Friday, December 20, 2013
Curriculum Network: January 3 Meeting
The next Curriculum Network meeting will be held on Friday, January 3 in Rooms 13 A & B of the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive) and will begin at 8:30 a.m. The agenda and handouts will be posted on the Curriculum Network Google Site.
Save the Date: January 7 HAA Meeting
The next HAA meeting will be held from 9:00-11:50 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7 in Rooms 13 A & B of the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive).
Does your District Want Feedback on its TLC Grant Application?
Is your district submitting a Teacher Leadership and Compensation (TLC) grant application at the end of January? Do you want feedback from knowledgeable AEA staff and districts who are applying? Do you want feedback from a process that is consistent with the process the TLC Commission plans to use? If so, Heartland AEA has an opportunity for your district to get valuable feedback on your grant.
Heartland AEA will hold a feedback process session for districts on January 13 from 12:00-4:00 p.m. The TLC grant planning session on that day will only run from 9:00-11:30 a.m. Interested districts can reserve a spot by contacting Kevin Fangman at kfangman@heartlandaea.org by Monday, January 6. Participating districts will need to submit a draft of their grant to Kevin by Thursday, January 9, and commit to sending one or two people to review sections of grants for other districts. There will be one or two simple directions regarding how grant application drafts will need to be submitted so the process can be organized efficiently. This will be sent out to participating districts on Tuesday, January 7.
The process will be modeled after the structure that the Teacher Leadership and Compensation System plans to use to score grants. District and AEA reviewers will be assigned to read one or two sections of the grant, along with the abstract, and then fill out a structured feedback form. All 10 sections of a district's application will be reviewed, and all feedback will be sent home with districts at the end of the day.
If you are interested in participating, you will need to contact Kevin Fangman know by Monday, January 6. Kevin can be reached at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.
Heartland AEA will hold a feedback process session for districts on January 13 from 12:00-4:00 p.m. The TLC grant planning session on that day will only run from 9:00-11:30 a.m. Interested districts can reserve a spot by contacting Kevin Fangman at kfangman@heartlandaea.org by Monday, January 6. Participating districts will need to submit a draft of their grant to Kevin by Thursday, January 9, and commit to sending one or two people to review sections of grants for other districts. There will be one or two simple directions regarding how grant application drafts will need to be submitted so the process can be organized efficiently. This will be sent out to participating districts on Tuesday, January 7.
The process will be modeled after the structure that the Teacher Leadership and Compensation System plans to use to score grants. District and AEA reviewers will be assigned to read one or two sections of the grant, along with the abstract, and then fill out a structured feedback form. All 10 sections of a district's application will be reviewed, and all feedback will be sent home with districts at the end of the day.
If you are interested in participating, you will need to contact Kevin Fangman know by Monday, January 6. Kevin can be reached at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.
Learning Management System Day, Jan. 17
Heartland AEA will be hosting a Learning Management System (LMS) "Shootout" on January 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Johnston REC. The day is primarily targeted at curriculum directors, technology directors, tech integration specialists and K-12 administrators.
Vendors will give a 50-minute presentation that provides an overview of their LMS product. Most vendors will present 4-5 times on this day. A full presentation schedule will be distributed in early January, once all invited vendors have indicated if they plan to participate. Districts should be able to easily see 4-5 presentations on this day if they are interested in that many different options. There will a lunch break, and there are multiple restaurants within easy driving distance.
Confirmed vendors/presenters include: Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Infinite Campus. Other sessions include Can Google be used as a Learning Management System?
Registration is free and available through Heartland AEA PD catalog. Click here to register.
LMS vs. SIS
A Student Information System (SIS) is primarily a student record-keeping system, recording information such as attendance, grades, behavior, contact information, etc. A Learning Management System (LMS) focuses primarily on delivering/facilitating instruction, and it includes features such as document storage, discussion boards and online quizzes. The information contained in an LMS and an SIS overlaps to some degree (such as student names and ID numbers), and some SISs (such as Infinite Campus) are adding in features that normally appear only in an LMS.
A great resource to look at prior to and after the LMS Day is the Heartland AEA tech consultant team’s online comparison of Learning Management Systems, which is available at:
https://docs.google.com/a/heartlandaea.org/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AodmIe5QMX6MdDRTdlZIMG5tZTNDM1F1WWMyRXhjWWc&usp=sharing#gid=0
We look forward to seeing many teams from districts and schools on the January 17. Please contact Lance Wilhelm at lwilhelm@heartlandaea.org if you have any questions at this time.
