2008 - 09 Technology Council Meetings

Hi, everyone!

As promised, here are the locations (click for directions) and full registration links for our Technology Council meetings this year:

• September 18 (Coltsville Conference Room): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=120376&CustomerID=128
• October 29 (CREC Central Council Room): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=130742&CustomerID=128
• November 20 (Coltsville Conference Room): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=130743&CustomerID=128
• December 11 (CREC Central Rooms 1& 2): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=130744&CustomerID=128
• January 8 (CREC Central Rooms 1& 2): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=130745&CustomerID=128
• February 12 (CREC Central Rooms 1& 2): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=130747&CustomerID=128
• March 12 (CREC Central Rooms 1& 2): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=130748&CustomerID=128
• April 9 (CREC Central Rooms 1& 2): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=130749&CustomerID=128
• May 14 (CREC Central Rooms 1& 2): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=130750&CustomerID=128
• June 10 (Coltsville Conference Room): https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=130751&CustomerID=128

All meetings start at 9:00 and will run until 10:30 or 11:00, depending on our agenda. Our first meeting on September will feature Art Skerker of the SDE and the unveiling of the new district technology plan, so please join us for this important discussion!

Doug

Survey Results

Regarding the last survey request: If I ask for information, I have to give something back, right?!

It occurred to me that the following survey results might prove useful as you look at existing practices and staffing levels within your district:

http://www.crec.org/technology/documents/2007_Statewide_Survey_Results.pdf

Results come from districts across the state, who responded in July through September of last year.

Best,

Doug

Survey for Collective Purchasing

Good afternoon, everyone.

Please take a few minutes to respond the the following survey that the RESC Alliance created regarding school technology:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=39Ww_2bJlULtO23oFmKcjpwQ_3d_3d

Our hope is to garner enough input to identify opportunities for collective purchasing deals on software used in districts. Also, we have a couple of additional questions regarding the use of successful practices as a gauge of proficiency. This should take you no more than five minutes to complete, and it may lead to software cost savings if we can identify areas of common usage among districts statewide.

Thanks!

Web 2.0 Use?

Hi, everyone.

Please respond to the following poll to help the Tech Council members gauge how many districts are using Web 2.0 use in classroom instruction. Once you submit your response, you will be able to see the results of the survey:

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e2b24taffgzhehen/start

Digital Media Survey

Good afternoon, everyone, and thanks to those who attended this morning's briefing with Gary Brochu from Shipman & Goodwin.

One of the drivers behind this discussion was a previous presentation by Sarah Edson of the CEN. She and members of the E-Learning & Content Advisory Council to the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology (CET) are currently working to gather information on what digital content/e-learning subscriptions (e.g. online multimedia-on-demand) K-12 districts are paying for, as well as what digital content/e-learning services schools would like to subscribe to if their budgets allowed. As iCONN has successfully demonstrated, using state purchasing power to acquire and make available digital resources with broad utility can result in significant cost savings to schools.

For this particular survey, the information on "digital content" that the CET seeks does not pertain to the types of resources (full-text databases and online reference materials) that are currently available through iCONN. Rather, the commission members would like to learn about schools' usage of and interest in other digital content, such as streaming video or audio clips, Web-based simulations and animations, interactive learning activities, online assessments, and virtual tours.

If you did not already receive and complete this survey via the CT Association of School Librarians, please take a few moments to complete this brief survey to help the CET gather this important information on the usage of and demand for digital content/e-learning services in Connecticut schools. The commission members encourage district-wide responses whenever possible, so if there is a district-wide coordinator who can more easily provide this information, please refer this survey to that person and encourage his or her response. So that the commission members can aggregate the data for the CET, they kindly request that the survey be completed by Friday, May 23, 2008, if at all possible.

Click here to begin the survey:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=tw2z2_2fuBuIGbCqfpu2NGtA_3d_3d

The commission members greatly appreciate your time and your input! Thank you!

Materials from Shipman & Goodwin

In response to your inquiries, Gary Brochu of Shipman & Goodwin provided me with the following useful documents and briefs:

• Sample Electronic Retention Policy
• Litigation Hold Form
• Legal Issues in Technology Utilization
• Guidelines on the Storage, Destruction, and Disclosure of Electronically Stored Information

To download the lot, click here or follow the link below:

http://www.crec.org/technology/documents/SG.zip

Feel free to bring these tomorrow for reference.

- Doug

Technology Council Meeting Reschedule Redux

Hi, everyone.

We are rescheduling -- for the final time -- our May meeting to Wednesday, May 21, at 8:30 at the Coltsville Conference Room. We had previously scheduled the meeting for May 20, which conflicts with many Council members' commitment to the CEN training.

