SESSION 3, 1:10-2:10
Massachusetts Technology Directors' Meeting
An opportunity for all Massachusetts technology leaders attending the conference to come together and catch up on pertinent technology issues and initiatives across the state. The session will be conducted as an informal round table discussion, allowing participants to share topics of interest in a supportive, collegial environment. Please join us in the Danforth room!
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Walter McKenzie, Director of Technology, Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough, Surfaquarium Consulting, 2006 Pathfinder
Administration
administration |
Massachusetts Technology Directors' Web Site
Podcasting: Extend Your Classroom! 
Podcasting is powerful technology that enables teachers to speak directly to students, parents, or colleagues. This workshop will demonstrate the creation of podcasts and how to make the audio files available on the Internet through the use of a variety of inexpensive software applications. Attendees will experience the installation of WordPress software with podcast plug-in architecture to enable a web site to provide a blog space that is capable of producing archived podcasts (audio files) along with the creation of a typical podcast through Recorder Xhead software (Audicity and Audio Recorder will also be discussed). Creation of the catalogue/enclosure structure to provide these recordings in an RSS/ATOM feed as well as through Apple's iTunes will be displayed using FeedForAll software. This presentation will be given on Macintosh OS X 10.4 (Tiger) however an ample amount of time will be allotted for a question and answer format allowing participants an opportunity to discuss platform specific issues for implementation within their school network or through an ISP of their choice.
Paul D. Colombo, Science Teacher, Clinton Middle School
Multimedia, Science, Distance Learning
all
Podcasting.doc (3MB)
Digital Portfolios from K to 12
How can students show that they meet standards - yet also show their individuality? This session will look at Digital Portfolios for all grade levels - from high school students showing how they are demonstrating graduation and NEASC expectations to elementary students showing their growth over time. We will see several examples from elementary, middle, and high schools. We will look in depth at Burrillville High School, where students use portfolios as a component of “graduation by proficiency.” We will see how Burrillville's faculty and administration have created a set of expectations, “portfolio-worthy” tasks and school-wide rubrics and at the practical realities of implementing a portfolio system. We will also look at, how through their portfolios, teachers can enhance parent communication and show student growth over time.
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David Niguidula, Founder, Ideas Consulting
Ann Croft, School-Based Coordinator, Burrillville High School (RI)
Assessment, Constructivist Classrooms
elementary, high school |
No-Cost Technology Tools for All Learners
This presentation will focus on exploring no-cost, readily available tools that support learners with diverse needs in our classrooms. We will investigate the tools of the Read/Write Web, open source applications and other Internet resources, and features built into Word that support the acquisition of a variety of academic skills. These include the development of written expression skills, reading comprehension, organizational skills, study skills, and research skills, skills that our students require for academic success in the 21st century. Universal Design for Learning ensures that the needs of all learners, including struggling learners and those on IEPs, are being met. Those who attend this presentation will learn about a number of readily available, free tools that support UDL and, consequently, the needs of all learners.
Karen Janowski, Assistive Technology Consultant, Simmons College
Emerging Technologies, Universal Design for Learning
intermediate, high school
No-Cost Technology Tools for All Learners.pdf (637KB)
Voyage to the Sea - An Interdisciplinary Video Project
Join us to learn how we created an interdisciplinary video project, Voyage to the Sea. With the inspiration of The Voyage of the Mimi, the help of an Artist-in-Residence through support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and several other funding groups, and relatively inexpensive and widely available equipment, our group of 11-14 year old students has made a series of videos about the Blackstone Valley watershed, called Voyage to the Sea. Story segments follow our watershed pathway from Miscoe Brook down the watershed to Narragansett Bay, exploring themes of adaptation, innovation, and the funneling effect of the watershed. We will share what we did, how we did it, why we think it's been worthwhile, and what we'd do next time.
