Educational Technology Tips for New Educators

Last year I was asked to put together a short guide that would be helpful for new NYC educators in the area of educational technology. I'm not sure where this ended up, but I believe this might be useful to others. If you see something missing, let me know and I’ll be sure to add it.

Welcome to the Office of Educational Technology!
The Office of Educational Technology provides innovative solutions to transform teaching, learning, and leading with real-word, standards-based, integration of technology throughout the curriculum using standardized services and customized support - all with the goal of preparing our students to succeed in a global community.

Professional Development for New Teachers
The Office of Educational Technology offers a variety of professional development opportunities for educators including institutes and workshops to support educators in using 21st Century tools to enhance teaching and learning. You can register for classes our online registration system found by visiting http://pd.nycoit.org/ and selecting the Office of Educational Technology in the "Deparment" field.

Principles of Quality Instruction in Instructional Technology
The Office of Educational Technology uses the International Society of Technology Educator’s (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) to serve as a roadmap for improved teaching, leading, and learning. The standards, used in every U.S. state and many countries, are credited with significantly influencing expectations for students and creating a target of excellence relating to technology. The National Educational Technology Standards for students focus more on skills and expertise and less on tools. Specifically, they address:

§ Creativity and Innovation
§ Communication and Collaboration
§ Research and Information Fluency
§ Critical thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
§ Digital Citizenship
§ Technology Operations and Concepts

For a description of technology literate students at key developmental points in their pre-college education visit, http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/Profiles/NETS_for_Students_2007_Profiles.htm. There you will find the NETS-Students profiles that highlight a few important types of learning activities in which students might engage as the standards are implemented.

Useful Instructional Technology Curricular Resources for Teachers (Listed Alphabetically)

Classroom Management: The Power of Procedures
http://teachers.net/wong/FEB05
This article discusses effective management techniques and procedures for every classroom. The article includes a PowerPoint that is used by a teacher with her students. For further study, read “First Days of School,” by Wong or take the online class at http://docs.google.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.classroommanagement.com/ (fee based).

Classroom 2.0
http://www.classroom20.com/
This is a networking site for those interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technology tools for education.

ISTE's Educational Technology Standards
http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS
ISTE's Educational Technology Standards serve as guides for teachers, students and administrators to help them focus on the skills and expertise needed to teach, learn, and lead more effectively in an ever changing global community. Teachers can use the standards to facilitate student learning and creativity, create digital work and assessment, model good digital citizenry and pursue personal growth and leadership.

New York Learns
http://www.nylearns.org/
NYLearns.org identifies, organizes and delivers educational resources that are aligned to learning standards. The site also provides teachers with easy to use integrated classroom tools that enhance their teaching effectiveness. The site offers a curriculum section, which features all of the NYS Learning Standards and is searchable by standard area, grade level, course, and key word; the educational resources section, with thousands of peer-reviewed instructional resources that are searchable by standard area, grade level, content type, and key word; and a catalogue of face-to-face and on-line professional development opportunities for teachers across New York State.

Online Safety
The NYC DOE offers a comprehensive K-12 Internet safety curriculum to schools and workshops for parents. You can ask your school's parent coordinator, librarian, or technology specialist about what your schools is doing. If they do not have plans but are interested in launching the curriculum, encourage them to contact School Library Services, eLearning, or the Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy to arrange for internet safety training for teachers, parents and/or students at your school. To participate in an online safety professional development class visit http:/pd.nycoit.org and do an advanced search for "Cyber Safety."

School 2.0
http://etoolkit.org/etoolkit
The School 2.0 eToolkit is designed to help schools, districts, and communities develop a common education vision and explore how that vision can be supported by technology. School 2.0 provides a “big picture” perspective on community-based, next-generation schools that allows for a common point of entry so that all community stakeholders can participate in this important conversation.

Teachers Network: New Teachers New York
http:/www.teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/index.htm
The Teachers Network: New Teachers New York provides many resources for educators including information about upcoming events; curriculum units and lesson plans; how-to’s; grants; research; videos and more.

Technology Integration Matrix
http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.html
The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, constructive, goal directed (i.e., reflective), authentic, and collaborative (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (i.e., entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments. Together, the five levels of technology integration and the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments create a matrix of 25 cells as illustrated on the website.

Technology-Rich Classroom Visitation Rubric
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pjV2wGxpR6LMHBAVcv1nYBQ&hl=en
This rubric was created to help educators determine how well they are using 21st Century skills in the classroom.

21st Century Skills
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/
Teachers can use as a resource of the six skills that students need to master to be successful in the real world environments of the 21st century. The website contains illustrations of how these information and communication skills can be integrated into the core academic subjects.

