ITD TALKS: Technology Integration Successes and Challenges

Dr. Christopher R. Brown, West Genesee CSD
Technology Integration Successes & Challenges
March 31, 2010, 8:00 - 1:00
West Genesee High School, LGI

Dr. Brown is the Superintendent of Schools at the West Genesee Central School District in Camillus, NY. Please join us as he addresses some of the successes and challenges in educational technology integration at West Genesee. An active blogger and "Tweeter", learn how Chris has leveraged Web 2.0 to effectively communicate with faculty and stakeholders. This event will also showcase some of the facilities improvements and hardware and software purchases that have made West Genesee a model for 21st century education in the region.

Please join us for a great opportunity to meet with our keynote speaker and network with other curriculum and technology leaders! Register here.

Dr. Christopher R. Brown joined the West Genesee School District as Superintendent on July 1, 2008. A native of Onondaga Hill and a graduate of Westhill High School, Chris was previously the Superintendent of the Hammondsport Central School District, a position he held for over seven years. He started his career at Hammondsport as a Secondary Math and Computer Science teacher, and then moved to positions as Technology Coordinator, Business Administrator, and Assistant Superintendent before his tenure as Superintendent. In the short time that he has been at West Genesee, Dr. Brown has overseen the purchase and implementation of Promethean Boards for each K-12 instructional space while providing the professional development opportunities for staff to utilize the boards appropriately. Over 200 computers have been replaced, along with the update of the technology hardware infrastructure, purchase and use of distance learning equipment accessible from all District locations, and the implementation of a District Technology Committee.

ITD TALKS: On the Horizon--Educational Technology and Emerging Literacies

Joan Getman, Cornell University
On the Horizon: Educational Technology and Emerging Literacies
January 19, 2010, 12:00 - 4:00
CNYRIC, Conference Rooms 3 & 4

Ms. Getman chaired the 2009 K-12 Horizon Project Advisory Board, which produced the Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition, the second in a new series of regional and sector-based reports that examine emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning, and creative expression within the environment of pre-college education. She will highlight digital/visual literacy and storytelling as skills that are becoming essential. A follow-up to Joan's keynote will include Cornell's Dr. Jennifer Wofford and Margaret Corbit, who will introduce specific technologies, including virtual worlds in education.

Please join us for a great opportunity to meet with our keynote speaker and network with other curriculum and technology leaders! Register here.

Joan Getman is Senior Strategist for Learning Technologies at Cornell University. Her goal is alignment of services with best practices, and current and emerging technologies. She does strategic planning for pilots, communicates evaluation findings and project outcomes, makes recommendations for improving and adding faculty services, cultivates partnerships across CIT and campus that leverage activities with similar goals and diverse sponsors, and facilitates faculty discussion of innovations in teaching with technology. Joan has a B.A. in Film and Psychology and an M.S. in Communication and Instructional Design.

ITD TALKS to Debut on 11/18!

Hall Davidson, Discovery Education
Web 2.0 for Administrators
November 18, 2009, 12:00 - 4:00
OCM BOCES, Henry C Large Conference Room

Communication and evaluation are critical tasks for administrators. The job requires time and demands effectiveness. The tools of Web 2.0 can make an administrator’s job easier, faster, and more fun. Exploit dedicated Web tools for communication, vision, and interchange. Twitter, VoiceThread, wikis, blogs, and cell phones offer unexpected benefits. Using new tools effectively can change the way you work.
Find the tools that will better and more engagingly connect you with your staff and community. Content creation, texting, and social sites--they’re not just for students!

Please join us for a great opportunity to meet with our keynote speaker and network with other curriculum and technology leaders! Register here.

Hall Davidson taught middle and high school English, mathematics, Spanish, and bilingual mathematics. He left the classroom to teach math on television in Los Angeles on an Emmy winning program and spent 20 years at PBS stations teaching and leading staff developments in person and on-air. While producing television series on education and technology, he led a media consortium serving 17 districts and 200,000 students. He frequently contributes articles to national educational publications. He served on the board of Computer-Using Educators for six years and consulted for media corporations and professional organizations. He joined Discovery Education in 2005 where he blogs, creates webinars, and works in educational partnerships as a director of the Discovery Educator Network, connecting thousands of teachers nationwide. He has spoken about technology and education to audiences around the world.

Google's Cool Tools for Schools

Model Schools is proud to present Google Certified Teacher, Carol LaRow, on November 6, 2009, at the BOCES Henry B Distance Learning Center from 8:00 - 4:00. Attendees will have hands on experience with creating an iGoogle start page, customizing it, adding gadgets, using the tabs to organize and share information with colleagues and students, discovering themes, and more... They will learn how to use Google tools to design personalized learning environments for themselves and their students. Attendees will learn the various tools, see integration ideas, and discuss ways to incorporate them into their own classrooms, libraries, or schools.

Please join us - K-12 On Demand Video: Getting ready for wide-spread usage

Please join us for a full day hands-on workshop on October 30th for educators and administrators to learn about the educational uses of video.

The intention of this workshop is to:
- increase awareness of current K-12 video usage
- have participants create, upload, catalog, and publish a video using Ensemble
- discuss and demonstrate the new features of Ensemble v3.0
- develop practical knowledge about how to create an environment for wide-spread video usage

Register for this event here!

Contact Amy Spath for more information aboout this event!

Videoconferencing Experience at ESM High School

Yesterday I observed a very powerful videoconference activity in Keith Ward's English class. The students had read Persepolis, a graphic novel about story of a young girl's life under the Islamic Revolution. The class connected with a class of college students at SUNY Cortland who were participating in a Young Adult Literature Course. The college students had also read the graphic novel. The groups took turns asking each other questions about the novel and thoughts about the use of pictures in the story. There was a small panel of guests at ESM who answered questions about graphic novels. The panel consisted of an artist who is working on a graphic novel, a writer of a graphic novel, and a representative from Cloud City Comics.

It was very interesting to hear the students from SUNY Cortland asking the high school students what their thoughts were about graphic novels, why they enrolled in the class with Keith Ward, and what they thought made a good class. Some of the students from SUNY Cortland mentioned that they were going to become a teacher and were very interested in the students' thoughts. The college students also asked the high school students what they were reading outside of class and what graphic novels or comics they should read next.

What a great experience!

CNYRIC Open House Big Success

The annual CNYRIC Open House held on 9/23/09 was a big success. Titled, "Creating the 21st Century School District," the event featured over 40 vendors, 20+ one-hour workshops, and keynote speaker Steve Dembo, from Discovery Education. Steve's keynote address, "The Power of Glass Schools," focused on the limitless learning opportunities now at our fingertips with Web 2.0, and the benefits of transparent learning environments. An estimated 175-200 attendees showed up to the event...and feedback so far has been very positive. Thanks to everyone who participated...we look forward to another great event next year!