Original Content: StoriesSince TICAL is a portal, most of the resources you'll find in the database live elsewhere on the web. However, TICAL has created the following original content for use by our registered members.
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Stories: Curriculum Integration | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Amazing Leaps and Bounds The National School Boards Association T + L conference brings many shining leaders to share their visions for a 21st century education. One leader from Baltimore County Public Schools was named a 2008 “20 to Watch” honorary— one of 20 emerging leaders in education technology. In this Radio TICAL episode, TICAL’s director, Rowland Baker, got a chance to sit down with Ryan Imbriale, the assistant principal at Perry Hall High School. Ryan shares his triumphs, such as his role in helping to integrate multimedia projects school-wide. He also discusses his concerns with some policies that can inhibit progress. | |
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| Changing Teacher Practices with Interactive Whiteboards In this TICALevision episode Megan Power, a kindergarten teacher at Del Sur Elementary School in Poway Unified School District demonstrates how she uses an interactive whiteboard and a classroom response system in her kindergarten and former 1st grade classroom. You will be amazed how simple these tools are to use. Megan also shares a variety of strategies you can bring to your teachers. | |
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| Discovering Their Own Way—Students Using Technology to Help Their Community In this Radio TICAL episode, hear Lindsey and Morgan, two high school seniors from a small rural farming community in Harrisburg, Arkansas share how The Environmental And Spatial Technology (EAST) Project has prepared them to be life-long learners and active community members. They also discuss projects they have worked on including a water conservation project that resulted in saving the farms thousands of gallons of water. | |
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| EETT Spotlights Looking for some good examples of what teachers and students are doing with the support of funding from the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program? These examples, compiled by the California Department of Education, include models of professional development and technology integration. | |
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| Mini Computers for Every Student in the Classroom In this Radio TICAL episode, Arkansas cadre members Harry Dickens, John Calaway, and Jim Yeager speak to George Lieux, an Arkansas cadre member and technology integration specialist at Forth Smith Public Schools about his districts one laptop per child program including how it was funded, how the district provided professional development, how teachers have changed the way they teach, and how the program will be expanded in the future. | |
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| Pioneers on the Oregon Trail Eleven years ago, Jim Scoolis took the helm of Monarch Grove Elementary School in Los Osos, California. Designed to be the district’s “technology model,” the newly built school was fully wired and offered then state-of-the-art equipment. The only trouble was few teachers were using the stuff. In this Radio TICAL episode, Jim recounts the “journey West” he and is staff made as they moved from e-mail to simulations—and how they overcame the obstacles they encountered along the way. | |
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| Podcasting in Education In this episode of Radio TICAL, Arkansas cadre member Belinda Kittrell interviews fellow cadre members Tommy Tyler and Karen Eoff. Tommy talks about how Monticello School District is experimenting with podcasting to help meet the learning needs of more students. Karen describes Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative’s TechCamps. | |
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| Stepping Stones Across the Digital Divide Read about a unique program in San Mateo County, California that uses technology to foster educational equity among elementary school, Hispanic females. | |
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| Student Created Videos and Project-Based Learning These videos are created by students to show how they utilize and/or believe in technology. Each video exemplifies student mastery of project-based learning and video production. TICAL resources are highlighted below each video to assist you in locating resources relating to the content. | |
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| Technology in Fort Smith Michael Simkins shares his January 2005 visit to Fort Smith Public Schools in Arkansas where teachers and their students are making some innovative efforts to integrate technology, especially handheld computers, to teach to state standards. | |
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| The Countryside Experience Becci Gillespie is superintendent-principal of Pleasant Grove Joint Union School District, a single-school, K-8 district in a rural area 25 miles from Sacramento, California. Rural for now, that is. Big plans are in the works to build a whole new community within the district, complete with ten to twelve new schools! In this Radio TICAL episode, Steve Kay interviews Becci about how she worked with her staff to increase their use of technology and her hopes of maintaining the good things about her small district as it grows to many times its current size. | |
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| The Minnetonka Story: Using Technology to Personalize Education TICAL cadre members Bob Blackney (CA) and Marianne Hauser (AR) had the opportunity to visit the Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota in May 2007 to see how the district secured $45 million in technology funding and is using it to personalize education through technology integration. Bob and Marianne share what they observed and learned in these two quick-paced, narrated presentations. | |
