So far, my classroom has been using shared computers for the whole school(Macbooks) and each student has an assigned computer. We do not do much on the computers but type and only a little researching, because my teachers believe books should be the first place students should look for information. I have to say I don’t agree with them. I wish we would use more technology in the classroom because it will be a big thing in our future, besides the fact that it is simple and fun to use.

The exciting prospect in the future is that it seems more and more that education will include more technology over time. As such; using computer games for testing, but over a long period of time, more updated research on the computer rather than old information from textbooks; which, is even more the case for poor schools. Tablets for translating handwriting and foreign languages into text during class in K-12 education.

Coming to the conference gave me insights on how HP works and how education could be better if people work at it. I am very appreciative that I could come.

Read more about Abshire’s recent appointment here.

What was it like to attend the ISTE Conference?

Winning the Kay L. Bitter Award was a great experience for me. I never expected to win and was very nervous about coming to NECC as an award winner. But that, too, was not what I expected.  I was able to have conversations and make connections with others who were genuinely interested in learning about technology in early childhood classrooms. By answering questions about what I do in the classroom, I was better able to reflect on my practice and think about ways to improve or change things. I expanded my network and still have many of those folks around to learn from.

What activities did you participate in at the ISTE Conference?
Participating in the Leadership Symposium, while not directly connected with the award (but somewhat connected because of it), also provided a forum to share what is possible in the early years with technology. It is important for people to know that the NET-S are for all children, not just middle and high school students. The Kay L. Bitter Award is recognition of the importance of learning in the early years, as it relates to technology.

Have you participated in any other activities since the ISTE Conference?

As a result of presenting at the Leadership Symposium, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion in Atlanta to talk about new media in the classroom. I’ve also been interviewed on a Los Angeles public radio station about keeping kids safe on the “net”.

What impact has this award had on you personally and professionally?

Being a Kay L. Bitter Award winner gave me the opportunity to discover a larger audience where I could share what is possible when technology is used in early childhood classrooms. I believe I reap the benefits of this every day and will continue to do so for a long time. It is a privilege to be listed with other award winners and I commend Gary Bitter for establishing this award in his wife’s honor.

About The Award:

The Kay L. Bitter Award for Excellence In Technology-Based PK-2 Education is given each year at ISTE’s Annual Conference and Exposition in memory of Kay L. Bitter (1943–2001) who was involved in Early Childhood Education for more than 20 years.

Nominations for this award are open until March 15, 2009, and all PK-2 educators who have had a significant positive impact on technology used in education are encouraged to apply.

For more information about this award, please visit www.iste.org/kaylbitter

Each year ISTE recognizes outstanding individuals who, through their exceptional work and achievements, have made a significant impact in the field of educational technology. For a complete listing of all ISTE awards, including descriptions as well as nomination requirements, visit www.iste.org/awards

How many times have you heard an administrator or educator tout the number of new computers, projectors, or (insert hot new product here!) in their schools? My guess is more times than you can count. The more important question I’d like the answer to is, how many of these products are being used effectively to improve learning? My guess—not nearly as many.

A lot depends on an educator’s ongoing professional development.

Greeneville Reminds Us How To Do It Right

The Greeneville City School District (GCS) in Greeneville, Tennessee, winners of the 2008 Sylvia Charp Award for District Innovation in Technology provide a strong argument for continued professional development as a key ingredient in the success of their students.

GCS has developed a model technology program for its 2,800 students since the integration of a comprehensive technology plan in the mid-nineties. Since then, GCS has maintained a commitment to creating interactive learning environments for students in its K–12 schools.

The district has continually strived to provide the latest learning technologies such as issuing Gateway tablets to all teachers, granting broadband wireless capability to all campuses, and installing LCD projectors in each classroom. GCS’s IT Team developed new processes for professional learning that easily integrates new technology into the existing curriculum. Teachers actively participate in trainings that introduce tools to make classroom instruction
efficient and valuable.

“Professional development plays an important role in being able to respond to the implementation of new technologies and their incorporation into the teaching and learning process. The system has recognized this need and has made technology integration a part of almost every professional activity,” says Greeneville City Schools Director Lyle Ailshie.

The idea of adequate training doesn’t just stay within the school’s walls. In order to ensure that all students have access to adequate technology, the district has implemented its Homelink program. Through this program, old computers being recycled out of the schools are placed with free Internet access in the homes of students who otherwise would not have a computer. Along with the program is a parent-training component allowing parents to be involved in the technology that their children are learning.

Are you implementing innovative district-wide programs that are progressing education? If you are, consider applying for The Sylvia Charp Award.

“Winning the Sylvia Charp award in 2008 was absolutely the pinnacle of my 25 year career in IT. The Greeneville City School District has long strived to be a leader in the area of instructional technology. The Charp award was affirmation of our hard work to “provide a world class education for all students”. While winning the award was certainly gratifying, the desired goal was to ensure we were charting the correct course for our technology program. We rely heavily upon the ISTE NETS standards and curriculum guidelines to guide our direction and monitor our progress. I strongly encourage other districts to utilize the many ISTE resources available!” Beverly Miller- 2008 Sylvia Charp Award Winner

About The Award:

The Sylvia Charp Award for District Innovation in Technology is given each year at ISTE’s Annual Conference honoring Dr. Sylvia Charp and her groundbreaking contributions and extended service to the education technology community. This award recognizes a school district that has shown effectiveness and innovation in the application of technology district-wide.

