Technology for Learning Partnership

Welcome to 2009-2010 eNews

2009-09-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

In This Issue:

What's New?
Summer Work & Play with TfL Partnership
Support Networks & Workshops Move Online
eLearning Options Take Off with O•Zone
Technology Conferences

What's New?
Happy new school year! Hope your year is off to a successful start. We look forward to supporting your efforts to integrate technology into your classroom and instructional practice.

We begin the year with a new name and four focus areas. CTAP Region 5 is now officially renamed the Technology for Learning (TfL) Partnership. We remain a regional organization, supporting Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties. We focus on four key areas:
• 21st Century Skills
• eLearning Initiatives
• Grants and Technology Planning
• Data-driven Dialogue and Planning

As always, our team is available to support your site or district, to work with teachers or administrators, to work face-to-face or online. We're here to serve you and hope you'll line up with requests!

Your Santa Clara County contacts remain:
Corey Gin, Director, corey_gin@sccoe.org
Diana Paradise, Coordinator, diana_paradise@sccoe.org
Paula Hundley, Coordinator, paula_hundley@sccoe.org

Summer Work & Play with TfL Partnership
Over 100 teachers and administrators attended the TfL Summer 2009 Technology Academies. Classes were offered here at SCCOE as well as Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Hollister. Much of the summer content will be available later this fall either online or by site or district request.

Web 2.0 for Administrators introduced site and district leaders to the national educational technology standards (for teachers, students, and administrators) and to tools for collaboration, surveys, data analysis, and cybersafety.

The 21st Century Classroom encouraged teachers to be "21st century learners" for a day as they explored a variety of ways to access and use information online. Then they applied their learning to the classroom setting. Information literacy and the Big6 research skills provided the framework for this two-day session.

iTELL (integrating Technology for English Language Learners) proved very successful with a focus on research-based practices to support language acquisition. With an eye to ELD and California content standards, each day of this three-day workshop focused on developing and integrating the four language domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

If you would like to discuss bringing these topics to your site or district, contact Paula Hundley at paula_hundley@sccoe.org or 408-453-6589.

Support Networks & Workshops Move Online
ELL Connect (formerly iTELL) supports teachers who work extensively with English Language Learners. Though focused on educators who have completed the summer academy, any teacher or administrator may join this group. It meets online, the First Thursday of each month, 3:30-5:00 pm, starting in October. Click here to register for this ongoing drop-in series: Oct 1, Nov 5, Dec 3, Jan 7, Feb 4, Mar 4, Apr 1, and May 6.

21st Century Classroom supports teachers who are actively integrating technology resources into their classrooms and instructional practice. Though focused on educators who completed the summer academy, any teacher or administrator is welcome to join this group. It meets online, the Second Thursday of each month, 3:30-5:00 pm, starting in October. Click here to register for this ongoing drop-in series: Oct 8, Nov 12, Dec 10, Jan 14, Feb 11, Mar 11, Apr 8, and May 13.

Google Apps One-by-One provides a close look at using Google applications in the classroom. Each month focuses on a different application. This workshop meets online, the Third Thursday of each month, 3:30-5:00 pm, starting in October. Click here to register for this ongoing drop-in series: Oct 15, Nov 19, Dec 17, Jan 21, Feb 18, Mar 18, Apr 15, May 20.

Learning Options Take Off with O•Zone
Region 5 O•Zone is a comprehensive suite of online tools and resources developed through a collaborative partnership of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, & Santa Cruz County Offices of Education. The service has four major components:

• eClass serves as an online high school for core subjects and credit recovery
• eClassPro houses professional development for teachers and administrators
• MyMoodle provides online learning environments for teachers to supplement coursework
• MyEdZone serves as a regional portal to a vast array online curricular support tools

TfL Partnership provides professional development for O•Zone initiatives. For more information, contact Craig Blackburn at craig_blackburn@sccoe.org or 408-453-6524.

Technology Conferences
California Educational Technology Professionals Association
San Diego, Nov 17-20, 2009
This year’s conference will showcase examples, strategies and technologies that IT and Educational Technology organizations can utilize to help create vital and dynamic learning and working environments. Click here for more information and registration.

K-12 Technology Conference, CA League of Middle/High Schools
San Diego, Dec 4-6, 2009
This year's theme is "Social, Global & Green." Societies and ecosystems around the globe are experiencing rapid change. "Parents and educators alike recognize that today's students will require new kinds of tools – and new kinds of ethics – to succeed as adults in the workplace and world. For schools, the free and low-cost technologies that students embrace outside of school provide powerful opportunities to boost student achievement at little or no cost ." Click here for more information and registration.

__________________________

You receive this monthly newsletter because you're identified in your District
as an instructional technology leader and/or enthusiast.
To unsubscribe, send email to Paula_Hundley@sccoe.org

Happy End of School Year 2009!

2009-06-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

In This Issue:

LEGO Engineering Conference @ Google
EETT-Competitive Update
Recharge and Engergize: Summer Academies
CTAP Shifts Gears
Technology Conferences

Tufts University & Google to Host LEGO Conference
Register now for a one-day LEGO Engineering Conference hosted by Tufts University Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) and Google on Monday, August 24, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm. This conference gathers together elementary and middle school educators who use or plan to use LEGO MINDSTORMS to teach math and/or science. The number of participants is limited to 50 on a first-come, first-served basis. The conference fee is $40 before July 1 and $50 thereafter.

For more information about the LEGO Engineering program, click here.
To register for the conference, click here.

EETT-Competitive Grant Update
The CDE has re-issued the RFA and Scoring Criteria for the EETT-Competitive Grant Round 8. Both are available online at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r5/eettc09rfa.asp. The deadline has been extended until July 30, 2009, at 5:00 pm.

