2009+Workshops

=NCAIS TECH 2009 Workshops = Session I Listings - Click Here Session II Listings - Click Here**
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**BucsNet: CCDS Behind the Scenes**
John Burke (Charlotte Country Day) Angelo Otterbein (Silverpoint) //**updated 3/20/09**//

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BucsNet is Charlotte Country Day's intranet, and has evolved from a home-grown site managed in FrontPage to a fully customized branded intranet with class pages, bulletins and the like. But the evolution was not without lessons learned. This presentation will include a tour of BucsNet with John Burke, Manager of Information Systems, and Angelo Otterbein, President of Silverpoint, with a focus on how the site evolved to meet the school's needs, including surveys to parents and managing feedback from division heads.======

Desktop Virtualization & Application Delivery
Keith Bright (Advantec Global Services Inc./ Citrix) //**updated 3/20/09**// Would you like to learn how to reduce your desktop management costs by up to 40%? Learn how you can accelerate the delivery of desktop to students and office workers anywhere? Learn how to enable stronger data protection and controls? Time to rethink traditional desktop deployment. Citrix XenDesktop offers a next-generation, user-centric desktop virtualization solution that provides a complete system for desktop delivery. XenDesktop dynamically assembles virtual desktops on-demand, providing users a new and pristine, yet personalized, desktop each time they log on - ensuring that performance never degrades.

What Should You Expect from Your SIS Vendor After the System is Up and Running
Ed Magni ( Veracross)

A discussion, led by a former Technology Director at an Independent School, on what technology departments need (or should expect) from their SIS vendor once the system is in production. Broad areas of discussion will include infrastructure, data, application support, updates, and customization requests.

Seamless Integration: Ravenscroft Style with finalsite (CMS) and Veracross (SIS)

 * updated 3/16/09**

Join Jason Ramsden, CTO of Ravenscroft School with Rob DiMartino of finalsite, a leading provider of web software and services for schools, and Jeremy Anderson of Veracross, a leading provider of web based student information systems for schools, to see how the "Best of Breed" approach has worked at Ravenscroft and other institutions across the globe. Sample Sites: [] [] [] []
 * SPOTLIGHT SPEAKER**: Jason Ramsden, CTO, Ravenscroft School

Social Media and the Web with finalsite
Rob DiMartino (finalsite) Since 1998, finalsite has been bringing interactive web design & software to leading independent schools & educational organizations around the world. finalsite currently serves over 250 independent schools and a total of nearly 700 schools & educational organizations around the world. Please join us for an exciting informational session with Rob DiMartino, Director of Business Development at finalsite, a leading provider of web software & services for schools
 * updated 3/16/09**

**Inside the Communication Director’s Essential Web 2.0 Toolbox**
Jason Ramsden (Ravenscroft School) //**updated 3/3/09**//

Web 2.0 is today’s buzz word when it comes to collaborating on the web. So who’s to say communication professionals should not use the bevy of free tools available to better communicate with their school’s constituents? Whether you are trying to reach alums, parents, grandparents or even current students, this session will provide you with several outside the traditional toolbox tips, tricks, and strategies for enhancing your communications and widening your reach.

Twitter... It’s Not Just for Breakfast Any More!
Jim Barker (WhippleHill) Travis Warren (WhippleHill) //**updated 3/4/09**//

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Initially dismissed as absurd for "over sharing", micro-blogging sites (like Twitter) are quite possibly the fastest growing segment of the Internet. From Congressmen to Shaquille O'Neil, Twitter is challenging and changing the way we communicate. If you have yet to discover or fully realize the value of micro-blogging, this session will point you in the right direction. We will discuss strategies for developing your own "personal learning network" and we’ll look at how schools (institutionally) are using Twitter to communicate more effectively. In addition to account setup and settings, we'll review the tools needed to be effective with Twitter.======

Technology Teaching in the Classroom
Åsa Burnham (Ravenscroft School) Gregory Mullenholz (St. Jude Catholic School)
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

Modern technology in today’s schools exists in many forms. Gone are the overhead and 35mm projectors of yesterday. Almost as extinct are the VCR’s that were so prevalent ten years ago. Enter a typical classroom today and you will see DVD players; televisions; white boards; Smart boards; computers, desktop and lap; PDA’s, Ipod and MP3 players. This high-tech equipment has become a standard component of education in the 21st century classroom.

Although classrooms are equipped with the latest tools, the question must be asked: Is the technology being used effectively? The purpose of this presentation is to equip teachers with a methodical approach to creating a classroom which incorporates all learning and teaching styles. It is important to note that not all students learn in the same way and not all teachers teach in the same way. How do we reach the same goal of higher level learning and teaching in the classroom?

Included in this presentation will be information and skills using website resources, power point resources, movies, videos and audio resources in order to create a classroom of high level learning and high level teaching, that applies to students of all learning styles and abilities and the lesson as a whole. This presentation will focus on the different teaching techniques that are available and applicable today.

