Note: Please disregard this email if it's not relevant to your grade level range. It is intended for K-5 educators.

Greetings,

This is a friendly reminder of an online Technology Applications curriculum that's available for use by K-5 classroom teachers!

Background information (originally shared August, 2011) on EasyTech can be found online at http://itls.saisd.net/blog/doku.php?id=blog:estateks_info

ABOUT EASYTECH EasyTech can easily and effectively integrate technology into Math, Science, Language Arts and Social Studies by providing teachers and students critical technology skills in the context of core curriculum and real world challenges with a self-paced, interactive curriculum.

EasyTech provides comprehensive, scoped and sequenced lessons and activates that incorporate 21st century skills and technology skills into their curriculum.

TO ACCESS EASYTECH

As a K-5 classroom teacher, your login information would be:

Username: The first part of your email address (Example: tmills)

Teacher Password: password123 (You can change it once logged in)

If you have any difficulty logging into the system, please contact the Office of Instructional Technology at 527-1400.

HOW TO USE EASYTECH IN THE CLASSROOM

Training Materials Continue to be Available!

Please recall that you can find training materials online at the ITLS EasyTech resource page at http://bit.ly/uI55nX. There are videos and PDF instructions to walk you through step-by-step.

If you have any questions please contact Tonya Mills or Molly Valdez at 527-1400; ITLS Dept.

The State Technology Allotment of $30 per student was established in 1992. For seventeen years this allotment has helped fund the increasing need to integrate technology into the education of Texas children. The Technology Allotment was repealed during the 2011 legislative session and the Instructional Materials Allotment, a.k.a. instructional materials allocation (IMA), was created.

Some of the highlights of the IMA include the following:

1. New instructional materials allotment created for district to purchase materials.
2. “Textbook” replaced with “Instructional Materials” in the Texas Education Code
3. Allows ISDs the flexibility to buy textbooks, technology, and technology services.
4. ISDs are entitled to an annual allotment for each student to be determined by TEA
5. TEA will maintain an account for IMA funds. Money not used will be carried forward to the next biennium.
6. ISDs must annually certify to SBOE and TEA that Instructional materials satisfy TEKS for each subject (except PE)
7. Permanent School Fund distribution will be 50% next biennium
8. IMA can be used for technology support personnel
9. For grades other than PreK, publishers must provide samples in electronic form.
10. Technology grant ($10 million) available to low wealth ISDs
11. Equipment purchased by ISD belongs to the District
12. Technology allotment (TEC 32.005) is repealed

The Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) has created additional resources to help schools understand the use of the IMA.

A school district may use the IMA in the following ways:

• Purchase Instructional Materials
• Pay for the training of teachers in the use of technology:
• Contracted services
• Salaries (payroll) for a FTE
• Pay for the technical support of equipment thats use is directly related to student learning:
• Contracted services
• Salaries (payroll) for a FTE
• Technological equipment for instructional use

Before 8th grade students go to 9th grade, they must complete an NCLB mandated assessment on technology literacy. Prior to the end of the 2011-2012 school year, you are expected to conduct an online technology literacy assessment of all eighth graders at your campus, not just those in Technology Applications courses. This memo outlines expectations as they pertain to the following areas of Technology Applications:TEKS instruction on your campus:

1. Is your TA:TEKS teacher using the district curriculum?
2. Is your TA:TEKS teacher up to date on their certifications?
3. Are your TA:TEKS courses coded as Technology Applications or Career & Technology?
4. Does the learning environment meet the ISTE-aligned TA:TEKS standards?

Let's explore these briefly.

Over the last few years, the SAISD Instructional Technology & Learning Services Office has provided online curriculum for middle schools to use. The use of this curriculum has been largely voluntary and left up to campus principals to adopt. Unfortunately, lack of a district mandate meant that most 8th graders failed the NCLB technology literacy assessment with less than 10% of SAISD 8th graders passing the assessment. While significant gains have been made, increasing the pass rate to 62% as of last year, not every campus is using the new curriculum.

The online, blended curriculum is available and ready for use. It has been used to improve student achievement on the NCLB Technology literacy assessment but it has only been effective when it has been required. Campuses not using the TA:TEKS blended curriculum will NOT receive support from the Office of Instructional Technology & Learning Services. Simply, if your campus is not using this curriculum, then SAISD students are ill-prepared in the use of technology.

View curriculum and assessment information online.

Students need access to highly qualified, certified teachers who have Technology Applications certification. If for some reason you have a teacher serving as a Technology Applications instructor who lacks certification, expect a separate email contact about what you and that teacher can do to help them get certified.

View requirements online.

One of the errors campuses make is “coding”–assigning the wrong TEA Service ID–CATE high school classes as Technology Applications courses, then teaching them using CATE curriculum (or whatever curriculum the teacher devises). Or, another situation that arises is that Technology Applications courses are taught using TA:TEKS but are coded as CATE.

Please make sure that if you are coding a middle school class as Technology Applications, that the SAISD TA:TEKS blended curriculum is used for that class.

View TEA Service IDs for Technology Applications classes.

The Technology Applications have been revised to reflect the ISTE National Education Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) and Teachers (NETS-T). It is critical that the classroom environment meet those standards to ensure a healthy, safe, and productive learning environment. A rubric to help you assess your TA:TEKS classroom is available.

View rubric online.

Please contact the Office of Instructional Technology Services, or Miguel Guhlin via email at mguhlin@saisd.net or at 527-1400, if you have any questions.

