First, on behalf of all of us here in the Technology Department, please accept Season’s Greetings and our very best wishes for a joyous Holiday break. Last week, the Technology Department was going to share some thoughts about email, spam and the SCSD SPAM filter at the Monday morning training, but Jack Frost had other plans. Our goal is to empower every user of an SCSD email account to have the safest, most productive experience. To do so, we need to protect ourselves AND our contacts from SPAM.

SPAM, in its simplest terms, originally defined email that was unsolicited and unwanted. Today, it is estimated that SPAM accounts for about 90% to 93% of the email that is sent. Most SPAM results from sales advertisements, phishing (attempts to obtain personal info), scams, appending (adding names to an email database), or spreading a variety of computer infections (viruses, worms, etc.). The good news at Socorro is that about 20% of our email is good and only 80% is SPAM.

How Do Spammers Get My Email Address?

The major way that spammers get your email address is through the process of appending. The best source for appending are those blasted chain-emails that share a wonderfully warm or funny or patriotic or serious email … and then you are asked to forward it onward (sometimes at the threat of supernatural catastrophe that will occur if you don’t … LOL!). Every time you receive a chain email, especially one that contains images, chances are your email address and others on the recipient list) were added to a SPAM database. When you forward such emails, you are putting the recipients at risk. While the person who sent you the chain email was probably just trying to be nice, or they needed your name for the required “ten” recipients, they probably did not realize all the risks.

Going to unknown web sites can also open you to phishing and appending. Many web sites have built-in programs to read your email address from your online profile. Typically, when web surfing, you should only visit sites obtained through safe search engines.

How Do Spammers Send Mail Using My Email Address?

There are two answers. The first way is that some hackers, usually through worms and viruses, are able to infiltrate your address book and use that to send out email. A while back, we learned that a user on the SCSD network had gotten a computer virus that infiltrated their MS Office Outlook address book, and the executable program was was sending out about five gigabytes of spam per day (too many to count). You may remember that SCSD was blacklisted for weeks by almost every email server around the country.

The other way spammers use your email adddress is through a process called spoofing or ghosting. The email is not really sent by your email server, but the sender alters the header information on the email (the “FROM” address and “REPLY TO’ address). It is very easy to do.

What do I need to do about SPAM?

Actually, you don’t really need to do much more than to be careful about giving out your email address; do not forward or reply to chain emails, and do not open email and files from people that you do not know.

Our Lightspeed Total Traffic Control Content Filter generally does an exceptional job of blocking SPAM. On occasion, SPAM may get past the filter. If you identify an email as SPAM, simply right-click on the email information from your Inbox. Next, click JUNK EMAIL > Add Sender to Blocked Senders List.

What is the Daily SPAM Mail Summary?

Everyone receives a daily SPAM Mail Summary that lists all the SPAM and all the good email from the previous day. First, you are under no obligation to review the SPAM, especially since the content from the subject lines can be offensive (if not just plain stupid). Unfortunately, you must review the SPAM if you think valid emails are being blocked (recently, the critical email from NWEA about the MAPS database wound up in my SPAM log!).

You should save the most current Daily Summary because it has a link that takes you a list of your spam for the past week. This is important if you want to find emails that you think were blocked. Simply log in, and then do Edit > Find on this Page. Also, in desperation, you can contact The Tech Team to get assistance in finding an email if you have the sender’s exact email address.

From the summary, you can also look at your “good” email received and block any SPAM that managed to bypass the filter.

Some Final Thoughts and Guidance

1. Each day (typically in the morning) you will receive an email message that lists any spam email that was blocked the previous day.

2. With a quick review, you can easily identify any desirable email that was blocked. Since the email has been saved for you, all you need to do is click on the “Always Allow” link associated with that email item and it will be sent on to your mailbox, as well as assuring that future email from that user will NOT get blocked.

3. If you aren’t sure if an item is really spam, but you want to be certain, simply click on the associated “Allow Once” link and that email item will be delivered to your mailbox so you can review its content. If you wish for that sender to not be blocked in the future, again click on the “Always Allow” link for that item in your daily report.

4. You can review ALL spam mail blocked over the previous 7 days by clicking on the link that reads: “To view CURRENT messages held as spam click here”, within the introductory text of your daily message. This will open a report of your blocked email so you can retrieve and/or White list any email items not older than 7 days, if you wish.

5. Remember you can also copy or bookmark this link within your web browser, and you can examine your spam mail activity at ANY TIME you desire. This link will always, automatically, take you to your personal spam mail summary report.

As always, kindly let me conclude by reminding you that the Tech Team is available to provide training and coaching for using the spam filter. Simply enter a School Dude under the heading of TRAINING and we will gladly make arrangements to work with you.

Once again, on behalf of the Tech Team (Chris, Grabiel, Craig, Damon and Michael), have a great Christmas Recess. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Vern

In July of 2008, Socorro Consolidated Schools boasted a very respectable count of 500 computers across the district. Based on our enrolment of about 1,700 or so students, we were at about a 3:1 ratio of students to computers. That’s not bad!

