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Monday, October 13, 2008
Turning Up the HEAT in 21st Century Classrooms
Click the image above to start watching Dr. Chris Moersch share about how to TURN UP THE H.E.A.T. with Levels of Technology Implementation. Kudos to Larry Stegall and Tonya Mills for their video recording and editing work!
HEAT is an acronym for...
HIGHER-ORDER THINKING
* Students taking notes only; no questions asked
* Student learning/questioning at knowledge level
* Student learning/questioning at comprehension level
* Student learning/questioning at application level
* Student learning/questioning at analysis level
* Student learning/questioning at synthesis/evaluation
ENGAGED LEARNING
* Students report what they have learned only.
* Students report what they have learned only; collaborate with others.
* Students given options to solve a problem
* Students given options to solve a problem; collaborate with others
* Students help define the task, the process, and the solution
* Students help define the task, the process, and the solution; collaborations extends beyond the classroom.
AUTHENTICITY
* The learning experience is missing or too vague to determine relevance.
* The learning experience represents a group of connected activities, but provides no real world application.
* The learning experience provides limited real world relevance, but does not apply the learning to a real world situation.
* The learning experience provides real world relevance and opportunity for students to apply their learning to a real world situation.
* The learning experience is directly relevant to students and involves creating a product that has a purpose beyond the classroom that directly impacts the students.
TECHNOLOGY USE
* No technology use is evident.
* Technology use is unrelated to the task.
* Technology use appears to be an add-on and is not needed for task-completion.
* Technology use is somewhat connected to task completion involving one or more applications
* Technology use is directly connected to task completion involving one or more applications.
* Technology use is directly connected and needed for task completion and students determine which application(s) would best address their needs.
Marzano and Technology
Click the image above to watch a video of Melissa Ramos (mramos@fisd.us), Director of Technology for Floresville ISD, share her thoughts regarding how to Turn Up the HEAT with LOTI. Special thanks to Larry Stegall and Tonya Mills for their video recording and editing! Love the flames!
LOTI = Levels of Teaching Innovation.
HEAT is an acronym for...
HIGHER-ORDER THINKING
* Students taking notes only; no questions asked
* Student learning/questioning at knowledge level
* Student learning/questioning at comprehension level
* Student learning/questioning at application level
* Student learning/questioning at analysis level
* Student learning/questioning at synthesis/evaluation
ENGAGED LEARNING
* Students report what they have learned only.
* Students report what they have learned only; collaborate with others.
* Students given options to solve a problem
* Students given options to solve a problem; collaborate with others
* Students help define the task, the process, and the solution
* Students help define the task, the process, and the solution; collaborations extends beyond the classroom.
AUTHENTICITY
* The learning experience is missing or too vague to determine relevance.
* The learning experience represents a group of connected activities, but provides no real world application.
* The learning experience provides limited real world relevance, but does not apply the learning to a real world situation.
* The learning experience provides real world relevance and opportunity for students to apply their learning to a real world situation.
* The learning experience is directly relevant to students and involves creating a product that has a purpose beyond the classroom that directly impacts the students.
TECHNOLOGY USE
* No technology use is evident.
* Technology use is unrelated to the task.
* Technology use appears to be an add-on and is not needed for task-completion.
* Technology use is somewhat connected to task completion involving one or more applications
* Technology use is directly connected to task completion involving one or more applications.
* Technology use is directly connected and needed for task completion and students determine which application(s) would best address their needs.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Fostering Digital Citizenship
Wish you knew what to do about cyberbullying? The Office of Instructional Technology Services launched a web site in 2007 to help you prepare teachers and students how to deal with cyberbullying by encouraging Digital Citizenship.
Educators definitely need to understand how powerful and dangerous this new type of bullying has become as it has greatly impacted the classroom.
Paris and Robert Strom define cyber bullying as harassment using an electronic medium (E-mail, chat rooms, cell phones, instant messaging, and online voting booths) to threaten or harm others (Strom & Strom, 2005). This author believes that the definition should also include any form of information posted on the Internet, as in blogs, forums, etc. This latter form of cyber bullying involves gossip, humiliation, and threats (Sparling, 2005).
In the year 2000 a University of New Hampshire study found that one out of every 17, or six percent of kids in the United States, had been threatened or harassed online. But in March of 2006, statistics showed that 75 to 80 percent of 12 to 14 year olds had been cyber bullied. Furthermore, 20 percent of kids under 18 have received a sexual solicitation. So cyber bullying is clearly on the rise, and it affects both genders. An American Educational Research Association study shows that female bullies preferred the use of text messaging harassment versus face-to-face bullying by 2 to 1 (Toppo, 2006).
Students need to be educated on how to deal with cyber bullying as much as learning the traditional issues of drugs, sex, and nutrition. There are additional strategies that should be employed when dealing with cyber bullying. Never respond to a cyber bully. This just provides fodder and they now know that have actually made official contact. Protect your personal information with technology and change your online information including password and screen names on a regular basis.
Source: Scott Meech, Cyberbullying, TechLearning.com
Visit SAISD's Digital Citizenship Resources and learn how to flip the tables on Cyberbullies!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Blog Your Positive Attitude
Today, I received an email with a copy of the ASCD SmartBrief. In it, there were several articles that caught my eye, including this one:
What I'm struck by isn't so much the content, but WHERE the content appears--in a blog. Blogs have become a powerful way to share learning experiences, engage others in powerful conversations, and foster reflection. Reflection is the crucial ingredient; it is a teacher's ability to reflect on his or her own performance and then to change it. Blogs and wikis enable writers to, as Edwin Schlossberg writes, "create a context in which other people can think." And, blogs do deepen reflection.
Think is something we seldom have the time to do. Yet, when I sit down to write about something I'm learning, I'm struck by the simple power that blogging gives me. It enables me to reflect on what I'm learning, and be transparent about that learning, even I don't fully understand it.
