Instructional Practices Inventory Level One Training May 10

Jerry Valentine will be providing another Instructional Practices Inventory Level One training on May 10, again at Hoover High School in Des Moines. Click here for more information.

Heartland AEA Technology Integration Showcase

Please join us for a daylong showcase of outstanding examples of how technology can be integrated to address the Iowa Core and add value, rigor and variety to the classroom. Sessions will also be held highlighting our new ebook collection and Heartland AEA’s outstanding selection of free online resources.

Technology Integration Showcase
June 13, 2012
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Heartland AEA
Johnston Regional Education Center
6500 Corporate Drive

If you are interested in presenting technology integration during the showcase, please contact Lance Wilhelm, Director of Technology, at lwilhelm@aea11.k12.ia.us. Presenters will receive a stipend, and their mileage expenses will be covered.

Superintendents: May 1 HAA Meeting

Download a PDF or Word Doc of the May Heartland Administrators Association meeting agenda. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 1 in Room 13 A/B of the Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive) and will begin at 9:00 a.m.

May Curriculum Network Meeting

The May Curriculum Network Meeting will be held on Friday, May 4, 2012 in Rooms 13A & B of the Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston). We will begin at 8:30 a.m. with Our Time–Our Topic discussions. Our Time-Our Topic Discussions will include the following:

• How is your district using Instructional Rounds? (Kevin Videgar, North Polk CSD)
• Iowa Assessments Round Table (Connor Hood, Heartland AEA)
• Is Modified Allowable Growth working for you? -- Success criteria, guidelines, changes in eligibility (Mark Crady, Norwalk CSD)

Click here for the online agenda.

Preview of Heartland AEA 2012-2013 Calendar

Click here for a copy of the Heartland AEA Agency Calendar of Major Events. This calendar contains the major events and start dates for Heartland AEA staff. We are currently working to schedule all professional development opportunities for next year.

Heartland AEA Staff Retirement Receptions

Members of the public are invited to attend our regional parties for retiring Heartland AEA employees. Below you will find information for retirement receptions that will be taking place in the coming weeks. We'd be honored if you would join us in celebrating these retirees.

Anita Davids (Administrative Assistant) & Mavis Hoogers (Administrative Assistant)
April 27
2:00-4:30 p.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Room 13

Allen Peterson (Special Education Consultant) & Joan Schooley (Speech-Language Pathologist)
May 4
2:30-4:30 p.m.
Adel Office

Marg Clark (Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant), Monica Simons (Speech-Language Pathologist) & Judy Stockbridge (Speech-Language Pathologist)
May 9
2:30-4:30 p.m., program at 3:15 p.m.
Carroll Office

Joyce Reams (Secretary)
May 9
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Newton Office

Kim Thuente (Regional Director)
May 14
2:30-4:30 p.m.
Johnston REC, Conference Room 13

Sandi Callison (Special Education Consultant)
May 22
4:00-6:00 p.m.
THE STUDIO, Indianola

Reminder: District I-ELDA Testing Materials Due Tuesday, May 1

All testing materials must be returned to Northwest AEA by May 1, 2012. Please feel free to contact us at any time with ELL/ESL concerns or questions.

Pat Latham (Regions 1, 2, 7 & 8)
(515) 993-4596, ext 11228
platham@aea11.k12.ia.us

Stephaney Jones-Vo (Regions 3, 5 & 6)
(515) 279-0405, ext 14680
sjonesvo@aea11.k12.ia.us

Iowa Dept. of Education's May Edition of "Each and Every Child"

Click here to download the May edition of "Each and Every Child" brought to you by the Iowa Department of Education’s Bureau of Student and Family Support Services. The e-newsletter is designed to enhance communication between parents and teachers and eliminate the achievement gap in the State of Iowa. Please forward it to your parents, and use the stories as opportunities for discussion.

UNI to Offer Free Scratch Computer Science Training

University of Northern Iowa hopes will be offering two summer Scratch workshops. Scratch is a graphical programming environment designed at MIT to be appropriate for students in grades 4-12. The goal of these workshops is to prepare Grade 7-12 teachers to use computational tools and thinking in their classrooms, both in computer science courses and in content-area courses such as math, science and the humanities. See below about workshop details and registration information. Tuition, supplies and lunch will be provided to all who complete the workshops thanks to a generous grant from Google.

Introduction to Scratch in Education - 1 cr. hr
Date: July 11-13, 2012
(plus one follow-up Saturday in November 2012)
Preparation for teachers in Grades 7-12 to have their students use Scratch in the classroom (all disciplines). This workshop will address the basics of Scratch (mostly by example), ways to introduce Scratch to students and a discussion on general classroom integration. No computer science or programming background required. Teachers will be expected to have their students use Scratch and to report on that use during a follow-up meeting in November 2012.

Teaching Programming Using Scratch - 1 cr. hr.
Dates: July 16-18, 2012
(plus one follow-up Saturday in November 2012)
Preparation for teachers in Grades 7-12 to teach a unit on computer programming using Scratch or a similar graphical languages. This workshop will review the basics of programming as well as discuss the challenges and methods of teaching introductory programming. Participants are expected to have prior experience with Scratch or some other programming experience. Teachers will be expected to plan and begin teaching a unit on computer programming to an appropriate group of students and to report on that use during a follow-up meeting in November 2012.

To apply for either of these workshops, submit an application via http://www.cs.uni.edu/connections/cs4hs/ prior to May 11, 2012.

Questions can be directed to Ben Schafer, Assoc. Professor in Computer Science, at schafer@cs.uni.edu or (319) 273-2187.