Going the Distance!
January/February 2006
Newsletter Articles:
Happy New Year from GCI SchoolAccess
Happy New Year! You are receiving this email as a friend of GCI SchoolAccess. This monthly newsletter is designed to provide helpful news and tips to teachers, administrators and school technology coordinators.
NASA Astronauts Visit Alaska Schools
For the fourth year, Alaska students from different school areas met with NASA astronauts this January thanks to GCI SchoolAccess. Schools from Northwest Arctic Borough School District, Bering Strait School District and Yukon Flats School District welcomed three NASA representatives who inspired and taught students about careers in NASA and the importance of math and science. NASA CFO Gwendolyn Sykes (Alaskan), USN Commander and NASA Astronaut William Oefelein (Alaskan), and former astronaut William Readdy conducted presentations in classrooms and participated in live distance learning video link-ups with the International Space Station (ISS) and the Johnson Space Center (JSC). GCI also provided interactive videoconferences to other remote schools where the astronauts could not be present. This is one of several enrichment educational opportunities available to GCI SchoolAccess customers throughout the year.
Alaskan Educators Receive Incentives to Raise Students' Performance
This January, Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski introduced bills in the House and the Senate to establish monetary incentives for staff of public schools if academic growth among students is achieved. The Alaska School Performance Incentive Program will award bonuses to school administrators, teachers and support staff if a substantial number of students show academic improvement in relation to the previous year. The program intends to encourage school staff to collaborate and take shared responsibility for all students. Alaska's government will use the results of standard-based assessments to target students' academic needs and accelerate their achievement.
Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development http://www.eed.state.ak.us/news/releases/2006_01/incentives_for_school_staff.pdf.
Want to learn? Turn your iPods on!
Camera phones, iPods, hand-held computers and all kinds of high-tech gadgets have become common-place among elementary- and high-school students. In order to be more tech-friendly and educate in a way students enjoy, teachers in some Arizona schools are using these technologies as educational tools. "These are digital kids. They need these bells and whistles," says sixth grade teacher, Nancy Dean, who works at Aire Libre Elementary, in Phoenix. She lets her students use hand-held computers to write essays and solve math problems. At Mountainside Middle School, in Scottsdale, Ariz., Language-arts teacher Larry Bloom encourages students to bring their MP3 players to the classroom to study poetry. The class' favorite songs are played and the students learn to identify poetry devices in music such as rhyme and alliteration.
Source: Anne Ryman from The Arizona Republic http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060107/LIVING/601070339/1007
Montana Schools Receive Technology Funding
On January 25, Montana public schools received $477,535 in technology grants. Schools can use the money for the purchase, rental, repair, and maintenance of technological equipment, including computers and computer network access. Educators can also use the grant for associated technical training for school district personnel. The money originates from the state's additional timber revenue (a.k.a. "Timber Technology" money) and was distributed by the Montana Office of Public Instruction. The amount was allocated to the state's school districts according to a funding formula based on enrollment.
Source: Montana Office of Public Instruction. "Additional Technology Grants to be Distributed in January," by Denise Ulberg http://www.opi.state.mt.us/Supt/NewsStories/06FA96ADA1.html
SchoolAccess Technology Symposium
Technology coordinators and technology staff are invited to attend an ASTE Post-Conference Technical Education Symposium, a free education opportunity for GCI SchoolAccess customers. The Technical Education Symposium, held March 1-2, will be an opportunity to learn from the resources and knowledge-base of GCI. This symposium will provide technical training on the operation of Internet and distance learning networks, methods for optimizing a LAN for real time applications like video, wireless technologies, TCP/IP in the satellite environment, security best practices and technologies that can be deployed within networks.
Participants will also have the opportunity to tour GCI's technical facilities and provide feedback on the direction of SchoolAccess product development. Most importantly, attendees will be able to have discussions with peers from schools and districts around the state of Alaska on their best practices and lessons learned.
For more information, troubleshooting tips or for answers to questions about SchoolAccess, call the Help Desk at 1-888-254-2858 or email us at schoolaccess@gci.com.
Upcoming Events
AASA 2006 (American Association of School Administrators): The National Conference on Education
Date: 2/23/06-2/26/06
Location: San Diego, CA
At this conference you can discuss what's happening in your district with other school leaders from similar districts as well as hear from some of the leading thinkers and practitioners in education. It is also the place to go to examine best practices in leadership, curriculum, technology, governance, and school law. For more information, please visit www.aasa.org/nce/.
26th Annual ASTE Conference
Date: 2/27/05-2/28/05
Location: Anchorage, AK
The yearly Alaska Society for Technology in Education (ASTE) conference is the largest of its type for K-20 educators, administrators, and technology coordinators in Alaska. The theme is "Cookin' With Technology." The conference will provide educators with hands-on workshops, excellent keynote and featured speakers and exhibits. For more information, please visit http://www.aste.org/index.cfm/1,1,143,html.
Microcomputers in Education Conference (MEC2006)
Date: 03/11/06-03/13/06
Location: Tempe, AZ (Arizona State University)
With speaking engagements, exhibits and presentations, Microcomputers in Education Conference provides a forum for educators to learn, discuss and exchange ideas about applications for new technologies in the classroom. If you are interested in registering for this event, please, visit http://mec.asu.edu/mec/.