Recharge and Energize with Summer Academies
Know you're ready for the school year to end. Summer gives time to rest and recharge. Consider spending a day or two or three with us to explore these topics: (Click here for Summer Academies PDF)

iTell: Integrating Technology for English Language Learners
Space limited to 25 participants per session.
Dates & Locations:
June 24-26 Monterey County Office of Education, Salinas
June 29-July 1 Santa Cruz COE, Santa Cruz
July 30-31, plus after-school sessions Sep 3 & Dec 3 San Benito COE, Hollister
August 5-7 Santa Clara COE, San Jose
All sessions run 9:00 am-3:30 pm

21st Century Classroom:
Teacher as Learner, Learner as Teacher
Space limited to 25 participants per session.
Dates & Locations:
June 16-17 Santa Clara COE, San Jose
August 3-4 Santa Cruz COE, Santa Cruz
All sessions run 8:30-3:30.

Admin Academy: Web 2.0 for Administrators
Space limited to 25 participants per session.
Session qualifies for Administrative Credential Tier II practicum hours.
Dates & Locations:
June 18 San Benito COE, Hollister
June 23 Santa Clara COE, San Jose
All sessions run 8:30-3:30.

CTAP Region 5 Gets a New Name
Effective July 1, CTAP Region 5 becomes the "Technology for Learning Partnership." We still will be servicing four counties and doing much of the same work, along with additional activities related to online learning and professional development.

Technology Conferences
National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)
Washington, DC June 28-July 1, 2009
Join colleagues at ISTE's 30th annual conference, NECC. An amazing list of presenters, including: Jamie McKenzie, Alan November, Gary Stager, David Thornburg, Hall Davidson, Bernie Dodge, Ian Jukes, Kathy Schrock, Chris Dede - the list goes on and on. Opening keynote address by Malcolm Gladwell. Plus an amazing city to explore. Click here for more information and registration.

4th Annual Harker Teacher Institute
500 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, Wednesday June 17, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
$20 (includes box lunch)
Harker School launched their annual institute for educators to explore the newest instructional technologies four years ago. This year's session will focus on free - or almost free - software and Web resources. Break-outs include Moodle, Google Earth, CPS & Geocaching, and more.
Register online at: www.harker.org/teacherinstitute

This newsletter will resume in August.
Have a great summer.
We'll see you in 2009-2010!

__________________________

You receive this monthly newsletter because you're identified in your District
as an instructional technology leader and/or enthusiast.
To unsubscribe, send email to Paula_Hundley@sccoe.org

Summer 2009 Events on the Horizon

2009-05-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

In This Issue:

EETT Competitive Grant News
Regional Summer Tech Academies - Registration Open!
Technology Conferences
TechToolkit

Communicate: Send this eNews to Educators You Know!
Getting the right information to the right inbox is always a challenge. This eNews includes important information about summer institutes that may be of interest to teachers and/or administrators in your district. So, please consider forwarding this newsletter to educators in your area. Thanks!

News for EETT Competitive Applicants
The RFA for EETT Competitive Round 8 came out several weeks ago. However, it has come to the attention of the CDE that there is some degree of misalignment between the grant narrative and the rubric, which is causing CDE to consider various actions including possibly modifying the current RFA. Districts around the state are awaiting an announcement by CDE's Ed Tech Office.

While awaiting the CDE decision, it's critical that you and your team continue preliminary work, including the following:
- Build your district's "compelling story"
- Gather & analyze your district data
- Identify your student & teacher target groups
- Develop strategies/resources/timeline/measurement tools in response to the program/target groups
- Inventory existing & needed resources/tools/support/PD/partnerships/programs/strategies
- Create the 'priority list' of schools to be funded
- Contact your private schools, share the elements of your program, and determine if they want to participate
- Identify your partners for 'win-win' relationships

This kind of advance work and planning will be incredibly valuable when it's time to write to the specific RFA. Feel free to contact Diana Paradise or Paula Hundley with questions.

Summer Tech Academies - Space is Limited - Register Today!
CTAP 5 will offer three summer institutes to be repeated at various regional locations. We'll focus on English Language Learners, 21st Century Skills, and Web 2.0 for Administrators. Look for details, dates, and registration links below. Click here for Summer Academies PDF.

iTell: Integrating Technology for English Language Learners
iTELL helps teachers optimize learning, enhance student engagement, and promote high levels of content knowledge for ELL students by infusing powerful technology-enhanced strategies into teaching and learning. Research-based strategies are used with technology to increase student interest and motivation. iTELL will focus on ELD Standards, English/Language Arts Content Standards, and the developmental stages of language acquisition - all through a technology lens. Learn how to make a difference - using technology - to support ELL students in your classroom.
Space limited to 25 participants per session.
Dates & Locations:
June 24-26 Monterey County Office of Education, Salinas
June 29-July 1 Santa Cruz COE, Santa Cruz
July 30-31, plus after-school sessions Sep 3 & Dec 3 San Benito COE, Hollister
August 5-7 Santa Clara COE, San Jose
All sessions run 9:00 am-3:30 pm

21st Century Classroom:
Teacher as Learner, Learner as Teacher
Effective 21st century teachers are effective 21st century learners first. In this two-day intensive academy, teachers get a taste of both. Day one focuses on teachers as learners and guides them through an array of online tools. Tools such as blogs, wikis, advanced searches, news aggregators, and social networks are used to access, evaluate, and maintain information resources. Day two transitions to teaching with these same 21st century tools and attitudes of mind. Join us for an invigorating, practice-changing two days. Space limited to 25 participants per session.
Dates & Locations:
June 16-17 Santa Clara COE, San Jose
August 3-4 Santa Cruz COE, Santa Cruz
All sessions run 8:30-3:30.

Admin Academy: Web 2.0 for Administrators
Web 2.0 tools promote communication, collaboration, and community. Through an administrator’s lens, participants explore blogs, multimedia, online meetings, online polls and surveys, and collaborative documents and sites. Administrators will leave with tools they can use today in their work with students, parents, and staff. Join us for one exciting day that can give new perspective on leadership using 21st century technologies. Space limited to 25 participants per session. Session qualifies for Administrative Credential Tier II practicum hours.
Dates & Locations:
June 18 San Benito COE, Hollister
June 23 Santa Clara COE, San Jose
All sessions run 8:30-3:30.