Vendors will give a 50-minute presentation that provides an overview of their LMS product. Most vendors will present 4-5 times on this day. A full presentation schedule will be distributed in early January, once all invited vendors have indicated if they plan to participate. Districts should be able to easily see 4-5 presentations on this day if they are interested in that many different options. There will a lunch break, and there are multiple restaurants within easy driving distance.
Confirmed vendors/presenters include: Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Infinite Campus. Other sessions include Can Google be used as a Learning Management System?
Registration is free and available through Heartland AEA PD catalog. Click here to register.
LMS vs. SIS
A Student Information System (SIS) is primarily a student record-keeping system, recording information such as attendance, grades, behavior, contact information, etc. A Learning Management System (LMS) focuses primarily on delivering/facilitating instruction, and it includes features such as document storage, discussion boards and online quizzes. The information contained in an LMS and an SIS overlaps to some degree (such as student names and ID numbers), and some SISs (such as Infinite Campus) are adding in features that normally appear only in an LMS.
A great resource to look at prior to and after the LMS Day is the Heartland AEA tech consultant team’s online comparison of Learning Management Systems, which is available at:
https://docs.google.com/a/heartlandaea.org/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AodmIe5QMX6MdDRTdlZIMG5tZTNDM1F1WWMyRXhjWWc&usp=sharing#gid=0
We look forward to seeing many teams from districts and schools on the January 17. Please contact Lance Wilhelm at lwilhelm@heartlandaea.org if you have any questions at this time.
Drug Impairment Training for Educators, Jan. 20 & 27
Due to popular demand, we are again offering our "Drug Impairment Training for Education Professionals" course. This course is intended to make educators competent and confident in evaluating and documenting those individuals suspected of abusing drugs in the school setting with the eventual goal of making the school a safer and better learning environment. The class will be held January 20 and 27, 2014 and will be taught by Craig Porter, retired police officer. Click here to register.
Important Dates and Information about I-ELDA Testing
Click here for more information on administrative guidelines and timelines for this year’s I-ELDA Testing.
Capitol Girls Opportunity for 9-12 Grade Girls
Capitol Girls is a great opportunity put on through the Iowa Dept. of Human Rights and the Girl Scouts of America. This event is for girls in grades 9-12 to take an in-depth look at our state government by shadowing lawmakers. Please distribute the flyer to interested students.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
Phyllis Yager Memorial Diversity Teaching Award
Phyllis Yager received a Master of Arts in 1953 and a doctorate in 1983 from the UI. She is the late wife of Science Education Professor Emeritus Robert E. Yager, who also received a Master of Arts in 1953 and a doctorate in 1957 from Iowa. Phyllis Yager devoted her career to advocating multicultural opportunities and gender-affirming activities through her work as a teacher in the Iowa City School District and later as a consultant to the Grant Wood Area Education Agency.
Named in honor of Phyllis Yager, the Phyllis A. Yager Memorial Commitment to Diversity Award recognizes educators who go above and beyond the required curriculum to increase diversity awareness. Recipients receive a stipend to further diversity initiatives or professional development, and are asked to make a presentation to the College of Education community during the College of Education Diversity Committee’s annual Beyond Tolerance Diversity Conference on April 17, 2014.
If you are interested in applying for the grant, applications and further description of award amounts can be found through the College of Education Diversity Committee website:
http://www.education.uiowa.edu/committees/diversity-committee
The deadline for the applications is March 14, 2014 and can be mailed to College of Education Diversity Committee, Office of the Dean, 459 Lindquist Center, Iowa City, Iowa 52242.
Any further questions can be addressed to Marcus Alt, the College of Education Diversity Committee Graduate Assistant at marcus-alt@uiowa.edu.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
Named in honor of Phyllis Yager, the Phyllis A. Yager Memorial Commitment to Diversity Award recognizes educators who go above and beyond the required curriculum to increase diversity awareness. Recipients receive a stipend to further diversity initiatives or professional development, and are asked to make a presentation to the College of Education community during the College of Education Diversity Committee’s annual Beyond Tolerance Diversity Conference on April 17, 2014.
If you are interested in applying for the grant, applications and further description of award amounts can be found through the College of Education Diversity Committee website:
http://www.education.uiowa.edu/committees/diversity-committee
The deadline for the applications is March 14, 2014 and can be mailed to College of Education Diversity Committee, Office of the Dean, 459 Lindquist Center, Iowa City, Iowa 52242.
Any further questions can be addressed to Marcus Alt, the College of Education Diversity Committee Graduate Assistant at marcus-alt@uiowa.edu.
The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.
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