Nominations for this award are open until March 15, 2010, and all school districts who meet the following criteria are strongly encouraged to apply.

• District-wide implementation: Ensuring equity and appropriate technology use for ALL students in the district.
• Innovation: Progress in education, as in all endeavors of our society, depends on new ideas.

For more information about this award, please visit www.iste.org/sylviacharp

Each year ISTE recognizes outstanding individuals who, through their exceptional work and achievements, have made a significant impact in the field of educational technology. For a complete listing of all ISTE awards, including descriptions as well as nomination requirements, visit www.iste.org/awards

The SIGTE group visit Auckland, Rotorua, and Christchurch and will also attend and present at the Learning@Schools Conference, one of the largest education conferences in Australasia.

You can follow their adventures at http://blog.core-ed.net/tours/.

Today kicks off the 3-day 2010 HP Innovations in Education Worldwide Summit in San Francisco. If you can’t make it to the Fog City for the big event, co-presented by ISTE, we hope you’ll join in the virtual conversation and participate remotely.

• Sign up here to join the HP virtual conference so you can participate in the discussion forums.
• Follow conference chatter on Twitter (search for #hpiie).
• Participate in live webcasts of presentations and panels held today, tomorrow and Wednesday (the schedule is available here).
• Visit the Virtual Poster Gallery, and vote on your favorite posters. Projects with the most popular posters will receive special recognition.

More than 100 educators in 23 countries will be attending the summit in person. Guest speakers include Michael Horn, co-author of “Disrupting Class;” Georges Haddad from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Phil McKinney, HP Innovation guru; and David Williamson Schaffer, Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Game Scientist at the Academic Advanced Distributed Learning Co-Laboratory.

We are also looking forward to hearing from several students who will discuss how new technologies impact their learning experience.

With so many forward-thinking educators in one place we’re looking forward to some exhilarating discussions. Hope you’ll join in.

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) wants to hear about innovative teachers who are finding creative and exciting ways to reach their students.

If you or someone you know fits the description of an innovative educator (classroom teachers, library media specialists, technology specialists, homeschoolers, etc. are all eligible) you are invited to enter to win the PBS Teachers Innovation Award.

The ten most innovative teachers will win a behind-the-scenes trip to the PBS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas on May 17-20. The winning educators will be treated to sneak previews of PBS programs, and have a chance to meet producers and attend premiere events.

Entries must include a photo or video clip showing innovation in action and the deadline for applications is March 12.

While innovative teaching certainly doesn’t depend on a familiarity with new technologies, it would be great to see one of our tech-savvy educators recognized for their efforts to enhance teaching with new technologies.

Click here to read Knezek’s full statement.

How do you think Obama’s 2011 budget plans will impact education?

A pilot would not be asked to take to the air without modern equipment and extensive training in using the latest technologies. Yet many teachers with limited or no formal training are expected to prepare students for a high-tech world using outdated technological resources.

In recognition of these challenges, ISTE plans to focus on the following priorities in 2010:

5. Invest in pre-service education technology. Teacher preparation is one of the most important aspects of a world-class 21st Century system of education and learning.  A federal investment in a new, technology-savvy generation of teachers is critical. To ensure their success in the classroom, pre-service teachers must be prepared to use technology and integrate it into the curricula before their first day as a teacher of record.

6. Leverage technology to scale improvement. School districts that have successfully led school turnaround and improvement efforts recognize that education technology is one of the best ways to accelerate reform, providing the immediate tools to ensure that all teachers and students have access to the latest innovative instructional pathways. If we are serious about school improvement, we must be serious about education technology.

Click here for the full list of ISTE’s Top Ten in ’10.

How timely? Here are just a few of the key issues we’re tracking:

• In the US, we’re expecting national plans for education technology and broadband to launch soon; President Obama’s budget is also due soon, and we’ve urged him to allocate $500m for the EETT program in FY11, directing funds to support innovation, relevance, and digital equity in our schools.

• In the UK, the government has just announced new investments in a broadband and laptops program for 250k+ poor families. We’re very eager to hear about these exciting policy developments from ISTE’s new affiliate in the United Kingdom.

Now, back to our countdown. Our next two educational priorities focus on #8, assessment, and #7 broadband access.

Like many of you we’re looking for better, richer, and more diverse assessment measures. Assessments that provide early feedback in the learning process, not just high-stakes bubble tests in a few content areas that don’t really evaluate the skills students will need. We can do better than this, and we must.

We call for a strong national commitment to broadband access. Like the UK government, we believe such access is a matter of economic justice as well as educational equity. We must provide high-speed bandwidth to our nation’s classrooms and focus on the school-to-home connection so that all students can succeed and their families can better participate in the increasingly digital economy.

What’s your take? What do you think should happen with assessment measures and broadband access? Are they central to digital equity?

See also:

The full text of ISTE’s Top Ten in ’10 is here, the press release is here, and a list of web conversations as of January 15 is here.

ISTE’s UK affiliate, the National Association of Advisors for Computers in Education