Maricopa ITv (Interactive Television) & EdTech

2007-03-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Join me at my NEW BLOG site:

http://achayefsky.wordpress.com

Look forward to hearing
from you there! A :)

2007-02-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

Too Busy to Blog?

I agree, the question makes no sense! You can blog at home, on your wireless device, anywhere you have access to the internet. yet, I find I have not had time to sign-on. What is going on? This past Saturday, I presented educational videoconferencing at AzTEA's Annual Conference 'Teaching and Technology' (please be green and don't print the brochure!). The venue was wonderful, Mariachi's serenaded us at lunch! I heard a presentation that resonated so deeply in me that I have contracted him to be the Keynote Speaker at this year's 'Tech Academy'. The AzTEA Conference theme was 'Listening to Students Voices'. The meaning: today's students, our Digital Natives, learn in new and fascinating ways that are not always comfortable for their teachers and administrators. Our students hunger for authentic learning experiences and opportunities. The days of teacher being the expert in the front of the room have passed us by and we are behind the curve. There are volumes of studies and vast amounts of research and data to support project-based learning, integrated curriculum, authentic experience and student self-reliance in education. I hope that through technology integration we can begin to sow the seeds of this long overdue revision to the delivery of education and development of critical thinking for our leaders of tomorrow!

Phew! With that in mind, yesterday we conducted the Encore to our Eastside AzTEA 'Gizmos and Gadgets' session. The first go-round was intended for the classroom teacher as audience. This time we focused on Superintendent's, Principal's and Technology Integration Staff. We had over 30 administrators, decision makers, movers, shakers and trainers attend this amazing session.

Training staff from Paradise Valley, Tempe School District and Gilbert USD offered hands on sessions on Podcasting, Handhelds, Digital and Video Cameras, GPS Geocaching and MOODLE. the focus was not on teaching the particiapnts how to use this equipment (we assumed they came wit some level of awareness of the topics - if not the actual implementation processes). Our focus was HOW TO GET THESE TOOLS into the hands ouuf the students. Not for hte sake of tecchnology, for the sake of curriculum. Cameras to develop writers and interpretation and evaluation skills, podcasts to develop communcators and writers.

When Shelby Hobart, Tempe Schools, said to the group that videocameras shdul be left in the room froo stduents to handle and become comfortabel with and to remove the 'thrill', you coudl hear a pin drop! But there is magic in those words. Cell phones and computers and handhelds are ordinary and commonplace outside of the classroom. They should also be so inside the classroom. If the camera is simply another way to express one self (like pencil and paper), let's get that tool in the hands of the students who are not intimated.

Same old question we have been wrestling with for years: How can the Digital Immigrant better faciliatate the learning of the Digital Native?

We are busy planning the Pinal County ITv Consortium Annual Tech Academy, to be held on February 24th at the ITv classrooms at Maricopa High School, Walker Butte K-8 and CAC. And as Co-Chair for eastside AzTEA I am part of a group of people palnning the AzTEA Awards Luncheon at the MEC Conference this March, held at ASU Tempe Campus.

Read Around the Planet partner matches are filling my email and I am busy settign test dial dates and developing a master schedule.

Currently Reading: "Don't Bother Me Mom - I'm Learning" by Mark Prensky
and 'The World is Flat' by Thomas L. Friedman
and 'Never Eat Alone' by Keith Ferrazzi

2007-01-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

UPDATES: Read Across Arizona & Read Around the Planet

Read Across Arizona - It's a Wrap!!!

Last Thursday, Maricopa Elementary School's Kelly Tassone and her First Grade class bussed to the High School Distance Learning Lab and met with their partner from Copper Basin School of the Florence Unified School District. This conference was rescheduled several times as Copper Basin's ITv classroom was installed late 2006 but final steps were not completed until as late as two weeks ago! Ms Tassone's students presented an energetic rendition of 'The Gingerbread Man', read by one of three parents who also attended the event!

Read Around the Planet - Just Getting Started!!!