Useful NYCDOE Resources for Teachers (Listed Alphabetically)

Email Services
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/FinanceandAdministration/DIIT/Email/
To activate your DOE email account, please call the helpdesk at 718-935-5100 or visit the website above.

Help Desk & Tech Support
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/FinanceandAdministration/DIIT/Helpdesk/
This Web site serves as an extension of the Division of Instructional and Information (DIIT) Help Desk. You are always invited to speak to a technical support analyst by calling the Help Desk at (718) 935-5100.

Internet Acceptable Use Policy
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/FinanceandAdministration/DIIT/WebServices/iaup/default.htm
Visit the New York City Department of Education’s rules for Internet Acceptable Use at this site.

ProTraxx Online Class Registration
http://pd.nycoit.org/
To view all the courses that are offered through the Office of Instructional Technology, log into ProTraxx at the above site. To locate an Instructional Technology course select "Office of Educational Technology in the "Department" field.

School Websites
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/FinanceandAdministration/DIIT/WebServices/DynamicSchoolPortals/default.htm The Office of Web Management Services has created dynamic school web portals. Please visit this site for details on how to get your portal started.

Teacher Page: A Resource for Teachers
http://schools.nyc.gov/Teachers/default.htm
The Teacher Page provides New York City Department of Education teachers with helpful links and information such as information on subscribing to Teacher’s Weekly, salary information, email information, scope and sequence for various content areas, and more.

Unblock/Block Websites
http://nycboe.net/adminorg/divisions/diit/sws
To unblock or block websites visit this site, which is accessible only through the NYC DOE intranet and can only be activated from an administrative line.

Filter Lookup

http://filterlookup.nycboe.org/

Allows you to determine if a website is blocked by the web filter. Enter the URL for the website you would like to research in the “Enter URL” field. Click the Submit button. In the “Disposition” field of the form it will now inform you if it is blocked or not.

National Day on Writing Essay Contest

Writing Matters to everyone. Whether you are a student publishing content online, submitting an essay to be graded in class, or writing for pleasure in your personal journal or diary, writing is an important communication skill and part of our daily lives. Students have an opportunity to celebrate the role of writing with Vantage Learning today.

Vantage Learning is sponsoring the 2009 Countdown to The National Day on Writing Essay Submission. The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) recognizes this day, October 20, 2009, as a day to submit your works of writing based upon the ideal that writing is important in furthering our students professional and personal lives.

Participants can submit their writing to one of several writing prompts that provides IntelliMetric® automated essay scoring, the same scoring engine used in the award-winning MY Access instructional program. Students can enter works of writing today. The top essays in each category will be honored with posting of their writing in the NCTE National Gallery of Writing.

Prizes will be awarded for the top three essays in the Elementary, Middle, and High School categories and a $100 gift certificate sent to each of the winners.

Additionally, each winner will receive a 1-year subscription to MY Access Home Edition and 30 licenses of MY Access School Edition for his or her school.

Deadline for entry is October 20, 2009. For more information on the contest as well as to enter, please click here.

Discover the Roadmap for 21st Century Innovation

Schools committed to developing a vision for the 21st Century School are invited to attend a leadership forum designed to introduce schools to a Roadmap for 21^st century innovation. During this session, school leaders will examine the dimensions of a 21st Century School and have an opportunity to evaluate their own school using this tool. This self-evaluation is a critical initial aspect of developing a long-term plan to put your school on a path to your 21st century vision.

Following the forum, leaders will have the opportunity to discuss educational priorities for 2009/2010 and your 21st century goals for the next three to five years. This information, along with a school-wide teacher survey, the Quality Review, the Progress Report and personal observations can be used to draft an Innovation Roadmap to guide you for this school year.

The event takes place this Thursday, September 24th from 4:00 - 6:00 pm at
HRTC, 425 West 123rd Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10027.

To Register, visit this link: OETM: 21st Century Schools Seminar for Leaders.

For questions, contact: Lauren Morris, Program Coordinator by email at lmorris@teachingmatters.org or by phone at 212.870.3505.

President Obama's Innovative Back to School Challenge for Students

On the first day back to school in New York City and other districts, the U.S. Department of Education will ask students to respond to the President’s Back to School challenge by creating videos, up to two minutes in length, describing the steps they will take to improve their education and the role education will play in fulfilling their dreams in the “I Am What I Learn” video contest for students. This is a great opportunity for innovative educators to showcase their students, school and teachers. This could also serve as a possible activity that students and families can do together promoting family involvement in student learning.

For more information about the “I Am What I Learn” video contest for students visit http://www.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn/index.html.

