This blog focuses on the effective integration of technology in K-12 schools with special emphasis on Sonoma County. It offers ideas and resources to support purposeful use of technology in relation to the Common Core Standards and 21st century learning.
Author | Rick Phelan | Email | Follow on Twitter
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Bellevue IT Director Articulates One-to-One Technology Needs
04.30.15
As schools increase the number of technology devices they own and move toward one-to-one scenarios, their need for support expands in a number of different ways. This blog post describes issues to consider for districts considering one-to-one from the perspective of Bellevue Union School District’s IT Director, Jacob Lopez.
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Minecraft: A New Twist on California Mission Projects
04.20.15
If you attended a California public school for fourth grade, you probably remember constructing a replica of a California mission. When Prestwood Elementary School student Eli Lawrence was given a list of options for his mission project, he chose to create a model of Mission San Francisco Solano in the Minecraft computer world.
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Robotics Programs at Cotati-Rohnert Park’s Technology High School
03.31.15
Which Sonoma County high school has had the longest running program focused on technology and robotics? If you answered Cotati Rohnert Park’s Technology High School, you’d be correct. Tech High has been involved with robotics since the 2001-02 school year. Most of their efforts have been with the FIRST robot competitions, but last year the school decided to make a change and entered the Marine Advanced Technology Education competition. This post offers an overview of Tech High’s work with robotics, shares insights on what’s involved, and explains why other secondary schools might want to put together a competitive robotics team.
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Digital Citizenship Evenings: Connecting Parents and Educators
03.13.15
Many parents have expressed interest in learning about technology topics like Internet safety, privacy and security, information literacy, and prevention of cyberbullying. Digital Citizenship Evenings provide an opportunity to focus on these topics. Presentations and panel discussions can promote understanding, then hands-on activities can guide learning about social media apps such as Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat, Vine, and others. Learn more about the types of issues to discuss and get resources to help organize an event.
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Guiding the Development of Information Literacy Skills
03.02.15
Technology tools have given us instant access to information from around the globe. We are constantly receiving information of one kind or another, from digital resources, print media, and personal contacts. Helping students learn how to access, filter, interpret, and synthesize the vast amounts of information they receive is an important learning area for today’s K-12 students. This blog post highlights strategies for promoting information literacy in the classroom.
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New Ways to Enhance Professional Learning Communities
02.18.15
Growing numbers of educators are learning to work as members of electronic professional learning communities (PLCs). Electronic PLCs connect and extend professional learning beyond the walls of a school and afford greater opportunities to discuss practices and see what other teachers are doing to support students with similar learning needs. This blog post documents three electronic PLC resources.
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Mark West Elementary Combines Website Development & Watershed Learning
01.22.15
Students and teachers have many options for creating websites. Sixth-grade students at Mark West Elementary School have worked with their teacher, Gary Graves, to maintain an interactive website that documents their work supporting a local watershed.
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Helping Parents & Communities Understand California’s New Assessments
01.02.15
In Spring 2015, the state will report student achievement scores and aggregated school reports from the new assessment system. This blog post provides information about the assessments that would be appropriate for sharing with parents and other members of a school community with a goal of helping them understand the new assessment system.
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Video Conferencing: California State Park PORTS Program
12.10.14
The California State Park PORTS program is a free, live video conferencing program that helps K-12 schools teach Common Core State Standards in the context of California State Parks. Through PORTS—Parks Online Resources for Teachers and Students—students can make live classroom connections with park experts.
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Distinguished Educator Offers Insights on the Role of Formative Assessment
12.09.14
Margaret Heritage — an internationally recognized authority on formative assessment from UCLA’s Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing — was in Sonoma County on December 4. She presented a wealth of ideas to help local educators extend and enhance their assessment toolkits for 21st century teaching and learning with Common Core State Standards.
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