Each of us deals with an explosion of information and ideas. How do we process it, manage it, keep track of it? My response has been to blog it...keep track of it in a place I can get to from home or work, on the road or at a campus provided I have Internet access and a computer to type into.
Get your own blog by going to the Technology Center and signing up for a blog where you can keep track of positive stories, not unlike what the writers in this ASCD SmartBrief are doing.
BTW, when you click on the button to sign up for a blog, you'll be asked to LOGIN. Use your email account name (e.g. if your email were "someone@saisd.net" your account name would be someone) and your password is what you use when checking your email.
If you encounter problems, don't hesitate to contact the Office of Instructional Technology Services at 527-1400 or via email at "mguhlin@saisd.net"
Edited on: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 8:32 PM
Categories: Announcements
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Web 2.0 Librarian
Listen in on my conversation with Laura Alfaro, Library Media Services facilitator, about Web 2.0 tools that are available! She shares about her desire to create 30-second commercials using Animoto to promote what they are doing in their library. "Getting people to use the library, the electronic resources we have" is what Laura is looking for librarians and teachers to do!
We had a far-ranging conversation at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year about Web 2.0 and Libraries, and Laura had a LOT to share. You can hear her enthusiasm in the podcast, and I hope you'll take a moment to explore some of what we discussed.
Relevant Links:
- Animoto.com
- VoiceThread.com
- 23LibraryThings
- Another 23 Library Things
- Texas Bluebonnet Books VoiceThread by Tracy Mapus (to access this link, you'll need to login with your email account name and password or just login as guest).
- Check out this VoiceThread Tutorial!
- How to Check if you machine has Flash/Shockwave
- Stephen's Lighthouse
- Thinkfinity.org
- Thinkfinitytexas.edublogs.org
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Writing Our Future
More information online at http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/doc/nwpsites/writing_our_future.csp
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Get YouTube Videos for Use in SAISD
YouTube is blocked at my school facility (for good reason,) but I've excess at home. A colleague has discovered a jewel. It's an inspirational short by Will Smith. Now, for my surely, simple question...How do we circumvent the filters allowing us to show/use this YouTube treasure for a beginning of the year motivation lesson with our students? By the by, the YouTube instructional clips on how to do this haven't helped.
Source: Email from the EDTECH email list (international listserv)
Several ways to accomplish this.
The first way is to find a conversion service that hasn't been blocked at work. You can find my list of services to use here. One of my favorites is the Zamzar.com (allowed in SAISD) conversion by URL. You just paste the address in and it makes the conversion for you, then emails you the download link when ready.
The second way is to find a video hosting provider that isn't blocked, such as Edublogs.tv. Since edublogs.tv handles video/audio for just education use, it's easy to make the argument to school district providers that it should be left unblocked. Too bad they don't handle photos/images at Edublogs.tv, and that would take care of Flickr/Picasa blocked sites!!
Ok, here's a few quick illustrated steps to get a video from YouTube to Edublogs.tv. I hadn't done it before, so I figured I'd take some screenshots along the way:
Step 1: Click the Grab YouTube button
Step 2: Paste in the URL for the YouTube video
Step 3: Confirm Information
Step 4: Confirmation Provided
Step 5: See Video
Step 6: What Success Looks Like
and you can use the embed code or just link to the video:
http://www.edublogs.tv/play.php?vid=367
Note that I've deleted the video already, so clicking the link won't work <smile>.
Campus Tech Center
Over the last few days, I decided to move content for the local campus technology representatives (CTR) group into a Moodle...to create "The Campus Technology Center," (login with your SAISD email username and password) a clearinghouse for everything about technology that campuses need to have access to in ONE place. Love some constructive feedback.
It's been fun re-discovering Moodle and eye-opening to realize HOW MUCH content we've developed over the last 6 years in Instructional Technology Services. What happens during 6 years of development--across multiple platforms, web servers and development tools--is that one ends up with everything scattered everywhere. And, I had lost track of some of the neat stuff we'd put together early on.
Dropping everything into a Moodle course--with the fear of being overwhelming--has helped refocus and help me see it all. Though I have every web designer's aversion to scrolling pages, I still remember that many educators are still newbies when it comes to web sites...their first impulse when arriving to a new page is to scroll down.
I've been adding Voicethread versions of my presentations, hoping to get some feedback from you! With VoiceThread, you can leave comments (audio, text, video!) on the actual slides.
Some of the additons I hope to make to the Moodle include the following:
- Amanda Hefner showed me about embedding Freemind Concept/Mind Maps in Moodle, so, of course, I want to enable the CTC moodle to accommodate that.
-
Ken Task shared the TA:TEKS glossaries, so I want to make those
available as well. I hope to add these to the CTC soon.
Image Search Tool
This came across in a tweet yesterday...I bookmarked it and thought it worthy of sharing:
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Texas BlueBonnet Books VoiceThread
Check out the result of a VoiceThread workshop class facilitated by Instructional Technology Services' facilitator, Sue Harris. This librarian--Tracy Mapus, our wonderful librarian at Crockett--developed a Texas BlueBonnet Book overview. Drop by and share your comments!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Thinkfinity in Texas
Are you using or exploring how to use Thinkfinity? If so, join the Texas Thinkfinity Diigo Group to share bookmarks, ideas for using Thinkfinity and more! Of course, it doesn't matter if you're in Texas since Thinkfinity is web-based, free, and an awesome collection of lesson plans, links and more....
NETS•T ALIGNMENT - Supports significant growth for: I.A., II.A.,
II.B., II.C., II.D., II.E., III.A., III.D.
The Verizon Thinkfinity program is a non–profit consortium of eight of the nation’s premier education organizations and the Verizon Foundation, each dedicated to providing the highest quality, standards-based, online educational resources for teachers and students nationwide. Thinkfinity content partners are: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Council on Economic Education, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Geographic Society, International Reading Association, National Council of Teachers of English, and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Thinkfinity's goal is to provide the best online educational resources and to help educators learn to use technology effectively within their instruction...Thinkfinity provides trainers and classroom teachers with both the training and resources necessary to successfully integrate online educational resources into the K–12 classroom. (Read Source Material)
and from E^2=Educating Educators:
"Thinkfinity delivers top-quality, standards-based, K-12 lesson plans, student materials, interactive tools ... and gives teachers, instructors and parents the tools they need to increase student performance today and create the lifelong learners of tomorrow."