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| Using iPods to Turn Students On To Reading (Part 1 of 2) The eCAP program at El Crystal Elementary School in the San Bruno Park School District is a unique take home audiobook program where 40 targeted students use iPods to listen to and read from several different literature books. In this TICALevision episode principal Skip Johnson and several teachers and students share the program and explain how the program has increased student achievement and motivation to read. Stay tuned for Part 2 to learn how to set up a program like this in your school or district! | |
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| Using iPods to Turn Students On To Reading (Part 2 of 2) In this second part of a TICALevision episode you will see how El Crystal elementary school has been able to sustain the eCAP program, a take home audiobook program, for several months. You will hear how principal Skip Johnson and his teachers set-up a training program where the upper grade students trained the younger students. You will also see how easy it is to quickly add audiobooks to the iPods. Lastly, you will hear some ideas Mr. Johnson has to extend this program in the future. | |
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| Vicarious Learning: Developing Cultural Literacy Through Global Collaboration In this Radio TICAL episode, Vicki Davis,t he IT Director and technology teacher at Westwood Schools in Camilla, GA and a national speaker talks with Rowland Baker about several global collaborative projects she helped create (Flat Classroom Project, NetGen Project, Digiteen Project, and Eracism Project) how these have assisted students in developing cultural literacy and 21st century skills. | |
Stories: Data-Driven Decision Making |
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| A Collaborative School Embracing Digital Media In this TICALevision episode, hear from Jennifer Wildman and her staff at Landmark Elementary School in Pajaro Valley Elementary School on how integrating Flip cameras have increased teacher effectiveness by providing teachers with videos of their classrooms which aides in the critical evaluation of each others’ methods. | |
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| Changing Teacher Practices with Interactive Whiteboards In this TICALevision episode Megan Power, a kindergarten teacher at Del Sur Elementary School in Poway Unified School District demonstrates how she uses an interactive whiteboard and a classroom response system in her kindergarten and former 1st grade classroom. You will be amazed how simple these tools are to use. Megan also shares a variety of strategies you can bring to your teachers. | |
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| Classroom Walkthroughs and Observations In The Palm of Your Hand In this TICALevision episode, Kenny Pennington, principal in Monticello School District in rural Monticello, Arkansas demonstrates how he uses a handheld computer while observing a computer/technology teacher at the high school. Kenny shares the process to quickly record observations and how he engages his teachers in a continual improvement process. | |
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| Data Teams In this Radio TICAL episode, San Jose Unified School District managers Bill Erlendson and Marcy Lauck share a new way to facilitate data-driven decision making. | |
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| EETT Spotlights Looking for some good examples of what teachers and students are doing with the support of funding from the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program? These examples, compiled by the California Department of Education, include models of professional development and technology integration. | |
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| Measuring 21st Century Skills "There is a gaping hole in our educational system for measuring those things that lend themselves less to immediate and direct measurement.” So says Certiport President and CEO David Saedi. In this interview with TICAL co-director Michael Simkins, David describes a formative assessment tool his company developed for use with employees that might serve as a model for developing similar tools in K-12 education. | |
Stories: Financial Planning |
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| The Minnetonka Story: Using Technology to Personalize Education TICAL cadre members Bob Blackney (CA) and Marianne Hauser (AR) had the opportunity to visit the Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota in May 2007 to see how the district secured $45 million in technology funding and is using it to personalize education through technology integration. Bob and Marianne share what they observed and learned in these two quick-paced, narrated presentations. | |
Stories: Operations and Maintenance |
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| A Collaborative Principal: In and Out of Program Improvement and a Recipe for Success In this Radio TICAL episode, Rick Fitzpatrick, principal at Rother Elementary School in Enterprise Elementary School District shares how his school has exited program improvement. He provides specific strategies he uses to facilitate the change process including gathering teacher input on a variety of topics and allotting frequent staff collaboration time. Rick also highlights his school’s continual analysis of data as well as celebrations that are held in the community. | |
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| Creating Conversation Using a Principal’s Blog In this Radio TICAL episode, Jim Scoolis, principal in San Luis Coastal Unified School District and TICAL cadre member has recently started a blog at his school to help create conversation regarding homework, school policies, and other school related topics. Steve Kay, professor of educational leadership at San Jose State University speaks with Jim about his new medium of pushing his school through the 21st century. Jim shares the simple way he started and how he is trying to stimulate conversation amongst all stakeholders in his school. | |
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| Distance Learning Through Video In this TICALevision episode, You will see Adrienne Sadovsky, a history teacher helping students understand culture in the early 20th century using a video conferencing unit. Teaching out of an office at the Southwest Educational Cooperative in Monticello, Arkansas, she reaches several schools. She is equipped with a video conferencing unit hooked up to her computer while students sit in a classroom with a proctor and a video conferencing unit. Now, students in smaller sized districts are able to enroll in AP courses and electives they were never offered before. | |
