Educational Service Unit 10 seeks a Remote Learning Specialist to provide instruction and support for 21^st century learning environment and related support systems.  Bachelor’s degree, current Nebraska teaching certificate, and remote teaching experience required.  Starting date of July 1, 2011.  Competitive salary and benefits.   Send or email letter of application and resume by March 30, 2011 to Ron Cone (rcone@esu10.org), NIS Director, PO Box 850, Kearney, NE 68848.  ESU 10 is an equal opportunity employer. 

 

The primary duties will include:

·         Serve as the lead instructor for schools receiving TECHS course over video conferencing.

·         Provide support to schools receiving TECHS course online.

·         Review, develop, and market the TECHS course and curriculum to schools in Nebraska.

·         Update TECHS website and blog with relative and current information.

·         Collaborate with team members, peer ESUs, colleges, and technology experts to support and improve the curriculum.

·         Promote, model and train district staff on proper instructional design practices for online or remote courses.

·         Provide or assist with training for teachers in effective use of online and remote learning tools.

TECHS description - TECHS is a year-long course designed for students in grades 10-12 who have a strong interest in technology for personal and vocational use.  The course iss offered both as a synchronous and an asynchronous option. Supported by video and an online course management program, TECHS provides students with current technology understanding and hands-on applications. TECHS is production based as students will share their technology understanding and skills by creating, sharing, and supporting their educational community.

TECHS Web Site – http://blog.studenttechs.org
TECHS Curriculum Site – http://techs.myelearning.org (upon request an account will be created to view the curriculum site.)

Contact Ron Cone at rcone@esu10.org or 308.865.5664 x-264 for more information.

 

The first week of May means you are near the finish line.  In fact some of your students may have or at least think they have broken the tape already.

Unit X - In this last unit, you have a chance to get started on "summer time technology maintenance".  Chapter 54 will provide you and your students some tips for preparing your technology for next fall.

EOY Student Survey - Each year we ask the TECHS students to reflect upon what was covered in the TECHS course.  Before your students leave the course, please have them complete the EOY Student Survey in Chapter 55.

Closing - During this week you as TECHS teachers will be receiving a final survey in the mail.  We are studying some possible "big" changes to the course and we need your input.  I'm hoping each of you will take time to complete and return the survey.

For those schools who were honored for their TECHS projects, you will also be receiving a token of appreciation for your efforts.  To view a list of the honored projects, go to http://blog.studenttechs.org/techs-projects/

Thanks for another good year and have a great summer.

John

Post-Conference Notes - The whirlwind associated with putting together a conference using a different and in this case a little less then reliable medium is in the books.  Although we were somewhat disappointed with the delivery difficulties, we are taking several positives from the conference and have plans to try it again next year.

TECHS 2008-09 Projects - Honored projects as well as all projects submitted can be viewed at http://www.studenttechs.org/techsprojects0809  I hope you and your students take time to check out what students created during the year.

TECHS Web Site of the Year - Our Virtual Conference plan was to share a video tour of three submitted web sites and have participating schools select the winning site.  Because of the interruptions, we did not make that selection.  That means we are asking each TECHS school to cast one vote based upon the three sites that are toured - Gothenburg, Heartland, and Sargent.  To watch the videos, go to http://www.studenttechs.org/WebSiteYear 

Each school has one vote.  Please cast your vote by putting in your schoolname followed with techs09
i.e. esu10techs0809  I need to have you follow this format so that I am sure each school only votes one time.  I am the only one who has access to your ballot and I will not be sharing those results with anyone.  Balloting ends next Friday - April 24.

Keynote Presentations - We were fortunate to get both Rep. Smith and Rosie Rodriguez from the Attorney Generals office as keynote presenters.  As part of TECHS, you might have your students watch these videos and complete the activities.  To view the keynote go to http://blog.studenttechs.org/keynotes/

All other presentations can also be seen at http://blog.studenttechs.org/

NETA - I will be headed to NETA on Wednesday and be in Omaha through Friday.  Hopefully I will see some of you there.  Have a good week and remember to Vote for TECHS Web Site of the Year.

John

What is a question that you would have for Representative Smith regarding legislation related to Technology and Innovation?

TECHS Virtual Conference - With the TECHS Virtual Conference just over two weeks away (April 16), I have started to receive some of the TECHS project activiities.  Several of the projects are due by the end of this week or sometime next week.  Below are the activities we will be honoring at the TECHS Virtual Conference:

• TECHS Web Site / Unit VII - Chapter 40 / April 8
• Podcasts /Unit V - Chapter 32 / April 3
• Jing Help Videos / Unit V - Chapter 33 / April 3
• TECHS RFP Proposal / Unit VI - Chapter 38 / April 3
• TECHS Best or Unique Project of the Year / Unit VII - Chapter 39 / April 8
• TECHS Scholarship Applications / Unit VII - Chapter 43 / April 3

TECHS Scholarship Opportunities - As we conclude the year, both the University of Nebraska - Kearney and Central Community College have offered scholarships for students who have sucessfully completed the TECHS programs.  The CCC applications are unique in that they are for students who have completed the TECHS class and will still be enrolled in high school during the 2009-10 year.  