Especially of interest is the free professional development provided to help educators make the most of the resources. The success of the program relies on a "train the trainer" model in which educators attend face-to-face sessions, and then facilitate workshops in their schools or districts.
Click the icon and/or link below to join and start sharing! Be sure to Introduce yourself!
And, if joining the TexasThinkfinity Group is just too much of a commitment, or whatever, why not subscribe via RSS to the bookmarks for Thinkfinity?
COSN 2009 Conference Proposal - Thinkfinity
For fun this weekend, I whipped up this proposal for COSN Conference 2009 specific to Thinkfinity. If you'd like me to do this workshop for your campus or department, please let me know via email at "mguhlin@saisd.net". We'll set the class up in ePath for you!
This workshop is about 3 hours.
Title
5 Steps to Successful Professional Learning for Teachers
Summary
This presentation shares 5 strategies for enhancing the learning environment at both school and home for students, their parents, and teachers. Often, educators and students lack access to high quality online resources they can use. Thinkfinity.org--and affiliate organizations--provide no-cost, unlimited access to resources. Learn 5 ways on how you and your teachers can blend Thinkfinity resources to enhance teaching and learning at school and home.
Objectives
- Participants will explore 5 professional learning strategies to ensure successful technology integration for teachers.
- Participants will discuss how Thinkfinity.org and specific interactives it offers can expand what teachers and students can do at no additional cost.
- Participants will learn how to blend high quality web-based resources with social bookmarking tools like Diigo and/or Del.icio.us.
Description
Facilitating successful professional learning opportunities that result in transforming teaching and learning is difficult. In this session, the facilitators will share 5 research-derived strategies for structuring professional learning that is successful. The five strategies to be shared (adapted from the work of the TLT Group) are 1) Begin with a long-term focus on a few selected outcomes and the educational activities needed to improve them; 2) Choose technology that can contribute incrementally and cumulatively over time; 3) Emphasize forms of instructional material that most faculty members find quick and easy to create, adapt and share; 4) Track the progress of the strategy needed to stay on course; and 5) Tap into online learning communities to sustain professional learning. Recognizing that ensuring access to quality learning resources online is critical, as well as knowing how to interact with those resources, the facilitators will share Thinkfinity.com and how it can be utilized in a variety of learning settings, including small group, large group, and individual. Participants will also be introduced to social bookmarking tools--such as Delicious and Diigo--that enhance participants' ability to organize online learning resources.
Thinkfinity
A few Sundays ago, collaborating with two district instructional technologists--one from Austin ISD, Diane Sidoroff and the other from Richardson ISD, Daniel Baham--I worked to design a professional development session for introducing teachers to Thinkfinity. Admittedly, the PD planning was half-baked (may my partners forgive me) and hastily constructed, for all the attention we lavished upon it in a short hour of planning. However, it was good enough for a 10-15 minute presentation that Daniel and Diane did a wonderful job on.
The Thinkfinity trainer, Karen Horn, introduced us to various scenarios, assigning one to each group. The scenario that we ended up with included this one, labelled Scenario 8:
Audience: You will be presenting to a group of high school teachers from Jefferson High (no, this isn't our Jefferson High...just a generic Jefferson HS), a back-to-basics charter school located in your district. On this staff development day, all 40 teachers had a choice either to go to "Every Teacher is a Reading Teacher" training or your Thinkfinity training. You are assured there will be no more than 20 teachers in your session. The school is very traditional and you are somewhat surprised that they have invited you to present. The school doesn't even have a computer lab.
Time Scheduled for Workshop: 2 hours
Technology Available for Workshop: You will be presenting in one teacher's classroom, which is equipped with 5 student computers, plus an additional computer hooked up to the classroom TV. Most of the classrooms on campus are only equipped with a teacher computer and 1 student computer.
Diane and I spent some time arguing about whether the teachers we served would benefit from a Level of Technology Implementation (LOTI) higher than 2. Here's a Bubbl.us that maps out the conversation (note that you can click on it and move it around to see different parts in the window available):
In case you're not familiar with LOTI 2, technology is used as a teacher productivity tool. With limited access, a LOTI 2 intro workshop was sufficient. I argued that we needed to provide suggestions on how to move the lesson to a level 3 (making inferences, analysis, students creating web pages) or 4 (using technology as a tool to identify and solve real life problems) or 5 (using technology to extend learning beyond the classroom). I suspect our planning and development was solidly in LOTI 2, but we could have easily moved the PD lesson to level 5 by encouraging groups of teachers to collaborate on gathering data, analyzing it, and sharing their work with others via a wiki or blog. I see real possibilities with combining these tools with Read/Write Web tools, such as blogs and wikis. I wonder who is already using Thinkfinity.org resources in this manner...more looking ahead.
There are tons of great resources...unlike other services that cost $10 per child, these resources available through Thinkfinity include specific lesson plans, interactive resources, media, and much more. Here's a snapshot of the different resource types:
As the three of us played around with the ideas, we decided that we didn't want to create an MS Word document. Since Diane was familiar with PBWiki--and a very enthusiastic supporter!--we were swayed to create a wiki to house the content. You can find it online at http://thinkfinitytexas.pbwiki.com/
We also picked out some neat resources that are available through Thinkfinity partner sites. Wow. That's one of the words that describes the resources available. Some that jumped out at me include these, which I've linked through Diigo as a slideshow. I had no idea these tools existed...sigh. Diane found some to be pretty exciting, including the Image Detective:
Be sure to check out Thinkfinity.org!
