1-21-10

=EASTCONN Tech Council Meeting Notes from 1/21/10=

Technology Standards
Links to ISTE Tech Standards:
 * [|NETS*A - Standards for Administrators]
 * [|NETS*S - Standards for Students]
 * [|NETS*T - Standards for Teachers]

Interesting Web Sites and Resources

 * Discovery Education Games - []
 * [|Did You Know? 4 on Teacher Tube:] media type="custom" key="5206033"
 * [|No Hats in School? Cool. No Phones? Silly.] - Rick Green column in the Hartford Courant

SMART Board Tips

 * When orienting the SMART Board, slide the marker to the X. The orientation is determined by where you lift off the pen, not where you tap it.

Regional Summit II Focus Group Questions 
EASTCONN is planning a follow up regional summit for our districts in late March. We’re conducting focus groups with some regional groups around the following 4 questions: 1. What programs/services did the school system cease to provide that they provided before and what was the impact?

What's been cut? What's the impact?
 * Hardware - file servers and computers
 * Software - that's the first thing cut
 * PD is being reduced - doing all technology PD in-house because they can't afford outside consultants
 * There's no cutting edge technology work being done.
 * It's hard to keep current and teach what the kids need.

2. What programs/services are you finding it difficult to provide?
 * PD
 * Keeping enough tech support staff in-house; inability to add new staff even if they are needed

3. What has been the impact to your district in fulfilling state mandates (for example: tech plans, SRBI, web site postings)
 * It's more difficult.
 * 8th grade tech proficiency is part of the federal mandate - difficult to assess
 * Lack of funding to support SRBI initiative
 * Lack of funding for test prep software and other online resources, etc.

4. [We’ve been talking about pressing current issues, but your current kindergarteners will graduate in 2022. What will that world be like?] What future trends should we be considering as we prepare our present students for the world they will live and work in?
 * One-to-one laptops
 * Access to Internet Web sites for authentic research and to mine data
 * Access to cell phones, iPods, iTouch, etc. in schools - teachers need to know how to use and students need to be able to bring them in
 * SMART Tables
 * Emerging technologies so that we can keep current and prepare our students for the world in which they live