That number can be considered somewhat misleading. Although a goodly portion of those ‘puters were in the hands of staff, it is still one of the standards used in education to measure technology access. Silly technology folk like me think that the only number that should be acceptable is a 1:1 ratio of students to computers WITHOUT including staff computers (otherwise known as one-to-one computing initiatives). It happens in some places, but can it happen in Socorro?

In reality, SCSD is rapidly approaching a 1:1 ratio with over 1,500 computers district-wide! We are adding laptop carts in Zimmerly and Sarracino that have full-size HP laptops, and we already have carts at Parkview and SHS. Sarracino also has a laptop cart devoted to its Earobics program. A small lab is being added to the SHS art department to compliment the small lab in the SHS Music room, and Tech is looking to recycle some “use-’em-until-they-die” Mac-mini’s that are being removed from regular computer lab and staff use. You will even see administrators “going mobile” with HP tablets that cost far less than any computer or handheld mobile device.

Did I mention anything about mini-laptops? LOL!

Besides the mini-laptops that were purchased by schools and the Special Education Department, the Technology Department will be loaning teachers well over 100 mini-laptops for classroom use in 2011-2012 through a competitive application process. Why don’t we have an accurate count? Okay, how’s this: everytime Chris and Grabiel start counting the MOUNTAIN of mini-laptops, they get distracted. There are sooooooooo many. LOL!

By wandering to the Technology page on the SCSD web site, you will find the applications and the agreement that awardees must sign. The mini-laptops are a loan to teachers for the 2011-2012 school year. You should remember that applications will be reviewed by a committee and should be well-written. Renewal applications will be given first priority. All applications need to be submitted electronically … you may complete the document in the MS Word format available on the website or you may download it, complete it, scan it and then submit it.

Let’s talk about the one sticking point: during the year, awardees will need to submit five (5) technology-rich lesson plans that show how their students use the mini-laptops to problem-solve, create artifacts or develop presentations. The vast majority of the teachers who used mini-laptops last year did a great job with lesson plans, and our Technology Professional Learning Community reflects those efforts. The more we can help each other as educators, the more our students will be able to achieve.

We are all working hard and asking for five lessons plans can sound harsh, but aren’t we already writing lesson plans? Shouldn’t we be carefully planning how we are going to use this great technology? Your students deserve your coaching and encouragement, and a good lesson plan is important for helping us use technology as a tool and not as a crutch. We can all learn from reading each other’s lesson plans! Lesson plans are also an essential part of making sure that we are teaching to the standards.

Applications are due to Vern Smith no later than 5:00 PM on September 2. The goal is to deliver the mini-laptops no later than September 9. Please contact Vern or the Tech Team if you have any questions. Good luck!

The reality of the week when we get back into the classroom always seems to sneak up on me. It’s not so much that the workload is any better or worse; however, the sudden rush of energy as we approach the first day of school can be both a good and bad thing. The biggest problem for me is remembering that I forgot to take enough time off during June and July.

This is also a time for romanticizing about the days when I was in the classroom full-time. The memories of all the bulletin boards, wall posters, arranging desks, using cleaning fluid and attending endless hours of meetings are pretty much forgotten. What I do remember is the first looks from my new students. That is what I find so exciting about the one class that I am still lucky enough to teach.

Over the summer, good fortune (and the generosity of Dr. Wilson) gave me an opportunity to attend the New Mexico Coalition of School Administrators (NMCSA) Conference in Albuquerque. It was quite a remarkable two days of presentations, networking and workshops. Meetings of this caliber often make you reflect on the things you do and then inspire you to try some new things.

On the last day of the conference, the guest speaker was Michael Smith of Difference Maker, Ltd.; Mike is a poet, author and possibly the most engaging speaker I have ever encountered. Michael Smith’s keynote speech was humorous, enlightening and informative.

Mike’s message was a simple one: it seems that the “Three R’s” from my generation (Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmatic) have morphed in the technology era. That makes sense since the students have changed. You will probably be hearing lots about the New and Improved Three R’s: Rigor, Relevance and Relationships.

In fact, maybe those three R’s need to be reversed and should be Relationships, Relevance and Rigor. For the purpose of discussion, let’s define relevance by saying that the learning must have meaning to the students. Let’s describe rigor as meaning that you must have productive instruction and student demonstrations of learning in order to improve achievement. That leaves the Relationship thing … and we need to talk …

Mike had a couple of really good thoughts … well, actually, he had a whole bunch but we’ll keep this short. Maybe teaching and engagement is all about relationships? Maybe we should start with this one overriding thought: no matter how much we value being teachers and no matter how hard we work at teaching, we cannot make a student learn something that they do not want to learn.

Okay, you can pat me on the back for having a remarkable grasp of the obvious. But, what we can do is offer every student an opportunity to learn. But how do we lead the proverbial horses to the water and make them drink?

In the New York City public schools, the first four (4) weeks are spent on nothing but classroom management. Lining up, walking in the halls, hanging up coats, getting textbooks, turning in homework, writing your name and the date on the top of a paper, and dozens of other tasks were repeated over and over again. Teachers were required to have signs on their walls listing the steps for students to accomplish even the simplest tasks.

In retrospect, many thought that practicing classroom management techniques were as much a survival skill as a necessity in establishing boundaries and expectations. But it was also a time when you could get to know your students.

