Welcome to William P. Breitsprecher's homepage and
Web portfolio,
BreitLinks -- Glad you
stopped! As the name implies, this page represents
a collection of links to some of my work on the
Internet.
Each of the links on the left
navigation bar points to a Web that I have created and
maintain to support my work.
If you would like a quick "tour" of the content
areas I support, please scroll down this "front page."
Cave of the Mounds.
Let's go to Cave of the Mounds in Bluemound,
Wisconsin, with Club TNT.
Mystery of the Mounds.
Let's pay a visit to the
Hoard Historical Museum,
in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, which has a wonderful
exhibit featuring Native American Indian Mounds. The
exhibit includes the Woodland period cultures such
as at the Finch Site.
SafeOnline.me
Increasingly, cyber bulling is hurting our children.
Experts say it is becoming an epidemic.
Club TNT and
BreitLinks want to help keep the Internet a safe and
fun learning experience for our youth.
My Jazz Guitar Resources.
Here, I have posted some of my favorite "jam tracks"
to standards I enjoy. There are also
downloadable/printable fake books and lessons in
jazz guitar and theory.
My LMC Web.
This is my newest set of online resources, targeted
for K-6.
Mr. B's Library Media Skills TV.
Multimedia is extremely effective with today's
students, especially for teaching information and
technology literacy skills (Wisconsin's standards for
school media centers). The key is to find short,
targeted media that exactly meets the objectives of a
lesson and needs of students. I have been
creating media for my students for several years now
and have learned a lot of "tips and tricks."
Please take a look at these videos for
research skills,
recreational reading & book
selection, book talks, picture book
readings, and library skills
for kids, and public
service announcements -
book talks for
Madison youth TV and radio programming.
Mr. B's Math Minutes.
I've been making a video series for a youth TV
show in Madison,
Club TNT. We
will feature some of these short math tutorials next
fall and promote this Website. Eventually, I
will integrate these videos into
Mr. B's Beginning Algebra Web
too. Starting with the 4th episode, I have an
animated cartoon of myself in each video - kids think
that is pretty kewl! There are many videos
online now, but I add more each week, so please check
back often!
Reference Books (NOTE:
Must use INTERNET EXPLORER for quiz to score itself).
Need to know something for school, business, career,
job, or your personal life? Getting to know the
reference section of a library will help you.
Libraries have special books, "ready-to-use" and
"good-to-go." Review a short video about
reference books and then take our interactive quiz to
check your understanding.
Internet Safety
(NOTE:
Must use INTERNET EXPLORER for quiz to score itself).
Kids love the Internet and the many different types of
fun and educational Websites. We need to teach
kids to be safe online. Here are 2 short videos
for kids that review basic ideas about safely using
the Internet - each video is presented with a short
multiple-choice "quiz" to help students show what they
have learned. They can review the videos, as
needed, to review and help them master my Internet
Safety unit.
Telling Time
(NOTE:
Must use INTERNET EXPLORER for quiz to score itself).
Children enjoy learning numbers - an important basic
math skill is telling time. This presentation is
designed to be an introductory lesson for preK-Kindergarten
students. It would be a great review for first
and second-graders. The short video has a catchy
song that kids love, "Tick-tock, tick-tock, what's the
time that's on my clock?"
Dinosaurs
(NOTE:
Must use INTERNET EXPLORER for quiz to score itself).
Here is a self-contained lesson for elementary or
middle school students about dinosaurs. It
consists of 3 short (8 minute) videos that make
learning fun. Kids love learning with multimedia
and this style of presentation enables classroom
teachers to work one-on-one or in small groups with
students, starting with those that have the greatest
needs and working around the room to provide guidance,
remediation, or enrichment based on each student's
needs.
Light
& Colors(NOTE:
Must use INTERNET EXPLORER for quiz to score itself).
This self-contained lesson for elementary students
about color and light. It consists of a short
video (4 minutes) that reviews important concepts and
then 2 short interactive quizzes to assess learning.
The lesson is designed to allow teachers to engage
students independently or in small groups (they love
this style of presentation).
Mr.
B's Dewey Challenge!
Ready
to master Dewey Decimal? Ready to master information science? Are you
ready to find your way around virtually ANY library?
If you answered "YES", then you can start our
online quiz by clicking
HERE. Each question shows you a book
and has 3 answer choices - choose the one that correctly identifies
which general Dewey number the book belongs in. Good Luck!. Click
HERE if you want to
review Dewey Numbers
before you take the Dewey Challenge. Good Luck!