Polly Brown, Classroom Teacher, Katy Aborn, Classroom Teacher, Veda Reilley, Artist in Residence, Touchstone Community School, Grafton
Constructivist Classroom, Multimedia
elementary, intermediate
Connecting with Community Resources.doc (65KB)
Media Resources.doc (43KB)
Working with Students.doc (40KB)
Imagining.doc (40KB)
Curriculum Standards.doc (46KB)
Equipment list.doc (34KB)
Project Management Methodologies in Support of Student Achievement
Why does a school system need a Project Management Office? Project Management is a strategic methodology that enables organizations to complete projects on time and within budget. Springfield Public Schools' PMO staff have developed protocols for the use of project management tools (i.e., MS Project, Access, Intranet) to increase organizational effectiveness, resulting in high student achievement. Attendees will participate in a simulation of the project management process and have the opportunity to discuss how to apply it in their own districts.
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Donna Boivin, District Technology Director (2004 Pathfinder), and Dr. Deborah Teale Gendreau, Supervisor of Technology, Springfield Public Schools
Administration
administration, IT |
Designing Curriculum Units Online and Improving Classroom Technology Integration
In this workshop you'll be invited to collaborate in drafting a technology-focused unit with your workshop colleagues. You can also see how Teaching for Understanding, the free, online Collaborative Curriculum Design Tool, and WIDE World's technology integration course (developed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education) have brought Cambridge teachers and specialists together to build effective, technology-infused classroom units.
Kevin McGonegal, Technology Integration Specialist, The Haggerty School, Cambridge
Distance Learning, Teaching for Understanding
K-12, administrators, network managers
CCDT Handout.pdf (291KB)
What's New At TeachersHelpDesk.com?
Share web resources with students. Find resources from other teachers. Share ideas with other educators online. Teachershelpdesk.com is a free resource for professional development and support that grows based on user inputs and needs. Tell how you would like it to help you. TeachersHelpDesk.com is a new class of support for K-12 educators, free because of the support from University of Hartford and assistant professor Steve Schatz. It's there for you to use! During last year's MassCUE conference, feedback from our session resulted in multiple public libraries to allow teachers to build a public library of resources for each class. Come learn and share.
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Steven Schatz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Educational Technology, University of Hartford
Media Literacy, Professional Development
intermediate, high school |
Handout.pdf (253 KB)
The World of Free Software: Some Products that are Out There
Examine the world of free software through three products: OpenOffice, CMAP, and GIMP. An overview and a comparison of equivalent commercial products that are available will be provided for each software package. Links to web sites where other free software can be found will also be offered.
David Laroche, Teacher and IT Trainer, La Salle Academy, Providence
Presentation (400 MB)
COURTYARD PRESENTATIONS
The New IDEA - Managing individual progress with technology
I Identify, D Differentiated, E Educational, A Approaches, to meet the needs of students with disabilities Technology has revolutionized the way students with learning needs can be met through adaptive instruction and a broad range of curriculum and content. Curriculum based software is highly interactive with the content focused on the student's abilities and provides tutorials on areas of need. It will become the built in resource the teacher needs. Come take a look at how curriculum based software promotes anywhere, anytime learning for the elementary through high school students. SuccessMaker and NovaNET meets these needs
Kelli Hodges, Pearson Digital Learning
Fastt Math
Learn about fluency and faster math skills in just 10 minutes a day. This flagship program, heralded by Tom Snyder Productions, is part of what Scholastic Inc. brings you to help your district improve their math scores. Research based by Ted Hasselbring, the father of READ 180, you will see a demo of how this math program can raise your math scores in your district.
A member of Tom Snyder of Scholastic .
RM Math Framework Edition
RM Math Framework Edition is a digital curriculum for Middle School Math. The program is designed for Whole class teaching, using interactive technology; it also supports individual instruction and remote learning. During the presentation you see a sample of the variety of 2000+ resources and activities that staff can use to engage and motive students to enjoy and understand Math. Harness the power of interactive whiteboard technology in the teaching and learning of mathematics! See how you can transform mathematics to motivate, excite, and engage students! Improve math performance and test scores! The presenter will demonstrate how to integrate interactive whiteboard and wireless technology into the curriculum with a particular focus on middle school grade levels.