Thinkfinity - Rethinking Web Resources
Are you a classroom teacher looking for powerful instructional tools--available at no charge--to use with your students (or to have your student use)? Need inspirational lesson plans that blend the use of web-based resources with core content? If so, then you need look no further than Thinkfinity.org
Here is a slideshow that gives you an overview of Thinkfinity....
TILTing at Second Life
Malinda McCormick, Director at KLRN in San Antonio and Second Lifer (Joies Despres), shares the following:
Tuesday, July 15, 6 PM SLT (that's 8:00PM San Antonio time)
ISTE Speaker Series Event: The TILT Initiative at SAISD - Highlighting the ISTE Certified Capstone Courses from PBS TeacherLine
Location: ISTE Island Auditorium
http://slurl.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/204/46/23
Hummingbird Looming (RL: Miguel Guhlin, Director of Instructional Technology at San Antonio Independent School District [SAISD]) will speak on this innovative delivery of PD for certifiying educators in his district in Integrating Technology. SAISD is an urban district in San Antonio with an 95% economically disadvantaged population - keeping students in school and engaged and setting a goal of going to college is the mission of this district.
The team at the Dept of Instructional Technology at SAISD leads this incredible program for ed tech PD. Join us to learn how you can use these courses and encourage your teachers to engage in online professional development. This will be a voice presentation, please be sure you have a working voice setup prior to the event!
Edited on: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 8:27 AM
Categories: Announcements, eNews
Thursday, July 03, 2008
NECC 2008 - Technology Lead Teacher Celebration
PBS TeacherLine® Teams Up With San Antonio Independent School District for Technology Integration Lead Teacher (TILT) Initiative
Two co-horts of San Antonio teachers completing PBS TeacherLine ISTE Capstone Certificate Program to learn best practices in technology integration, demonstrate mastery of ISTE NETS, were celebrated on June 30, 2008 at National Education Computing Conference (NECC) 2008 taking place in San Antonio, Texas. Presenting at the event were the following folks (in order of appearance):
- Mariachi Juventil from Irving Academy, San Antonio ISD
- Holly Custard and Chris Lucas, Co-Directors of PBS TeacherLine of Texas
- Dr. Don Knezek, ISTE Chief Executive Officer
- Malinda George, Senior Director of PBS TeacherLine
- Miguel Guhlin, Director of Instructional Technology Services, San Antonio ISD
- Betty Burks, Deputy Superintendent, San Antonio ISD
- TILT Cohort 1 Graduate Honorees - Andrea Castaneda, Stephanie Correa, Kathleen Joaquin, Nancy Rathburn, Juanita Reyes, Carole Rylander, Tom Sickmann, Laura Sisson, Adah Stock
- TILT Cohort 2 Honorees - Sarah Baxter, Rebecca Casas, Victoria Casillas, Rosanne Guillen, James Morrison, Inez Munguia, Catherine Rogers Casares, Kish Russell, Angelita Toscano, Karen Ward
- Mariachi Juventil from Irving Academy, San Antonio ISD
PBS TeacherLine®, the premier provider of online professional development courses for preK-12 educators, recently teamed up with the San Antonio Independent School District to provide technology lead teachers with online professional development opportunities. The PBS TeacherLine ISTE Capstone Certificate Program is a key component of the district’s Technology Integration Lead Teacher (TILT) initiative to enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers who are responsible for instructional technology leadership in their schools, and to accelerate and improve technology integration district-wide.
The goals of the TILT initiative is to develop capacity within the San Antonio school district to implement the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for Students and Teachers as articulated in the Texas School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart. In addition, the district aims to achieve Level 5 Technology Integration, which is the use of technology to extend learning beyond classroom walls in ways that encourage creativity and collaboration.
The PBS TeacherLine ISTE Capstone Certificate Program consists of a series of research-based, online facilitated courses that focus on instructional use and enable teachers to demonstrate their mastery of ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS•T). A “district coach,” who is an experienced educator with a master’s degree, and is trained in facilitating both face-to-face and online learning, leads the Capstone courses.
Since the collaboration began in the fall of 2007, two co-horts of San Antonio teachers have been nominated and enrolled in the PBS TeacherLine program as part of the initial stages of the initiative. The educator groups represent content-area teachers from the elementary, middle, high school, and academy levels The district is on track to reach its goals with 18 teachers scheduled to earn their certification this summer, and openings for 18 more who will have the opportunity to begin the Capstone program in mid-fall 2008.
"The instructional technology team of San Antonio ISD are true innovators in education,” said Holly Custard, state program director for PBS TeacherLine of Texas. “They are dedicated to teacher and student success and have a clear vision of how to make this success a reality. We are so proud to have the PBS TeacherLine ISTE Capstone program as a core part of the TILT program." PBS TeacherLine courses are offered locally to Texas educators through PBS TeacherLine of Texas, a consortium of Texas PBS member stations managed by KLRN in San Antonio and KLRU in Austin.
Special thanks is extended to the following folks for their implementation assistance of the TILT Initiative:
- Claude Ascolese, SAISD TILT Coordinator
- Greg Rodriguez, SAISD TILT/PBS Capstone Course Facilitator
- Tonya Mills, SAISD TILT/PBS Capstone Course Facilitator
- Holly Custard and Chris Lucas, PBS TeacherLine of Texas
- Malinda McCormick, Director, KLRN/PBS
As part of the TILT initiative, teachers participating in the program receive laptops, digital projectors, and software as well as an online Web log to share progress and projects. Funding for the TILT initiative comes from the state technology allotment, NCLB Title II Part D funds, and local contributions.
- Read Complete Press Release
- View Image Slide Show - available soon
- View SlideShow shared at TILT Celebration
- Listen to Podcast of Events (podcast permission was granted by attendees)
Note: A clip of approximately 10 seconds of Mariachi Juventil's music was used in the podcast. No student voices or photos will be shared pending signed parent-signed release forms for student work, images, and audio.