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| Going Paperless In this Radio TICAL episode, Gabe Soumakian, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resource in Burbank Unified School District got a chance to speak with Stephen Kay for a second time regarding how Burbank USD is implementing several programs to assist their district’s 21st century vision. In this episode Gabe shares the various ways the district is transitioning to a paperless environment for documents, student and personnel records, and surveying. | |
Stories: Professional Development |
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| A Walk in the PARC In this Radio TICAL episode Steve Kay talks with TICAL cadre members Tim Landeck and Jim Scoolis about their experience as interns in the Palo Alto Research Center(PARC)program. | |
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| Building Capacity When Karen Eoff was setting up Tech Camps for the Southeast Arkansas Education Cooperative, her goal was to build capacity among staff and students to use multimedia tools to enhance education. At first, she was stymied; she could not find instructors for the Tech Camps. No one had the expertise she needed to lead this professional development experience. Listen to this episode of Radio TICAL to hear how Karen solved her problem by tapping pools of expertise distributed among her staff and students. | |
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| Classroom Walkthroughs and Observations In The Palm of Your Hand In this TICALevision episode, Kenny Pennington, principal in Monticello School District in rural Monticello, Arkansas demonstrates how he uses a handheld computer while observing a computer/technology teacher at the high school. Kenny shares the process to quickly record observations and how he engages his teachers in a continual improvement process. | |
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| Developing a Learning Community For One Laptop Per Child Implementation In this TICALevision episode, George Lieux, Technology Integration Specialist at Fort Smith Public Schools in Fort Smith, Arkansas shares a program that was recently implemented in the district. Several classrooms, from 2nd grade to 12th grade, received a mini-notebook (UMPC) for every student in the classroom. As the lead technology professional development trainer, George highlights how he trains the teachers virtually to model the use of the laptops and to promote project-based learning. | |
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| Distance Learning Through Video In this TICALevision episode, You will see Adrienne Sadovsky, a history teacher helping students understand culture in the early 20th century using a video conferencing unit. Teaching out of an office at the Southwest Educational Cooperative in Monticello, Arkansas, she reaches several schools. She is equipped with a video conferencing unit hooked up to her computer while students sit in a classroom with a proctor and a video conferencing unit. Now, students in smaller sized districts are able to enroll in AP courses and electives they were never offered before. | |
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| Earn While You Learn (EWYL) How do practicing teachers acquire complex new teaching skills, such as those necessary to take full advantage of new technologies to improve student learning? The Earn While You Learn (EWYL) program at the Krause Center for Innovation is a model professional development program that provides one solution. | |
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| Millennials in the Middle Trying to develop teacher buy in for integrating technology? In this episode of Radio TICAL, Dr. John Lincoln White, TICAL cadre member and principal of Mulholland Middle School in Van Nuys, California describes a multi-year effort to enlist his entire staff to integrate technology to engage his "millennial" students in standards-based learning. And it paid off! Since launching the technology effort in 2001, Mulholland has increased 205 API points. | |
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| Mini Computers for Every Student in the Classroom In this Radio TICAL episode, Arkansas cadre members Harry Dickens, John Calaway, and Jim Yeager speak to George Lieux, an Arkansas cadre member and technology integration specialist at Forth Smith Public Schools about his districts one laptop per child program including how it was funded, how the district provided professional development, how teachers have changed the way they teach, and how the program will be expanded in the future. | |
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| Podcasting in Education In this episode of Radio TICAL, Arkansas cadre member Belinda Kittrell interviews fellow cadre members Tommy Tyler and Karen Eoff. Tommy talks about how Monticello School District is experimenting with podcasting to help meet the learning needs of more students. Karen describes Southeast Arkansas Education Service Cooperative’s TechCamps. | |
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| Student Created Videos and Project-Based Learning These videos are created by students to show how they utilize and/or believe in technology. Each video exemplifies student mastery of project-based learning and video production. TICAL resources are highlighted below each video to assist you in locating resources relating to the content. | |
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| Surviving an E-rate Audit In his first-hand account, Tim Landeck, Technology Director and TICAL cadre member shares his positive and negative experiences with e-rate auditors and provides some expert advice to those who may want to prepare for the audit. | |
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| Systemic Improvement Using Netbooks - Part 1 of 2 Fort Smith Public Schools in Fort Smith, AR, implemented a 1:1 program with netbooks in several junior high and high school classrooms to create a more student-centered and project-based focus. Spearheaded by the district’s Professional Development Center, emphasis was first placed on changing the pedagogical paradigm. In this first of two part TICALevision episode, professional development director, Dr. Kathleen Cates, discusses the intensive professional development program, teachers share how the netbooks (mini laptops) encourage student engagement, and you will see students learning at their own pace. | |