ESU 10 Internship Opportunity - ESU 10 has had great success hiring UNK students to assist in our help desk support.  Many of our current NIS staff started as interns and because of their skills and work effectiveness were hired on as employees.  As ESU 10 sponsors the TECHS program, we would like to take advantage of the student connections through that program by seeking applications from seniors who have completed the TECHS program and who plan to further their education at either UNK or CCC - Kearney campus.

Both the scholarship and internship program applications can be found at the top of the TECHS lessons page.

Virtual Conference Registration - To register for the virtual conference, please go to http://odie.esu10.org  More information about the event will be announced in next week's update.

Have a good week - John

As I will be out of the office all of next week, I am guaranteeing myself an update for the next two weeks as my title covers both weeks.

This week I want to focus on the plans for the upcoming TECHS Virtual Conference.  As announced last week, the conference will be on Thursday, April 16.  The conference will begin at 8 and last until 11:30.  I not only hope you will participate but that your students with your help will make the necessary accommodations to allow them to participate for the entire morning.

Things to know about the event:

• As this will be a streamed event, your ability to connect should be just a browser and link away.
• The event will include two special keynote presentations.
• Three technology sectionals will be built into the workshop with topics on programming, networking, and a web 2.0 presentation using a webinar format for presenting.  Each sectional presentation will be followed up with a 20 minute student activity.  
• Each student should have access to their own computer.
• TECHS projects will be recognized during the conference.
• Participation rizes will be given out during the event.

To learn more about the conference, go to http://www.studenttechs.org/techsvconf09

Registration for the TECHS Virtual Conference workshop can be done by going to http://odie.esu10.org  Registered sites will receive pre-conference materials by April 8 to insure that students have the necessary resources for completing the sectional activities.

Scholarships - Last year UNK provided two $500 scholarships for students who had successfully completed the TECHS course, planned to major in a technology program, and would be a freshmen at UNK.  UNK again plans to offer at least two scholarships for next fall.  In addition, we might have another announcement regarding possible tuition waivers for underclassmen.

ESU 10 Intern Program - ESU 10 has had great success hiring UNK students to assist in our help desk support.  Many of our current NIS staff started as interns and because of their skills and work effectiveness were hired on as staff.  As ESU 10 sponsors the TECHS program, we would like to take advantage of the student connections through that program by seeking applications from seniors who have completed the TECHS program and who plan to further their education at either UNK or CCC - Kearney campus.  The ESU 10 Intern Application can be found on the http://techs.myelearning.org site under the folder Scholarships. 

If you have students who have successfully completed the TECHS course during this or previous years and plan to attend either UNK or CCC, please encourage them to look over the applications and consider applying.  Note - A student could apply for both a scholarship and the intern position.

We hope to be able to announce scholarship and intern awards at the TECHS Virtual Conference.

Have a great next two weeks.  Please consider registering today for the TECHS Virtual Conference as we would like to see how many schools might be planning on participating.

John

TECHS Virtual Conference - Based on the feedback about the available dates for the virtual conference, we have set the virtual conference date as Thursday, April 16.  We realize that some schools may have students not able to participate, but we do encourage you to involve interested students in the event - even students who may not be part of the TECHS class.

Special Projects Update - In last week's blog, I shared an update on the special projects we will be reviewing an honoring during the TECHS virtual conference.  Below I have reviewed each of the special projects:

TECHS Web Site / Unit VII - Chapter 40 / April 8 - Prior to April 8, each TECHS team should send in a one to two minute video tour of their web site.  During the TECHS Virtual Conference, TECHS teams will vote for TECHS Web Site of the year.

Podcasts /Unit V - Chapter 32 / April 1 - TECHS will complete the podcast production process from identifying an educational topic, storyboarding the presentation, recording the podcast, and posting the podcast.  In submitting the podcast, students will post the podcast(s) to their website and submit the storyboard as evidence of completing the project.

Jing Help Videos / Unit V - Chapter 33 / April 1 - TECHS will use jing or some other screen capture video program to create computer based help videos.  In addition to posting the help video(s) on the TECHS web site, students will also submit a help video report as outlined in the directions in chapter 33.

TECHS RFP Proposal / Unit VI - Chapter 38 / April 1 - The response to an RFP proposal requires that students research and then decide on the best hardware/software options in support of technology at their school.  It is suggested that they base their proposal based on techology needs at their school.

TECHS Best or Unique Project of the Year / Unit VII - Chapter 39 / April 8 - This project is a catch all activity in which a TECHS team shares about a special project they completed during the past year.  Special consideration should be projects that were not part of the other special project activities.

TECHS Scholarship Applications / Unit VII - Chapter 43 / April 3 - Last year UNK stepped forward by providing a scholarship to a student who successfully completed the TECHS class.  At this time, we already have two scholarship committments from UNK with some additional possibilities.  Please note that students who may have completed the TECHS course in a previous year and are a senior this year are eligible to apply for these scholarship.