To register for the meeting, visit the following page:

https://www.protraxx.com/scripts/ezcatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=107942&CustomerID=128

Please note that those of you who have signed up for the 20th are still registered for the 21st.

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Infrastructure Grants

Hi, everyone.

A member of the Tech Council asked about the pending approval of the infrastructure grants. At this point there is still no progress. The state cancelled its April 25 Bond Commission meeting, and we will have to wait for a rescheduled date to see any progress on the grant approval.

I'll keep you posted. You can also visit or RSS subscribe to Art Skerker's blog for updates:

http://cteducationaltechnology.blogspot.com

Doug

May 28: MS Volume License Agreement Meeting

If you already subscribe to the Microsoft Volume License Agreement, come learn about the new products and features in the 2008 -09 agreement. If you are not a member, come discover how the subscription benefits schools in providing licensing, support, and professional development for Microsoft products used in the district.

Date: Monday, May 28, 2008
Time: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Place: CREC Coltsville (click here for directions)
Agenda: See highlights below or click here for full agenda
Food: Free lunch served
Registration: Click here or visit CREC's professional development site to register today:
https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=122679&CustomerID=128

Topics will include the following:

• Upgrades and work at home
• MSDN access
• TechNet
• Desktop product overview
• Server product overview (includes Server 2008)
• Software assurance
• eLearning
• Security products
• Virtualization

Meeting Rescheduled

I apologize for doing so, but I have to reschedule our monthly meeting. The reasons are justifiable: I needed to work around the schedule of Gary Brochu of Shipman & Goodwin, who will meet with us to discuss Web 2.0 implications for privacy and security. Many of us have been struggling to understand and translate the implications of recent legislative changes in our district-level access policies, and Gary will help shed significant light on this topic.

The new time and date are as follows:

Tuesday, May 20
8:30 - 10:30 AM
CREC Central, Room 2

To register, please visit the following link:

https://www.protraxx.com/Scripts/EzCatalogny/ViewClass.aspx?ID=107942&CustomerID=128

Thanks for your patience, everyone. I look forward to seeing you on the 20th!

Doug

More on Social Network Sites

Educase Connect has been producing a series titled "7 Things You Should Know About..." fill in the blank with: blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc. If you aren't familiar with Educase, here is the description from their site: " EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology."

The latest in the series is "7 Things You Should Know About Ning," one of the social networking platforms we discussed at the Tech Council.

More fodder for our discussions on Social Network Sites.

Free Training on Deploying Office 2007 May 13-15

Are you considering deploying Office 2007 in your district? How can you appreciate the benefits of the new software through an efficient rollout and support plan?

Consider attending the Deploying and Managing Microsoft Office 2007 in the Enterprise workshop to learn about new tools and technologies to deploy the 2007 Microsoft® Office system. In this instructor-led, 3-day event, you will receive practical technical information and proven techniques necessary to design, customize, and deploy an Office 2007 installation in your environment. You will be given the deep technical assistance required to better plan your organization’s deployment, and have the opportunity to work with experienced resources that can help resolve potential deployment blockers and other upgrade related issues.

>> Learn More or Register

This hands-on workshop is targeted for IT Professionals responsible for the deployment, maintenance, and troubleshooting of Office installations. Application-specific and/or help desk-type issues are not included in the scope of this offering.

Courseware includes information related to:
· Preparing to Deploy Office 2007
· Customizing an Office 2007 Installation
· Upgrading to Office 2007
· Selecting an Office 2007 Enterprise Deployment Method
· Maintaining and Updating Office 2007
· Deployment Troubleshooting
· Office Diagnostics

Workshops are delivered by members of the Office Proactive Services team. They are senior Customer Service & Support (CSS) escalation leads who possess a strong knowledge of current and previous Office client deployment technologies/troubleshooting, migration, and best practices. Team members have years of experience resolving Office support issues, working escalations that lead to product improvements, consulting with customers across the globe, and delivering workshops.

Details
Date: May 13 – 15, 2008
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Location: Microsoft Office
Pondview Corporate Center
Farmington, CT 06032
Phone: (860) 678-3100

>> Register Now

Education Week Report on STEM

Thanks to Art for forwarding two useful reports specific to technology resources and proficiencies in Connecticut schools, from a larger report in the latest version of Education Week.

Connecticut State Technology Report 2008

Also see the following:

Detailed State Data Comparison

CASL Film and Production Award

Forwarded from Anne Weimann of CASL:

---

Dear CASL / CECA Member:

Please encourage your students to apply for this new award.