As Michael Smith suggests, teachers should be putting an extraordinary effort into finding what they have in common with their students. In NYC, that sometimes was not an easy task, especially when teaching in the ‘hood. But guess what? You made connections because you discovered that you have more in common with your students than you thought. Discovering those common grounds (movies, music, books, sports, favorite teams, heroes, TV shows, etc.) leads to better relationships becuase you can show that you truly care about things that are important to your students.

My favorite quote from Mike: “The fastest way to “I can” is “we can!”

Let’s think a little bit on what relationships mean to the students here in Socorro. Old farts like me love to get together and talk face-to-face. Poker games, dinners, restaurants, football games, lunches, and hanging out together mean everything in the world because we can be together with people. But, to the students we teach, Face Time is an app (if you don’t believe me, visit the Mac App Store). Texting, email, Facebook and dozens of other electronic tools and social networking sites give kids endless ways to communicate with dozens of friends with the greatest of ease.

How can teachers improve their relationships with students?

Teachers need to meet the kids on their turf! (Sorry … you can take the boy out of NYC but you ain’t gonna get the NYC outta him! LOL!) Open up yourself to the electronic world where your students live. Learn to communicate with students using text messaging, email, blogs, web sites and more. (Remember to respect boundaries and protocol!)

One of the things that kids love about online courses is the immediate, high-quality responses they get from teachers. Students say that, when they ask a question, they get a pretty fast and thorough answer. And that makes them feel important and appreciated! Wouldn’t you?

Personally, Moodle has been an important tool in my relationships with students because it personalizes assignment submittal and grading. My students turn in work almost every day and have a grade and feedback most days by 6PM. They can email me or text me, and they have my cell number for emergencies. But, this year, I am going to do more to get to know every student as thoroughly and completely as they will allow me.

When it comes to relationships, students need opportunities and choices for approaching us in the ways they feel most comfortable and secure. A genuine, sincere and caring approach in getting to know and appreciate our students can go a long way to having an engaged classroom. If you want to explore using electronic and web-based means to communicate with your students, keep your eyes open for some announcements coming up from the Tech Team. You can also email me or the Tech Team. Or you can text us. Or you can use School Dude. Or you can use the Tech discussion forum. Or you can call. (Do you get the idea?)

Please let me share one last word on engagement with something that was very personal to me. While Mike Smith was speaking, I was really into it. Poor Craig DeYoung, who was sitting next to me, was frequently victimized by my animated and somewhat extreme reactions to Mike.

After the address, I was walking around in the audience and Mike Smith came up to me. He thanked me for being so engaged. WOW! I was floored!

I asked Mike how he noticed one person among a whole huge ballroom of people. He said he could see my eyes, and he could see my smile, and he could see my reactions. I told him that he may have been the best speaker I ever heard and that he had won me over in the first few minutes. I also told him that I learned more from him in his brief presentation than I had learned in some college courses. I promised to use what he taught me and that I’d share it with other teachers. Simply stated, the fact that he noticed me made me feel like a million dollars.

I hope that Mike also felt like a million dollars. Maybe it is all about relationships?

Back in January of 2010, largely spurred on by Michelle Lewis of the PED and the late Vincent Gargotta from my staff, SCSD made its first investments into mini-laptops. It was a planned effort to begin increasing the amount of technology available to students in the classroom.

There was motivation from my own selfish desire to give our students an opportunity to use computers for something other than short-cycle assessments and the follow-up assignments. Like most of my cohorts in educational technology, the concept of students using computers for research, creativity and productivity was a deep, dark dream lurking in a belief system firmly implanted in my heart and soul.

Once again, as stated time and time again in this blog, it is my stated belief that computers in and of themselves do not make kids smarter. If we follow the research of Dr. John Medina, the developmental molecular biologist who spoke at ISTE 2011, learning is the result of taking crystallized intelligenced (memorized facts and learned skills) and then immediately using it in a creative way. If you are a fan of Bloom’s Taxonomy, you might attach this to the cognitive domain through application, synthesis or evaulation.

As we started the 2010-2011 school year, we found ourselves on the edge of a mini-laptop explosion. In fact, we went from being a school district with about 500 computers (mostly to staff and teacher machines to) well over 1,250 machines. We even have laptop carts! (I was told that laptop carts would never work at SCSD … and YOU proved that wrong!).

However, the School Improvement Grant (SIG) at Sarracino Middle School created a unique opportunity. The English Langauage Arts teachers used SIG funds to add mini-laptops to their classroom. They then applied for more laptops from the Tech Department. What would happen if these ELA classes at SMS had almost a 1:1 ratio of students to computers? This was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.

In May, while I was preparing reports for the PED on our Enhancing Education Through Technology programs, I decided to take a gander at the results of our MAPS testing. Let’s see what the DATA said:

The results from our NWEA short cycle assessments show the following district-wide numbers:

Reading: 53% Growth in 2010-2011

Math: 51% Growth in 2010-2011

Language Usage: 51% Growth in 2010-2011

What a marvelous tribute these numbers are to the educational team across the district! It takes a phenomenal effort to achieve this level of growth and everyone should be proud.