Leader of the Year

Are You Making a Difference?
Explain how you lead by using technology in education. Enter yourself — or a colleague — in Tech &Learning's 22nd annual Leader of the Year Program. Click here to enter!

You inspire, encourage, empower, and give wings to others' dreams. Now it's your turn. Tech & Learning's Leader of the Year Program is once again honoring K-12 administrators, technology coordinators, and teachers who use technology in innovative ways to help teachers teach and help students learn. We invite you to share your teaching, training, and managing success stories with our judges. Four finalists will win prizes, gain national recognition, and be profiled in T&L's December Awards Issue.

Deadline: September 30, 2009

PreviousLeaders of the Year
2003 2004 20052006 2007 2008

Ideas for Engaging Students in Passion-Based Learning - Pt 2

Editor's Note: Below is an excerpt from a post written for the International Society for Technology Educator's "ISTE Connects." This post was published at the ISTE Connects site which targets educators engaged in improving teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology education.

Technology provides the window to connections and learning around areas of passion and deep personal interest that were never before possible. Some educators I have discussed this concept with have scoffed at the idea for various reasons believing it would be too much work for them to make individualized, differentiated connections for each student. I’ve suggested that their job is not to determine a student's passion, or find the experts and make the connections, but rather to support their students in doing so. And, that doesn’t mean have all the students in your class create blogs where they respond to your prompts or make a podcast about a topic you are studying in social studies. That really, isn't an effective means to helping students explore their passions, publish authentically to an audience they care about, or connect with others with their similar interests. This is a big shift. Here are some smart ways educators might engage in passion-based learning with our students.

Ideas for Engaging Students in Passion-Based Learning

Discover and Consume

First you need to support your students in finding area of passion and deep personal interest which is an ongoing journey. Next you may want to connect them with other students and teachers who share these interests so they have a face-to-face (f-2-f) connection with others with like interests. Once they have identified an area of passion, help them develop strategies to learn more about their topic of interest.

• Finding Passion
  Help students discover what passions and interests they may have. One way to do this is by having them take an interest inventory. While I am a fan of the Renzulli Learning Profile that helps students discover interests, learning styles, abilities, and expression styles, there are many different types of interest inventories out there. While this is a good idea for starting on the road to helping your students discover their passion, take some time to explore multiple ways to helping students find their passion.
• F-2-F Connections with Others with Similar Interests
  Ideally an entire school student body and staff would engage in taking a learning profile. If so, this is a terrific way to connect students with other students with similar interests and even identify teachers with interests shared by students. These interests can turn into elective classes in the school and provides a tremendous opportunity for students to make deep connections with other students and their teacher. If a school wide implementation is not possible this is still powerful even if partnering with other classes or finding common interests within your own class. As an educator you'll want to work with your students on some conversation guidelines, starters, and extenders to support your students in engaging in meaningful and perhaps accountable talk.
• Researching Your Passion
  Once you’ve helped students determine some areas of passion, help them learn more about their area of interest. Perhaps start with an encyclopedia then move to supporting students in using smart search techniques about their area of interest. You may want to show them how to use Technorati to locate bloggers who are writing about the topics they are interested in.
• Following Your Passion
  Once you've supported students in searching for and finding their passions, show them how to follow their passions. An RSS aggregator like Google Reader is a simple, easy to use tool made just for this purpose. You can learn how to get started by going here.

To find out innovative ways you can support students in “Communicating and Connecting” and ‘Creating and Producing” read the whole story by clicking here. Be sure to check out (and leave) comments too.

Engaging Students with Passion-Based Learning

Editor's Note: Below is an excerpt from a post written for the International Society for Technology Educator's "ISTE Connects." This post was published at the ISTE Connects site which targets educators engaged in improving teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology education.

Recently I attended Alan November’s Building Learning Communities Conference where I participated in a session for educators exploring how to become transformational leaders. A participant at my table said, “This is all nice, but kids need to learn that school isn’t always interesting. Sometimes school is just boring.” “Not true!" I responded. "School shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be boring.” When I shared this with Alan he recommended I ask this participant, “Which teachers should teach students that they have to learn that school is boring?“ This certainly would not be me. While I’ve witnessed teachers who accept that students are disengaged, sometimes even falling asleep in their class, I do not believe a teacher passionate about his/her career would embrace the idea that it is okay for their students to be bored. In fact, I contend that if every teacher prioritized just one thing, we could eradicate boredom in our classrooms, deeply engage students, and dramatically decrease the dropout rate. That one thing is...

Supporting students in finding their passion.

To find out how, read the whole story by clicking here. Be sure to check out (and leave) comments too.