From December 5-7, I attended the VDOE conference in Roanoke VA.  This was an amazing conference.  There were many workshops I would have like to have taken but we really can't have it all, as much as we would like to.  Oh well.  Below are summeries of workshops I did attend.

 

Social Networking by Dr. Ann Flynn, NSBA President:  I created a blog page with this information.  Here is the link:  http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/livetext.mclewis/social-networking-in-education/  Also, here is a link to the National School Board's Chat room discussions on social networking:  http://www.nsba.org/site/doc.asp?TRACKID=&VID=2&CID=90&DID=41744

 

"Educators, Start Your Engines!" Literacy and Adapted Learning Materials:  This session was not pubLicized as a poster session but that's what it turned out to be.  Several classroom SPED teachers had created project based learning tasks and were show casing them.  One idea that was very interesting was a teacher's use of Microsoft Word and Microsoft clip art to create flashcards for her student.  The teacher created a table in Word consisting of one row and two columns.  The columns were set up to be the same size, 50% of the table.  The row was designed to be 3 inches tall.  The students typed the vocab word on one side of the table and inserted a clip art image on the other side. They did this for each word.  The table was cut out, folded in half and laminated.  The teacher punched a hole in one corner and put the flash cards on a book ring. 

 

Another idea, was in using video and reader's theater scripts to teach content.  The teacher worked with the students to create a short script teaching a content fact.  She then video taped the students acting out the script.  Great idea to teach content!

 

Here is the link the presenters gave us:  http://startyourengines.pbwiki.com/

 

Another link came from Jamestown Elementary School.  Here is a list of their podcasts:  http://slapcast.com/users/Jamestown?1554Nav=|&NodeID=1086

 

Check Before You Click: Arlington County Publice Schools Responds to Internet Safety:  This workshop explained how Arlington set up its Internet Safety Program.  The ITRTs and the Content Specialist sat down together, looked over the content SOL and examined the technology SOLs.  Lessons were created after combining the two. Several lesson ideas were provided.  One that I especially like was for third grade.  We have a SOL which mandates that we do an oral presentation.  The teachers in Arlington this year have had their students meet this standard by presenting on Internet Safety.  Another idea was to have fifth graders look at real school data concerning statistics on bullying both physical and cyber and create graphs depicting the data.  They were also asked to provide solutions and suggestions as part of their analysing the data found.  This is real and relavant information. 

 

Keeping Your ITRT in the Know:  Developing a plan for the ITRT:  I have blogged part of this session.  You can see the blog here: http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/livetext.mclewis/virginias-instructional-technology-resource-teachers/.  The session also went on to talk about how the ITRT should be professionally developed.  Several suggestions were made for this. Our profesional development needs to be different from the classroom teacher's, maybe costing a little more. The VDOE is currently tweaking the ITRT handbook.  The updated one will require that the ITRT spend a specific percentage of time on their own professional development.

 

Wednesday Spotlight Session-Getting "Out of the Box" in Strategic Planning:  by James Batterson, NASA Langley Research Center.

Here is the "get out of the day to day routine" method for planning

1.  Create a rubric for your end result

2.  Put together a broad team for discussion of strategies

3.  Gather any external information that may be needed

4.  Think about what could happen 5 years or more from now

5.  "Live" in that future and think through all possible senerios

6.  Come back to today and create steps to reach the desired goal

 

Don't be afraid to approach your boss or supervisor and share your thoughts!  Fear will always hinder progress

 

ITRT Performance Rubric: A Collaborative Evaluation Tool: This session was difficult to follow as it quickly turned into a whine festival.  However, I do feel it is important to be evaluated in order to grow.  My hope is that someone will soon come up with a fair way to assess and assist the ITRT in professional growth through formal evaluations.

 

Using Technology to Teach History and History to Teach Technology: This website was completely done by the high school students of Bland County, VA.  This high school completely houses and archives the history of this county.  http://www.bland.k12.va.us/bland/rocky/gap.html

 

Spotlight Session-Knowledge and Skills for a Digital World:  The refreshed NETS for Students by Leslie Conery, ISTE Chair

This session highlighted how the National Education Technology Standards for Students has changed and evolved over the years.  Where technology once centered around the tools of the trade and how to use them, standards are now moving to the higher levels of Blooms.

 

Education use to be teacher directed, memeory focused instruction.  It has now moved to student centered, performance focused learning.

 

Defining the Many Roles of the ITRT:  This session was very helpful as we discussed the do's and don't of being an ITRT.

 

More than a Buzzword:  Why Your School Should be Using Blogs:  Many ideas were given for the use of Blogs and Wikis.  I plan to start working more in this area.  One idea was to use blogs as a professional developmement tool.  I have already created one wiki today to do just that!  http://melzwiki.wikispaces.com/Did+You+Know%3F

 

The business cards from one of the speakers at this presentation gave this address:  http://mhzworldview.tv/

 

The Big Bad Blog:  This was another presentation of the benefits of blogging.  Suffolk County's Blog Page:  http://blogs.spsk12.net/   Edublog site:  http://edublogs.org/   This is Chris Baugh's blog.  He was one of the main speakers.  His handout is posted on this site:  http://blogs.spsk12.net/cbaugh/

 

Internet Safety with NetSmartz:  Teaching Kids Safe Internet Habits:  I have seen this site before and this is the curriculum I push to teachers.  It was a nice reminder.  Here is the web site for NetSmartz: http://www.netsmartz.org/

 

ITRT Handbook 2.0:  I really loved this session.  Ever since I became an ITRT, I have been watching for the handbook to come out.  Some how thorugh, I missed it.  Now it's being tweaked.  Here is the current site to see the ITRT handbook.  http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Technology/ITRThandbook.pdf

 

Introducing the Virginia Content Repository:  Rich Ingram and JMU are ceating a place where Virginia teachers can go to pull up digital resources.  This session spotlighted the site.  http://coe.jmu.edu/netst/Default.htm

 

Techno Tools and Toys:  This session highlighted new gadgets and gizmos while the presentor made predictions about what future tech toys may look like.  The PC and Apple computer had a stand off in this session to see which was better.  They tied.  Imagine that!  Victor Gosnell was the presenter.  He is from Bedford County.  Here is his resource page:  http://www.bedford.k12.va.us/itrt/index.htm