There was, however, a second set of numbers that caught my eye. In fact, the numbers gave me a grin that was a mile wide. How did Sarracino do in MAPS?

Reading: 58% Growth in 2010-2011

Math: 57% Growth in 2010-2011

Language Usage: 60% Growth in 2010-2011

A couple of thoughts come to mind. First, achievement like that does not happen by accident. Secondly, such high levels of performance can only be attained through a cooperative effort by teachers and students; however, as we all know too well, it takes a darn good teacher with excellent preparation and solid, engaging lesson planning to get kids so deeply motivated. So give credit to the teachers and students, but give the teachers that extra pat on the back.

Third … do you really want to believe that it was purely coincidental that SMS (especially the ELA classes) had the highest ratio of computers to students? But, it was more than that … it was teachers giving students the proper purpose in using the mini-laptops and the students using the opportunity as well as could be expected.

So, welcome to 2011-2012. Get ready to apply for those mini-laptops for the year. Together, we will continue to pursue a dream … and I believe that the staff and students of this district will make that dream a reality!

WOW! it has been four months since my last post! It is hard to believe that we are already in July with less than one month until school opens. The Tech Team, now in the transitional stage of Vern, Chris and Grabiel, is getting ready for an exciting year ahead. Craig Addis of SHS will join the Tech Team in August, teaching at SHS in the morning and working with the Tech Team in the afternoon. Other news includes the new laptop carts at Zimmerly and SMS, and the addition of a small computer lab in the Art Room at SHS.

Having completed my third year here at SCSD, I was looking forward to the International Society for Technology in Education Conference at the end of June. As the President-Elect of ISTE’s local affiliate, the New Mexico Society for Technology in Education (NMSTE), it was a chance for me to attend some of the world’s best leadership training. Affiliate leaders also receive great networking ideas on how to build membership and funds for their local ISTE chapter.

During the past year, I’ve had the privilege of being the apprentice to Dr. Marcy Oxford from Las Cruces Public Schools. Marcy is the President of NMSTE and one of the brightest, hardest-working people I have ever met. I am so proud to say that she has built our membership from about 80 members to well over 400 members this year (largely through HARD work and ideas we got last year at the Affiliate Conference). Best of all, NMSTE can now help all these new educator members reach their students with technology and other teaching tools.

The neatest thing about ISTE 2011 is that it was held in Philadelphia. I have a very strong attachment to Philadelphia because I received my Masters Degree from Drexel University, located just a stone’s throw up Chestnut Street from the Convention Center. This promised to be a great look into the future of technology for the coming year and beyond.

Normally, I am not one for keynote speeches but I’m glad I went to this one. This is the link to the full opening ceremony. The opening performance of Temple University’s Broad Street Line (starts at around 9 minutes) was too cool for words. Even better was the keynote speech by Dr. John Medina (starts around 30 minutes in). I do not want to steal his thunder but, if you took the “Dyslexia” PD last spring, you might recall the research that explains how every brain is wired differently. Dr. Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, humorously explains that our brains are not built for learning (the brain dislikes learning … it is built for survival).

In fact, according to Dr. Medina, “our brains are built to solve problems related to survival in an outdoor setting involving unstable meteorological conditions while in constant motion.” So what do we do? We build classrooms for students and cubicles for workers!

If Dr. Medina ever developed a cult following, I would be a charter member. He spoke words that I have been saying since I did some research for my favorite professor at Drexel. When asked (given unlimited funds) what he would build a school to look like, Dr. Medina said that it would largely be an outdoor setting, the school uniform would be gym clothes, and the day would be full of physical and aerobic activities PUNCTUATED by islands of learning. Isn’t it odd that the inverse is the way things are?

Attendance at the ISTE Conference was lower this year than last year in Denver, not surprising in these difficult financial times. Interestingly, I noted a dramtic shift among the vendors on the exhibit floor. In the past, most vendors seemed to be hardware-oriented; past exhibitor profiles included many “classroom gadget” vendors and others with specialized software applications. However, in 2011, the focus was on curriculum, specifically with tools that aligned curriculum to state standards (does that sound familiar?).

After my annual “window shopping tour” of projectors, laptop carts, keyboards, whiteboards, document cameras, voice amplification products and administrative software, I noted that many large companies, like Pearson and McGraw-Hill, were making lots of new curriculum products available. This becomes a “gray zone” for many tech coordinators because we are, at best, consultants to curriculum developers and managers.

With so many new expectations being placed on teachers for curriculum alignment to standards, technology can become “another brick” in a backpack that is already overflowing. However, technology can also make that backpack a whole bunch lighter if you let the students carry some of the burden.

As an avid Adobe instructor and learner, I attended several workshops introducing the Adobe Youth Voices curriculum. While I satisfied a long time desire to learn how to make an MTV music video, I was more in awe of the work that students can do when given a camera, editing software, their own lyrics and their own music. I’d love to try this out at SHS and maybe even SMS!