Technology Conferences
2009 CyberSummit on 21st Century Skills
A different kind of conference kicks off June 1 and runs through June 12. People from all walks of life with a vested interest in education will gather online at different times for 12 days of learning and discussion to advance 21st century education in the United States. The summit will include webinars, video, interviews, and discussions from around the country. Sponsored by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, this summit allows us all to engage in a nation-wide discussion to formulate recommendations for educational policies and practices. It's all online and it's all free, so join the discussion and let your voice be heard. Register here today.

National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)
Washington, DC June 28-July 1, 2009
Join colleagues at ISTE's 30th annual conference, NECC. An amazing list of presenters, including: Jamie McKenzie, Alan November, Gary Stager, David Thornburg, Hall Davidson, Bernie Dodge, Ian Jukes, Kathy Schrock, Chris Dede - the list goes on and on. Opening keynote address by Malcolm Gladwell. Plus an amazing city to explore. Click here for more information and registration.

4th Annual Harker Teacher Institute
500 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, Wednesday June 17, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
$20 (includes box lunch)
Harker School launched their annual institute for educators to explore the newest instructional technologies four years ago. This year's session will focus on free - or almost free - software and Web resources. Break-outs include Moodle, Google Earth, CPS & Geocaching, and more.
Register online at: www.harker.org/teacherinstitute

TechToolkit
For Teachers:
VideoDiary
A small application that allows you to capture video with your webcam and keep it organized as personal video diary. You can add titles and text descriptions for your recordings. It’s light and simple, but plenty to make you own video diary. Imagine students creating their video diaries - for English, world languages, ELL, and more.
Cost: Free trial and then Mac $15, Windows $20

For Everyone:
Got an iPhone? How about Things iPhone for $9.99 from the App Store
Things is a focused and intuitive task manager. Other task managers either oversimplify or are too difficult to use. Either way you're not getting stuff done. Things has a good balance between ease of use and powerful features. Check out the screen shots at the App Store and see if Things is for you.

__________________________

You receive this monthly newsletter because you're identified in your District as an instructional technology leader and/or enthusiast.
To unsubscribe, send email to Paula_Hundley@sccoe.org

Spring Plans for CTAP @ SCCOE

2009-03-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

Spring Workshops - Register Now
Face-to-face workshops and online webinars are open for registration. Click on the workshop links to sign up.

Face-to-Face/Hands-On @ SCCOE. All session 4:00-6:00 pm.
Thursday, March 26: Got Interactive Whiteboard? Got Lessons?
Learn best practices, explore ready-made resources, build some of your own.

Thursday, April 2: Google Earth & Maps
Learn the basics of navigating your way through Earth and Maps. Explore resources. Build a project of your own. [Note: Also available as an online webinar below.]

Tuesday April 7: Google - A Research Machine
Let's see how to take "Feeling Lucky" to a place of real skill in information access. Learn to use the advanced search tools to make a world of difference. [Note: Also available as an online webinar below.]

Wednesday April 8: AudioVisual in a Web 2.0 World
Whether you seek to find audiovisual content or create it, today's Web 2.0 tools make it easy. [Note: Also available as an online webinar below.]

Thursday April 9: iWrite - Technology Tools for English/Language Arts
From graphic organizers to blogs to digital storytelling, today's young writers have a wealth of tools to support their development in written expression.

Tuesday April 28: Math Interactives for K-8
In the online world, math springs to life with interactive resources for various ages and stages of mathematical thinking.

Online Webinars: From My Computer to Yours.
All sessions 3:30-4:30 pm
Monday April 6: Google Earth & Maps
Wednesday April 22: Google - A Research Machine
Wednesday April 29: AudioVisual in a Web 2.0 World

CUE in Review
If you're like many others in the education field this year, your organization is limiting/suspending/cancelling/forbidding travel for conferences and off-site meetings. So it wasn't a surprise that attendance at this year’s annual CUE conference was down by approximately 20%. That's the bad news… the good news is that many of the presentations and handouts are available through the CUE Community Web site – http://community.cue.org

The site isn’t the easiest to navigate, so here are the direct links to the Discussion Forums where you can click on each session title to see the attached resources:
Session Discussions
Workshop Discussions
Bonus Session Discussions
CUE Tips Discussions

SVCUE Mini-Grants Up to $1,000
Silicon Valley Computer Using Educators (SVCUE) is the local affiliate for San Mateo and Santa Clara counties of Computer-Using Educators, Inc. of California (CUE). CUE and SVCUE support the integration of all forms of technology throughout the curriculum. Annual dues run $40 and include a newsletter and discounts on various local and state technology conferences.

One special benefit of SVCUE membership is a mini-grant of up to $1,000.00 for personal ownership of equipment and/or software to support your classroom instruction. This equipment/software is for your personal use and will belong to you (not your school or district). If you are awarded a grant, you are required to share how your students benefited from the project by emailing a half page article for an SVCUE newsletter, and by giving a short presentation at one of their scheduled meetings or the annual SVCUE Technology Conference.
Click here to join.
Click here for grant information and application.

Technology Conferences
TICAL Leadership 3.0 Symposium
San Diego, CA
April 2-4, 2009
The Leadership 3.0 Symposium is a collaborative effort of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), Computer Using Educators, Inc. (CUE), Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL). It is truly “for administrators, by administrators.” 3 organizations, 1 mission – Educational Leadership for the 21st century. Click here for more information about TICAL and the Leadership 3.0 Symposium.

