The March 2007 Mid-America Association for Computers in Education (MACE) conference is seeking presentation proposals now! The presentation proposal applications are on-line at http://mace-ks.org/maceconference.htm. Just scroll down and look under "Attendees" and then click on "Submit a proposal for the MACE 2007" This conference prides itself in supporting technology integration across our state by creating a learning environment of presentations and hands-on sessions mixed with food, fun, and fantastic interactions with our educators friends. The conference is held in the beautiful Kansas State University Alumni Association building on the campus of Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. The event is scheduled for Thursday and Friday March 1 and 2, 2007. Please reflect upon your implementation and integration of technology in your setting and take some time to consider, construct, and apply to be a presenter at this learning event in March 2007. If you have any questions contact MACE Board of Directors Member from our district, Eldon Chlumsky at echlumsky@usd259.net or 973.4665. See you in March in Manhattan!
Announcing the first annual “K12 Online 2006″ convention for teachers, administrators and educators around the world interested in the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms and professional practice. This year’s conference is scheduled to be held over two weeks, Oct. 23-27 and Oct. 30- Nov. 3 with the theme “Unleashing the Potential.” A call for proposals is below. There will be four “conference strands”– two each week. Two presentations will be published in each strand each day, Monday - Friday, so four new presentations will be available each day over the course of the two-weeks. Each presentation will be given in podcast or screencast format and released via the conference blog at http://k12onlineconference.org.
Watch your email for more information on how you can participate at your school.
In an effort to have the Wichita Public Schools Technology Plan for USD 259 reflect more creative ideas and a broader perspective, this year’s revisions will be facilitated using Web 2.0 tools.
About every two weeks, a portion of the existing plan will be the topic of a round table discussion on a podcast which will be listed in iTunes. A blog will be established to present ideas and solicit contribution from interested individuals. In addition to anticipating input from “drive-by” readers, several national known technology experts will be contacted to be active participants in the project as well as individuals from the Wichita community and schools.
A link will be embedded in the blog to enable readers to read the portion of the plan up for discussion. The blog will also be set-up to enable RSS feed, so people can receive messages when new content has been posted on the site. Over the course of the next several months, the contributions will be consolidated into an updated technology plan for USD 259. This plan will be presented to the board for annual review and approval in January or February.
A grant received from the state called the Technology Rich Classrooms Project (TRC) was received by Pleasant Valley Elementary. This grant provided four classrooms, grades 4 and 5, with technology equipment as well as ten days of professional development. Some of the equipment that these teachers received was a 2:1 ratio of laptops to students, a mounted projector and SMART Board per classroom, and digital still and video cameras. The staff at Pleasant Valley is also being provided with some professional development in the area of technology as well to foster a community of 21st Century Learners. A continuation grant for the TRC classrooms was received by Irving Elementary. They received the TRC grant last year and were given the chance to apply for a continuation for this year. With the extension of this grant the teachers in those classrooms can hone their skill of technology integration and continue teaching the 21st Century skills needed by their students.
It's not too late! We are offering Course I - Project-Based Learning and Technology as a face-to-face class that meets just 4 Saturdays between October 7th and November 18th. Enroll in MyLearningPlan today.
The Instructional Technology Department is premiering a series of new courses called Tech Bytes. The first one is now available for teachers to sign up for in MyLearningPlan and it is called Tech Byte: Microsoft Publisher for Teachers. It is a completely online course and it is worth 20 PDC points.
School Data Tutorials highlight many of the Excel skills that are helpful when working with building- and district-level data. These tutorials are targeted at data managers, principals, guidance counselors, teachers, and other school personnel who have the responsibility for collecting, analyzing, and reporting K-12 performance data.
Word Central is a great site to help your students fall in love with words.
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation is a one-stop-shop for both teachers and students of the English language. If you think you have all of the rules memorized, try one of their quizes.
Algebra Solutions will be more fitting for secondary students. To practice, click on “Practice” then “Submit” for automated step-by-step solution and answer. For a quick review of the subject, click on Mini-Lessons.
GoMath’s Mini-Lessons will guide you through the topics with graphics and examples. For additional practice off-line, click on Worksheet. All worksheet are in printable format.
If you've got news, we want to hear about it! Please let us know about any exciting technology happenings in your building, or write a review or tech tip. We will take them all, even your editorials. Please note that submission does not guarantee publishing. Submit all items to http://itd.usd259.org/newsletter/news.asp.
