KCS Math Blog XP End of Support Standardized testing is a well-known stress inducer for parents and students, but it’s also a big issue for teachers and school districts. Funding and performance evaluations can all be on the line. With so much at stake, it makes sense to create a testing experience that is as smooth and painless as possible. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is a state-led group that works to develop advanced testing methods that give everyone involved—students, parents, and educators—an accurate picture of student progress so that teachers and schools can improve instruction and help students succeed. Today’s lesson: technology There’s no doubt that a lot of attention has been paid to the content of different assessment methods. Fortunately, the consortium developed a Technology Strategy Framework and Testing Device Requirements guide for educators and institutions on the hardware and software they need to administer assessments effectively. Not your typical story problem
Dan Meyers Blog - Makeover Monday (Q changed to CC) App Ed Review | app resource for teachers Blog from CCSS writer Kick-start your Google+ profile: 10 edu-communities to join Social media is a great place for educators to connect and share. Google Plus is a powerful discussion and sharing tool, and several communities can get you started quickly. (via coreysmith.ws) Google Plus — Google’s social media network — is a great resource for educators. I think it doesn’t always get a fair shake, though. It explains the idea behind several social media sites with bacon (see graphic). Twitter: I’m eating bacon.LinkedIn: I have skills including eating bacon.Instagram: Here’s a vintage photo of my bacon. But when it comes to Google Plus: “I work for Google and eat bacon.” Google has been written off as a failure, but all you have to do is look at the powerful ways educators are using it to see its potential. It’s a great place for dialogue (instead of 140-character snippets). The design encourages more in-depth reading, digesting and collaborating about its content. And communities are a great place to find resources and connect with a huge group of like-minded people. 1. 2.
How podcasts can make you a better teacher Podcasts are growing in popularity. They’re free. And they’re a great learning opportunity in the palm of your hand. (flickr / Colleen AF Venable) Like you, I find that I’m on the go a lot. School and extra-curricular activities. I’m a runner, so I’ll go run four to six miles on a given day on the county roads around my house. I go to a lot of conferences, so there’s lots of travel time there. The common denominator for all of the above: lots of idle time. For a while, I turned to music to keep me interested, but after getting my first iPod several years ago, I found something better. Podcasts. They’re like radio shows for your phone, mp3 player or computer. They’re free, too. In fact, I’ve listened to most of Michael Hyatt’s “This Is Your Life” podcasts about intentional leadership (He says, “My goal is to help you live with more passion, work with greater focus and lead with extraordinary influence.” Podcasts can be heard on computers as well. Related Today, I was stuck. September 28, 2015
Information Technology / One-to-One Initiative Roadmap In 2000, Kent School District passed its first Technology Levy since 1988. With this funding came increased equity of access to technology to students. The basis of this commitment led the KSD Board of Directors to create a road map to guide all future technology projects and funding. This road map enabled the various groups and teams involved with the One-to-One Laptop Initiative to lay important groundwork, including fiber infrastructure, increasing wireless access points, developing a hardware life cycle, and centralizing district servers. Joint Initiative In 2004, plans began to fall into place to launch an exciting new venture: one laptop for each student. Strategic Goals Embarking on a One-to-One Laptop Initiative is no small task. Starting Small In 2005, the Kent Technology Academy opened at Mill Creek Middle School. The success of the first year of this program led to a second year with the addition of more teaching staff and another grade level of students.
