Schedule at a Glance

Tuesday, October 12

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Preconference

"Working in the Digital World"
iPods, iPads and Podcasting are great tools to share credible information with the people in your community. It is an effective way to reach tech-savvy students, parents, staff and reporters. There are also mobile applications that can assist you with your administrative tasks, and to maximize your time and your students' learning. This is a hands-on workshop for which equipment will be provided (or can be purchased) and seating will be limited to 50 participants. Be ready to begin the year with a new way to communicate with stakeholders and ways to lead in this new and emerging digital world.
*equipment will be provided or you can purchase items
to keep
6:00 pm - Dinner
7:00 pm - “The Future of Learning & Assessment”
Keynote Speaker: Scott McLeod, Iowa State University
What lies ahead in the next 5-10 years? Take a brief tour of where we’re going and what we need to do NOW to get there...
 

Wednesday, October 13

8:00 am - Exhibits Open/Registration
8:30 am - “Are Your Policies Getting in the Way of Your Progress”
Keynote Speaker: Scott McLeod, Iowa State University
You make decisions every day that impact students’ and teachers’ use of the Web. Are your policies and decision-making in line with the law and student needs?
9:30 am - Break
10:00 am - Select-a-Session I
10:45 am - Break
11:15 am - Select-a-Session II
12:00 pm - Lunch
1:00 pm - Select-a-Session III
1:45 pm - Break
2:00 pm - Select-a-Session IV

Select-a-Session

Select-a-Session I 10:00 am to 10:45 am

Engaging Digital Natives in Today’s Classroom
Presenters:  Sheri Rossetti, Donna Droge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt-Innovation in Education
Join us to learn how to leverage your investment in interactive whiteboard technology. In this session learn how you can create effective interactive lessons by aligning interactive whiteboard technology and robust curriculum software.

Making Multiple Literacies Meaningful
Presenters:  Melissa Engel, Julie Barger, ESU #16
Unpacking the Multiple Literacy standards found distinct strands for K-12 and 4-12. ESU #16 staff taught a popular blended series of workshops for each group utilizing distance learning and moodle delivery. ESU #16 staff will share the process of creating the workshop series and also the resources.

Select-a-Session II 11:15 am to 12:00 pm

Classroom Design for Incorporating Technology
Presenter:  Gary Needham, Kearney Public Schools
Projectors, interactive whiteboards, and other technologies are taking the classroom by storm. What questions do you need to ask in your district to make sure that the technologies are implemented in the most user-friendly, cost effective, and learner-centric ways? Find out in this session.

Ahead of the Curve
Presenter:  Beth Still, ESU #13
Students are connected and always seem to be the first to know about new trends in technology. How do they do that? This session will show you how to connect with educators who are the early adopters so you and your staff can stay ahead of the curve.

Integrating 21st Century Skills in the Curriculum
Presenters:  Judy Henning, Kearney Public Schools, Dr. Sherry Crowe, Dr. Deb Levitov
By collaboratively working with the school library media specialist, teachers can provide students with the necessary 21st Century skills through authentic project/research based assignments that include critical thinking, problem solving, inquiry, collaboration, and technology.

Blended Learning Environments
Presenters: Craig Hicks, B.J. Peters, ESU #13
ESU 13 and member schools are using DL, Moodle and traditional classroom instruction to create a variety of exciting learning opportunities for students and teachers. This blended learning model allows more flexibility when designing a student education plan or delivering professional development.
Select-a-Session III 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm

Web 2.0 for administrators
Presenters: Lynn Herr, ESU #6 and Jamie Fath, CASTLE
Web 2.0  can work for you! See a quick demo of some online
tools such as blogs, wikis, online calendars, youtube,
screen casting, and online document sharing. Also see
examples of how K-12 administrators are using these tools to
communicate with staff, collaborate on tasks, and build
positive relationships with district patrons.  Learn about
the new NCSA/ESU sponsored administrator boot camps that
will be held across the state in early 2011.  Jamie Fath, of
Scott McLeod’s CASTLE project will discuss similar boot
camps their group has led in Iowa over the past few years.

Beyond the Classroom with Skype
Presenter:  Josh Allen, Papillion-LaVista Public Schools
With a mouse click, tools like Skype quickly and inexpensively take instruction beyond the four classroom walls, even for tech skeptics. We will share how we utilize Skype for everyday district tasks as well as where to find local classrooms, national authors, and global experts to collaborate with.

“Building Your Own” Electronic Walk-Through Form
Presenter: Mitch Kubicek, Dorchester Public Schools
Utilize Google docs to record and track evaluation data.  Find out how you can create your own customizable electronic walk-through form for free.  This session will demonstrate how to build a Google form and submit walk-through data with the use of a handheld device.  Participants will also learn how you can organize and analyze the data once it has been submitted.  For those participants who have a handheld device, please bring it along and you can help demonstrate the process.

ESUCC’s LMS & eLearning Vision
Presenters:  Gordon Roethmeyer, ESU #10, Mary Schlegelmilch, Omaha Public Schools, Mike Kozak, Nebraska Department of Education
Moderators: Matt Blomstedt, Eric Smith
The ESUCC Distance Education Committee is working with K-20 partners, UNL, ISHS, NET, the Department of Labor and the NITC to develop a plan for statewide support and licensing of LMS, content repositories and the creation of a Nebraska Virtual High School. There is crucial work to be done, come hear.

Select-a-Session IV 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm

Using Facebook Effectively in Your District
Presenter:  Jackie Ediger, ESU #9
Facebook can be used to communicate with parents and students regarding announcements, events, scholarship info and deadlines; and even lunch menus. Come and found out how to use Facebook effectively and to guide your teachers and students about what to do and what NOT to do with Facebook.

Online Learning: Exploring New Ways to Engage
Presenters:  Beth Still, Brenda Smith, ESU #13
The Nebraska Educational Virtual Academy, a progressive online school, is taking virtual learning to new heights. This session will explore how they are using Web 2.0 tools, especially Google Apps, to help students develop important 21st century skills as described in the ISTE NETS for Students.

Mobile Matters and Other Matters
Presenter: Graci Gillming, ESU #10
We use cell phones to talk, text, e-mail, and navigate. Even with our daily dependence on them, most schools are void of their use. Why? Perhaps if we used cell phones for educational purposes, we have an opportunity to teach kids how to use them appropriately and safely.