by a public online vote.  There were 213 model collections submitted and Beryl’s collection is one of six finalists.  The competition was hot to say the least!  Voting begins today and will conclude on May 1, 2012.  The winning town will receive $25,000 and a huge party put on by Google.  Maybe we’ll be invited.

The voting is a little tricky, so please follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the 2012 Model Your Town Contest Voting Page found online at http://www.google.com/intl/en/sketchup/competitions/modelyourtown/vote.html
2. Click on the LOWELL COLLECTION on the LEFT hand side BEFORE the next step and before you vote!
3. Click on the BLUE words that say “details page” in the top paragraph
4. Click the “Cast Your Vote” button on the top right corner of the page
5. That’s it…it’s that easy.

Check out the latest Lowell Sun news article on Beryl as well.  It’s found online at http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_20370855/she-keeps-her-city-right-perspective

 

Thanks for your support!

Who Knew Eagles Were So Popular?

Did you know that an eagle’s nest is seven feet wide?  Or that an eagle’s nest is 80 or so feet high in a tree?  Well, students at both schools this week learned that and more as they watched a live video of an eagle’s nest.  Two parent eagles named Liberty and Justice are nurturing three eggs in a nest on the Mississippi River.  Yes, that’s right, it’s LIVE…as in right now this very second!

Students watched in awe as two of the three eggs hatched.   The students also  learned how the eaglets were fed, how the father eagle brought food to the nest, and how nurturing the mother eagle can be.

Keep an eye out for the last egg to hatch!  You may just learn a thing or two about nature and the life of an eagle.

To view the live eagle cam, click HERE!

Steve Jobs – Inventor of Apple

Steve Jobs, the inventor and owner of Apple Computer, sadly passed away yesterday.  All over the world, people are respectfully celebrating his life instead of mourning his death.  Thank you Mr. Jobs for creating the iPod, iTouch, iPhone, iPad, and all the wonderful computers you invented.  You will be truly missed.