National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)
Washington, DC
June 28-July 1, 2009
Join colleagues at ISTE's 30th annual conference, NECC. An amazing list of presenters, including: Jamie McKenzie, Alan November, Gary Stager, David Thornburg, Hall Davidson, Bernie Dodge, Ian Jukes, Kathy Schrock, Chris Dede - the list goes on and on. Opening keynote address by Malcolm Gladwell. Plus an amazing city to explore. Earlybird registration through March 31. Click here for more information and registration.

TechToolkit
For Teachers:
DonorsChoose.org
The storyline for this not-for-profit website is simple: Teachers ask for classroom materials to support projects. Donors browse the projects and contribute money. Students learn and send thank you letters and photos to donors. Talk about a direct connect! Plus DonorsChoose.org provides "end to end" integrity. They screen the project proposals before posting; they purchase the materials for the teacher and ship them directly to the school; and they compile photographs, student thank-you notes, and a teacher Impact Letter as feedback for donors. Click here to access

For Administrators:
Doodle for Easy Scheduling
Go to the Doodle website, create an event or poll, and send the link to the people you need at the meeting. Each participant checks off the times s/he is available. You see real time results about what will work for everyone. An especially good tool for administrators who need to reach out to committee members who are off-campus (like parents) and thus are not part of any internal calendaring program. Click here to access

__________________________

You receive this monthly newsletter because you're identified in your District as an instructional technology leader and/or enthusiast. To unsubscribe, send email to Paula_Hundley@sccoe.org

Leadership: Awards, Events, and Planning

2009-02-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

Technology in Learning Leadership Award
Goes to Diana Paradise

CTAP Region 5's own Diana Paradise will be this year's recipient of the 2009 Computer Using Educator's Technology in Learning Leadership Award (TILL). The award recognizes local, state, and national leaders in educational technology for their contributions to advancing CUE's mission. Diana will receive the award at the annual CUE Conference in Palm Springs. Congratulations, Diana!

Leadership Foundation Institute Seminar Set for Feb 25

CTAP Region 5's fifth annual Leadership Foundation Institute ran Jan 27-29 with about 20 regional district/site technology leaders. Are you a member of the Leadership Institute? If you have attended any of the 3-day institutes over the past 5 years, the answer is "Yes."

Please join us - and the new cohort group - on Wednesday, Jan 25, for a one-day seminar at the Monterey County Office of Education in Salinas. Our agenda will have two strands: One with an in-depth focus on podcasting and the other on blogs/wikis - all with a curricular focus.
Click here to register now.

Interactive Whiteboard
Demo Day Follow-up

District technology and purchasing leaders from 15 districts joined CTAP Region 5 at Santa Clara County Office of Education to see four interactive whiteboards vendors in action. SmartTechnology, Promethean, Mimio, and eInstruction/Interwrite gave the group great demonstrations...and a lot to think about.

As a follow up to this event, we hope to support District efforts with any or all of the following:
- Demo Days for other types of products, like document cameras
- School visits to see equipment in action in the classroom
- Professional development and training on new equipment, as a follow-up to what vendors themselves provide

Would YOU be interested in any of this support? Please email me, and let me know your interests. We'll plan CTAP 5's spring, summer, and early fall product events accordingly.

Digital Media Academy Sets Dates and "Sets Sail"

The Digital Media Academy is a nationally-recognized organization that offers a range of digital media "camps" for kids, teens, and adults alike. These summer programs are hosted at 18 different universities nation-wide, plus the company is setting dates for a digital media cruise. The group got its start at Stanford and still hosts several weeks on that campus each summer.

Look for CTAP 5 to partner with DMA during the summer. After teachers get a great boot camp in digital media, CTAP 5 will help them embed what they've learned into their curriculum and instructional practice. Click here to check out DMA, and we'll send more information out about CTAP dates later this spring.

Planning Underway
for CTAP Summer Institutes
The CTAP 5 staff has targeted two summer "windows" to offer topical institutes for teachers and administrators. We will offer a series of 2, 3, or 5-day seminars the last two weeks in June (June 15-26) and first two weeks in August (Aug 3-14). More news about specific topics and dates will be publicized soon, but look for content around technology support for English Language Learners, an Administrator Academy, interactive whiteboards and tablets, and media-rich content for the classroom. To assist our planning, email me, if you have a topic to suggest.

Technology Conferences Reminders
Silicon Valley CUE Technology Conference
Harker School, 500 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA
Saturday, February 28, 8 am - 3 pm
Join colleagues at this local CUE event which features concurrent sessions, hands-on workshops, exhibitors, and vendors. Early registration runs through February 14 and costs $30 for SV CUE members and $35 for non-members. Fees go up $10 after Feb 14.
Click here for more information and to register.

Annual CUE Conference
Palm Springs, CA
March 5-7
For almost 30 years, technology-using educators have been meeting at the CUE Conferences to advance student achievement at all levels of education and to address the use of Education Technology in instruction, administration, curriculum and management. This year's keynote speakers are Dr. Robert Marzano and Peter H. Reynolds. Click here for more information and to register.

7th Annual Academic Success for English Learners & Migrant Students
One Day Institute
Santa Clara County Office of Education
March 7
This year's conference will continue to focus on research-based practices that support English learners and migrant students to develop the academic language skills required for their overall academic success. Keynote speaker: Dr. Douglas Fisher, Professor, San Diego State University. Plus breakout sessions. Click here for more information and to register.