Student Film and / or Video Production Award

CASL is now accepting applications for this award. The applications are due by June 1.


To apply
Students will submit:

• An electronic version of their production
• a copy of the assignment for which the production was produced
  
  To:
  
  Janet Roche
  Simsbury High School
  34 Farms Village RoadSimsbury, CT 06070
  
  jroche@simsbury.k12.ct.us
  
  History
  
  In 1977 two students were given an award from CEMA (now CASL) for creating an outstanding film. The two students, Marc Johnson and Charles Searle, asked CASL to resume the award to encourage students to think seriously about film and video careers. They will contribute a prize of $250 per year to the winning group of video/ film producers.
  
  Judging Criteria
  
  The purpose of the award is to honor students who demonstrate in a video and or film production a level of information and technology literacy skills that will enable them to:
• Communicate information and ideas
• Demonstrate responsible, legal and ethical use of information and technology by acknowledging copyright
• Use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity and promote creativity
  
  Specific categories are:
  
  Attractiveness, Organization, Presentation, Content, Documentation, Mechanics, Requirements (Meets the requirements of the assignment for which the video / film was created)
  
  See the rubric on the CASL web site http://www.ctcasl.com/

CECA April 2008 Newsletter

For those of you who haven't received this already, I am forwarding the CECA newsletter.

_____________________

CECA News
Save the Date for the CECA Annual Fall Conference –
Surviving and Thriving in an e-Literate World Tuesday, October 21, 2008Connecticut Convention CenterHartford, CT More details will be available soon!

CECA Partnerships: Software Promotions
CECA continues to work with various organizations and companies to provide you with educational discounts on various pieces of software. Check out our website at: http://www.ceca-ct.org/Partnerships/partners.html Presently we have several timely partnerships you may wish to consider.

The following software is available for CECA members and their school districts this spring with considerable savings due to a New England volume purchasing agreement. Please pass this information to your technology coordinators, administrators or anyone else who is in charge of purchasing for your school district.

netTrekker – You must act quickly!
Round 1 is March 17th – April 18th - This offer is only for schools new to netTrekker.Pricing: $.99 per student with 3 months free from April1, 2008 to June 30, 2008;Includes subscriptions from 7/1/08 to 6/30/09The minimum order is $395.00

Round 2 is May 12th until June 30th but POs will be accepted until the first week of JulyPricing is $.99 per student for licenses for 7/1/08 to 6/30/09.Minimum order is $395.00

See details at http://www.ceca-ct.org/Partnerships/partnersnettrekker.html

FirstClass
Very competitive pricing under an agreement with FirstClass for a variety of FirstClass products is available through June 30, 2008.

For details on this partnership, please visit http://www.ceca-ct.org/Partnerships/Firstclass/partnersfirsclass.html

Atomic Learning
Atomic Learning provides web-based software training and curriculum resources for more than 110 applications students and educators use every day.

The final pricing will be based on the total number of licenses purchased by school districts throughout New England. For specifics on products and how to participate, visit this website: http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/ne-iste-promo/.



Curriculum Web Links: Focus on Science
Weather Wiz Kids http://www.weatherwizkids.com/index.htm Crystal Wicker, meteorologist for the ABC affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana, has designed a website especially for kids to learn more about weather. This site includes information and photographs about hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, clouds, thunderstorms, lightning, wind, temperature, wildfires, earthquakes, volcanoes, climate and flooding. The site also includes information on weather safety, folklore, experiments and a career as a meteorologist.

The Dirt on Soil: What's Really Going on Under the Ground http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/soil/ This site produced by Discovery Education provides information about the soil-making process and the difference between soil and dirt. A Field Guide to the ecosystem underground contains images and explanations of the life under our feet. Soil Safari, an interactive goal-based learning game, allows web guests to micro-size themselves for a journey to explore the residents of this underground universe.

Black Holes: Gravity's Relentless Pull http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/ This website from NASA's Imagine the Universe! Is written for students age 14 and up and includes information about astronomy. Students can explore the mysterious phenomena known as black holes by using animation and graphics. Students can view online experiments and travel to Cygnus X-1 and Andromeda.

Postponed: CREC Technology Council Meeting

Unfortunately the Technology Council meeting will not take place this month. To date we have experienced such scheduling conflicts among members that we cannot find a date that works for even a small group to meet. Additionally, Web 2.0 AUPs and best practices continue to be a top-of-mind concern for districts, and I cannot secure a speaker on this topic until May.

Our next meeting, at which I hope to have someone from Shipman & Goodman join us, will be on Thursday, May 15, here at CREC Central.

Thanks for your patience and understanding, and have a wonderful spring break.

