This is my Contract for Grade Page....

-- Anonymous, November 11, 1998

Answers

Contract for a B....

As part of my B contract....I will be attending the Ties 98 conference in Minneapolis on Sunday, November 22nd and Monday, November 23rd. This conference is known as The Great Technology Get- Together and is Minnesotas showcase for educational technology. This conference is full of various sessions/presentations relating to technology in education. There is also a very large exhibit hall displaying the latest gadgets and solutions needed in the educational world today. I will be posting a written overview of the many things that I find worthwile and beneficial. I would also be open to presenting my findings to the Cohort group if needed.

Answered by Scott Fitzsimmons (sfitzsim@proctor.k12.mn.us) on November 10, 1998.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 1998

My "Contract for A" Proposal.....

For my fall term "A Contract", I plan to help lead and instruct the entire CohortIII group in the area of computer skills. These skills will include those which will aid all Cohort members throughout their two years within the Cohort session. All instruction will be given within one of the computer labs at UMD. This will give all members a chance for hands-on experience. The first session will explain many of the basic skills which are beneficial to Web based searching. Tips and techniques will be demonstrated and discussed. The second session will also be based on skills needed on the Web. In this session, I will help to demonstrate and answer questions relating to the discussion page section of the CohortIII web site. Topics will include: how to add new categories, as well as the ins and outs of adding and responding to various discussions existing on the site.

-- Anonymous, November 24, 1998

The following is my write up relating to my Fall / Winter 1998-99 Contract for B requirement:

As explained in my Contract for B proposal, I attended the Ties 98 conference in Minneapolis on Sunday, November 22nd and Monday, November 23rd. This conference is known as The Great Technology Get- Together and is Minnesotas showcase for educational technology. This conference is full of various sessions and presentations relating to technology in education. There is also a very large exhibit hall displaying the latest gadgets and solutions needed in the educational world today. Although the conference was overflowing with great information and material, I will be highlighting only a small portion of what I thought interesting. To try to harness the vast amount of information that I took in, I will try to simplify things by separating my findings into three main areas: hardware devices, software programs, and seminar topics. I will do my best to summarize the many things that caught my attention and held my interest.

Hardware Devices:

As you can imagine, the idea of bringing together a large number of technology companies involved in assisting education can produce a limitless array of computer hardware and peripherals. Of the many I passed by, a few held my attention more than others. Believe it or not, keyboarding is still a big issue within the schools. Even though keyboarding has been around for decades now, it seems that a few new twists have surfaced on this process. A couple of companies were drawing a lot of attention at their booths. Datadesk Technologies and KidBoard Inc. are makers of keyboard devices. Not just run of the mill keyboards, but keyboards made especially for children. Beyond what you would expect, like flashy colors and cute symbols, these two companies took it a bit more seriously. They designed there keyboard products to be scaled down versions of the normal adult sized keyboards. Their keyboards are actually designed to fit little people fingers. This is something that Im sure that most of us dont even think about. We just simply expect that kids will use the keyboards that come with our computers without giving thought that they are much too large for their fingers. It seems like too simple of a product to get excited about, but thats exactly what seems to capture peoples attention...something that is simple and makes sense! Another set of hardware devices that were creating a stir were the mini laptop computing devices. This idea is also not particularly new. However, most of the devices offered to schools thus far have been devices which were no more than a very basic word processor. Sure, the price was always attractive, but its uses were so limited. The big buzz at this show was the fact that a few companies have finally developed mini laptop devices that have more brains, more thinking power. And on top of this, the price is very attractive to school districts (around $500.00). The cause for the excitement is due to the fact that these devices have an actual operating system on them that is a scaled down version of Windows called Windows CE. This operating system is extremely similar to the well known Windows 95 interface. This now means that school districts now have an opportunity to get more bang for their buck. This was cause for excitement in many peoples eyes.

Software Programs:

One of the largest groups of software companies that I noticed catching a large amount of attention were those companies in the business of providing online reference resources. SIRS, EBSCO, InfoTrac, AP Accuweather, and ProQuest are some examples of companies represented. One of the explanations of rekindled interest may be due to the fact of the Internet / Web itself. The huge growth and technology boost of the Internet has caused many of these companies to refocus the methods in which they conduct business. Most of these companies started out as providers of hard copy resources. Then the development of the CDROM evolved which shortly lead to the development and growth of the Internet. School districts are now finding that these companies can provide resources and services relating to reference more than ever before. These companies are also having to change their entire pricing structures to be able to compete...which in tern...makes it even that much more attractive to schools in general. Another extremely hot topic in technology and education is the idea of the integration of technology into the classrooms. A company by the name of Teacher Created Materials was also generating a fair amount of interest with its product called Techworks. Techworks is a very unique program that helps to integrate technology skills into the k-8 curriculum. What makes this product stand out is the fact that it is not only teaching a particular skill. Instead, this product strives to show you how to develop an actual technology integration plan. I am excited about this product and hope that it is just the start of many more to come from a variety of companies. The more ideas the better!

