Inservice+Agenda+Fall+2008

First of the Year Note to Teachers (Fall 2008)
 * Teacher Inservice Agenda**

1a. Going Green! A new goal to save money and become more efficient
 * Only an online bulletin
 * Instead of sending notes home, could you send emails?
 * Instead of handing in assignments on paper, could you add comments to a digital copy sent by email or submitted through a drop box?
 * Wiki collaboration for notes during lectures
 * Web quests
 * Teacher built bookmark lists (delicicious or export to a jump drive to put on each computer)
 * Virtual Field Trips (you can google search for millions of hits on virtual field trips)

1b. Battery Usage (reminders to elem carts and use of teacher batteries for a longer life)

2a. Server Announcements:
 * Directory Access repairs explanation (some of you have done the repair, the rest I need to see for a 30 fix and a restart of your laptop)
 * Go - Connect to Server (delete 162.127.120.1, and add aps.osx.private)
 * You can still connect to Read Naturally the same way

2b. Student survey results from 2 years

2c. We now have blogs and wikis on our own server. You need to sign up your groups with me as you are ready to use them.
 * Blog Examples:
 * http://apsserver.arnold.k12.ne.us
 * http://arnoldenglish.blogspot.com
 * http://badgleyblog.blogspot.com
 * http://lifeinadschool.blogspot.com/
 * Wiki Examples:
 * This web site!
 * https://mrsbadgley.wikispaces.com/
 * https://ocontoalumni.wikispaces.com

2d. New tech walk form from Mr. Harvey (handout)
 * All technology uses are not equal: technology needs to accelerate something
 * Blank screens are dangerous: if you take technology away from our kids can we be successful? What learning would be impossible without the laptops? It is not about the stuff, it is how it is used. Enrich curriculum, support standards (aiming for one or two and really hitting it hard!), life-long learners, raise student achievement, integrating, How has your teaching story changed due to the technology? What is changing, improving, and coming in new?
 * There are new [|Student Technology Standards] from ISTE. They have been simplified and have moved from "learning the tool" to "using the tool."
 * There are new [|Technology Standards for Teachers]from ISTE for you to look at. There are only 5 standards.
 * Where are you at in your use of technology in the classroom? If most of what you ask the student to do is use it as an document typing device, are you really using it to its full potential?
 * Literacy – everyone had the stuff (tech stuff) and they are just learning the tool
 * Adapting – same stories, and kids as consumers adapting what they did before (They are typing instead of writing with a pencil. They are looking up information on the laptop instead of using the library.)
 * Transforming – kids going beyond consuming to being producers, creating new stories. (They are learning and contributing to the knowledge of the world by: 1.) dealing with tons of data, 2.) communicating with the world and creating a network of contacts of people who know more than we do as individuals, and 3.) use critical thinking and social responsibility to learn more and go beyond knowing the facts.
 * See the laptop learning community for more information: http://laptop.communities.esu10.org/ArticleDetails.aspx?ArticleID=199**

3. New school calendar site: http://calendar1011.k12.ne.us/cgi-bin/we4.0/webevent.cgi?cmd=opencal&cal=cal4&

4. Request for leave web site: http://leavedb.esu10.org

5. Reminder about teacher iweb pages. (If you are starting a new one, please let me know so that I can get your name linked from the [|school faculty web page].)

5b. ESU 10 ANNOUNCEMENTS:
 * Please log into [|ODIE] and fill in your profile information. (They need the phone numbers, cell phones, addresses, etc. filled in so they can notify people if necessary. They do not sell the list, or give it out for any reason.)
 * check out the new listings of workshops, they are doing a lot with technology integration by subject areas. They also have some "afterschool specials" which will be web based so you don't have to travel to Kearney for sessions. Elem, S.S., Science, Fine Arts, L.A.)
 * When you break the filter, you are opening up the network to the world, therefore the ESU has changed the override password. For teachers who need to break the filter, you will instead use WEB AUTHENTICATION, by typing in your email user id (not the @esu10.org part). Then you will CHOOSE YOUR SCHOOL from the list. A window will appear that says "leave this window open" to bypass the filter. I encourage you not bypass the filter unless you really need to get to something, but I would protect your password so students are not able to bypass.