When I taught Second Grade, I could not live without The Math Forum @ Drexel. Even with an excellent curriculum from McGraw Hill, this web site provided me with the differentiation I needed to reach the diverse needs of my students. Teacher memberships are just $25.00, and class, school or district memberships are also available. The “Problems of the Week” offer fabulous challenges for students, and there are plenty of tools to help you re-teach those difficult lessons!

The other tool that made my life as a teacher easier was Lesson Planet. Long before the new and popular acronym of “PLC” had entered our lives, Lesson Planet was a place to review lesson plans from teachers. Today, there are over 350,000 teacher-reviewed curriculum resources for PK-12 educators. Again, if differentiation and technology integration are your goals, Lesson Planet is a good resource.

This is the point where I need to restate that technology in and of itself has never made anyone smarter. However, as educators, it is our responsibility to prepare our children to find their way in this rapidly-evolving world. As Dr. Medina said, “Our brains are built to solve problems related to survival in an outdoor setting involving unstable meteorological conditions while in constant motion.” The challenge facing every teacher and adminsitrator is to create a positive, engaging learning environment when we place 25 or 30 student brains, all with different wiring, into a classroom.

Dr. Medina also reminds us that learning is a combination of memorization of data (crystallized intelligence) and the IMMEDIATE opportunity to improvise off that knowledge (creativity). Can technology help with the accumulation and memorization of data? Of course! Where else do students have more instant access to data than the Internet? Can technology give students an immediate opportunity to improvise off that knowledge>? Absolutely! That is the purpose of student videos, student podcasts, multimedia presentations, Excel databases with charts, Word documents, and more (including authentic, real-world problem solving).

As we enter a new school year, we also enter a new stage in technology at SCSD. While we still have some work to do with the infrastructure and services, all students have acceptable Internet access and software access. Student access to computers continues to grow and has more than tripled from three years ago. All teachers have access to the same services as students AND they have access to technology support from The Tech Team. The Tech Team will come to your classroom to assist with lesson planning and execution.

However, we need teachers to engage their administrators in identifying classroom technology needs. While the Tech Team is fairly knowledgeable about current technologies, and I certainly know what I would want in my classroom, ideas for classroom tools need to come from the educators. That does not mean that there are unlimited funds to meet these needs, but educators need to step forward to help us plan for our technology future.

On a personal note, there was some time for sashimi, lamb chops (best I’ve ever had), lobster/shrimp ravioli and the required Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches (the plural is intentional).I had forgotten how much I missed the Reading Terminal Market and Philly’s Chinatown section. But, more than food and sites at ISTE 2011, I promise you that the things I learned and found will have an impact on student leartning in SCSD. At that is the real benefit, isn’t it? The little city of Socorro has the same chance to do what kids around the world are doing.

I hope that everyone is having a great summer. Thanks for reading! Your brains may now return to the function for which it is best designed (LOL!).

Today was just another typical day in Socorro and at Socorro Consolidated Schools. People went about their ordinary business, enjoying a beautifully warm and luscious day that made you forget about the awful cold spell from a few weeks ago.

My day was, on the surface, no better or worse than the experience of any other person in Socorro. In some ways, mine may have even been better. My Photoshop class at the High School was fun, my email wasn’t too horrific, and Central Office celebrated birthdays for Stan, Anton, Bonnie and me with two of Jean Walker’s best desserts. I had some quality training time with two teachers and a Board member, and even the School Dude requests were agreeable.

And, as typical, I forgot to go to lunch but I made it to Sonic after 3:00 PM. I managed to finish eating my nutritious feast somewhere before 5:00 PM. Yep, some things just never change.

Beneath all the normality and business as usual was an uncomfortable undercurrent: it was one year since the passing of my friend Vincent Gargotta, one of the most beloved teachers and personalities in Socorro.

This arrival of this day had been on my mind for a couple of weeks, not so much from the perspective of grief or a sense of loss but more from looking back over the trail that led from that horrible day last year to today. It was one year ago that my life was irreversibly changed. As I have said too many times in my life, “What a long, strange trip it’s been!” (Truckin’ by The Grateful Dead, 1970)

One year ago, I was in a hospital bed myself, recovering from a “mysterious” near-death experience of my own. Only days before, on March 28, Vincent and I had shared our final time together over a meal at the now-closed Asian Gardens. Vincent had sought me out to give me some very needed advice. My consigliere was, as always, right on target and I have followed his advice everyday from that time forward.

But, moreover, this day and its reflections are not about Vincent or me or staff or teachers. It is about students and student achievement and student opportunity. It is about a vision of commitment to giving students the tools they need to succeed in the 21st Century. Today is all about breaking away from the excuses that we can’t, we don’t know how to, we don’t need to, we can’t afford to and we don’t have time to (those excuses just didn’t exist for Vincent in anything he did). But, for the sake of discussion, let’s look at the legacy of Vincent’s support and guidance in helping me forge a technology vision for SCSD:

1. Since July 2009, we have gone from 500 computers to over 1,150 computers district-wide.

2. The first 54 mini-laptops purchased in December 2009 have made the mini-laptop the most popular computer at SCSD.

3. Classrooms are being equipped with Interactive projectors, Mimios and video distribution units.

4. Many teachers have outgrown the Web 2.0 tools and are wanting to use more sophisticated programs.

5. Teachers are actually demanding new technologies like document cameras. Right on!

6. Laptops carts equipped with mini-laptops are emerging at SMS, SHS and Parkview despite all the condemnations and rejections shared with me when I first arrived in 2008.