When Tech and Pink Collide: How Technology and A WHOLE NEW MIND Changed How I Teach English and Web Design
Brian Kelly (The Montclair Kimberley Academy)
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

Over the past three years I have made a conscious effort to "walk the walk" in my courses. Pink says that in order to prepare our students for success in this century, we as teachers need to emphasize both logical, left-brained thinking (math, science, tech, etc.) AND creative right-brained thinking (art, design, etc.). As a result, I purposely de-emphasized some content in my Advanced Web Design class in order to add principles of good design, the result of which has been a marked improvement in the aesthetic quality of my students' finished work. Upon reflection, however, I also discovered that integrating technology into my Medieval Literature course enabled me to change how I assess and simultaneously enhanced student creativity, encouraged students to take intellectual risks, and deepened student understanding of both the concepts and content.

"Extraordinary Made Simple" –Learn How to Create Engaging Activities in Notebook 10 along with the SMART Document Camera.
Shayla Rexrode ( SMART Technologies )
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

As the 21st century classroom evolves, so do the products and software offerings from SMART Technologies. In this session participants will learn about the features in Notebook v.10, see how the new document camera adds an exciting level of interactivity to any lesson, and discover some of the new educator resources available on-line.

Have You Read?...
Dana Smith (Greensboro Day) Sarah Hannawald (Greensboro Day)
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

Have you read any or all of these books? -- Global Achievement Gap, 5 Minds for the Future, Disrupting Class, Here Comes Everybody and The Element. This session is a big book talk about these 5 popular 21st Century books. For each of the books, we will give a brief overview and invite discussion.

Lessons in Wireless for K-12 Schools
Phillip Wegner (SecurEdge Networks) Updated 3/4/09

Leveraging today's investments for tomorrow's programs. Learn how to lower costs of operating IT infrastructure while expanding the ability to support more learning initiatives with Secure Mobile Architecture.

Get a (Second) Life!
Melissa Tredenick (Christ School)
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

Second Life is a virtual world that is making its way into education. Come learn what it is, how to get started, and discover how you can use it in your classroom. It is also a great way to connect with fellow educators around the world.

Digital Media in Schools: Enhance Communications, Safety, and Education Excellence
Richelle Selzer (Cisco)
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

School communications consume a lot of time and paper. Parents need to be informed. Students want to know what's on the cafe menu. Staff need in-service training. Teachers want to select videos from the content library, not just their own collection. And, everyone needs alerts about campus emergencies. Now, schools can communicate more effectively with less time and effort. Cisco Digital Media Systems is a comprehensive suite of digital signage, desktop video, and enterprise TV applications that you can manage centrally. Check it out!

Blending Moodle into Your School's Learning Environment
Karl Schaefer (Durham Academy)
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

Moodle is a great Content Management System (CMS) that can be used to extend your classroom. Moodle is open-source software so there is a low cost to setting up and keeping a Moodle server at your school or even one for your class. Learn from a Moodle advocate who will explain the ins and outs of setting up Moodle for your school. You will see how teachers are blending Discussion Forums, Assignments, Glossaries, Journals, Quizzes, and other activities to engage their students and extend their classrooms. Attendees will have access to the Durham Academy Interactive Learning Environment (DAILE) Moodle to view active classes.

Gaming in Education
Bryan Martin (Christ School)
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

We know our students are obsessed with games, but what exactly is WoW, and what else are they into these days? Come to learn a brief history of video games, examine games that students are playing, examine the skills students are developing from game exposure, and what current educational research is discovering about these games.

Videoconferencing with Skype and DimDim
Brandon Herder (Christ School)
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

With webcams being so inexpensive, and Skype offering a free calling/video service through the Internet, what’s not to love about video conferencing? Come learn how to use a webcam and how to videoconference through Skype. Also, check out DimDim, a free web conferencing software that allows a presentation to be given through the internet. With this technology, you could bring a guest speaker to your class through your computer.

Online Content that Engages, Inspires, and Excites Learners
Bruce Friend (SAS) //**updated 3/4/09**//

Using online content resources to assist in classroom instruction is an effective way of tapping into the eagerness with which today’s students embrace the technology that is a part of their everyday life. However, interfacing with online content that is dry, lacking interaction, and over reliance on text-based resources fails to attract today’s students. Upgrade the curriculum resources of your school through the use of digital lessons, resources, and tools. Winner of numerous national awards, SAS® Curriculum Pathways® provides online content and is available at no cost to U.S. educators. Participants will explore:
 * SAS Curriculum Pathways online, interactive lessons and tools for English, Social Studies, Math, Science, and Spanish instruction
 * Resources suitable for a range of learning styles and levels
 * Instructional materials built with research-validated techniques
 * Online learning that supports skill development and critical thinking

Creating Learning Studios
Matt Scully (Providence Day School)
 * //updated 3/2/09//**

The Sages - Robinson, Pink, Kawasaki, Wagner, Shirky, Gardner, et al, claim that change is needed. Today's schools are not preparing students for tomorrow's future. Their books highlight many theories and big ideas, but what does this new change look like? Hear one teacher's first small steps toward modifying his classroom that will lead us into a brainstorm session to design the classroom of tomorrow. Our goal will be to find practical, real world ways to use technology to modify classrooms to put the students at the center, shift the focus from passive recipients to active producers, and create learning studios.