TechToolkit
For Teachers & Students:
Calisphere - A World of Primary Resources
Calisphere is the University of California's free public gateway to a world of primary sources. More than 150,000 digitized items — including photographs, documents, newspaper pages, political cartoons, works of art, diaries, transcribed oral histories, advertising, and other unique cultural artifacts — reveal the diverse history and culture of California and its role in national and world history.
System Requirements: Web-based, platform independent
Cost: Free / Click here to access

For Administrators:
Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership (TICAL)
TICAL is the one-stop, technology information portal for school administrators, by school administrators. TICAL's mission? To help K-12 administrators provided informed and effective leadership in the use of technology to improve education.
System Requirements: Web-based, platform independent
Cost: Free / Click here to access

__________________________

You receive this monthly newsletter because you're identified in your District as an instructional technology leader and/or enthusiast. To unsubscribe, send email to Paula_Hundley@sccoe.org

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-07T09:58:00.000-08:00

Got Coach? Custom Workshops Available

The ISTE standards for teachers, newly revised in 2008, offer a roadmap for professional development. Teachers need to be able to:
- Facilitate/inspire learning and creativity
- Develop digital learning experiences
- Model digital-age work and learning
- Promote/model digital citizenship
- Engage in professional growth/leadership

It's a tall order and CTAP is here to help! Let's work together and develop a plan for your school or district - a plan that uses your resources and ours to offer top-notch professional development for your staff. Change is in the air ... The time is now. Email me or call today at 408-653-6589.

IM Paula for Assistance
Have a quick question? Add me to your buddy list on Instant Messaging with the screen name phundley@me.com. Then when you see me online, send a question (via text or video). With AV chat, I can even drag and drop documents to you instantly right inside the chat window.

Give it a try today. Assistance is just a chat away.

Interactive Whiteboard Demo Event - Register Now!
If you're considering interactive whiteboards, this session is a must!

Join us for an Interactive Whiteboard Demo Day on Friday, February 13, 8:30am-12:30pm. Four top vendors will be here to demonstrate their products and take your questions: SmartTechnology, Promethean, Mimio, and eInstruction (formerly Interwrite).

Come yourself or bring/send a small team. Click HERE to register for this event.

Leadership Foundation Institute - Last Call - Register Today!
January 27-29, 8:30am-3:30pm
The Leadership Foundation Institute offers three days of training for your District's key technology professionals. Participants explore curricular tools, web communication tools, content management systems - all while they build an action plan to redeliver content to your teachers and administrators.

Who would benefit from this Institute in your District? We seek individuals who have a basic degree of technology skill, who are ready to incorporate technology into their professional development sessions, who have a strong focus on curriculum and instruction, and who have access to redeliver content to teachers and administrators. LFI participants will be eligible for follow-up seminar days, as well as coaching for their individual needs.

Participants commit to attending a one-hour orientation, the three-day Institute, writing an action plan for delivering integrated technology professional develop to staff, and having a follow-up coaching consultation with a regional CTAP coordinator. Participants receive a $500 honorarium. Contact Diana Paradise or Paula Hundley for more information. Enroll here.

Technology Conferences Reminders
MacWorld
San Francisco, CA
January 5-9
MacWorld is happening right now. Computer Using Educators' (CUE) two-day strand for K-12 - "Educate" - runs today and tomorrow (Jan 7-8), from 11:00am-4:00pm. Topics include best practices for podcasting, multimedia, 21st Century literacy skills and more. On Friday Jan 9, CUE hosts a K-12 Symposium day with a great line-up of speakers: Alan November, Rushton Hurley, Ted Lai, Carol Anne McGuire, Jerome Burg, and Leslie Fisher. Click here for more information and to register.

NOTE: CUE's early bird discount has passed, but contact me for a 15% discount code. I can't post the code online but can distribute it via email and you can forward to your colleagues.

Silicon Valley CUE Technology Conference
Harker School, 500 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA
Saturday, February 28, 8 am - 3 pm
Join colleagues at this local CUE event which features concurrent sessions, hands-on workshops, exhibitors, and vendors. Early registration runs through February 14 and costs $30 for SV CUE members and $35 for non-members. Fees go up $10 after Feb 14.
Click here for more information and to register.

Annual CUE Conference
Palm Springs, CA
March 5-7
For almost 30 years, technology-using educators have been meeting at the CUE Conferences to advance student achievement at all levels of education and to address the use of Education Technology in instruction, administration, curriculum and management. This year's keynote speakers are Dr. Robert Marzano and Peter H. Reynolds. Click for more information and to register.

TechToolkit
For Teachers & Students:
Selenium - Web research made easy
Selenium is an all-in-one research application. It brings together a web browser, PDF manager, outliner, word processor, and bibliography manager in ONE window. Selenium ensures that you'll never need to switch between several applications to conduct research on the Web - or try to get them to work together.
System Requirements: Mac OS 10.5+
Cost: Free trial, then $15.00 to buy
Download here

General Use: iCombiner
Merge various file formats into one PDF. iCombiner is a productivity tool that allows you to combine images, photos, scanned documents, and PDFs into a single file.
System Requirements: Mac OS 10.4+
Cost: Free trial, then $19.95 to buy
Download here

__________________________

You receive this monthly newsletter because you're identified in your District as an instructional technology leader and/or enthusiast. To unsubscribe, send email to Paula_Hundley@sccoe.org.

Join CTAP at a New Year Event

2008-12-09T15:57:00.000-08:00

New Director Joins CTAP
Corey Gin joined SCCOE as the new director for CTAP, effective December 1. For the past seven years, he served as the Senior Instructional Developer for eCampus at San Jose State University. In this role, he was the lead instructional designer/content developer for eCampus. His responsibilities included implementing policy and processes as well as directing curriculum design for distributed education. He has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in web-based teaching and learning, classroom-based training, technology integration, mediated instruction and instructional design. Prior to the San Jose State position, he was an elementary teacher in the Berryessa School District.

Leadership Institute January 27-29 ~ Register Today!
The Leadership Foundation Institute offers three days of training for your District's key technology professionals. Participants explore curricular tools, web communication tools, content management systems - all while they analyze their own leadership styles and build an action plan for redelivering content to your teachers and administrators. This will be the fifth cohort group to attend the LFI, and we will meet in Hollister this year. (Previous cohorts have met at Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey County Offices of Education.)

Who would benefit from this support in your District? We seek individuals who have a basic degree of technology skill, who are ready to incorporate technology into their professional development sessions, who have a strong focus on curriculum and instruction, and who have access to redeliver content to your teachers and administrators. LFI participants will be eligible for follow-up seminar days, as well as coaching for their individual needs.