Edited on: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 3:06 PM
Categories: Audiocasts, eNews
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Music Technology Program
Maybe the San Antonio Independent School District's new music production course will turn up the next Rick Rubin or Kanye West, producers of chart-topping hits. But mostly, school officials just want to offer students another entrée to the district's music education program and do it in a way that appeals to this technology-immersed generation. In this case, that means teaching students to replicate the kind of synthesized studio music they hear on the radio these days. Digital music production is an approach that is slowly gaining steam among educators on a national level, said Tom Rudolph, president of the Technology Institute for Music Educators, or TI:ME. The organization has about 1,000 members, most of them music educators who use technology in the classroom.
Source: MySanAntonio.com, 06/19/2008 01:37 AM CDT
Larry Stegall (Instructional Technology Services) has been working hard with Dr. David Sebald (UTSA) and the SAISD Fine Arts Office to launch the Music Technology Program.
More information was recently shared in the June 25th SAISD Newslink and in the San Antonio Express News article quoted and linked above.
Storytelling Goes Digital
Find out more about the Under the Sea Camp where students created multimedia projects...
The article above appeared in the June 25, 2008 issue of the SAISD Insider.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Student Multimedia Productions
Be sure to drop by and view the following Student Multimedia Productions created at the Under the Sea Camp held in June, 2008 with students at Bonham Academy and Highland Hills Campus.
(Note: Only a few of the productions are shown above...visit
the Lead site to see more!)
Students also came up with T-Shirt designs based on their experiences at Sea World:
Monday, June 16, 2008
Online Educational Videos
Every year, it gets harder and harder to find affordable sources of instructional videos for use in K-12 schools. Fortunately, San Antonio ISD has a subscription to PowerMedia Plus digital video distribution system. All students, staff can access PowerMedia Plus videos at school and at home. Yet, it doesn't hurt to be aware of what other video resources may be available at no charge via the Web.
While some are already familiar with Encyclopedia Britannica, there are other free digital video resources. Mike Falick's Blog points to one possible alternative--SpaceTime TV. This service features video from a variety of resources--some of which may be blocked--from sources such as PBS, YouTube (blocked), Hulu, and National Geographic. It appears to be focused on videos around these topics: Environment, History, Nature, Space, and Technology.
And, there are other sources of educational videos, including
The folks at the San Diego County Office of Education. have tons of great resources, among them, the 3 bulleted links above. Do you know of other sources of educational videos?
Here are a few more...
- Oklahoma WWII videos that Wes Fryer (SpeedofCreativity.org) has been instrumental in gathering/recording.
- ReefVideos - Dr. Peter J. Mumby's video footage of a variety of reef-related phenomena during research trips. The full database of over 500 clips is provided here and is freely available for educational and research use.
Monday, June 02, 2008
NECC 2008 Attendance Opportunity
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
Administrative Assistants
Campus Instructional Coordinators (CICs)
Subject:
NECC 2008 Attendance Opportunity
ACTION REQUIRED
TIME SENSITIVE
Recognizing that campus administrators play a pivotal role in determining how well technology is used in our schools, the District is funding attendance at the NECC 2008 Conference taking place June 29-July 2 in San Antonio, Texas for 80 principals, assistant principals, administrative assistants and/or campus instructional coordinators. Enabling administrators to attend NECC 2008 enables the District to define what administrators need to know and be able to do in order to discharge their responsibility as leaders in the effective use of technology in our schools.
"Integrating technology throughout a school system is, in itself, significant systemic reform. We have a wealth of evidence attesting to the importance of leadership in implementing and sustaining systemic reform in schools. It is critical, therefore, that we attend seriously to leadership for technology in schools."
— Don Knezek, ISTE CEO
GIVE BACK
Before applying to attend NECC 2008, please be aware that there is an expectation of "give back." Participants at NECC 2008 will be expected to deliver 2, two-hour presentations about what they learned at NECC 2008 and submit a short form sharing how they are going to implement that learning at their campus for the 2008-2009 school year. Give back completion must be recorded by December, 2008. More information will be shared prior to NECC 2008.
HOW TO REGISTER
To register campus leaders for the NECC 2008 Conference, the Office of Instructional Technology Services will take the following steps: 1. There are 80 slots available on a first-come, first-served for NECC 2008 registration. Participants are expected to apply via the Office of Instructional Technology Services and submit critical information needed by no later than 8:00 AM, Tuesday, June 3, 2008. Please indicate your commitment to attend NECC 2008 online at [link removed]
2. The Office of Instructional Technology Services will notify all potential NECC 2008 participants by Wednesday, June 4th to notify you of whether you were among the first 80 to apply for registration.
3) The Office of Instructional Technology Services will take the approved list of participants and register them for NECC 2008.
4) A confirmation email will be sent to those officially registered for the NECC 2008 Conference.
QUESTIONS?
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Instructional Technology and Learning Services (ITLS) at either [removed] or via email at "mguhlin@[removed]". Thank you for taking the time to review this information and consider this opportunity for enhancing your technology literacy by attendance at the NECC 2008 Conference.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Questions about TILT and Jobs
I recently received this email from a teacher:
I am a... teacher at [campus name removed]. I recieved my Masters in Education: Instructional Technology. I am very interested in the TILT program. How do I find more information about that? I have read the purpose and the initiative for TILT. However, I am unable to find more detailed information as far as times, schedules, or an application process?
I am also interested in finding out what the job description and Educational requirements are in becoming a Campus Instructional Technologist or Specialist. Can you also lead me in the right direction for that?
Here is my response:
Howdy! How wonderful to have you in the District with that particular background!
You can read about TILT here. You can also listen to this conversation between Dr. Duron and Dr. Knezek regarding TILT.
You can indicate your interest to participate in future TILT sessions (when they're available this Fall) here
You can find job descriptions here.