Registration was completed this past Friday. We registered 17 teachers who will conduct 19 conferences! RAP will now match our teachers to classrooms around the country (and potentially from around the world)! In February, our teachers will 'meet' their partners via email and begin to plan and rehearse for their big day!

This year we have a great variety of classes spanning Kindergarten through High School. We also reflect a variety of expertise.

Several participated in Read Across America last March; Several particpated in 10 hours Professional Development - integrating ITv into their curriculum- last Spring, by Jack Wallbrecht and myself, as representatives of the Pinal County ITv Consortium; a few participated in Read Across Arizona this past November; several are new to videoconferencing! How exciting is this? VERY!!! We are both continue to serve our experienced ITv teachers AND engage those who have never used it!

2006-12-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

Paddy Chayefsky
Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research

Videoconferencing - Todays LIVE TV!

or How Reality TV supports literacy and education!

I just changed the blog name from Maricopa_ITv to Maricopa ITv (Interactive Television) & EdTech - it just seemed a cleaner and more descriptive title. Gina Pinch and I cover a wide range and variety if Technology Integration issues of which ITv is one component. It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to isolate the ITv work I am involved with from all the other work we touch upon - classroom integration, staff development, technology standards, curriculum... the way we structure MUSD Tech Integration, it is all inter-related!

Moving on ....How peculiar that after all these years of working with ITv, I suddenly made this connection... on consideration of my family contribution to television, ITv is one form of the 21st century equivalent... Perhaps our work introducing teachers, students and administrators to the possibilities of ITv in education, is my small contribution to our family TV legacy! I don't believe they give Emmy's or Oscar's for 'Read Across Arizona', but maybe that's something we can work on! :)

The Chayefsky's have a family history in live TV! While my father was an aspiring playwright until his death in 1988, and my mother continues to work as an actor, my uncle was part of television during the golden age of the 1950's, later moving to mainstream film, but his early roots were in live television. Perhaps a little of that legacy continues in modern live television - in teh form of ITv.

About Uncle Paddy: http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/chayefskypa/chayefskypa.htm

The Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television

http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1524

Live television is NOT reality TV as today's youth might surmise. Perhaps the path that 1950's live television forged leads to what we are using today - videoconferencing - to bring together community, knowledge AND most importantly --- INTERACTION to any place, from anyplace!

Promote Dialogue!

2006-12-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

Happy Chanukah

Well, the students are off on break, we teachers head out to the respite of family and friends today! The Technology Department has been occupied for a few weeks now, setting up technology at the new Middle School, Maricopa Wells. It took alot of prep, planning and coordination on the part of Gina Pinch, Director of Technology.

Videoconferencing has been quiet this month, as teachers and students prepared for the end of quarter, holidays and break! Over the next month teachers will be registering for 'Read Around the Planet' which takes place in early March!

I have been busy completing the final Tech Literacy Assessments, we are looking anxiously ahead toward the results. It is hoped that these results will help the district to develop and implement a technology education program, at the elementary level, that supports the NCLB 8th grade technology proficiency requirement.

In January I will be presenting Pinal County and MUSD Videoconferencing at AzTEA's annual winter conference 'Teaching and Technology', held in Tucson on Saturday, January 27, 2007. My presentation partner will again be Ms Nicole Steele of Florence USD. Nicole and I are Trainer/Coaches for the Pinal County ITv Consortium and recently represented that group at AZHSRI Conference, held in Carefree, AZ 12-7-06.

Watch my AzTEA Blog for announcements of upcoming AzTEA Tech Integration trainings in January, one will be held in the evening for teachers and one will be held during the day for Tech Integration Staff and their administrators! I am scrambling to get the Eastside Chapter Website updated as well, with Eastside AzTEA happenings from this weeks monthly planning meeting. http://www.aztea.org/East/index.html

Be patient waiting for the AzTEA updates, I am sharing the holidays with my family and friends. That is the weekends #1 priority!!!

Happy Holidays!!!