6. Printing Changes for this year: students shouldn't be able to print color without the teacher going to get the print in the office. Set up duplex on your own printing
 * a. Go to Microsoft Word
 * b. Open a blank document
 * c. Go the File menu and click print
 * d. (next to the word “Presets” if it says Standard you need to create a duplex file)
 * e. click the down arrow where it says “Copies and Pages”
 * f. choose “Layout”
 * g. click the radio button in front of “Long edge binding”
 * h. go back to the presets menu and choose “save as”
 * i. Save the preset as two-sided or duplex
 * j. click cancel
 * k. Now go in and type the word Test at the tp of the blank page
 * l. Then click the Insert menu and choose page break
 * m. Then type test again
 * n. When you click the file menu and print this time you will see the same screen.
 * o. Now to get a duplex print, change the preset to Duplex and it will print on page with two sides.
 * p. *** NOTE: the duplex setting will hold for this printer the next time you use it. If you need things printed on a single side, you can always change back to the Standard setting.**
 * **q.** * NOTE: all students 7-12 will have this setting on their computer. I am hoping it will be the default.

7. Student email accounts are possible off my server
 * a. Sophomores have it for spanish
 * b. Junior and Senior classes for scholarship and FAFSA applications

8. Please take the TAGLIT survey -- one last time for the SIP data (handout)
 * a. See attached survey directions sheet. Please take the survey by the first of September or sooner.
 * b. You don’t have to do the rubric this time! HURRAY!

9. New AR/STAR online
 * a. Our school web site address is: https://hosted140.renlearn.com/387428/
 * b. You will need a login and password from Nicole

10. New Operating System for 10.5 features:
 * Spaces
 * Expose (hotcorners)
 * System prefs
 * new iMovie (looks really different)

11. New Remote Desktop:
 * recreate lists
 * drag and drop files to your own desktop
 * observing groups of laptops

12. Powerschool Training ---USE FIREFOX--- Keep in mind that this is a computer program. The program will only do what you tell it to do. You can’t assume anything is preset. You will need to check all of the following for each of your classes. Don’t skip any steps.
 * There are now two schools: Arnold Elementary and Arnold Public Schools (7-12)
 * Before you get started in the Elementary side, be aware that is a completely new build and there may be glitches. Please come to Penny nicely, and let her know so she can fix things. Be in a watchful mode as you work. Ask lots of questions.
 * If you teach in both levels, then you will have two logins.
 * Penny will announce logins (002jmohr) (mohjul1)
 * Attendance has to be taken in the correct school. Elementary attendance could not be changed to am/pm so you will still have to do by periods (as of today) If the situation changes we will let you know.
 * Grades: Penny had many difficulties and discrepancies with report cards not averaging correctly so we are going to go over this carefully. In May, Penny spent 3 days trying to fix all of the problems that resulted from our assumptions that the grades were set correctly. There is one thing to keep in mind… The program will only do what you are telling it to do – even if you assume it isn’t doing something…


 * There is a training packet for your reference – please put it in your read teacher’s handbook manual for reference later.)
 * See PowerSchool Quick Start web sites based on the same packet


 * Problems Encountered at the End of Last Year:
 * Those who used straight scoring and no weights did not seem to have any troubles
 * Grading categories and weights
 * Publish assignments


 * Be sure to check the following in each of your classes:
 * Term Weights should be 50% and 50% for the semesters (for each class)
 * You must manipulate whether you want your grades to round up or not.
 * You must set up grade settings for each quarter, for each semester. There are no default settings.
 * If you teach a quarter class, don’t set any settings for any other quarter, or for the semesters, otherwise it will try to calculate
 * The same goes for semester classes that are only offered one semester. Don’t set quarter settings or semester settings for the “off” semester.
 * Manual overriding grades (where would you do this and why?) If you choose to override, please let Penny know, just in case.
 * Before you tell Penny that you are done with grades, you need to go into class and analyze if the grades seem accurate or not. Do you want them rounded? Do you want to manually override? Did the semester score turn out the way you think it should?
 * NSSRS Information from Penny
 * Lesson plans hyperlink (in class description) - email Mr. Harvey where your lesson plans will be posted.
 * There are new Reports in the gradebook that you might take a look at that will fit your needs better than last year… or maybe not…
 * Check your Grade scales
 * Personalizing your start page


 * Because teachers are often not at school when Penny is running the report cards, or troubleshooting with Powerschool technical support, she needs some information from each of us. Please give the following information to Penny, this is MANDATORY :


 * Your Name: _
 * Your Powerschool user name: _
 * Your Powerschool login password: _
 * NOTE: if you choose to change your password, please notify Penny so she can change this form.