Pretty amazing, you can find just about everything on the Knowledge Management wiki that Instructional Technology Services uses. If you'd like to have a wiki for administrative or instructional purposes, please don't hesitate to contact the Office of Instructional Technology Services at 527-1400 or via email at "mguhlin@saisd.net"
Thursday, May 29, 2008
KLRN Conversations
Be sure to tune in tonight to watch this conversation airing at 8:00 PM on KLRN/PBS channel. If you miss the show, you can catch it online on Monday!
The 21st Century Classroom
The Conversation is one of the
best ways of conveying information and telling stories. Join Dr. Don
Knezek, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education
and Dr. Robert Durón, Superintendent of the San Antonio
Independent School District, as they discuss 21st century skills for
educators and how one local school district is utilizing the PBS
TeacherLine Capstone Courses for integrating technology in the classroom.
Find out more--including links mentioned in the talk--online.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Leadership with Technology
"We need a PR site," I said, "you know, some place where people can see what we're doing. When someone asks, 'What are you doing?' we just point them in that direction instead of having to tell 'em." The need arose earlier this year when contacts were made from the NECC 2008 organizers; they wanted some place to go see what SAISD was doing. What better way to accomplish that than to have SAISD educators share what they're doing in video?
At least, that was the idea. Not having any Public Relations (PR) experience--unless you count reading The ClueTrain Manifesto, which I'm not sure counts--I decided that it would be great to just put up video interviews with teachers and have them share what they are doing. Thanks to the excellent work of SAISD educators who had stories to tell, as well as to the Instructional Technology team--Larry Stegall doing great work in video processing and Tonya Mills on web site design--we now have a web site to point folks that highlights our best.
View the videos online at http://itls.saisd.net/lead
You'll need Flash loaded in your browser. If you don't have Flash, check with the SAISD Helpdesk at 281-9090 or via email at "helpdesk@saisd.net"
New NCLB Reporting Requirements
UPDATE 05/20/2008: The Superintendent's Cabinet decided to wait until the 2008-2009 school year to complete the required 8th Grade Technology Literacy assessment. More information will be shared at that time.
UPDATE 05/30/2008: Letter released from TEA that outlines requirements.
The Texas Education Agency presented the new reporting requirement of November, 2008 for the first time in Austin on Friday, May 9, 2008. Three requirements outlined by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) will be reported on in November, 2008. These three requirements include conducting an assessment of...
- Technology literacy for eighth grade students
- Technology literacy for teachers, librarians and administrators; and
- The number of computers available to students for instruction by Internet access type.
Since December, 2006, eighth graders have had to meet Technology Applications:TEKS graduation requirements. Data is required, auditable, must have supporting documentation and failure to provide it may negatively impact future funding per the Texas Education Agency and No Child Left Behind.
Out of 21 campuses that serve 8th graders, 10 MS/Academies do offer a Technology Applications course and 11 DO NOT. Of the eleven who do not, two stated that they were hoping to offer one next year. Schools are hard-pressed to find funding for a Technology Applications:TEKS Teacher, budget for the cost of an up to date computer lab, and make it happen. Schools that can may avail themselves of Instructional Technology Services' workshop and support.
The curriculum audit completed earlier this year (2008) reflects a lack of technology applications integration into core content instructions, even though it is required and the electronic textbook has been long available. This highlights a profound need for SAISD schools, students and teachers to ratchet up their support.
For schools, this means increased technology access (remember, 41% of our schools have obsolete technology and the computer to student ratio is as high as 1:12 at some campuses). For students, it means more learning opportunities that require technology as an integral part of success. For teachers, it means meeting the SBEC Technology Standards for All Educators.
8TH GRADE ASSESSMENT
It is urgent that we collect data for
Requirement #1--the 8th grade assessment of technology literacy--prior
to the end of the 2007–2008 school year. In one word, NOW.
I'm presenting a plan later today to Marcos Zorola, Assistant Superintendent, as to the best way to collect this data in the 2 weeks that remain to us this year. While this will undoubtedly put a strain on campuses, it is far better to accomplish the data collection now rather than wait to the new year and try to either assess a fresh crop of 8th graders or 9th graders.
The options include the following:
- Option #1: Learning.com. This is the best option in terms of quality because it is a solution already in use in Texas and is being reviews as part of the HB 2503 Technology Literacy Assessment Pilot being conducted by TEA. However, the cost of doing this now would be $14,000.
- Option #2: Use the Glencoe TechConnect TA:TEKS assessment. This is a free assessment that came with our state-adopted electronic textbook. A recent review of how many SAISD campuses had activated or logged into the textbook was at only 41%. Actual usage was much lower.
- Option #3: Setup an in-house District assessment using Moodle course management system. This is an inexpensive option but it is the equivalent of taking a pencil-n-paper questionnaire, and putting it online for data collection purposes. This kind of assessment is ineffective in assessing Technology Applications TEKS, but may be all that many school districts have.
Technology Literacy Assessments for students in grades 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 are in our future, so if you are a teacher in one of those grades, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of available professional learning opportunities in the area of Educational/Instructional Technology through the District.
Consider this pilot is part of a first attempt to begin assessing your students'--and by extension, your--technology literacy:
House Bill (HB) 2503, 80th Texas Legislature, 2007, added the Texas Education Code (TEC), §39.0235, providing for the establishment of a pilot program in which participating school districts assess student technology proficiency. The project goal in accordance with HB 2503 is to develop and implement a statewide pilot program of an online technology assessment for a certain sample of Texas students. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will conduct a two-year Technology Literacy Assessment Pilot Program. Eligible participants of this RFSOI are public school districts and charter schools.
The assessment tool for the pilot will be selected by TEA through a Request for Proposals process. Each school year, the assessment instrument shall be administered in a participating school district to each student in either fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth grade on each selected campus. The pilot will begin March 2008. Data collection for the pilot program may continue through December 31, 2009.
If you are a classroom teacher, librarian, or administrator, it is critical that you consider the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC) Technology Standards for All Educators. These standards are the same as what is expected of the 8th graders.