2006-12-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

AZHSRI Presentation

Carefree, AZ 12-7-06

Nicole Steele and I were fortunate to be asked to present the Pinal County ITv Consortium at the AZHSRI Conference in Carefree, today. We were warmly introduced by John Stollar, ADE Director of Gifted/Advanced Placement.

This conference is presented by the ADE and addresses ‘Adolescent Literacy for Middle & High School Renewal’. Learn more here: http://www.ade.state.az.us/asd/AZHSRI/

We were greeted by an enthusiastic audience who, just like ITv participants, were fully engaged in this discussion. We shared video and pictures and anecdotes from a myriad of conferences and conference types (Professional Development, classroom to classroom, provider content, AP classes with distance partners). We helped schools from around the state see the potential of this medium and perhaps some ways that their districts could begin the dialogue that leads towards ITv access and implementation.

We have posted our presentation on the website link below:
http://www.musd20.org/Amy/1_Site_files/page0006.htm Under ‘Other AZ Conferences’ select the link ‘Presenters’

The incredibly dynamic portion of this presentation was helping our participants to see that this level of technology integration can be applied to positively influence language, proficiency and literacy.

Thanks to Cathy Poplin (ADE Ed Tech Director) and Jill Dingman (NCLB Grant Director) for inviting us to present.

Last April I presented at AzTEA's WOW (Way Out West Conference held at ASU West) with Jack Wallbrecht (our CTE Director) and this January will again present with Nicole Steele, at AzTEA's Tucson Conference.

I find there is no feeling quite so rewarding as introducing someone to new ideas and possibilities and watching them come to understand the true value of what you are sharing with them!

2006-11-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

Read Across Arizona

A few events required rescheduling. Yesterday, third graders from Mrs. Jyothi Soto's (Maricopa Elementray School) and Ms Linda Anderson's class (Curiel Elementary, Eloy District) joined for another fun filled celebration of reading.

Read more here!

2006-11-29T09:29:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, November 4th, I attended the PEAK Conference in Flagstaff, AZ. This event is hosted annually by AzTEA Northern Chapter and was held at Coconino Community College (Lone Tree Campus). This incredibly stunning venue was nestled in the deep pines and the large windowed buildings afforded a wonderful sense of being part of the environment outside while working indoors.

This is part of the AzTEA annual tri-conference series. This year's series: Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century'. Last year Jack Wallbrecht and I presented at the 3rd in the series - "WOW" Way Out West Conference which happens each April at the ASU West Campus.

The focus of this first in the 2006-2007 series was 'Teaching and Technology'.

Keynote speaker Hall Davidson is an amazing force of energy and enthusiasm. This gentleman is involved in so many incredible initiatives for students utilizing technology to move them into the realm of true critical thinking, it was hard to follow his rapid pace and excitement. I wanted to reflect on every morsel but he just kept piling amazing ideas and things he is involved with on top of amazing ideas and things he is involved with.

I attended a breakout session on GarageBand. One Maricopa County district charged every teacher with developing ways to improve literacy and language fluency, as part of an overall initiative. Incredibly innovative and imaginative Middle School English Teachers are using this software as part of their response. Students must prepare scripts that meet content and rubric demands set by the teacher - driven by curriculum and standards. If the student's work meets the appropriate criteria, they earn the ability to use GarageBand to create video and sound that supports the message of their written (read orally into the end result video) work. While we are a PC district and this is mac software, this innovative and creative teacher effort should be recognized - Engaging students in new and unique ways, to achieve at a higher level of critical thinking/learning, integrating technology seamlessly for the sake of gaining knowledge NOT for the sake of technology! It simply doesn't get any better than this!

Another information-rich session was run by ADE Ed Tech Director Cathy Poplin re-introducing IDEAL, the ADE portal initiative for administrators and teachers. When initially rolled-out a few years ago, the registration process was rather cumbersome and prohibitive. ADE has successfully streamlined the process and ASSET is now within the powerful IDEAL portal. Educators need use only one portal (IDEAL) to access both powerful CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT tools and resources!