One-to-One Laptop Schools/San Diego Alway-on Learning: The one-to-one laptop initiative in San Diego[edit] Introduction[edit] The San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) serves over 130,000 students at 187 different sites. This makes SDUSD the eighth largest district in the United States. It is an urban district with close to 70% of its students receiving free or reduced school lunch. For the last few years, SDUSD has been developing plans to give each of their students access to a computer on a regular basis, an arrangement that is known as one-to-one computing. At one time, one-to-one laptop initiatives were big news in education circles. Always-on Learning[edit] The San Diego School District’s one-to-one initiative is called the Always-on Learning Initiative and District IT personnel are proceeding at a slower pace than other LEAs that have already implemented programs in an effort to avoid the problems that emerge with initiatives like this. Phase one[edit] Phase two[edit] A new direction[edit] Conclusion[edit]
How to Roll Out a 1:1 iPad Program When The Westside School decided to grow its established primary school into a leading middle school program, parents, teachers, students and administrators mapped out an integrated project-based learning environment designed to engage and challenge all participants. The planning team made a list of skills and tools that would support learning, and decided on a 1:1 iPad program to support their vision. I was brought on as technology coordinator to plan and support the curricular and technical deployment for the start of the 2011-12 school year. After a year or two of early adopter experimentation with education-based iPad deployments, a collaboration of IT departments, edTech consultants and third party vendors pieced together a best practice scenario for iOS management. Equally as important to successfully implementing a 1:1 program is the social and curricular roll-out to your school community. Outline of a Phase-In EdTech Guiding Statement Week 1-2: Personal Academic and Social Success
Keys to Implementing a Laptop Program Connecticut's Thomas Edison Middle School issued every one of the school's 6th graders a laptop computer. More than 30 major planning meetings and countless person-hours went into the rollout, which was declared a success by everyone involved. How did they do it? Can you do it, too? Find out how. Included: A step-by-step guide to the TEMS laptop rollout. Driving up to Thomas Edison Middle School (TEMS) in Meriden, Connecticut, you might think you were approaching a high-tech corporation. The day Education World visited the school, something else dramatic was going on: One of the three sixth-grade teams was issuing each of its 80 students a laptop computer. "We looked at all the information on laptop programs that we could find," said Dan Metz, senior systems network engineer for Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES), the inter-district agency that governs the school. If the prospect of implementing that plan sounds daunting, perhaps you'd like to know that you're right.
Red Oak School District - Red Oak One-To-One Rollout Nights 4fff7ac108909 Arrival Day Story image 1_1 Setting Up 775 laptops in limited space! Arrival Day The Red Oak Technology Department is busy preparing to distribute 775 laptop computers for the Fall Semester. Parent/Guardian last name A-G Tuesday, August 7 Parent/Guardian last name H-P Wednesday, August 8 Parent/Guardian last name Q-Z Thursday, August 9 In the event that a parent/guardian is unable to attend one of these nights, their student(s) will have a laptop to use while at school. Our goal is to provide access to relevant technology to all our students when they need it. Helpful Links: Student Laptop Handbook, Acceptable Use Policy, Laptop FAQ Sheet Any questions should be directed to:
One-to-One Laptop Program If a family moves over the summer, they may also use this contact information to set up a time to turn in their device. August Device Pickup Perrysburg Schools is continuing to pilot a one-to-one technology program this school year, where all students in selected grades are issued a laptop to use in class and take home each night. Devices will be issued on August 13 & 14 at Perrysburg High School to the 2014-15: 5th Grade (11” Lenovo Chromebooks)7th Grade (11” Lenovo Chromebooks)8th Grade (11” Samsung Chromebooks)9th Grade (11” MacBook Airs)Students new to the district in grades 6 and 10 All parents/guardians of students in Grades 5, 7, 8 and 9 will need to be present to sign for their student’s device. Students are responsible for the device they are issued. For 6th and 8th grade only, for the 2014-15 school year, students may request opt out of having a school-issued device and bring your own device (BYOD) to school, with the following stipulations: Schoology Parent Academy
One-to-One District Laptop Service Agreement This District Laptop Service Agreement is between Perrysburg Schools and the parent/guardian. In order for students to take their laptops home, they will be required to pay a $25 assessment/$75 deductible per occurrence per Chromebook and $50 assessment/$150 deductible per occurrence per MacBook Air. If the assessment is not paid, students will be provided a device to use during the school day, but will not be permitted to take the device home. District Laptop Service Agreement Coverage includes: All repairs due to non-negligent damage. Additional Information: In cases of theft, vandalism and other criminal acts, a police report, or in the case of fire, a report MUST be filed by the student or parent within three days for the protection coverage to take effect. Negligent Damage (NOT covered under the District Laptop Service Agreement) The following are the exclusions that are not covered by the District Laptop Service Agreement.