To help campus teachers, librarians, and administrators, I encourage you to take advantage of the wealth of 100% ONLINE professional learning opportunities that will begin to be available this Summer, 2008 through ePath.
You can get an advance preview via this PDF dcoument. Page 1 includes a summary of available courses (and when they'll be available). These online professional learning opportunities include 63 courses (205 hours) of Gifted and Talented credit...that you can earn entirely online without attending a face to face class.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Conversation: TILT Project
Please find an excerpt from the KLRN Conversations that goes into more detail about the Technology Integration Lead Teacher (TILT) Program in San Antonio ISD.
Conversation between Dr. Duron and Dr. Don Knezek regarding the TILT
Program
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND LINKS:
More information on TILT Online here.
SAISD'S GOAL:
Achieve Level 5 Technology Integration - Using
technology to extend learning beyond the classroom walls in ways that
encourage creativity and collaboration at a distance. This is supported
by ISTE National Education Technology Standards for Students, Levels of
Technology Implementation (LOTI), and State Board for Educator
Certification Technology Standards for Teachers, and Target Tech of the
Texas STaR Chart.
TILT Purpose
Develop capacity in the District to implement
National Education Technology Standards for Students and Teachers as
articulated in the Texas School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart
and achieve Level 5 Technology Use.
WHAT IS THE TILT INITIATIVE?
San Antonio ISD teachers from
across the district are participating in the Technology Lead Teacher
(TILT) Program. A major part of the TILT Program--to help SAISD teachers
meet State Board of Educator Certification Technology Applications
Standards for All Teachers--is the PBS TeacherLine/ISTE Capstone
Certificate Program. This year-long professional development program is
designed for teachers who have experience integrating computer-based
technologies into their classroom practice and want to earn
certification in the International Society for Technology in Education
National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers while further
developing their knowledge and skills.
By participating in the Online Capstone Program, teachers will take part in an in-depth study of how technology can improve teaching and learning while developing a professional digital portfolio. The PBS TeacherLine/ISTE Certificate Program consists of a "Capstone Introduction" which SAISD TILT teachers have just completed and two 15-week Capstone Courses. The courses are organized around the learner's creation of portfolio exhibits.
A "capstone" represents a culminating achievement, and as such, the Capstone courses are intended to develop and demonstrate proficiency in the ISTE NETS•T, culminating in two multimedia online portfolio exhibits. Capstone I: Teaching with Technology focuses on teacher use of technology; Capstone II: Empowering Students with Technology concentrates on students as the primary users of technology. Each Capstone exhibit contains digital artifacts of the learner's classroom practice and reflections on how classroom projects demonstrate particular standards in action.
Conversations: Dr. Duron and Dr. Don Knezek
On Monday, April 28, 2008, Dr. Don Knezek (ISTE CEO) and Dr. Robert Duron (Superintendent of a large urban district in San Antonio, Texas) had a conversation hosted by KLRN in San Antonio. Sitting in the studio with KLRN (Charles Vaughn, Malinda McCormick who imagined this particular conversation) and PBS TeacherLine of Texas (Holly Custard), I had a bird's eye view into the whole production of a new revised show at KLRN. KLRN Conversations is...
We all know that the art of conversation is a great way to communicate information, and we know that television can be a important source of information and insight into the community. Those are the premises behind KLRN new series CONVERSATIONS. The series strives to bring the people who make a difference in San Antonio together for "conversations" that will provide a look at these creative leaders of the city and highlight their accomplishments.
What an honor to have ISTE and San Antonio ISD featured together! The actual video of the show will be broadcast via KLRN on May 29, 2008.
In spite of the hard work going on in the back, I was fascinated by the conversation about the importance of leadership in achieving change and the concept of teachers as "co-learners" with their students. Creativity was also a focus of the conversation, and it reminded me a presentation by Richard Florida I saw on C-SPAN the other night where he talks about how diversity and innovation are linked. The more diverse groups you have access to when you're creating, the more innovative you can be.
Conversation between Dr. Don Knezek and Dr. Robert Duron
Show Links:
- NECC 2008 web site
- ISTE National Education Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S)
- San Antonio ISD's Technology Integration Lead Teacher (TILT) Program
- Video of TILT Cohort 1 participant
- Video of TILT Cohort 2 Participants
- PBS TeacherLine Capstone Partnership video featuring Miguel Guhlin (San Antonio ISD) and Bruce Ellis (Dallas ISD)
They covered a few topics, and their discussion touched on a variety of items, of which the following are only those I was able to quickly type:
- Urban school districts face particular challenges.
- Don speaks to the importance of using technology well across a large school district, how students use tech and who interacts using technology. One of the big challenges for a large urban school district is drawing a shared vision from the community regarding first, education and second, technology, and ensuring alignment of the vision.
- We see pockets of innovation, but if they aren't aligned to the purpose of the school district, then those don't move forward. Frustration results from that lack of alignment.
- Where we see success is where the superintendent who expresses that vision and alignment often. If you verbalize that vision at the beginning of the year but don't revisit it again time and again, then you get a herding cats effect.
- Vision and leadership is absolutely key to success.
- ISTE's efforts are about building a solid leadership base for district leaders including curriculum leaders and building principals.
- Leadership development is important to start with.
- Essential conditions: 1) Skilled personnel; 2) Technical assistance; 3) SOlid infrastructure; 4) Teachers willingness to be somewhat at risk; 5) Importance of assessment to measure where you've been.
- Our purpose is to improving quality lives...the core competency of that is teaching and learning. How do you see tech improving teaching and learning?
- Technology clearly has a role to play in engaging our students. 2002-2003, students were on the web more than they were watching television. Look at the cell phone penetration and MP3 players...students have technology outside the classroom. Students tell us that they are powering down when they come to schools. The level of tech they are accustomed to in other places is higher than school.
- Students are learning outside the classroom and accustomed to doing so with technology.
- We have to figure out what engages students and then find out how to apply it to the learning we're intentional about. That's one piece of it.