On top of a wealth of incredible resources and data for administrators and teachers there are AIMS Practice Tests. Coming Soon (data was being uploaded and verified at the time of this conference) schools under SIP will soon have data available through the IDEAL portal. No teacher of administrator should work without this powerful resource developed by ADE. Link to IDEAL PORTAL here.

To quote Tom Horne: "IDEAL represents our commitment and dedication to offer online resources that support high quality teaching and that provide an engaging, technology-rich learning environment for all Arizona students. " (Quote pulled from IDEAL website)

Another session I attended was presented by Technology Department from Flagstaff Unified School District. They were sharing the results of their District's Technology Literacy Assessments from last year's state baseline and this's year's Fall Pre-Assessments, which MUSD concludes next week. The Flagstaff Board and Administration are using this data to identify needs and assign appropriate support ($$$) to address those needs.
Learn more about TLA here: http://maricopa-itv.blogspot.com/2006/11/state-technology-learning-assessments.html
And here: http://www.techmusd.blogspot.com/

During the lunch break I represented Eastside AzTEA, for which I am co-chair, along with former Chair Ruth Camuse. We welcomed and lunched with Eastside AzTEA members and discussed mutual interests and needs in the area of Technology Integration support for teachers.

Congratulations to AzTEA Northside Chapter for an incredibly successful conference!
Thanks to Jill Dingman (Grant Director) and the Pinal County ITv Consortium for sponsoring me at this event!

2006-11-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

5th Grade AZ Students participating in TLA's - November 2006

2006-11-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

RA Az Recognized by 85239.com

http://www.85239.com/news/detail.cfm?id=5573

2006-11-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

State Technology Learning Assessments

MUSD will be assessing nearly 400 5th & 8th Grade Students

While not directly related to videoconferencing, through our involvement and active participation in the Pinal County ITv Consortium, MUSD became part of last year's AZ State Department of Education Statewide Technology Learning Assessment Initiative, under the direction of Cathy Poplin, ADE Director of Educational Technology.

The Grant that supports the Consortium, sponsored MUSD and other Consortium School Districts to become part of the state baseline. These baseline assessments were conducted last spring. The state mandated the number of 5th and 8th graders to be assessed, cost of assessment paid thorugh the ITv Consortium Grant.

Why 5th and 8th graders? Just like AIMS testing, which measures students standards based performance over time, TLA measures and evaluates student, teacher, school and District performance (compared to State and National results) benchmarking at carious learning stages, to insure 'on-target' growth is taking place. 'No Child Left Behind' mandates that students be technology 'proficient' by the end of the 8th grade. (Proficiency defined through AZ ADE State Technology Standards).

This year the grant will once again fund assessments for Pinal County ITv Consortium member schools. This is a huge benefit of the grant, other districts - throughout the state- are self-funded at a rate of prox. $3.00 per student assessed. An\ exciting change this year is that the same students will have a Pre-Assessment (November 2006) and a Post-Assessment (Spring 2007). This will allow evaluation of growth of the same population of students over the course of the school year!

Assessments are conducted in the computer labs at the Elementary and Middle Schools and will occur throughout the month of November.

Developer: http://www.learning.com/
To view sample assessment: Products, Tech Literacy Assessment, under Quick Links select Elementary or Middle School sample - require FLASH, get free download here

From the ADE website:
Press Release

'Scope and Purpose' Technology Learning Assessment"

Direct comments or questions to achayefsky@musd20.org MUSD TLA Coordinator

2006-11-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

Day Four and I am finally catching my breath!

8 of 12 MUSD events completed!!!

Our teachers and students are making this event so fun and a true delight to witness! Their creative interpretations of the written word is amazing!

Many of this year's participants (adult and student alike) have NEVER participated in videoconferencing yet seem so natural and comfortable with the technology. They are already looking Toward Read Around the Planet and other VC activities!

Thanks to Jenn Berger - Director of Elementary Libraries - for her ongoing support of ITv as she helps teachers definie ideas and implementation! Jenn participated in 10 hours of ITv Training, last school year as part of the Pinal County ITv Consortium. Jack Wallbrecht and I conducted this training. This training included technical know-how as well as how to incorporate videoconferencing into lesson plans.