Doug

CECA Book Offer

As an update to an earlier post, I have a corrected URL:

http://www.cecainfo.org/books/

The original message and corrected URL follow:


Announcing CECA Book Service for CECA Members Only
Offering quality books targeted at "improving teaching and learning through the effective use of technology"
- Discounts of 30% off list price.
- Minimized shipping and handling costs.
- Order online.
- Pay online with check or credit card, OR pay by mail with check or purchase order.
- Books selected by members of the CECA Board.
Books have been selected from the newest and most popular books published by ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). Also offered are books from other publishers that address current issues in Technology in Education.
Follow the links to CECA Book Service from the CECA Website:

http://www.cecainfo.org/books/

You'll need your CECA ID and Membership Expiration date (see above) to place an order.
Among the books available are:
Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools
Digital Citizenship in Schools
Spreadsheet Magic
Powerpoint Magic
IT's Elementary
Digital-Age Literacy for Teachers
and many more...

Infrastructure Grants

In a letter yesterday to the OPM Bond Commission, SDE Commissioner McQuillan requested commission of bonds at the upcoming April 25 meeting to cover infrastructure grants. An excerpt from his letter follows:

Education Technology – School Wiring

$5,000,000 of the funds authorized by Section 32(g)(1) of Special Act 05-1 of the June Special Session to provide grants-in-aid to local and regional school districts, regional educational service centers and endowed academies for technology wiring and telecommunications improvements for educational purposes in accordance with Section 10-4h of the Connecticut General Statutes.

The documentation for this item was submitted on October 5, 2007.

I'll keep you updated as I receive news on this issue.

Technology Council Meeting Reschedule

Good afternoon, everyone.

Because of some extenuating circumstances, we have had to reschedule the April Technology Council meeting to Monday, April 14, at 9:00 here at CREC in Room 1 (view driving directions). I realize this may present some scheduling conflicts with members, and we do apologize for the change.

Based on our discussions from the last meeting, I am hoping to secure a speaker to address Web 2.0 and acceptable use policies. The discussion threads circulating among Council members have created a healthy dialogue, and it makes sense at this point to bring in some legal counsel to help guide decisions in each of our districts. If I cannot secure a speaker for this coming Council meeting, I will arrange to have someone for May or June.

In the meantime, please feel free to send any agenda items you would like to present or see addressed as a group.

Doug Casey

Web 2.0 and Privacy

Thanks for the healthy dialog, everyone. I am looking to secure a speaker from Shipman & Goodman for the next Tech Council meeting to help us sift through some of these issues. Stay tuned for a confirmation.

I think we're all in agreement that Web 2.0 tools hold tremendous promise, but most likely (for now) only in walled garden environments or through those online providers that can ensure privacy and security to the degree that CIPA requires. I would add that, even with the best security measures in place, the "Web 2.0" tools (I personally hate the term, as most of these "2.0" tools have been available for more than a decade; you just had to look in the right places) need to be rolled out in a purposeful manner. It goes without saying to this group, but some of the zealots I have met in ed tech circles seem to think that by letting kids run free with these technologies (especially virtual worlds such as Second Life) without an instructional purpose ends up being a distraction from rather than a reinforcement of inquiry-based learning objectives. Blogs, wikis, and even VR can engage all kids, and especially those who may be more reticent in traditional learning environments. However, kids can also waste a lot of time without some structure and quantifiable objectives, based on our findings.

As if that weren't enough doom and gloom for the evening, here's a nice piece from T.H.E. reminding us of the technological dangers aside from straight privacy concerns that affect collaborative computing:

http://thejournal.com/articles/21501/

Remember: The more open and flexible, the more vulnerable.

Let's keep the conversation going!

Doug

Follow Up to Social Networking Disscusion

After Sarah Edson's presentation on the new CEN web site, there was a lively discussion about using social networking with students. I'd like to point out an article in the February issue of "Technology and Learning" titled "Safety and Social Networking." It is written by Alec Couros, PhD, a professor of educational technology and media. He opens with:

Once the fear of safety is removed, social networking sites can open up broad and exciting new worlds of learning for both educators and students. Innovative teachers are recognizing the potential of tools such as MySpace and Facebook to bridge cultural gaps and create authentic 21st-century learning environments.

In the body of the piece Couros identifies "common, adaptable rules for keeping online social networks safe and healthy." He includes a sidebar on the "Advantages of Ning" and offers a number of other options for social networking resources.

You can read it online here.

My question to everyone is, "Are any of you using social networking software either with staff or students? If so, how is it being utilized?" I'd like to brainstorm possible uses with other teachers or tech specialists and look at examples if you know of any.