- The opportunities to learn were limited before, but the experiences now available are more.
- Options for learning are much broader.
- Authentic projects, access to experts, work in interntional learning groups...tech enables a number of strategies that engages students who weren't successful with liner...with bland texts. Where kids have self-direction, authentic problem, they are able to transfer more to the work environment than teacher-driven activities. Relevance is enhanced, as are the resources.
- One of the challenges superintendents are aware of...technology-driven changes, we pretty much learned the way the previous generation learned.
- Teaching has been an isolated endeavour...they did student prep alone or seldom worked with others. Now, we have the ability to help teachers engage, tap into a worldwide network that they couldn't tap before and learn what other teachers are doing, air their problems and get responses back, find out what is engaging students worldwide, and ....teacher has to shift from sage on the stage to guide on the side. One more step is envisioned...teachers are becoming co-learners with their students.
- Empower kids to be creative using technology...many of the routine jobs are being out-sourced.
- What do you do as a principal when teachers are feeling constrained? Encourage teachers to find new and inventive ways to achieve and help kids perform on standardized learning. Almost to a principal, they said we have to accept and value that creativity. Encouraging risk-taking, look at what engages students, and make judgements about how to do that.
Edited on: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:13 PM
Categories: Audiocasts, eNews, Policy
Monday, April 07, 2008
Volunteer for NECC 2008
Going to NECC 2008? Live in San Antonio, Texas or surrounding area?
Then, please volunteer for
NECC 2008.
The 2008 NECC committees are continuing to work on our tasks to get ready for the 2008 NECC Conference in San Antonio, June 29 - July 2, Of course, we Texans are excited to have this conference in our backyard again. It will be bigger and better than ever before. I [Cheri Halderman] am in charge of recruiting 900 volunteers to help all around the Gonzalez Convention Center. Just like the annual TCEA conference, the organization must have volunteers to stuff bags, answer questions, greet and meet folks from all over the world and help with technology.
Therefore, since you are in the San Antonio area, I am asking that you help me recruit local volunteers. I have attached our latest flyer that can be handed out at trainings, meetings or other events. Please contact me if you need further information or have creative ideas to recruit the volunteers that we need.
Thank you for your help. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Dr. Cheri Halderman
Volunteer Chairperson,
2008 NECC Conference.
cherihalderman@tx.rr.com
Find out more below...you can print this flyer or find the information below:
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
SAISD Technology Overview
This month, a Community-based Task Force began meeting. Up for discussion is "The Future" of programs and facilities. The Superintendent's mission--based on my hastily typed notes--was shared this way:
Give us more direction in how we're going to use these facilities, provide better working conditions, improve student performance, retain staff. The reason I'm sharing this is that it's critical to understand the importance of this meeting to improve conditions.
And, a facilitator for the meeting put it this way:
What do YOU as a community want to see happen in SAISD schools? You are the educational community, what you want to see happening in schools. What do we want to do in this school house?
First up on the agenda was the importance of technology. Patti Holub presented....
Listen to Patti Holub's overview of SAISD's Technology Program
Here's the link to the video (Quicktime Movie format) shared in the presentation. You can view it using VLC Media Player (Mac | Windows).
Edited on: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 12:30 PM
Categories: Audiocasts, eNews
Monday, December 10, 2007
Podcasting for Teachers: Paul Gates
I was overjoyed to discover that one of my SAISD's teachers--Paul Gates--has apparently been featured or mentioned in a book (page 261) entitled, Podcasting for Teachers by Kathy P. King and Mark Gura. Paul's work with blogging/podcasting second graders has been celebrated in a variety of ways. In my writings, I've mentioned him several times:
- TCEA Presentation - 5 Steps to District Blogging
- Writing and Publishing Using Blogs
- Danny Maas, Founder/Productor of TILT-TV, featured Paul Gates and his students in TILT
The power of the Read/Write Web is striking because it taps into the power of the human voice. I still am moved to tears when I hear a choir of children singing a touching song on the radio. . .it's happened to me ever since I watched my first child come into the world. Often, though, we seek to quiet those voices of our children, hoping to silence the canary in the hopes of protecting it from predators. Yet, new technologies are powerful because they help us be more human.
Human nature doesn't change, but social and technological progress tends to amplify its effects. Simply put, the more ways we have to do what comes naturally, the more we do it. One of the things that comes most naturally to humans is the desire to communicate; the internet amplifies our ability to do so. Research is showing people how to "incorporate the internet into their social 'toolkit' and use it...to deal with personal and interpersonal issues in their lives."
Read "Free internet as an Agent of Community Transformation" from The Journal of Community Informatics
Isn't finding your voice one of the most powerful acts you can achieve? That's the power of children who blog and podcast. I wrote about Paul in several blog entries, and shared the following in The Role of Educational Leaders which will some day appear in Coming of Age 2.0 (when that will be, I don't know! <smile>).
You know the power of a child's voice can galvanize a room of educators and parents...Paul's students have consistently written about the garden that they keep, and everything they are learning about plants. You can find audio blog entries (a.k.a. podcasts) from individual students sharing what they have learned, written about, and drawn by hand. It is Paul's class blog that has taught me the definition of a blog--an electronic notebook that facilitates conversations between those who blog there, as well visitors.
I'm delighted to see that Paul's work--and that of his students--has been acknowledged and published in a book! I'll have to agree with Mark Gura, one of the authors, when he writes on his blog:
...a new body of essential 21st Century skills has come into being since the advent of personal computing and digital technology. These skills represent a crucial body of learning for today’s students if they are to graduate as effective citizens and participants in the economy. 21st C skills are not solely technology skills, but involve the ways that learning, knowing, communicating, and solving problems have changed through the application of technology. They must be learned through the continual and ongoing use of technology.
Source: Mark Gura, The Powers that be have been informed
I'm delighted to see that Paul's work--and that of his students--has been acknowledged and published in a book! Please let us know at Instructional Technology Services how you are sharing your students' voices with a global audience!
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