Local District 4 Instructional Technology News

In these difficult economic times, we are constantly looking for ways to save time and money.  This year we are being faced with numerous cuts in staff and resources, yet we are still expected to continue our work and be just as resourceful. We all know how difficult it is going to be to maintain a level of quality instruction with half the resources, so what can you do to continue your work?

In a previous post, I had mentioned the use of Google Tools for Educators.  Many of you might have looked in to it and some of you probably didn’t see the benefit of using this tool at that time.  I’d like to revisit Google Tools for Educators in this post and invite anyone to share experiences and educational uses of this tool.  Below are a few ways in which you can use these tools in education. 

Google Calendar

• Students can keep track of upcoming events, assignment due dates, field trips, etc.
• Parents can keep track of due dates for assignments, Back to School Night, Parent Conferences, Open House, school council meetings, and so on.
• Principal’s can post important school events to share with teachers, parents and community members.
• Create school schedules for the Library, Computer lab, conference rooms, etc.
• List professional development dates

Google Docs

• Have access to office tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, forms, and presentation software.
• Access your files on any computer.
• Share and collaborate on documents in real time without having to email documents to each other.
• No need to worry about using a PC or a Mac.
• Create Forms to gather feedback, give quizzes, etc.
• Share the weekly bulletin instead of printing it out every week.
• Teachers can review student work without having a stack of papers to go through.
• Upload existing MS Office documents and continue working on them online.
• Office staff can work on MEMOS or any document without worrying about having the correct version of the file.

Google Groups

•      Create online meeting places to share resources.
•      Teachers can use Groups to have online discussions with students.
•      Teachers can have students submit their assignments electronically to the group.
•      Teachers can post assignments and share files with students.
•      Grade level teams can share resources with each other.
•      Administrators can post newsletters, agendas, bulletins etc. for the staff
•      Administrators can have online discussions with staff members and/or parents.
•      Work in a secure environment.

 These are just a few suggestions to help us become more resourceful and save time along the way.  With more possible cuts coming our way, we need to keep our options open and be open to new tools to help us get through the madness.  How are you using Google Tools?

Tags: cuts, Docs, Education, Google, LD4

Click here to register for the event and for additional info.

Tags: conference, ITO, lacoe, LAUSD, LD4, Technology, Workshop

Thank you for your efforts to get the word out about InfoTech.  Some of you have signed up to Showcase student work and others have simply signed up to attend.  If any of you would like to assist us in making InfoTech a success again, I am looking for volunteers to help us out with Logistics, Registration, Student Showcases, and other areas.  If you are interested in helping out, send me an email or give me a call.

Tags: infotech, itaf, LAUSD, LD4

Do you have a SmartBoard in your classroom?  Do you need resources to help you use the board more effectively? Whether you are an expert or just beginning to use one, I have added a collection of web resources to help you maximize its use in the classroom.  Go to the Tech Documents tab or click here to access the links.  If you have any other sites you would like to share, send them to me and I will add them to the list.

Tags: Interactive Whiteboard, LD4, Lessons, Resources, SmartBoard

CTAP 11, part of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, would like to announce a collaborative effort with LAUSD in hosting CTAP Technology Academies for the 2008-2009 Academic Year at locations across the District. Level 1 Personal Proficiency and Level 2 Technology Integration Academies as well as one session of the new iTELL Academy (integrating Technology for English Language Learners) are being offered.

Participants must be full-time LAUSD teachers or administrators and must be off-track (or on vacation) in order to attend.. There will be no provision for allowing attendees who are currently on-track or working regular time.  Participants will receive free registration, course materials, a flash drive and $400.00 compensation upon completion of the Academy.  Level 2 Academy participants are eligible to receive 2 salary points. Level 1 and Level 2 participants have the option of purchasing Continuing Education Units from USC. The Academies are now available for online registration. The web site for registration is http://ito.lacoe.edu/workshops/  
The dates of the academies are on the web registration page and below:

Level 1
 (04/06/2009 – 04/10/2009) – B Track (3 Track Schools) & Single Track
(07/20/2009 – 07/24/2009) – A Track (3&4 Track YR) & Single Track
(08/17/2009 – 08/21/2009- A Track (3&4 Track YR) & Single Track

Level 2
 (03/09/2009 – 03/13/2009) – B/C Tracks at 3 & 4 Track YR Schools
(04/06/2009 – 04/10/2009) – B Track (3 Track Schools) & Single Track (This one is available at LD4)
(05/18/2009 – 05/22/2009) – C/D Tracks at 3 & 4 Track YR Schools
(07/20/2009 – 07/24/2009) – A Track (3&4 Track YR) & Single Track
(07/27/2009 – 07/31/2009) – A Track (3&4 Track YR) & Single Track  
(08/17/2009 – 08/21/2009) – A Track (3&4 Track YR) & Single Track

iTELL
 (07/14/2009 – 07/16/2009 – A Track (3&4 Track YR) & Single Track

Please visit this link for specific locations and times. Both Level 1 and Level 2 Academies are available to accommodate teachers working on different track schedules throughout LAUSD. Please remember that to attend an academy, LAUSD employees must be certificated and off-track or on vacation for the length of the academy.  It is suggested that teachers review their EdTech Profile to determine which academy is right for them to enroll in. http://www.edtechprofile.org

Please visit the CTAP Region 11 / LAUSD Moodle site for additional information on Academies, Workshops, Events, Grants and Funding as well as the State-wide Educational Technology Services (SETS) projects.
http://moodle.ito.lacoe.edu/consortia/course/view.php?id=8
Click on the Login as a guest button to enter the site. 

Tags: lacoe, LAUSD, LD4, Technology, workshops

The 13th annual Infortech conference is official.  As mentioned before, the event is scheduled for April 25, 2009 from 9 am -12 noon at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  The theme for this year is “Expanding Student Learning.” Visit the Infotech website  at http://infotech.lausd.net/2009/ to get the latest information.

Tags: conference, infotech, itaf, LAUSD, LD4, Technology