ZArchive+9-4-08+notes

NEISSC Study Council Meeting Notes Sept 4, 2008 DOE Report Gary Bates – inACCESS Program Coordinator, Mark Broderick // Note to DOE: if we’re required to use Linux OS on our 1-to-1 computers, it would be good if the other DOE departments would coordinate. For instance, iStart currently requires IE 7 to run. (Apparently NWEA is working on their Linux version.) // Atomic Learning – Heidi Thielen is our representative in our state. There are some free tutorials on their site, but it is a subscription to staff, students, or both. Heidi provided us a trial login: leaves/atomic for use at [|www.atomiclearning.com] Her email is hthielen@atomiclearning.com  Warsaw and SW Allen have used it in the past. There were common sentiments expressed that it is hard to find the time for staff development. Something online like Atomic Learning helps alleviate the time problem. It seems to be best utilized when there is teacher evaluation tied to digital literacy and 21st Century Skills for students. Future Meetings Brad Hagg – Tippecanoe Valley Jennifer Nussbaum - Westview Dave VanLue – Wawasee Jeff Creek, Jo Ann Roscoe, Mike Phommachanh– EACS Cindy Cash, Myra Moore – South Adams Julia Robinson – Columbia City HS  Lisa Deutscher – Dekalb Central Adela Dickey – NW Allen Tom Ashley – Huntington Janice Curtis – Plymouth Don Chase – SW Allen Elaine Bultemeier, Don Lemasters – Warsaw Dianne Woodworth – Goshen Tim Tahara – Concord Back to Home
 * Gary started on July 1, 2008. There are now 155 schools in the program, with about 20 more coming on board this fall. Gary’s main focus is helping with adapting curriculum to take advantage of the 1-to-1 setting, by going out to visit schools. He will be helping share best practices through a website. Gary is not in an evaluative role, just a helping role. His phone is 317-232-9182 and email is gbates@doe.in.gov
 * Schools in our group that have 1-to-1: Warsaw, Plymouth, Huntington, South Adams, East Allen, Wawasee, Goshen (may be others who weren’t present)
 * New Teacher in Residence this year – Mark Fuson from New Palestine. Mark is skilled in using Moodle. Email: mfuson@doe.in.gov Phone: 317-232-9108
 * Moodle and Criterion for online writing seem to be in most installations. Gary is getting trained in Thinkfinity from Verizon.
 * Laura Taylor’s role in inACCESS has been mostly migrated to Gary, but she and Mike Huffman will still be involved in the funding aspects of it.
 * What if we want the Teacher in Residence to come out for training? If three districts can come together, Mark Fuson will come for free. You don’t need to be a 1-to-1 school.
 * There are 20 districts taking the Spring ISTEP online this year.
 * There have been some problems with taking online tests with the small laptops (7-9” screens).
 * Internet Safety Law went into effect July 1. The DOE is working on a web-based curriculum for Grades 3-12 located at http://doe.state.in.us/olr/internet_safety.html Key components include:
 * Safe online communications
 * Privacy protection
 * Cyber-bullying
 * Viewing of inappropriate material
 * File-sharing
 * Importance of open communications with a responsible adult
 * Library/Media folks get CRUs for their Technology Meetings. We could have the same when there is a training involved.
 * Standards Resources will be posted by end of November.
 * Ande Warren at Vincennes has developed his own Technology Standards. (Adela received permission to share them with our group.)
 * New Math Standards are up for public review. Language Arts and Social Studies are finished.
 * Open Minds Conference is Sept 25-27 at the Marriott Indy downtown.
 * Tech Plans are due in November 1 for those whose plans were in effect from 2006-2009. Send them even if they aren’t done, and Mark will send you a notice of revision needed to protect your e-Rate status.
 * Tech Survey is due Sept 12 (came to the Superintendents)
 * Tech Literacy for Grades 3-8 should have been sent in to the DOE already. You will still be reporting on just your 8th grade.
