Boyd School Technology Lab - Mr. King

Here are some resources, downloads, and links for you.  If you EVER have any questions about ANYTHING, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at [email protected]


The International Baccalaureate® (IB) is a non-profit educational foundation, motivated by its mission, focused on the student.

The three programmes for students aged 3 to 19 help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.

Founded in 1968, they currently work with 3,158 schools in 140 countries to develop and offer three challenging programmes to over 908,000 students aged 3 to 19 years.


Boyd Elementary is proud to be an IB - Primary Years Programme World School. For more information, click anywhere above, or visit http://ibo.org




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SPACE & Google Earth! - Here are the "Fab 4" from the RCET Conference on March 2, 2011 (each paragraph is the link to the main site, but I've added a few more below... and yes they're all FREE!): 

Stellarium -  Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It includes overlays for constellations and even a "time controller".  It's available for Windows, Mac,  and Linux.  It also includes a comprehensive User's Guide.

WorldWide Telescope by Microsoft Research - Immerse yourself in a seamless beautiful environment.WorldWide Telescope (WWT) enables your computer to function as a virtual telescope, bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world. Experience narrated guided tours from astronomers and educators featuring interesting places in the sky. A web-based version of WorldWide Telescope is also now available. This version enables seamless, guided explorations of the universe from within a web browser on PC and Intel Mac OS X by using the power of Microsoft Silverlight 3.0.  For Mac OS, there is no download, BUT you can install the web-based client that works just fine.  You can also visit the "Tours" (personally, I think this is the best part!) without installing.

Google EarthGoogle Earth lets you fly anywhere to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings, galaxies in outer space (Mars and Moon, too!), and the depths of the ocean. The possibilities within the educational environment are limitless. One of the students favorite parts is the Street View.  We use it to explore other places on the planet, or the street in front of the house.  After locating a city, slide your mouse up into the navigation area at the upper right and you'll see a little man we've named "Parachute Bob" who is kind of GE's version of Flat Stanley.  Click and drag him over the city, and  if you see blue lines start to appear where the streets are, let him drop.  You'll see EXACTLY what life in other parts of the world is like.
 Google Earth can be easily integrated into almost EVERY area of your curriculum, plus it's just plain fun!

Click Here ---> for Google Earth for Educators. This site is brought to you by Google and made especially for Google Earth educators and students.

Click Here ---> for the offcial Google Earth Community. This is a forum site where you can search for ideas and activities, and you'll have to register to access all of the funcitions.

Click Here ---> for Google Earth Hacks (you'd be surprised at how much is here!)  Google Earth Hacks provides links to interesting content found or created by users like you and gives you quick access to check things out in Google Earth.  But, don't worry there's no "hacking".

and Here ---> for the Google Earth Sightseer.  The official GE newsletter.  I highly recommend you subscribe to this monthly newsletter as it will contain all of the latest news and updates about all things GE.


Celestia - Imagine being able to give students the ability to take control of their own "hyperdrive" spacecraft and fly to any part of our amazing universe they wish, at any time in history. Visualize looking out a ship window at a vista of galaxies, stars, nebula, black holes, planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids, comets and spacecraft. Envision their excitement in hearing their ship's sounds and many of the environmental sounds present at places they visit (including the "roar" of our home star, Sol; or the beeping of a pulsar). Or being able to forward and backkwards in time, including that chaotic time billions of years ago when Earth was formed... and billions of years of now when Earth will be destroyed as our Sol suffers a violent death. Then, consider being provided a comprehensive written Astronomy lesson on what they were seeing and hearing! 

Welcome to Celestia Educational Activities for 2010! Also known as Celestia-ED, it has been completely revised to utilize the graphic power of the latest version of Celestia, these lessons incorporate advances and additions to our knowledge of the universe, and our solar system within it. They provide users the ability to personally navigate above the surfaces of stars, visit rotating black holes, fly into nebula, pass through Saturn's rings, follow the Huygens spacecraft down to Titan, dock with a giant space station of the future, witness erupting volcanoes on Io, see our newest dwarf planets, study the life of stars, or consider the formation of our moon billions of years ago. Celestia Educational Activities represent 12 detailed tours of space to over 400 exciting destinations.  In regular and constant use by NASA and ESA, as well as Colleges, Universities, and Schools, this exceptional program will quickly become a favorite of all who use it!

The page you land on will have EVERYTHING you need to get started, just start scrolling down  If you follow the "Directions for Installation", you shouldn't have any problems. On the leftr are some tabs where you can explore and/or download some additional add-ons and files.  Most DEFINITELY read the Introductory Guide, or you will probably have a few problems.  If you run into any difficulties at all, or you want ideas, or you're having trouble making an activity work, or anything, just shoot me an e-mail and we'll figure it out!  Unfortunately, the Mac OS X version is still under development, but I know that it will be available soon.  Beware, this is a HUGE download and will take up several gigabytes on your computer.



I apologize that I was only able to scratch the surface of these magnificent programs.  The best thing to do is to simply sit down and start, well, playing around with them and let your own experiences and needs guide you.  If you'd like to send you some of my "tips & tricks" (soon to appear here), I'd be happy to send some to you.

Again, if you experience any problems with installation or use, or have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask.  Be an Inquirer!:)

Also, bookmark and check back to this site often, as I'll be adding MANY, MANY more programs, sites, and activities for students and teachers.

Boyd School welcomes visitors!  If you would like to schedule a visit to our site and Technology Lab so you can see the PYP in action, please contact me and I'll get you taken care of.

THANKS!!