Participants commit to attending a one-hour orientation, the three-day Institute , writing an action plan for delivering integrated technology professional develop to staff, and having a follow-up coaching consultation with a regional CTAP coordinator. Participants receive a $500 honorarium. Contact Diana Paradise or Paula Hundley for more information. Enroll here.

Interactive Whiteboard Demo Day Feb 13 - Register Today!
You've heard the interactive whiteboard buzz, and now you wonder if your District should be investing in this technology. Need more information?

Join us for an Interactive Whiteboard Demo Day on Friday, February 13, 8:30am-12:30pm. Four top vendors will be here to demonstrate their products and take your questions. It's an old-fashioned "shoot out" between SmartTechnology, Promethean, Mimio, and eInstruction (formerly Interwrite). Come yourself or bring/send a small team. Click HERE to register for this event. Space is limited.

Technology Conferences Reminders
MacWorld
San Francisco, CA
January 5-9
In addition to the usual hands-on labs and extensive vendor floor, Computer Using Educators (CUE) teams up with MacWorld to offer a strand just for K-12. "Educate" runs two days, Jan 7-9 from 11:00am-4:00pm. Topics include best practices for podcasting, multimedia, 21st Century literacy skills and more. Total cost for the two days is $175. Also on Friday Jan 9, CUE hosts a K-12 Symposium day with a great line-up of speakers: Alan November, Rushton Hurley, Ted Lai, Carol Anne McGuire, Jerome Burg, and Leslie Fisher. Symposium price is only $99. Note: Both rates are early bird specials until December 1. Click here for more information and to register.

Silicon Valley CUE Technology Conference
Harker School, 500 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA
Saturday, February 28, 8 am - 3 pm
Join local colleagues at this annual CUE event which features concurrent sessions, hands-on workshops, exhibitors, and vendors. Early registration runs until February 14 and costs $30 for SV CUE members and $35 for non-members. Fees go up $10 after Feb 14.
Click here for more information and to register.

Annual CUE Conference
Palm Springs, CA
March 5-7
Computer-Using Educators, Inc. is a professional organization of educators that supports the use of technology in education. For almost 30 years, technology-using educators have been meeting at the CUE Conferences to advance student achievement at all levels of education and to address the use of Education Technology in instruction, administration, curriculum and management. This year's keynote speakers are Dr. Robert Marzano and Peter H. Reynolds. Click for more information and to register.

TechToolkit
For Teachers: Google Earth 4.3 with Ancient Rome 3D Layer
Fly through Ancient Rome - its streets and buildings. Click on the video below for a 2 minute preview. Pretty cool.

In launching this new "layer" in Earth, Google is sponsoring the Ancient Room 3D Curriculum Competition. The challenge is to rebuild your content with the new technology. The top 6 entries win: Macbook, LCD projector, digital camera, 3D navigation mouse, and a $500 gift card. Click here to read more and get started. Entries are due February 9, 2009.

For High School Students & Counselors:
Zinch.com ~ I am more than a test score
www.zinch.com
Zinch has opened the door of online interaction to college admissions. Through Zinch, high school students worldwide can now communicate and engage with admissions offices through a format that defines their generation: the web. Over 600 colleges and universities currently use Zinch to get to know prospective students. For their part, students create profiles and show just how much more they are than test scores!

__________________________

You receive this monthly newsletter because you're identified in your District as an instructional technology leader and/or enthusiast. To unsubscribe, send email to Paula_Hundley@sccoe.org.

Video, iPods, Interactive Boards: The Future is Now

2008-11-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

Day of Discovery Set for Nov 15
Discovery Streaming provides digital on-demand video in the form of full-length videos and short segments to support all aspects of the K-12 curriculum. Additionally, the service includes a library of over 20,000 images, as well as teacher support and lesson plans. Join your colleagues for this 'Day of Discovery' and tune in to all the online resources that Discovery Education offers. The day will include a keynote speaker and break-out sessions with hands-on experiences for you.

An excellent day for those educators whose schools have contracted for the 2008-09 year, this full-day introduction also provides a great opportunity for interested educators to learn more about Discovery Streaming. Click here to register today - space is limited!

LFI Seminar Day Nov 17 - Registration Open
Leadership Foundation Institute members are invited to attend the first of three seminar days, tackling topics you requested. We're excited to spend the day focused on iPod and Web 2.0 tools and resources for the classroom. We'll have Apple rep Randy Phelps to guide us through best practices for iPods in the classroom, plus we’ll raffle off some pretty cool items (think iPods). Not to be missed! Also on tap: Google Tools, especially Docs, Sites, and Earth. Plus we’ll demo a few new Web 2.0 tools that your teachers will love!

Please join us:
Monday, November 17, 9:00am - 3:30pm
Hollister School District Office
2690 Cienega Road
Hollister, CA 95023
Click here to register.

Interactive Whiteboard Demo Day Coming in February
Conference vendor floors are full of them. Surrounding Districts may be purchasing them. You've heard the interactive whiteboard buzz, and now you wonder if your District should be investing in this relatively new technology. Need more information?

Join us for an Interactive Whiteboard Demo Day on Friday, February 13, 8:30am-12:30pm. Four top vendors will be here to demonstrate their products and take your questions. It's an old-fashioned "shoot out" between SmartTechnology, Promethean, Mimio, and eInstruction (formerly Interwrite). Come yourself or bring/send a small team. Please contact me if you would like to attend this informative session.

Wave of the Future: 1-to-1 Devices
Trends point to all students having a mobile learning device at some point in the not so distant future. Do you have a 1-to-1 initiative at a school in your District? Please email or call me (408-453-6589). I would like to talk to you about it and use your experiences to assist other schools traveling down this path. Whether it's laptops, iPods, PDAs or other - let's talk!