 * __ Roundtable __**
 * Huntington has tied this into teacher evaluations. They have found it very beneficial to have a model classroom where a technology integration specialist team teaches with classroom teachers to demonstrate technology infusion.
 * Gary Bates helped his staff take steps forward with technology by moving away from hard copy of Principal Memos and moving them to email.
 * Some administrators require the teacher’s professional goal setting process to include one technology-based goal.
 * It is also helpful to show teachers how technology can help them achieve their goals. Good books: __A Whole New Mind__ by Daniel Pink and __The World is Flat__ by Thomas Friedman.
 * Tippecanoe Valley Principals are using Palms to document their Classroom Walk-Throughs. Tippecanoe Valley is using Administrative Observer from http://www.pes-sports.com/ Walk Through Observer by Park Bench is another software package.
 * South Adams surveyed their high school students about technology. Two main conclusions were that they wanted individual laptops and more use of technology by their teachers.
 * Nov 6 @ West Noble
 * Jan 8 @ Middlebury (DOE)
 * Mar 5 @ NW Allen
 * May 7 @ East Noble (DOE)
 * Tippecanoe Valley has been working hard at putting projectors in each classroom (complete by the end of this year). There is a DVD/VHS unit with a TV tuner also. Brad uses Epson and NEC projectors (NEC offered a longer warranty and free replacement bulb – NEC Star Students program).
 * Brad is having good luck with Dell 5110 CN printers, getting lots of pages out of toner cartridges.
 * Installed Renaissance Place on student desktops K-8 (Plymouth did the same thing).
 * Noodle Tools (for research online) is in place for Grades 7-12.
 * Bought Quomo pads with EasiTeach for HS Math teachers.
 * Individual schools are purchasing SMART Boards, then Dave’s department helps with the installations.
 * Wawasee put in 5 inACCESS classrooms in partnership with Goshen. The cost for providing electric was very expensive.
 * Doing NWEA testing for the first time this fall.
 * The usual several hundred computers swapped out this summer.
 * Lots of requests for SMART Boards and rapid response units. Installations are hired out for technology connections, but EACS does their own electrical work.
 * Consolidated technology services at the Park Hill Learning Center.
 * Purchased (45) 20’ in iMac for elementary teachers, (60) laptops for science and social studies department
 * Upgraded HP switches with POE and we now have 12 wireless access points plus preparing for VOIP – looking at Shoretel. Prepared the MDF for the new building.
 * Currently have (7) servers except PowerSchool running on VM with (2) SANs for file storage.
 * Upgraded to Exchange 2007, Renaissance Learning, web based PowerTeacher, EasyTech for Elementary, Weblockers for student storage access.
 * Using NovaNet for credit recovery
 * Teachers are using SchoolWorld to post daily assignments plus some teachers use Moodle for quiz reviews, flashcards, etc...
 * All teachers this year will be using Curriculum Mapper
 * Trained everyone on online registration of new students to quit using paper.
 * Putting in more mobile laptop labs.
 * Teachers have had classroom websites for some time.
 * Offering Japanese through Blackboard at the Indiana Academy supplemented with conference calls and DVD lessons. They graduated five students last year with 3 years of Japanese. New Principal wants to add more languages.
 * Finished HS security with cameras (130 cameras) and key fobs for door entry.
 * Lisa went to regionalized printing already, but allows teacher to bring in personal printers if they desire and buy their own supplies.
 * Doing Acuity and Wireless Generations testing.
 * Lots of Scholastic installs this summer – READ 180, Fast Math, System 44.
 * ** Question: Who has an elementary keyboarding program? Looking for an online solution so kids can access lessons from home. **
 * The whole HS building seems to be touched by construction at this time.
 * Upgraded phone servers, network switches, wireless connection to Arcola (two towers)
 * Brought in three big VM Ware servers to house surveillance video and SAN
 * Hired JH Specialty, a local company to re-do their school websites with lots of interactive features for parents.