Today Jenn and Betty Johnson, Maricopa Elementary School Library, joined Mrs. Wells and Mrs. Christian's classes as they partnered with Ft. Thomas and Skyline Ranch Elementary (Florence). Thanks for taking time out from shelving the new Library books at MES to join us! (see picture)

For more details and pictures from the on-going Read Around Arizona events, this month, see our webpage:

http://www.musd20.org/Amy/RAAz_Prep_2006.htm - being updated daily during event days!

2006-11-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

Two days down - the events so far!!!

Yesterday Ms Kraus' second grade class (Maricopa Elementary School) partnered with Ms Baca's second grade class from Ft. Thomas.

Our only RA Az event with a High School class partnered Mr. Ence's Business Class with Ms Hinton's Ft. Thomas High School class.

Today Mrs. Sullivan's fifth graders (Maricopa Elementary School) partnered with Ms Britt's students from Lafe Nelson School, Safford Unified School District.

Link to more information and pictures here!

Simply select campus of your choice from the Navigation Bar on the left of the webpage!

Thanks to Jack Wallbrecht, HS Director of CTE for stopping in to support our students at RA Az!

Full Path: www.musd20.org, Departments, Technology, Technology Integration 2006-2007, Collaborative Projects, Read Across Arizona - November 2006

Select the link for the school of your choice, then select the link for the class of your choice!

2006-11-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

Monday it all Begins --- Again!!!

This Monday our first events will take place. Students have been touring the ITv Distance Learning Lab in preparation for their "connection" and energy is mounting!

Watch for pictures as the events get underway!

2006-10-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

Read Across Arizona - Getting Busy!!! One week to go!!!

We are getting busy with preparations !

Teachers have made transportation requests
Transportation Department is working to coordinate their schedule to honor them, if conflicts I will be busy rescheduling events to the following week
This coming week I will be conducting several test connections with partner sites and student tours of the ITv Distance Learning Classroom

RA Az Conferences begin Monday, November 6th

Last year, through our District's involvement with the Pinal County ITv Consortium, MUSD learned about and became involved in 'Read Across America' (RAA). RAA Day is not a new concept, delivering events via videoconferences that partner classrooms around the country, is!ITv added a new level of energy and hi-tech to an annual classroom standard.
Learn more about, and see pictures from, MUSD's 2006 RAA Participation...
... and other MUSD ITv Events held in Spring 2006! The annual event typically partners community members, local libraries and classroom's for a day of reading celebration. Guest readers visit classroom's and read to students, libraries hold Book Fair's and Author related activities. MUSD Elementary School's were celebrating RAA before the advent of ITv Technology and traditionally occur in March, to coincide with the birthday of Dr. Suess! Last year, for the first time, NEA and TWICE partnered to develop and coordinate the First Annual Nationwide Videoconferencing celebration of RAA. This school year, NEA and TWICE are again partnering to bring us an exciting new look at RAA. In March 2007, MUSD will participate in Read Around the Planet! As an advance event, Nicole Steele of Florence School District, in partnership with Pinal County ITv Consortium, introduces Read Across Arizona. this event will partner classrooms within Arizona in a November 2006 Celebration of Reading! Registration 9/11 - 9/22. If you are an MUSD teacher and would like to participate, please email achayefsky@musd20.org and register at with RA Az HERE!
If you are an AZ teacher, from a non-MUSD school, and would like to participate, register HERE!

Never ending activities in Technology - The week after Read Across Arizona, we will begin our 'Technology Learning Assessments'. The state has mandated that over 200 8th graders and nearly 200 5th graders be assessed this Fall to measure our alignment of the NCLB 8th Grade Technology Proficiency Requirement.

2006-10-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

READ ACROSS ARIZONA - Year One!!!