Barlow
Park Media CenterThis is my library media center and the Website I have created
to support it. Barlow Park Elementary School is
K-2 building - I have never had so much fun in school;
this is a joyful place. These children are fun to
work with, excited about school, and enthusiastic about
learning. I hope we can find ways to nurture this
and help these children keep positive attitudes
throughout their experiences in school.
My
Library Lessons.
NOTE: I am not updating this
web at this time. For my latest LMC and Info/Tech Lit
resources, please see
www.mylmweb.comI will keep these pages online for now,
though most of the content has been integrated into my
newest project,
My LMC Web. Thanks
for everyone that has supported this site.
Issues in Urban Education
Historically, public schools have never met the needs of diverse learners –
especially those from disadvantageous socioeconomic
backgrounds. This is especially true in urban areas with
high concentrations of poverty and/or unemployment.
In America, these burdens more-heavily fall on people of
color, especially African Americans and Hispanic
Americans.
Multi-Media & Webcasting
My
Guitar Music.
I've been playing guitar since a teen - have dabbled in
many different styles of music starting with folk and
moving through what is today called "classic rock", pop,
classical, bluegrass, country, blues, and jazz.
Today, I primarily play solo guitar, working bass-lines
and chords under the melodies of the songs - a style
that
Jack Grassel calls
"super-ax". Here are some
streaming MP3 files and
music videos of
my music, suitable for iPods, MP3 players, or burning to
CDs. If you listen to them on a computer, they
will sound best with headphones - many PC speaker
systems cannot reproduce the deep bass-tones of the
jazz-style guitar I am using for these sessions.
My
Music Videos.
Here is a collection of links to my
online he streaming versions of my music videos.
Clicking the
links pop-ups in a new
window with an embedded media player. Click the PLAY button on lower left to view.
In my
podcast feed, I
have another version of the featured music videos in a
format compatible with iPods and Zunes. There are
almost 40 songs/videos here now. The newest are:
Watermelon Man.Please join me and the New Age Piano Trio as we
play a jazz classic, Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man.
Its a timeless piece, still popular at jazz jam sessions -
a playful song that sounds like a party and makes
people want to clap along and dance.
My
Mediasite Web Wisconsin's
Department of Natural Resources is using Sonic Foundry’s MEDIASITE – innovative technology that creates Web
compatible, “streaming” multimedia. I am one of their
specially trained Mediasite Operators. With the
newest version, Mediasite 4.0, creation of rich media
has never been easier. Technology like this represents
the next “killer app” – being able to easily integrate
audio, video, and graphics into a Web-based presentation
will greatly enhance communication, training, and
education. You will find links for:
Mediasite Basics,
Rich Media Examples,
DNR Forestry Examples,
Creatively Using Mediasite,
Mediasite Tips & Tricks,
and
Creating Slideshows With
Voice-Overs.
Library
Media Projects. Here are some of the Library Media and academic support
projects I have been working on. These are "print"
resources - the links on the right will steer you to
many of the Web-based and multi-media resources I have
created and maintain. One of the main advantages
that today's technology offers is the ability to create
professional looking resources - most school districts
are full of creative, talented people that are experts
in their content areas. I have posted documents I
have created for
Academic Support,
Information
and Technology Literacy,
Recreational Reading, and
Resources
for LMS Professionals.
Great
Birthday Picture Books! Do you know a child
that is ... celebrating a birthday? Share a great
picture book and make it a special day. Helping children
enjoy books gives a gift that stays with them the rest
of their life!
Note: When viewing
with Internet Explorer, you may
need to click the "PLAY" button twice.
Increasingly, Internships are an important part of the
college experience. They provide student with
"real-world" skills while given them an opportunity to
better understand different types of careers. Here
is a video that California State University makes freely
available about it's programs. I have added this
video to Breitlinks for 2 reasons.
Like most Webmasters, I work to continue to enhance my
work. Multi-media has the potential to change
the way we share information. While I have
direct experience in video production, network-quality
TV, there are also many free resources available.
Integrating multi-media seamlessly into Web
presentations is an important skill for Webmasters.
Accommodating the diverse needs of students is an
important responsibility for all schools.
Multi-media clips will become an increasingly
important method of providing information in a format
that is available on-demand, meeting learners' needs.
Whether created in-house on school-owned equipment;
used from publicly accessible, freely available and
shared online resources; or purchased with appropriate
"fair-use" and copyrights - schools will benefit from
incorporating a variety of formats into their Intranet
and Internet resources.
Celebrate
Hispanic American Heritage.
September 15-October 15 is a national observation of the
contribution of Hispanic descent. I created this
pathfinder to help Madison's VOICES newspaper celebrate
this rich heritage. The term “Hispanic” does not
refer to a nationality or country, but rather cultural
or ethnic roots. More than 400 years ago, millions of
people have come to this land from Caribbean regions,
Central America, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico,
Puerto Rico, South America, and Spain. I have
included a
research guide,
historic timeline,
print resources,
Web resources,
associations & organizations,
links for kids, and
links for teachers.