After reviewing the new, DRAFT administrative procedure regarding social media in SAISD schools, I felt inspired to put together a shorter, more abbreviated version as a Do's and Don'ts List. I hoped the list might give me some more insights into the document.

Some definitions first:

• Electronic media includes but is not limited to all forms of social media, such as text messaging, instant messaging, electronic mail (e-mail), web logs (blogs), electronic forums (chat rooms), video sharing web sites (e.g. YouTube), editorial comments posted on the Internet, and social network sites (e.g. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn). Electronic media also includes all forms of telecommunication equipment including but not limited to landlines, cell phones, and web-based applications.
• Communicate means to convey information and includes one-way communication as well as dialogue between two or more people. A public communication by an employee that is not targeted at students (e.g. a posting on the employee's personal social network page or a blog) is not a communication; however, the employee may be subject to district regulations on personal electronic communications.
• Certified or licensed employee means a person employed in a position requiring SBEC certification or a professional license, and whose job duties may require the employee to communicate electronically with students. The term includes but is not limited to classroom teachers, counselors, principals, librarians, paraprofessionals, nurses, educational diagnosticians, licensed therapists, and athletic trainers.

1. Abide by the provisions of the District's acceptable use policy and administrative procedures.
2. Be responsible for your public conduct, even when you are not acting as a district employee.
3. Be responsible for your public conduct, even when it is not during employment hours, when you're not on district property, or using district equipment or network.
4. Be responsible for use of electronic media as defined.
5. Be responsible for all content posted on your personal electronic media outlet, including content that you have added, your friends have added or members of the public who can access your page and for web links on that page.
6. Be responsible for maintaining privacy settings on your electronic media appropriate to the content.
7. Maintain these restrictions in mind:
   1. Confidentiality of student records
   2. Confidentiality of health and personnel information concerning colleagues, unless disclosure serves lawful professional purposes or is required by law.
   3. Confidentiality of district records, including educator evaluations and private e-mail addresses
   4. Copyright law
   5. Prohibition against harming others by knowingly making false statements about a colleague or the school system.
8. Communicate with students via electronic media ONLY if you are the student's current teacher, coach, or campus administrator without written consent.
   1. Limit communications to matters within the scope of your professional responsibilities (e.g. for classroom teachers, matters relation to classwork, homework, and tests; for an employee with an extracurricular duty, matters relation to the extracurricular activity.) An exception to this limit may be sought by submitting a written request to his or her immediate supervisor.
9. Expect to provide to administration (upon request) phone number(s), social network site(s), or other information regarding the method(s) of electronic media that you use to communicate with any one or more currently-enrolled students.
10. Discontinue communicating with the students through e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging, or any other form of one-to-one communication upon written request from a parent or student.

1. Respond to unsolicited contact from a student using electronic media.
2. Use electronic media in any way that interferes with your ability to effectively perform your job duties.
3. Use electronic media in any way that calls into question your judgement, or
4. Use electronic media in any way that makes the community or district question your fitness for duty, or
5. Use electronic media in any way that makes the community or district question your effectiveness in the classroom.
6. Update social network page(s) using the district's computer, network or equipment
7. Use the district's logo or other copyrighted material of the district without express, written consent.
8. Reference district, campus, or district employees, parents, or students by name or photograph
9. Communicate with students if you are NOT the student's current teacher, coach, or campus administrator. Any others must have the Superintendent's consent in writing. The exception? You may communicate with a student if a family/social relationship exists with the student's parents or guardians, and they have provided written consent to the principal allowing the use of electronic media communication between their student and the employee.
10. Knowingly communicate with students through a personal–as opposed to a professional page that enables administration and parents to have access to it–social network page.
11. Expect to have a right to privacy with respect to communications with students and parents.

1. Suspension or termination of privileges and
2. Disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment, following due process.
3. You will be subject to applicable state and federal laws, local policies, administrative regulations, and the Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators, including the Public Information Act, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), including retention and confidentiality of student records, copyright law and prohibitions against soliciting or engaging in sexual conduct or a romantic relationship with a student, even when communicating regarding personal and private matters.

There have been a few questions regarding DataWalks (formerly known as SPRY), an initiative designed to support district and campus leaders concerned with leveraging Apple’s iPod Touch to achieve the following broad goals:

1. Enable administrators to learn how to best use the iPod Touch in K-12 education settings.
2. Facilitate sharing of “wise practices” in regards to the iPod Touch for administrator and leader support.
3. Enable administrators to easily access campus/district data at point of need, including student information as well as podcasts and critical memos.
4. Collect and disseminate data from appraisal and administrator walkthroughs.

Please be aware of the following information; more information will be forthcoming from other sources:

Marcos Zorola is the primary contact for the “DataWalk” (f.k.a. Spry) initiative. Mr. Zorola can provide critical access for administrators and training. His contact information appears below:

Marcos Zorola Chief Information Officer mzorola@saisd.net Phone: (210) 244-2900

Although there should already be an iPod Touch on your campus–check your campus inventory–if it is not available, iPod Touch devices can be purchased out of campus funds. Per Patricia Holub (pholub@saisd.net), iPads will be purchased for campus principals but no sooner than the September, 2011 budget.

You can find self-paced tutorials online at:

https://saisdhypermonitoring.pbworks.com/w/page/29987006/San-Antonio-Independent-School-District

To facilitate your access, please be aware of the following links:

The DataWalks Login Page: http://dwweb.saisd.net/spry

Self-Paced Tutorials:

• How to Login
• Conduct a Walk-Through