Bits & Bytes - Since this class is all about technology, your students might be the leaders in your school for digital journalism.  In this weeks Bit & Byte, students from Cozad High School along with their teachers share about how they plan to add video journalism to the curriculum.  Check it out under Bits & Bytes folder in techs.myelearning.

Next Weeks Topic - Steps for registering for the TECHS Virtual Conference. 

The week got away from me last week so you are getting a two-week update.

TECHS Virtual Conference Date - As of Friday, I only had four sites respond to dates for the end of the year mega-conference.  As a refresher, we are planning a morning video conference as a year end summary of the course.  The main requirement is that your students set aside a morning to participate in the conference.  The virtual conference will allow your students to participate from your school.  The proposed dates for the virtual conference is April 14, 15, 16, or 17.  We would like your input to insure that students from your school do not have a conflict in participating.  Please check your calendars and then go to the following web site to pick the date(s) that work for you - http://www.doodle.com/a4mpd37apd76kuac

Special Project Updates - Yes February is over and it is time to review the "Special Projects" along with the due dates on each project.  Your TECHS team is not obligated to do every project but I hope each team will complete at least one if not several.  The two that I hope each team would complete and submit are the "TECHS web site" and the "TECHS Best Project of the Year".  I will highlight each project in more detail in next week's blog.

Project/Unit - Chapter/Due Date

• TECHS Web Site / Unit VII - Chapter 40 / April 8
• Podcasts /Unit V - Chapter 32 / April 1
• Jing Help Videos / Unit V - Chapter 32 / April 1
• TECHS RFP Proposal / Unit VI - Chapter 38 / April 1
• TECHS Best Project of the Year / Unit VII - Chapter 39 / April 8
• TECHS Scholarship Applications / Unit VII - Chapter 43 / April 3

Web Design - Several of you have sent the web address for your TECHS class.  As one of the goals of the course is that the TECHS students will share about technology to the education community, I believe the TECHS web site is the best way to meet that goal.  If you haven't started building a web site or haven't sent me the address, please do so.  A final evaluation of the web sites will be done on April 8 so your students still have plenty of time to enhance their site.  Additional information about the web review can be found in Unit VII - Chapter 40.

Bits & Bytes - The latest edition of Bits & Bytes is an interview with Janine Lim, director of Capspace (Collaborations Around the Planet), shares about opportunities for collaborations with schools
across North America and beyond.  In video #1  Janine will present information about Capspace; in video #2 Janine shares about how to connect to the network; and in video #3 Janine will provide additional information about other video conferencing opportunities. 

In TECHS Unit VII, video conferencing is highlighted.  TECHS could register their schools technology on CapSpace, monitor collaboration opportunities, and share and hopefully
involve teachers in your school in a collaborative experience.

Beginning WordPress – Jason Everett will be presenting another one hour preview of Beginning WordPress on this Thursday afternoon 3:30-4:30.   To join, sign in at http://odie.esu10.org

Have a good week.  John

TECHS Bits & Bytes - As we have concluded the build a computer conferences, TECHS Bits & Bytes for this week will be the highlight videos of the three different events.  Next week, we will share an interview with Janine Lim who is the director for the TWICE video conferencing network in Michigan.  TECHS Bits & Bytes can be viewed at http://www.studenttechs.org/bitsbytes

Build A Computer - On last Tuesday (Milford) and Thursday (Ogallala), we completed the last two build a computer days.  Twenty-four schools and over 100 students built over 30 computers during the three site event.  To commemorate the day, William Bolen created a video highlight film starring the BAC students.  To view the videos, go to http://www.studenttechs.org/BAC  Please feel free to link the video to your TECHS web page.

TECHS EOY Mega-Conference - In last week's blog posting, I mentioned that we are planning on having an end of the year virtual conference.  I hope that all of the TECHS schools will be able to join us online for that event.  We have selected the week of April 13 - 17 for the week.  In order to eliminate as many conflicts as possible, I would like you to go to the following web site and enter your name and check all of the days where you and your students might be able to participate.  This does not obligate you but provides us with a way to select the best day out of that week.  The web link is http://www.doodle.com/a4mpd37apd76kuac

Podcast and Jing Project - As part of Unit V, both podcast and jing activities were introduced.  In Chapter 32 Assignment C are the directions for producing a podcast to be reviewed by the TECHS staff. Information on posting of the podcast can be found in the Chapter 32 Teacher Checklist.

In Chapter 33 Assignment D is the information about producing a jing "help" video. In both cases, we are asking you to post these activities to your TECHS web page and then forward information about the posting of these activities to us by March 30.  We will review the postings and announce the honored presentations.

WordPress - Just a reminder that Jason Everett will be presenting an advanced WordPress webinar on this coming Thursday, February 19 from 3:30 to 4:30.  He recognizes that this time might rush some of you but join when you can.  If you plan on participating, please register at http://odie.esu10.org

2nd Semester Course Billing and BAC participation - During the upcoming week, your school will be billed for participation in TECHS for second semester and also $10 per participant if you attended one of the Build A Computer events.  I will be sending each of you an email to confirm numbers.

Have a good week. - John