(You may want to join the new CT Ednet Ning site to get a taste of what social networking is like.)

Updates from SDE

Hi, everyone.

Art Skerker graciously provides each of the RESCs a monthly update. Following are the items in Art's March update, some of which act as reminders for information I have already sent in previous communications:

• $5M in Infrastructure bond funds was originally allocated for July 1, 2006, RFPs were read and scored in May 2007. CSDE has again requested that these funds be placed on the next Bond Commission's agenda. Check Art's blog for updates.
  
• EETT Local Competitive proposals which will provide funds for development of assured experiences that integrate technology/21st. Century Skills in the curriculum are due @ CSDE on or before April 11, 2008. Individual grant awards are up to $65K (~$750K - total funds available).
  
• Summer workshops for teacher evaluators available at each RESC and at CAS. The four hour sessions (in some cases two, two hr sessions) will familiarize administrators with exactly what good technology integration looks like. Administrators will have an opportunity to practice using Intel's Leadership Forum online tools.
  
• Did you know that you can easily download files (in Flash Video, or FLV, format) from TeacherTube? Wonderful free videos are available in a variety of subject areas and can either be viewed independently with an FLV player (included in the table below) or may be converted into QuickTime or Windows Media player files.

Last Call: Parallels Software

Hi, everyone.

Last Thursday I mentioned a special deal with Parallels software (see http://www.parallels.com/en/products/desktop). We have 40 licenses ordered right now, and we need to secure a total of 50 licenses by tomorrow to appreciate a significant price break:

Licenses
Regular Price: $79.99
Sale Price: $34.99

Support
Regular Price: $16.99
Sale Price: $6.99

The total per-seat savings would be $55 the first year.

If you have interest, let me know ASAP. Please note that CREC is not making any commission, and we're not purchasing licenses at this time. This is purely a regional offer to benefit Mac schools with an interest in the product.

CEN Slides

Hi, everyone.

We thank Sarah Edson from the CEN for sharing her initiatives and vision and for soliciting our views on the future of digital educational content. You can send Sarah your comments at sarah.edson@ct.gov.

As promised, Sarah has provided us with her slides from last Thursday's presentation. Click here or visit http://www.crec.org/technology/documents/CENContent.pdf to download a PDF version of the presentation.

Technology Council Notes

Hi, everyone!

Thank you to everyone who came to this morning's presentation on the Connecticut Education Network (CEN) by Sarah Edson, Associate Director - Content Management. Feel free to send Sarah feedback at sarah.edson@ct.gov. I should have her slides for you sometime next week.

In the meantime, I have posted the following resources from this morning:

Training and Professional Development

• Intel Teach Leadership Forum
• Assessment Data Council: April 2, 8:30 – 10:30 AM at CREC
• My Access Writing Institute

Middle School EETT Grant

• Eligible Districts: Bloomfield, Bristol, Cromwell, East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Portland, and Vernon
• Middle School EETT Gran Due Friday, April 11, 4:00 PM
• Readers Needed: Contact Art Skerker, arthur.skerker@ct.gov or 713-6553

Resources

• CECA Advisor Communication
• Parallels offer: $34.99 per license, plus $6.99 for support. E-mail Doug Casey with interest by 3-25-08. Chad Etsell, the sales representative, would be happy to conduct a Webinar to demonstrate the use of this virtualization software that enables Macs to run Windows.
• SETDA Report

January 18, 2008 Agenda and Materials

Good afternoon, everyone.

We have a full morning planned for tomorrow, if the weather will cooperate. If we have a delay or cancellation due to weather, I will notify the group via e-mail. If CREC is closed or has a delayed opening, this schedule change would affect our meeting.

• 8:15 – 8:30: Coffee and De-Icing
• 8:30 – 8:45: CECA Tech Expo Applications — Joan Peck
• 8:45 – 9:00: SDE Update — Doug Casey
  
  
  
  • Video Service and Ed Tech Act
  
  
  • West Virginia Tech Curriculum Infusion
  
  
  
  
• 9:00 – 9:15: Content Filtering — Jim Benn
  
  
  
  • Safe Search
  
  
  • Clusty
  
  
  
  


• 9:15 – 9:30: PSIS Report — Joe Martino
• 9:30 – 9:45: Technology Support Surveys — Jim Benn
  
  
  
  • CREC Example
  
  
  
  


• 9:45 – 10:00: Teacher Technology Bootcamp — Doug Casey
• 10:00 – 10:15: Acceptable Use Policies — Group
  
  
  
  • Langwitches Summary
  
  
  • Franklin Parish Example
  
  
  
  


• 10:15 – 10:30: Roundtable Discussion