Read Across Arizona is less than 2 weeks away! During the first 2 weeks of November, thirteen MUSD classrooms will connect to videoconferencing partners across Arizona. This celebration of reading and community is the Pre-Event to Read Around the Planet!

See Janine Lim's BLOG 'Out on a Lim'

We have booked the MUSD ITv/Distance Learning Lab and are busy confirming match dates and times. Teachers are contacting their partners and finalizing their classroom presentation ideas! I have already heard such wonderful ideas and am so fortunate that I get to facilitate every single event!

Our thanks are extended to Nicole Steele of the Florence Unified School District, Florence, AZ for her incredible efforts to launch, promote and coordinate this first year of RAAz. Her vision and drive have added another rich layer to videoconferencing in Pinal County.

SEE You!

2006-08-05T12:04:00.000-07:00

August 2006 - Agents of Change - Let the Year Begin!!!

This week we held training sessions for our new staff! It was fantastic. Maricopa is growing by leaps and bounds and we have an awesome crew of returning and new staff joining us for the 06-07 school year!

This year I hope to get classes blogging and posting podcasts! I posted a second integration related site that I hope reflects our amazing activities of the past year and that helps enthuse our staff for the potential this year holds.

http://www.musd20.org/Amy/1_Site.htm

I am delighted to report that teachers (new and returning) are already approaching me about classroom connections!!! We expect to host a larger number of class to class connections spread throughout the year as well as 'Read Around the Planet' (formerly 'Read Across America').

In the Elementary Computer Labs, AZ State Technology Standards are the primary objective and focus of teacher instruction. Last year's statewide TLA (Technology Learning Assessment) showed that our 8th graders met or exceeded the Technology Proficiency Standard as set by NCLB and the State of Arizona.

The Technology Department will continue supporting our teachers through a variety of Staff Development initiatives, including a focus on the ASSET Portal and the 'IN Club' (Integration Now).

Interested in connecting with one of our classes (K-12) via videoconference or more traditional methods? Contact me at achayefsky@musd20.org

Here's to an incredible year of growth, change and above all else... OPPORTUNITY!!! A :)

Videoconferencing and Education

2006-06-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Technology Integration - One Classroom at a Time!

During the 2005-2006 School Year, I participated in the Pinal County ITv Consortium, No Child Left Behind Title IID Technology (Ed Tech Grant) Training Program, a grant directed by Jill Dingman. The Grant assisted several Pinal County School Districts (through CAVIT and District funding) to finance the installation of state of the art Distance Learning Labs. The Grant also supported training of several staff at each site to help implement and develop ITv, at each participating district, and begin a training pyramid for future years. http://www.pinalitv.org/

At the end of that 30 hour training session, two of us were left standing and still enthused about the opportunities this medium could bring ot our district ; Jack Wallbrecht CTE Director (Career and Technical Education) and me!

During the first half of the 05-06 School Year, Jack and I worked with Jill Dingman, and our consortium partners to develop plans to implement during the second half of the school year. During January and February 2006, we offered 10 hours of training on videoconferencing equipment, lesson planning, and identifying partner resources. We recruited several MUSD teachers (2nd grade through High School) who participated in this training, and by May 2006 each had conducted events with either a partner class elsewhere in the country or with a professional Content Provider.

In November 2005, we also registered to participate in Read Across America, the first to take place via videoconference. We conducted 10 events in 7 states and Canada!

In May we were invited to attend The Museum of Tolerance's 'Bridging the Gap' videoconference, where 7th and 8th grade classes listened to and spoke with a Holocaust survivor. Thanks to Nicole Steele, Florence School District, and Skyline Ranch School for inviting us. Maricopa will be participating in this event in the coming school year, through funding provided by the No Child Left Behind Title IID Technology (Ed Tech Grant).

During the 06-07 School Year, we expect to develop a greater number of classroom to classroom video connections, staff development and content provider events.

If anyone is interested in connecting with Maricopa classes (K-12 Public School) to conduct a collaborative project or joint lesson, contact me: achayefsky@musd20.org

Integrating Technology - One Classroom at a Time!