Homage to Coretta
Scott King. We knew
that
Voices newspaper had to
share the legacy of of a kind, loving, and spiritual person that
gave the world so much. Coretta Scott King's work as a
human rights leader, strength in the face of tragedy, and work
to keep the legacy Dr. Martin Luther King alive
continues to inspire people around the world. We have a
tribute
Coretta Scott King,
key events in her life, a
bibliography of her work as an
author, a complete listing of all
Coretta Scott King Award books,
and
online resources exclusively
devoted to her.
Celebrating the Life of Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King.
Being part of Allied Dunns'
celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life was an honor.
I created graphics and commemorative ads for the
newspaper and ceremony programs, but wanted to do more. This Website is
tribute to a great American. I wrote a "pathfinder,"
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. research guide,
assembled
links for children and educators,
and a organized a comprehensive collection of online
resources about Dr. King. One of the
challenges of being the
Voices Webmaster is creating
alternative content that extends the physical paper's content
beyond the printed page. We will be putting together more
thematic subwebs for our readers.
Brain Matters. The content
for this page was put together with Jeanne Erickson, Brain
Development Specialist, for the Wisconsin Council of Children and
Families. We believe that if we present current, factual
information about issues such as substance abuse and use today's
technology to do so, we can positively impact the lives of
others. Our
Brain Matters Webstarted as a collaborative
computer activity computer classes I was teaching. To see more about brain development, please check
out my
Connect WCCF
link on the
Business Education Portfolio.
My Algebra.
While UW-Whitewater does not require professors to have Webs, I
wanted to provide my students with resources that support
alternative learning styles, needs, and independent study.
In my humble opinion, giving students choices, connecting them
with alternative presentations, and utilizing Web-based resources are
all important.
I strive to support their learning by creating a "newsletter,"
my
Algebra Connections and by
integrating productivity software.
Stepping Stones.
When UW-Whitewater was not going to be
able to continue support programs for academically underserved
students, LaMont Weaver, Director
of Academic Standards, and I created a collaborative Web with
other departments and stakeholders to
maintain a "blog" to share
experience, strength, and hope to help our
Stepping Stones students during
their first semester, fall 2005. This Web is not being
updated at this time; it has served our purpose. From
September through December of 2005; our Stepping Stones Web has
had more than 1,400 "sessions" with more than 2,400 page views
which resulted in almost 37,000 "hits" -- pretty impressive
support from our small group of select students. I enjoyed
working with everyone!
Madison Voices.
Friends often ask for suggestions on how
to do computer projects. In this case; create a newspaper,
Voices, published bi-monthly by the Allied Dunns
Marsh Neighborhood Association in Madison, Wisconsin.
After getting the paper copy together and printed, we decided to
create a companion Web (www.madisonvoices.com).
It is a wonderful project to be involved with -- we are working
to build "comm-unity" in an urban neighborhood that has had some
problems, but is working to master these challenges.
Here are a few
of the videos that I was involved with storyboarding,
filming, and producing for
CLUB TNT.
You
can see more at
TNT Video Online On Demand, 24/7.
I feature these clips, not because they represent the
"best," but because each tells a story about the
community we serve. Our "on location" videos
present fuller coverage of the events we feature on our
weekly TV show. Club TNT "uses the media of
entertainment to inform and educate." It's
a concept that works. We are now the longest
running locally produced TV show in Madison.
A Rotary Romance.
Let's take a walk through Janesville, Wisconsin's
Rotary Botanical Gardens, a wonderful display that
continues to grow.
The
First Twenty Nine Days. Club
TNT was “on location,” filming a book signing ceremony for “The
First Twenty-Nine Days,” a new book presenting the
stories of twenty former inmates and their loved ones, and the
members of the educational and support group, Voices Beyond Bars.
Compiled by Johnny L. Ellis and Abraham Rose and published by
BookSurge, LLC, 2006, “The First Twenty-Nine Days” seek to raise
public awareness of how the structure of the prison system and the
lack of support in the community into which former prisoners are
released programs them to fail. The first 29 days - and the support
received or not -- are crucial to their success or failure.
Men
Who Cook.
With the rising costs of a college, providing help for
students to continue their education is an important mission. Men
Who Cook is a fun event where the community comes together to share
good good, good times, and raise money for a worthwhile cause -
scholarships for those with financial needs. This event also raises
money to promote education in schools, sharing with youth the value
of doing well in school, earning high school diplomas, and
empowering them to have real choice to continue their education
after high school. Also, Madison's "Mayor Dave" shares his "secrets"
for his famous chili. This video will pop-up in a new browser
window. You may need to disable any pop-up blockers, close this
window when you are done viewing.