Congratulations to Evergreen & Santa Clara School Districts
Competitive EETT Grants (Enhancing Education Through Technology) have been awarded to Evergreen Elementary District and Santa Clara Unified School District. Evergreen will focus on middle school math and language arts achievement, with laptop carts and support materials. Santa Clara will focus on 6th grade struggling math students using the individualized computer program ALEKS. Congrats to both Districts - these are not easy grants to win!

Technology Conferences Reminders
California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA)
Sacramento, CA
November 18-21
The K-12 educational community is increasingly dependent on the creativity and dedication of IT professionals. This year’s conference will showcase examples, strategies and technologies that IT and Educational Technology organizations can utilize to help create vital and dynamic learning and working environments. Click here for more information and to register.

California League of Middle Schools Technology Conference
Monterey, CA
December 4-7
Join K-12 teachers, administrators and technology leaders to discover how you can access and use a wide variety of simple free or low-cost online tools to boost your own professional development; connect yourself and your students with peers, authors and experts; and engage your students in learning experiences that are interest-driven, socially supported, and highly responsive to individual learning styles and skills.
Click here for more information and to register.

MacWorld
San Francisco, CA
January 5-9
In addition to the usual hands-on labs and extensive vendor floor, Computer Using Educators (CUE) teams up with MacWorld to offer a strand just for K-12. "Educate" runs two days, Jan 7-9 from 11:00am-4:00pm. Topics include best practices for podcasting, multimedia, 21st Century literacy skills and more. Total cost for the two days is $175. Also on Friday Jan 9, CUE hosts a K-12 Symposium day with a great line-up of speakers: Alan November, Rushton Hurley, Ted Lai, Carol Anne McGuire, Jerome Burg, and Leslie Fisher. Symposium price is only $99. Note: Both rates are early bird specials until December 1. Click here for more information and to register.

Silicon Valley CUE Technology Conference
Harker School, 500 Saratoga Ave, San Jose, CA
Saturday, February 28, 8 am - 3 pm
Join local colleagues at this annual CUE event which features concurrent sessions, hands-on workshops, exhibitors, and vendors. Early registration runs until February 14 and costs $30 for SV CUE members and $35 for non-members. Fees go up $10 after Feb 14.
Click here for more information and to register.

TechToolkit
For Teachers: Meet the Author Series
The Orange County Department of Education sponsors a series of video conferences with authors whose books are nominated for the 2008-09 California Young Reader Medal. Students can interact with the authors and learn more about their books and approach to writing. For a complete list of authors and registration, click here.

Administrators: Speak Up Survey
Project Tomorrow (formerly the Net Day folks) sponsors the annual Speak Up Survey that gives students, parents, teachers and administrators the opportunity to share viewpoints on key educational and technology issues. The summary findings are shared with national and state policy makers. Participating schools and Districts can access their local data free-of-charge. The survey is open now and will run through December 19, 2008. Speak Up is a great opportunity to see what your stakeholders are thinking about where you should be leading. To activate your school or District, click here.

__________________________

You receive this monthly news blog because you're identified in your District as an instructional technology leader and/or enthusiast. To unsubscribe, send email to Paula_Hundley@sccoe.org.

Technology Leadership Matters

2008-10-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

Admin Academy Takes Aim at Key Issues
Site and district administrators are invited to attend CTAP's Admin Academy to examine such issues as cyberbullying, Appropriate Use Policies, technology funding and more. The sessions run after school, 4:00-7:00 pm at the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

Oct 14 - Cyberbullying: If you missed the 2nd Annual CTAP V/Yahoo! CyberSummit, this session provides an excellent overview of what administrators need to know and do about cyberbullying.

Oct 22 - AUPs & Administrative Policy: Having the right policies and guidelines in place will help you head off issues and deal with problems when they occur. Update your AUP tonight!

Feb 26 - Technology Planning & Funding: By February, you'll be planning for next school year. Let's take an early look at your plans for 2009-2010 and how you might fund them.

Mar 5 - Staff Development, the Key to Change: The newest equipment and fastest network won't impact student learning unless teachers are on board and learning themselves. Explore multiple models for developing leadership and capacity at your site / district.

Attend one seminar or the whole series. Come alone or bring a team. You'll leave with good information, a new perspective, and a great deal to think about and implement. Sign up now at: http://ctap5.k12oms.org.

2nd Annual CyberCitizenship Summit
The CTAP V-Yahoo! sponsored summit on October 3 was a great event. Good information, good dialogue, great keynote speaker (Chris Lehman), and a variety of non-profit organizations. Click here to see what you missed. Hope to see you at next year's event!

Leadership Foundation Institute Set for Jan 27-29, 2009
The LFI offers three days of training for your District's key technology professionals. Participants explore curricular tools, web communication tools, content management systems - all while they analyze their own leadership styles and build an action plan for redelivering content to your teachers and administrators. This will be the fifth cohort group to attend the LFI, and we will meet in Hollister this year. (Previous cohorts have met at Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey County Offices of Education.)

Who would benefit from this support in your District? We seek individuals who have a basic degree of technology skill, who are ready to incorporate technology into their professional development sessions, who have a strong focus on curriculum and instruction, and who have access to redeliver content to your teachers and administrators. LFI participants will be eligible for follow-up seminar days, as well as coaching for their individual needs.

Participants commit to attending a one-hour orientation, the three-day Institute , writing an action plan for delivering integrated technology professional develop to staff, and having a follow-up coaching consultation with a regional CTAP coordinator. Participants receive a $500 honorarium. Contact Diana Paradise or Paula Hundley for more information.

LFI Seminar Series: Start Your Engines!
Leadership Foundation Institute members (Cohorts 1-4) are invited to attend three days of ongoing support, tackling topics you requested (via phone or online survey). Since the LFI is a regional group, locations are set throughout the region. Here are the dates, locations, and topics for this year's seminars. We hope you'll join us. Registration information coming your way soon!