Seminar Topics / Programs:

Of the many different seminars and sessions that I attended while at the conference, one stood out heads up above the rest. Ian Jukes, a presenter/speaker from the Thornburg Center for Professional Development was the keynote speaker at the main dinner banquet. Watching Ian is like watching Robin Williams trying to sit still and not get excited up on stage. Ians presentation was very exciting and high energy to say the least. Ian spoke for almost two hours and easily held the vast majority of the the audiences attention throughout the entire session. He mainly spoke to the issue of how education today needs to change many of its ways of doing things. Particularly in the areas of how we as schools incorporate and integrate technology into our teaching and daily routines. Ian took some time to overview the growth of technology by stepping back to its beginnings. He explained and demonstrated the incredible rapid change over the last two decades that technology has experienced. He projected out over the next decade the developments to come if the same amount of growth takes place. Without a doubt, most everyone in attendance was thinking a bit deeper when they left the banquet that night. An excellent, thought provoking, and very challenging presentation! Im very glad that I had the opportunity to experience it. It caused me to take a new look at the future and what will be needed to prepare ourselves and our children for its arrival.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 1999

"Contract for A" followup and completion for fall/winter '98-99 session:

My "A Contract" requirements were fulfilled on the following Cohort III sessions...Wednesday, October 14......Basic Internet Search Strategies Wednesday, November 11......Cohort III Discussion Web Page Procedures

-- Anonymous, January 25, 1999

The following is my Semester II / 1999 Contract for "B" proposal:

For my "Contract for B"...I will be planning, setting up and implementing a series of teacher training courses to be held at the Esko Elementary School Macintosh Lab. The purpose is to provide staff development opportunities for the Esko staff in the area of various computer related skills. I will be instructing a total of four seperate sessions which will cover various skills related to the introduction of the Internet through deeper skills relating to educational uses of the Internet. I will be submitting a report as to the dates of the classes, the number of attendees, as well as a brief description as to what was covered in each of the sessions.

-- Anonymous, February 16, 1999

The following is my Semester II / 1999 Contract for "A" proposal...

For my Semester II Contract for "A" project...I plan to present at two Wednesday night Cohort III regular sessions. The first presentation will take place in the SBE 45 computer lab and will consist of "Powerpoint Basics". This presentation will attempt to show the Cohort members the basic processes of creating a Powerpoint slideshow. The second presentation will be be held in the Mont. 209 computer lab. This presentation will highlight various searching strategies on the Internet as well as overviewing other "research related" sites and strategies that will hopefully help the Cohort III members in their workings toward their research projects. I plan to submit a followup write up which overviews exactly what was covered in the presentation.

-- Anonymous, February 16, 1999

Spring 1999 Contract for A posting for Scott Fitzsimmons:

For my Spring 99 contract for A, I taught/presented a series of sessions for the Cohort III group. All of the presentations were located within the Montague 209 Macintosh computer lab. Below is an overview of each of the classes instructed:

Wednesday, February 17 Basic Internet searching and researching skills

Wednesday, April 7 Presentation demonstrating how to use Clarisworks to create charts and graphs to aide the research process.

Wednesday, May 12 Demonstration of Inspiration software to aide in the process of flow- charting and concept mapping. Each of these skills are useful in the research process.

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

Spring 1999 Contract for B posting for Scott Fitzsimmons:

For my spring 99 contract for B, I set up and instructed a series of Internet classes for educators at the Esko School District. The sessions were held within the Macintosh lab located within the Esko Elementary School. Below is the example of the information which was part of the flyer that was distributed to all of the Esko staff. Each of the sessions were attended by approximately 9 to 11 staff members.

(Sample of brochure)

Esko School District is providing winter technology training opportunities for K-12 teachers and staff.

Each of the courses will be offered in the Esko Elementary School Macintosh lab located above the Library/Media Center. This lab includes top of the line software, computers, scanners, laser printers, and multimedia hardware.

Our goal is to provide friendly, practical, hands-on technology training opportunities for school staff. Our hope is that you would join us!

Instructor: Scott Fitzsimmons

Scott Fitzsimmons has worked in the computer industry for over ten years and has been the Director of Technology for the Proctor School District for the last four years. He has in serviced and instructed educators within the Proctor Schools as well as area teachers through courses at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In addition, Scott has taught community education computer courses for the last three years.

Intro to the Internet for Educators An introduction to the basic concepts of the Internet. An easy to understand description of what the Internet is. You will leave this course with the general skills needed to tap the vast resources of the Internet.

First half of session Tuesday, January 5 3:30 - 5:00 pm Second half of session Tuesday, January 12 3:30 - 5:00 pm

Internet for Educators... Beyond the Basics Beyond browsing...this course will provide and demonstrate additional ways in which the Internet can be used. Time saving searching techniques and a wealth of teacher Internet resources and ideas will be demonstrated and shared.

First half of session Tuesday, January 19 3:30 - 5:00 pm Second half of session Tuesday, January 26 3:30 - 5:00 pm

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999