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| Tblogical In this blog, TICAL cadre members share pertinent thoughts about technology and education. | |
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| The Countryside Experience Becci Gillespie is superintendent-principal of Pleasant Grove Joint Union School District, a single-school, K-8 district in a rural area 25 miles from Sacramento, California. Rural for now, that is. Big plans are in the works to build a whole new community within the district, complete with ten to twelve new schools! In this Radio TICAL episode, Steve Kay interviews Becci about how she worked with her staff to increase their use of technology and her hopes of maintaining the good things about her small district as it grows to many times its current size. | |
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| Using iPods to Turn Students On To Reading (Part 1 of 2) The eCAP program at El Crystal Elementary School in the San Bruno Park School District is a unique take home audiobook program where 40 targeted students use iPods to listen to and read from several different literature books. In this TICALevision episode principal Skip Johnson and several teachers and students share the program and explain how the program has increased student achievement and motivation to read. Stay tuned for Part 2 to learn how to set up a program like this in your school or district! | |
Stories: Technology Planning |
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| A Collaborative School Embracing Digital Media In this TICALevision episode, hear from Jennifer Wildman and her staff at Landmark Elementary School in Pajaro Valley Elementary School on how integrating Flip cameras have increased teacher effectiveness by providing teachers with videos of their classrooms which aides in the critical evaluation of each others’ methods. | |
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| Developing a Learning Community For One Laptop Per Child Implementation In this TICALevision episode, George Lieux, Technology Integration Specialist at Fort Smith Public Schools in Fort Smith, Arkansas shares a program that was recently implemented in the district. Several classrooms, from 2nd grade to 12th grade, received a mini-notebook (UMPC) for every student in the classroom. As the lead technology professional development trainer, George highlights how he trains the teachers virtually to model the use of the laptops and to promote project-based learning. | |
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| Going Paperless In this Radio TICAL episode, Gabe Soumakian, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resource in Burbank Unified School District got a chance to speak with Stephen Kay for a second time regarding how Burbank USD is implementing several programs to assist their district’s 21st century vision. In this episode Gabe shares the various ways the district is transitioning to a paperless environment for documents, student and personnel records, and surveying. | |
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| Mini Computers for Every Student in the Classroom In this Radio TICAL episode, Arkansas cadre members Harry Dickens, John Calaway, and Jim Yeager speak to George Lieux, an Arkansas cadre member and technology integration specialist at Forth Smith Public Schools about his districts one laptop per child program including how it was funded, how the district provided professional development, how teachers have changed the way they teach, and how the program will be expanded in the future. | |
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| Surviving an E-rate Audit In his first-hand account, Tim Landeck, Technology Director and TICAL cadre member shares his positive and negative experiences with e-rate auditors and provides some expert advice to those who may want to prepare for the audit. | |
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| Systemic Improvement Using Netbooks - Part 1 of 2 Fort Smith Public Schools in Fort Smith, AR, implemented a 1:1 program with netbooks in several junior high and high school classrooms to create a more student-centered and project-based focus. Spearheaded by the district’s Professional Development Center, emphasis was first placed on changing the pedagogical paradigm. In this first of two part TICALevision episode, professional development director, Dr. Kathleen Cates, discusses the intensive professional development program, teachers share how the netbooks (mini laptops) encourage student engagement, and you will see students learning at their own pace. | |
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| Using iPods to Turn Students On To Reading (Part 1 of 2) The eCAP program at El Crystal Elementary School in the San Bruno Park School District is a unique take home audiobook program where 40 targeted students use iPods to listen to and read from several different literature books. In this TICALevision episode principal Skip Johnson and several teachers and students share the program and explain how the program has increased student achievement and motivation to read. Stay tuned for Part 2 to learn how to set up a program like this in your school or district! | |
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| Using iPods to Turn Students On To Reading (Part 2 of 2) In this second part of a TICALevision episode you will see how El Crystal elementary school has been able to sustain the eCAP program, a take home audiobook program, for several months. You will hear how principal Skip Johnson and his teachers set-up a training program where the upper grade students trained the younger students. You will also see how easy it is to quickly add audiobooks to the iPods. Lastly, you will hear some ideas Mr. Johnson has to extend this program in the future. | |
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| Using Twitter to Highlight Classroom Effectiveness In this presentation, TICAL cadre member Kevin Silberberg shares how, as superintendent, he uses a cell phone and Twitter to communicate his positive classroom observations to the community. | |