CLUB
TNT at the Dane County Fair! CLUB
TNT was a partner in the promotion of this years Dane
County Fair (yup, that's me doing interviews). We
produced this video to share with the fair's board - its
my way of saying, "Thanks for the fun!" CLUB TNT will
feature some of this video during this fall's broadcast
season on My Madison 14. Providing the diverse
youths in Madison with positive role models and fun is
important. The Dane County Fair Board are
wonderful people to work with - we hope to continue this
partnership, using the media of entertainment to inform
and educate. This video will pop-up in a new
browser window. You may need to disable any pop-up
blockers, close this window when you are done viewing.
Childrens
Expo- Part 1and
Childrens Expo - Part 2. Madison hosts a Kids Expo each year
to celebrate youth. This past year, CLUB TNT served as
the emcee for all of the stages. The event is held
at the Alliant Energy Center and enjoys widespread
participation from across the community. CLUB TNT provided "On
Location" coverage of the weekend's events - this is Part 1, a remix
of segments that originally aired last spring, after the 2006 Kids
Expo. We are looking forward to being part of the celebration
next year too. This video will pop-up in a new browser window.
You may need to disable any pop-up blockers, close this window when
you are done viewing.
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY McFarland! I
produced this video for McFarland's
Sesquicentennial, on July 2nd, 2006 (yup, that's me
doing interviews). CLUB TNT was there for the free
train rides aboard Wisconsin & Southern Railroad
commuter cars, music, games, history events and more.
Please join us for a look at the fun we had out in the
sun at Arnold Larson Park and the community of
McFarland. We will mix this into one of this
season's episodes, to air on My Madison 14. This
video will pop-up in a new browser window. You may
need to disable any pop-up blockers, close this window
when you are done viewing.
Club TNT. In many ways,
this is the project I am most proud to be associated with -- the companion Web for a TV show on Madison's UPN
station, Channel 14. The good people at Club TNT seek to
"use the media of entertainment to inform and
education." We try to encourage young people to make
positive lifestyle choices. I am grateful to be their
humble Webmaster.
TNT Book Club.
Drawing on my experience and specialty training as a school
library media specialist, I
created this section to share ideas about
books and
authors. The emphasis is
on "YA Literature," because these books are quick-reads with
plots that develop quickly. Reading is a fundamental skill
-- motivating students to read is important.
Additional Resources. An important part of
Club TNT is promoting positive lifestyle choices.
To help youth make good decisions about drugs and
alcohol, please see our
Brain Matters Resources.
I believe that if we present current, factual
information about issues such as substance abuse and use
today's technology to do so, we can positively impact
the lives of others. Our
Brain
Matters Web
presents "just the facts" and is used extensively by the
substance abuse seminars that the
Wisconsin Council of Children and Families
holds at schools throughout Wisconsin.
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY DAD! This
collaborative celebration of my father's 80th birthday
is an "on-line" tribute to Paul Breitsprecher. It was
a great deal of fun to put together.
BreitLinks
exists to share my work teaching information and technology
literacy. You can contact me at
webmaster@clubtnt.org
Having been in some of Wisconsin's largest
school districts, I have come to the conclusion that these
important skills need to be taught in content-rich contexts.
Don't our children deserve nothing less? Each page is build around a different educational
theme.
There is a HUGE amount of information
here that I have been putting together over the past 4 or so
years. While each of these Webs is current, some are not
being updated. All content and links are still valid.
I have
chosen to include these pages to allow you to see
the different things I have been involved with, the progress of
these skills, and different formats and presentation styles.
This page is my professional portfolio. These Webs are organized
by function and the way I use them, not Wisconsin's DPI Competencies.
I have a
page for my Library Media work that is organized in that manner --
please contact me if interested in seeing it.
The Webs here are all
"stand-alone" collections of information. The BreitLinks page is
merely an umbrella. THE WEBS ON THE LEFT WILL NOT HAVE THE
BREITLINKSNAVIGATION BAR -- only the navigation links for that
Web.
When feasible, I have added the BreitLinks logo to
provide a link back. Each Web will open in a new browser
window. Simply close the new window that pops us when you
are done looking at that Web -- the browser with BreitLinks
should stay open. If you use a pop-up blocker, you might need to
"override" it to easily navigate this Web.
Bear Book
Talks! Please join Bogey Bear in his new
series about picture books for
Celebrate
Hispanic American Heritage.