 * Put 750 PCs in place this summer.
 * Using Rubicon Atlas for curriculum mapping, especially during Wednesday a.m. collaborations.
 * Using Inform for datawarehouse, working on getting all the data in place.
 * Held a “Model Teaching Week” using brain-compatible principles.
 * High School renovation added a greenhouse, security cameras.
 * Tom is looking at using LCD TVs in classrooms instead of multimedia projectors.
 * Getting ready for Acuity also.
 * Janice ran a Tech Camp on using Net Trekker.
 * Plymouth put some eInstruction rapid response units in place, and teachers love them.
 * They like Mobile Presenters from Numonics, especially for Math. The toolbar feature across the top is nice.
 * Principals use an Excel spreadsheet document, but the dropdown doesn’t work on the Palm. Any ideas? Documents to Go from DataViz might help – Tim T.
 * ENL won a large grant and is purchasing touch iPods for students to take home.
 * Put in a Moodle server and Novell Teaming server on a virtual server.
 * Replaced all elementary Macintosh computers with mostly HP laptops (bought extra batteries and chargers with them). Students take NWEA tests in the classrooms with these laptops.
 * All SW Allen elementary schools are now saturated with wireless ( for 802.11 a, b, and g). Just the high school remains to become wireless for anytime, anywhere learning.
 * SW Allen went to “regionalized” printing with networked copiers so that they only need to provide the paper. Supplies and repairs are covered in the maintenance agreement.
 * High school cafeteria now has an IP video surveillance solution. Exacq software manages the cameras. Don also has a converter for their analog camera video feeds to go into the IP solution.
 * Looking at Success Maker and Study Island for remediation software.
 * ** Question: Who has looked at rapid response software for cell phones? CCC video has a program to survey cell phones. **
 * Don has been using Mimio software on projectors at Middle School aimed at magnet-infused showerboard from Lowes.
 * Installed projectors and Mimio Boards in classrooms.
 * Infusion of ESL money for migrant students allowed them to purchase NetTrekker from Grades K-12.
 * 1-to-1 laptop initiative for Grades 7-12 has slowed down with the transition in the Superintendent’s Office.
 * Building two new elementary schools, awarding bids in December.
 * Made the Middle School wireless, migrated to new version of Powerschool.
 * Went to Mambo Schools for web hosting solution.
 * Lots of teachers using Moodle.
 * Warsaw has GroupWise syncing with iPhones.
 * Goshen is doing Acuity testing in Grades 2-8 and DIBELS testing in two elementary schools.
 * They partnered with Wawasee for inACCESS labs at the high school,
 * ** Question: who is using a skill-development tool they like? ** Compass is going out of life and Compass Odyssey is pricey. Central Noble is using Odyssey. Wawasee looked at NovelStars, but stayed with Plato. Huntington uses Pearson’s SuccessMaker. Tippy Valley uses Study Island. Wawasee has Education City.
 * Dick Pyle started Concord’s SIF initiative this summer, waiting on Novell’s SIF agent right now.
 * Construction of new 7-8 Junior High School is well underway, completion expected in May/June 2010.
 * Concord hosted three week-long Moodle Camps this summer with trainers from BTLC. Graduate credit was offered from Chapman University through NIESC.
 * West Side Elementary will be doing the Acuity assessments and Wireless Generations assessments for early literacy skills and math.
 * Contracted with SchoolCenter to host district and school websites. Migration to new sites will take place late in the school year.
 * We have been spending some time exploring the new Macintosh OS and like what we see for integrating Web 2.0 tools with learning experiences for students. Hoping to get a mobile cart of MacBooks and an XServe in place this fall.
 * Updates we are making to the network to support Novell’s use of Linux should also facilitate the incorporation of Macs.
 * Virtualized another ten or so servers this summer with Norm O’Neal from Integrity Solutions.