7. Our web page is slowly becoming an interactive, reliable source of news, information and instructional support.

8. Our communications and informational tools are reaching new levels.

9. Information and support for both parents and the community are more available than ever before.

We have not solved all our problems and we still have much left to accomplish. Growth and change do not happen without some pain and suffering, and I can assure you that there have been times when I wanted to throw in the towel. Thank God that, in those moments, I hear my promises to Vincent echoing inside my heart and soul. But, far more importantly, some special people have stepped forward to fill the immense hole that Vincent’s absence has left in my professional and personal life.

In the end, it is the memory of Vincent and his commitment to the children of Socorro that keeps me fighting. SCS is on a righteous path that must be seen through to its logical conclusion despite the never-ending funding battles and other hiccups along the way.

We will never see the likes of Vincent Gargotta in Socorro again. God only knows that filling in his shoes would be a monumental task for giants and the most intrepid pioneers. His kindness and smile can never be replicated, his sincerity and honesty will never be matched, and his wisdom and insight will never be equalled. We were blessed to have him for the time we did, and we are fortunate that his spirit is still among us.

Vincent, I miss you terribly and it is hard to believe a whole year has gone by. I think of you whenever I hear the phone on your old desk ring or whenever I need a kind word of support and understanding. I pray everyday for the family and loved ones who miss you so much. Thanks for watching over us and thank you for being such an inspiration to me. But you still owe me a plate of eggplant parmigiana and I am going to hold you to it.

As part of the two grants that Socorro Consolidated Schools received from Federal Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) funds, teachers will have an opportunity to improve their Microsoft Office knowledge and skills.

Teachers completing the professional development course will earn a Certificate of Completion, and they will also receive a stipend for their work. The Technology Department will be making the final arrangements with Skillsoft over the next few days for the training program. Please click HERE for some information from Skillsoft.

As part of the district EETT grant for 2009-2011 that led to the creation of the model lab at Sarracino Middle School, outside educational services were included in the budget. Originally, the training was for to be for classroom technology like remote responders, interactive white boards, and other “freebies” known as “Web 2.0″ tools.

However, the greater need seems to be developing mastery, not just a comfort level, with Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel, Access and even Outlook so that students can be given assignments that use these tools. SCSD spends more money on Microsoft Office than any other application; accordingly, it should be more fully utilized by our teachers and students.

If you noticed that Power Point was left off the list, it was done so intentionally because of the common perception that these presentations cause more boredom than engagement. However, Power Point presentations could have EXTREME RELEVANCE if teachers and students learned to use the “multimedia” features that make Power Point presentations tolerable (and more like a Windows Movie Maker show).

As part of the Technology Department’s long-range planning, the conversion to the Windows 7 Operating System was made this year to improve network performance. Budget and other necessities allowing, it is hoped that SCSD can upgrade to Office 2010 during the next fiscal year. However, we need to expand and master the use of Office 2007 first before spending $45,000 (or more) on Office 2010.

The planned professional development will be conducted ONLINE through Skillsoft’s learning management system, and it will contain appropriate instructional segments and tests. The portal provides a Knoweldge Center with an incredible array of support including learning roadmaps, online references, practice exercises and access to Office 2007 experts via chat or email. Users will easily be able to manage their progress through the course with support from the Technology Department.

Participation will be extended to a total of 20 teachers. Ten will be from Sarracino Middle School (as budgeted in the EETT grant for their school). Because of the affordability of the program, ten other teachers will be selected from other schools with the possibility of more depending upon the budget balance for the Consortium for 21st Century Learning (C21CL) grant.

The application process will be announced in the next ten days or so.

This program will also help expand the new, recently-announced Technology Professional Learning Community. The participants in the Skillsoft program will demonstrate their mastery by developing at least two lesson plans that will require students to use Microsoft Office to demonstrate their learning.

It is also worth mentioning that other supervisors or administrators may want to take advantage of the low pricing from Skillsoft. All staff and administrators could certainly benefit from improving their productivity skills using Microsoft Office.

The Technology Department has completed work on its online Technology Professional Learning Community for teachers at Socorro Consolidated Schools.

The online PLC features lesson plans developed by teachers participating in one or more of the Tech Department’s professional development and grant programs such as the Consortium for 21st Century Learning, New Mexico State University’s RETA Webinar Series, the mini-laptop program, the interactive projector program, and other in-house training. Based on guidance from the Educational Technology Bureau of the NMPED, teachers need to submit a technology-oriented lesson plan and a reflection when receiving stipends from technology grants. This new concept helps to assure that professional development learning translates from the workshop into classroom practice.

The PLC site also has a discussion board that will allow teachers to submit questions, comments and observations regarding Technology-enriched lessons and general technology issues. It is the first discussion board that has been added to the SCSD web site, and it represents a great opportunity for teachers across the district to share their thoughts and ideas with each other.

Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) are more than just another hot buzzword in Education. As teachers and leaders, we understand and promote the value of collaborative and social learning by students in the classroom. As Educators, we need to have the same opportunity to share new ideas and innovative instructional strategies with our talented, hard-working colleagues at Socorro Consolidated Schools. Why shouldn’t we teach each other? Why shouldn’t we learn from each other?

Teachers are able to download lesson plans that are mostly written in Microsoft Word and cover content areas that include Art, ELA, Language, Math, Music, Science, Social Studies, and Technology. The Word format makes it easy for a teacher to edit the lesson plans in order to meet their specific needs.

The initial supply of lesson plans is a little lighter than hoped for because the Technology Department has been “consciously forgiving” with an understanding of the many pressures and changes taking place for the district’s teachers this year. However, teachers who have received mini-laptops need to be aware that meeting the lesson plan requirement will be a key part of the renewal applications next year.

The online PLC is representative of a very simple concept at work: The more we can help each other. the more we can help our students achieve.

A major focus area for the Technology PLC will be reinforcing the concept that we want technology in the hands of students. Our students needs practical experience in working with authentic, real-world exercises and projects that require technology tools to produce artifacts demonstrating the achievement of understanding. We need to avoid using technology just for the sake of using technology … but we need to use technology wisely when it makes sense.

Special recognition should go to the teachers who have diligently submitted their lesson plans, and they should be commended for their hard work and their willingness to share their efforts. If you use another teacher’s lesson plan, it might be a nice professional courtesy to send them a thank you note. It would also be great to include some comments about the effectiveness of the lesson. The feedback should be greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions or you would like to contribute some lessons, Please contact Vern Smith.

Back in 1970, while turning the dial through the channels on the little black & white TV in my bedroom (the one with the clothes-hanger antenna), I found this goofy show on PBS (WNET – Channel 13 in New York). I paused for a moment to see a bunch of Vikings singing what has become a Monty Python trademark and a comedy standard, Spam.

The funny part is, like anyone who survived a Boy Scout camping trip, I had come to like Spam because it came in a can (with a little key) that could be hidden in a knapsack. It was less likely to be sacrificed to a food fight like hamburgers, hot dogs, eggs and other foodstuffs that were easily thrown.

Today, a team of doctors would beat me senseless if they saw me within 100 yards of a can of Spam. But that’s another story.

Let’s state the obvious: spam in a technology context is the use of electronic messaging tools to send bulk amounts of unsolicited announcements requesting the recipient to respond by clicking a link (called phishing), downloading a file (often a virus), buying something (NO, I don’t need it or want it), sending money (dumb) or replying with information (more phishing). Some experts estimate that between six and eight trillion spam messages will be sent in 2011.

Spam is an annoyance at SCSD because it accounts for over 93% of the email processed by our server. Fortunately, users who properly program their content filter settings only have a handful escape the filter. And while spam for pornography and male enhancement products are irritating and degrading, the biggest complaints that we receive are about INTERNAL spam – spam generated by the users of SCSD email.

Spam is a considered a severe violation of the Technology Acceptable Use Policy. Are you a spammer? Are you at risk for disciplinary action?

First, if you are receiving too many unsolicited emails from outside sources (let’s say more than ten per day), please submit a School Dude request and the Tech Team will help you adjust your settings. However, you cannot block an internal email address (trust me, I’ve tried and tried and tried).

One of the biggest violations of the TAUP is the use of the “All Users” email address. That address is restricted to use by the Superintendent, Associate Superintendents and Directors who need to get news, information or emergency communications to the entire staff. It was never intended to be used as a mass broadcast tool for messages meant for a handful of people.

In my case, for example, I use this blog to put technology news and information into an ongoing, sustainable format. For those wanting to be knowledgeable about Technology happenings, I send an email announcing that there is news on the Tech blog. Those who choose to ignore the articles can do so … at the risk of missing things that might have helped make their jobs a little easier.

In the past, SCSD has tried to be patient with messages sent to “all users” that violate the TAUP, but the expectation that all staff will read their email for vital communications has led to less tolerance of spam and increased complaints. Very simply, school email is expected to be used strictly for school-related business.

That means that email to “all users” should only be sent by the designated district personnel. It also means that pleas for donations, notices of fundraisers, notices of non-school related events and activities, greeting cards, lost and found ads, jokes of the day, cartoons, motivational thoughts and pictures of all kinds can result in the disciplinary actions described in the TAUP.

Users are, of course, welcome to share email of all kinds with their friends and close associates as long as the email meets the quality standards of the TAUP (remember: there is no expectation of privacy with your school email). If a friend or colleague sends you email that you don’t want, and it offends you, the collegial thing to do would be to have a professional conversation with the offender rather than filing a complaint.

The Director of Technology has the first obligation to address misuse of the “all users” email address. The DoT also addresses what can best be described as “inappropriate” emails as described by the TAUP. The DoT then informs the sender’s supervisor and may also inform the Superintendent and the Associate Superintendent for HR. The DoT recommends disciplinary measures based on the severity of the violation, but disciplinary action is at the discretion of the supervisor, the Superintendent and/or HR.