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Sue Scott-Mitchell, Senior Educational Consultant, RM Educational Software
Mathematics, Teacher Productivity
Intermediate |
Are your standards tied to lessons, assignments, and grades?
How can a student information system support curriculum planning and the linking of national, state, and local standards to lesson planning, assignments, and grading? Infinite Campus, a student information system, allows teachers to tie course standards to lesson planning, assignments, and grading in a way that effectively brings standards-based learning into every classroom. Using the secure parent and student portals, up-to-date real-time school to home communications about assignments and student learning accomplishments are always available at the click of a mouse button. Infinite Campus is a tool that improves communication and collaboration between all stakeholders in education.
UNICOM
Troubleshooting Backup Exec
Data backup is one of the most critical and frustrating part of any IT job. Users looking for lost data are often in a panic, scrambling for data. Or you're facing a major rebuild of a crashed device. This week we'll dig into troubleshooting Veritas Backup Exec - the #1 package for data protection.
Among the things we will look at will include:
- Critical tips for protecting your system
- Speeding search for files
- Recovering bad media
- Rebuilding catalogs
- Utility tips and tricks
- Mixing disk and tape media
Michael Healey, CTO, GreenPages
Using FirstClass to Develop Learning Communities
We all know that supporting effective communication and collaboration between and among administrators, teachers, students and parents can be an overwhelming challenge. But an effective technology solution can help to create a cohesive, unified community in which communication and collaboration are fostered and supported to achieve outstanding results. The development of rich, dynamic collaborative communities has been shown to produce a variety of results, including:
- less teacher isolation; greater satisfaction, higher morale, and lower rates of absenteeism
- increased commitment to the mission and goals of the school and district
- higher likelihood that teachers will be well informed, professionally renewed, and inspired to inspire students
- shared responsibility for student development and success
Learn how to use the features already available to expand FirstClass from a simple mail system into a powerful Professional Learning Community.
FirstClass --Open Text Corporation
Big6 Turbo Tools
Technology added to the Big6 process makes students more organized and successful information problem-solvers and assists educators in guiding and directing projects and meeting technology and information literacy standards.
Stephen Kunzler, Alexandria / Big 6 Turbo Tools
Differentiated Instruction with unitedstreaming
Participants in this interactive session will examine ways in which unitedstreaming can support their efforts in providing curriculum materials appropriate for their increasingly diverse classrooms.
Discovery Education
Intervention to Enrichment Through Interactive Software for the Diverse Elementary Math Classroom
We will share strategies for using interactive software in Numeracy and Algebraic Thinking for intervention to enrichment as well as regular classroom use to help students to understand and teachers to teach.. Counting, Operations, Place Value, Comparing, Ordering, Problem Solving, Fractions, Decimals. Participants will receive a CD & corresponding lesson outlines which can be used in a variety of learning environments.
elementary
Rudy Neufeld, Senior Author of Understanding Math
Fred Steitz, New England Consultant
OnCourse Lesson Planner: Improving Lesson Plan Creation, Management and Sharing
Come see how more than 30,000 teachers and administrators are using the OnCourse Lesson Planner to integrate, track, and analyze federal, state, and local educational standards, comprehensive curriculum, and more! OnCourse Lesson Planner is a web-based tool that automates the creation, management, and sharing of lesson plans. Through easy-to-use online templates, teachers can more quickly and easily write, edit, and collaborate on lesson plans. Principals can review and comment on the plans electronically. And teachers can map lessons to educational standards enabling administrators to generate reporters about what’s being taught, when, and by whom.
Georgia Gallicchio, OnCourse Systems for Education