Nov 17 - Hollister (San Benito County)
iPods in Education with Apple's Randy Phelps
Google Tools: Docs, Sites, Earth

Feb 25 - Salinas (Monterey County)
CyberSafety
Adobe Connect or Blackboard for Professional Development
A Few New Cool Web 2.0 Tools

May 22 - Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz County) - Capstone Event
Share projects, plans, experiences, and guide the LFI's next steps

Technology Conferences on the Horizon
Innovative Learning Conference
San Jose Convention Center
October 14-16
Computer Using Educators (CUE) and the Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC) team up to offer an interactive 3-day conference and exposition for the K-12 community here in San Jose at the convention center. Advance registration through October 12.
Click here to register.

California Educational Technology Professionals Association (CETPA)
Sacramento, CA
November 18-21
The K-12 educational community is increasingly dependent on the creativity and dedication of IT professionals. This year’s conference will showcase examples, strategies and technologies that IT and Educational Technology organizations can utilize to help create vital and dynamic learning and working environments.
Click here for more information and to register.

California League of Middle Schools Technology Conference
Monterey, CA
December 4-7
Join K-12 teachers, administrators and technology leaders to discover how you can access and use a wide variety of simple free or low-cost online tools to boost your own professional development; connect yourself and your students with peers, authors and experts; and engage your students in learning experiences that are interest-driven, socially supported, and highly responsive to individual learning styles and skills.
Click here for more information and to register.

TechToolkit
For Teachers: Google Election Tools
Google for Educators jumps into election politics with a Mock Election (sign up by Oct 30), plus a number of activities crafted with Google Tools. For example, '"Journey Maps" track the candidates lives from birth to the current race for the White House (in satellite view, of course). "YouTube YouChoose" has videos of the candidates speaking about key issues. "Letters to the Next President" encourages students aged 13-18 to write about their concerns and issues for a national audience. Whether it's tools to explain the electoral process or to track the candidates or to encourage student expression, Google has a tool for your teachers and students. Click here to explore.

System Requirements: Current browser, Java enabled, and Flash 8 Player
Cost: Free to educators. Otherwise, 30-second videos are free. Full length are $3 each or $30 a year unlimited.

Administrators: CatWizard
The School Services of California CatWizard Lookup Tool helps you find the most up-to-date information about available categorical funds that may be used to serve specific needs at schools and districts...such as Educational Technology. Check off the funding area of interest, the category of students (eg, GATE, ELL), the school level and then submit. The search returns a list of all the categorical funds that may apply to your given situation. Give it a try here: http://www.sscal.com/catwizard/lookup_form.cfm.

__________________________

To unsubscribe from this monthly news blog, send email to Paula_Hundley@sccoe.org.

CTAP 5 SCCOE News, Events & Workshops

2008-09-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

CTAP 5 Santa Clara County Blog - EdTech News for You
Welcome to the first edition of the monthly CTAP Region 5 blog for Santa Clara County educators. Each month I will highlight upcoming workshops and events, news that may shape your technology planning, tools for you and your staff, and interesting articles or websites. Subscribe to this blog via the RSS feed (lower right) if you use tools like Bloglines or Reader to track your favorite blogs. Or look for an email from me each month. Topics, suggestions, and questions are welcome! Note: Workshops start soon so please advise your teachers, librarians, and administrators of these opportunities. Upcoming workshops listed at right.

2nd Annual CyberCitizenship Summit
October 3, 8:30 am-4:00 pm, Yahoo HQ
CTAP 5 teams up with Yahoo again this year to offer a second cybercitizenship summit. This year's focus will be cyberbullying - certainly a topic that is taking more than its fair share of school administrators' attention. Gather with your colleagues from around the Bay Area to explore the issues, trends, and resources. Keynote speaker Chris Lehmann joins a panel of experts to bring you an engaging day of conversation. Click the image at right for a flyer. Slots are going fast. First come, first served. Click here to register.

Innovative Learning Conference
San Jose Convention Center
October 14-16
Computer Using Educators (CUE) and the Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC) team up to offer an interactive 3-day conference and exposition for the K-12 community here in San Jose at the convention center. Devoted to advancing student achievement through innovative education strategies, ILC will offer “hands-on” workshops, concurrent sessions, meetings and exhibitions. Click here to register.

'Day of Discovery' with Discovery Education
November 15, 9 am-3 pm, Santa Clara COE
Discovery Streaming provides digital on-demand video in the form of full-length videos and short segments to support all aspects of the K-12 curriculum. Additionally, the service includes a library of over 20,000 images as well as teacher support and lesson plans. Join your colleagues for this 'Day of Discovery' and tune in to all the online resources that Discovery Education offers. The day will include a keynote speaker and break-out sessions with hands-on experiences for you. Click here to register. If your district already has a Discovery contract or if you want to learn more about the resource, this full-day introduction provides a great opportunity to explore and discover.

A Good Read
Edutopia Aug-Sep 2008: Disruptive Technology for the Classroom
Authors Clayton Christensen and Michael Horn write: "That schools have gotten so little back from their [technology] investment comes as no surprise. Schools have done what virtually every organization does when implementing an innovation. An organization's natural instinct is to cram the innovation into its existing operating model to sustain what it already does. This is perfectly predictable, perfectly logical -- and perfectly wrong." Read more....

TechToolkit: Animoto
http://www.animoto.com
If you haven't discovered Animoto.com, you're in for a treat. Whether you're capturing the spirit of a staff development day or introducing the Civil War unit, you'll find Animoto a great addition to your toolkit. Upload images and then upload your music (or choose music available at the site). Animoto takes it from there. This Web 2.0 application analyzes your images in relation to the music and creates a professional looking video. Choose from either a 30-second short Animoto or full length. Fabulous results. Here's a quick example.

System Requirements: Current browser, Java enabled, and Flash 8 Player
Cost: Free to educators. For everyone else, 30-second videos are free. Full length are $3 each or $30 a year unlimited.