First offenses may just get a warning from their supervisor or a reminder letter from the DoT about spam. Second offenses, like severe first offenses, may receive more stringent action. Since all employees sign a TAUP (just like the students do), they are responsible for knowing what they are signing. The TAUP is a formal policy approved by the SCSD Board of Education, and the most current TAUP can always be found on the website.

One major concern is that SCSD email addresses are being issued to students when requested by a teacher for class communications and the submittal of assignments, and they are included in the “all users” address. Other concerns include the amount of server space dedicated to email and the potential vulnerability to outside penetration of the email server (those blasted “please forward to 1,000 of your closest friends” emails are killers!). The biggest concern is that an employee may miss an important announcement or vital news because they are sick and tired of wading through the garbage in their email.

If you have an event that you’d like to share with the SCSD community, we have many options other than email. School fundraisers, requests for donations, lost and found ads, and motivational thoughts could have a place somewhere on your school’s web site or the district web site. Every school has a webmaster who can add content with the approval of the building administrator. The DoT is the webmaster for the district web site.

We have also recently added interactive event calendars for each school, and we may add more calendars in the near future.

Another alternative to the “all users” email for anyone is the creation of a distribution list using Microsoft Office Outlook. It is a very simple process that takes but a few minutes. In Outlook, you click on the tab that says CONTACTS, and then you select the drop-down menu next to NEW and select DISTRIBUTION LIST. Choose a descriptive name to enter on the name line (for example: Third Grade Teachers).

In the new dialogue box, you can click on SELECT MEMBERS and then use the SCSD email address book to select the members you want. You can also select members from your Outlook Contacts, or you can click the ADD NEW button to add a new contact and email address (and they will be saved to your contacts). Once you save and close the dialogue box, your distribution list will be saved under your Outlook Contacts.

If you need training for setting up a distribution list, please submit a School Dude request.

At the direction of Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Wilson, fulfilling a goal of the Socorro Conolidated Schools Board of Education, the Technology Department implemented School Messenger last fall. At that time, the primary purpose of this communication tool was to provide emergency notification services in the event that a situation required rapid notifications to staff, parents and the community.

As we all know too well, there have been many sad events around the country that make emergency notification system a necessity. An event like a school lockdown (for any reason) requires fast and effective communications. Dr. Wilson, however, decided that SCS needed more from its emergency notification system and School Messenger was upgraded to the full suite of communications products. Besides the emergency notification package, School Messenger gave SCS the ability to communicate all kinds of news and information.

The most immediate impact started just after the Christmas break when School Messenger began making automated phone calls to the parents of any student who had an unexcused absence earlier in the day. For the most part, the calls have been well-accepted by the parents and administrators at the participating schools.

During the course of the school day, teachers record their attendance using SCS’ student information system, JMAC. When a teacher records an absence from a class, the absence becomes an unexcused absence if the parent has not informed the school attendance secretary of the absence. An absence can be reported either by a phone call or by leaving a message in the school’s attendance voice mail.

At the end of the school day, JMAC automatically generates a list of all the unexcused absences, and that list is then uploaded to the School Messenger web site. Phone calls are made using a computer-generated voice that follows a pre-determined text, and the calls are in either English or Spanish (the language is determined by the family’s preferred language as indicated in JMAC). Here is a sample of the text:

“Hello, this is an automated message on behalf of Cari Scholl, the lead teacher at Midway Elementary School. Our records indicate that your student, {student’s name}, had an unexcused absence at school today because we did not receive a phone call or message from you. Please call Lucy Garcia in our office at 575-835-1098 to discuss this matter. If your child is going to be absent, please remember to call our attendance line at 575-838-8051. Thank you and have a pleasant evening.”

The automated phone calls start at 6:00 PM and almost always end before 7:00 PM. The attendance secretaries and the building administrator receive a report that includes the names of the absent students and the result of the phone call (answered, voice mail, no answer. etc.). The program has already had many extremely positive outcomes for SCS:

1) Parents are calling the Schools – the overwhelming response so far has been a positive one because parents are calling the schools to discuss their child’s attendance. Many of the automated calls to parents would be unnecessary, particularly with students in the primary grades, if parents would call the school’s attendance line.

2) Added Student Security – parents, guardians and other care givers are made aware when their child is absent from school.

3) Updating Contact Numbers — some people would be surprised to see the number of phone calls that are reported as disconnected numbers. Imagine if we needed to reach parents or guardians in a real emergency? The reports let us know when we have a bad phone number, and we then know that we need to update our records.

4) Cutting Class has a Price – if our high school students decide to show up to school late or blow off a class, they can be sure that their parents will receive a call that night.

5) Time Savings for School Personnel – everyone will probably agree that it is a great idea that all unexcused absences get a phone call … but who has time to make those calls? For example, SHS recently had 128 unexcused absences one day. On a good day without too many interruptions, it would probably take five hours for one person to make all those calls. Using their bank of phone lines, School Messenger made all those calls PLUS the calls for four other schools in fifty (50) minutes.

6) Improved Communications within Schools – when students are taken from a class for a variety of reasons, staff within schools have strated to make sure their colleagues are aware that a student was with them and not absent.

If you have any questions or comments about School Messenger and the attandance calls, please contact Vern Smith in the Technology Department.