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Mon, 04/05/2010 - 18:46 — NAPLS Tech Team

Members of the NAPLS technology team use this site to provide to our stakeholders timely information and updates about district technology services.

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  • View a list of past and upcoming workshops here.
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New Albany High School Receives eTech Ohio Blended Learning Grant

New Albany - Plain Local Schools has a history of enhancing teaching and learning with technology. On May 10, 2012 the district learned that it will be able to embark on another innovative journey into changing the nature of teaching and learning with the help of a major developmental grant from eTech Ohio (part of the Ohio Department of Education). New Albany High School was one of seven buildings in the state to receive $80,000 as part of their Blended Learning Grant. (An additional $50,000 is intended to continue this grant into year two.)

This grant will provide the necessary funding and structure to allow the district the explore new models of blended Learning. Over the course of of the next 12 months, faculty and staff at New Albany High School will begin to explore how the FLEX model (Horn and Staker, 2011) of blended learning can increase opportunities for learning. As part of the grant, educators from the district will form a Blended Learning Development Group, that will be responsible for charting the direction for the exploration into blended learning options.

A large part of the grant is to be spent on professional development with faculty. Selected educators will take part in a 10-week flexible blended professional development (PD) course, RISE. RISE will assist teachers with creating a Replicable, Innovative, and Sustainable blended model that will Extend learning opportunities for students. The course assists teachers with transitioning a current face-to-face (f2f) course to the Flex blended model. The RISE course is designed using best practices and principles of instructional design and online pedagogy, with a focus on personal learning, choice, and responsibility.

The seven overarching goals of the grant are to:

  • Build the capacity of Ohio schools in blended learning.
  • Increase academic performance of students participating in the blended learning model.
  • Document fiscal changes that are the result of implementing a blended learning model.
  • Expand the use of online learning for Ohio schools and students.
  • Create a program using best practice examples of the six models of blended learning.
  • Generate models for 21st Century Learning based on high quality instruction, assessment and standards.
  • Create replicable blended learning models and practices that can be used across Ohio

The full grant application can be found at:
http://technology.napls.us/system/files/users/user6/eTechBlendedLearning.pdf

 

Addtional Resources:

eTech Ohio - Blended Learning Grant Overview
http://www.etech.ohio.gov/blended-learning-grant

The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning - Profiles of emerging models
http://www.innosightinstitute.org/innosight/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/The-Rise-of-K-12-Blended-Learning.pdf

Digital Learning Day

Wed, 02/01/2012 - 09:08 — Andrew Moore

Digital Learning Day at New Albany - Plain Local Schools

Today, February 1, 2012, has been designated by the nation’s educational community as “Digital Learning Day" and February is Digital Learning Month.

Digital Learning Day is a nationwide celebration of innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology that engages students and provides them with a rich, personalized educational experience. On Digital Learning Day, a majority of states, hundreds of school districts, thousands of teachers, and nearly 2 million students will encourage the innovative use of technology by trying something new, showcasing success, kicking off project-based learning, or focusing on how digital tools can help improve student outcomes. (From: http://www.digitallearningday.org/)

Starting in 1999, NAPLS adopted a set of standards requiring technology proficiency for graduation. Since that time, the district has placed a large emphasis on utilizing technology to enhance teaching and learning. Over the past 15 years, teachers have reported that technology adds value to teaching and learning in a variety of ways.

Technology adds value by providing opportunities for
Collaboration
Communication
Creative Thinking
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Product Creation
Increasing Audience
Organizing Thought and Information
Increased Access to Information
Student Choice in Learning Methods
Student Choice in Presentation of Knowledge
Varying Representations of Knowledge
Connecting Learning to Real World
Increased Feedback and Assessment
Individualized Instruction
Experiential Learning
Connecting the Learning Community to the World
Learning Any Time or Any Place


Technology adds value by providing opportunities that
are Novel and Varied
Amplify Human Abilities
Distribute Intelligence


With a nationwide focus on Digital Learning today (2/1/12), we thought it would be informative to share with the community what happened in our classrooms yesterday (1/31/12)! Across campus, in every building, teachers used technology for a variety of reasons.

Learners in Mr. Messenheimer’s 6th grade Science class used web resources and completed an online "bid proposal" form as part of a Problem-Based Learning energy project. The project will culminate with the creation of a digital story presenting their solution to energy problems. Technology will provide opportunities for learners to collaborate and communicate while also providing the necessary tools to enhance their creativity, problem solving and product creation.

Second grade learners in Mrs. Parmer’s class used and interactive research tool called PebbleGo to explore biographies. With features such as interactive timelines and “read aloud”, learners have increased access to information that is individualized and represents knowledge in various methods

Middle School and High School Math teachers worked collaboratively using Google Docs to begin in the revision and alignment of the district's curriculum to the 8th grade Common Core standards. The online collaborative environment allowed staff members to distribute their intelligence and will ultimately lead to a product that will be used to guide instruction for years to come.

High School Humanities learners in Mr. Locke’s class used online resources to explore the Greek gods and goddesses. Sites such as “The Greek Gods Family Tree” and “The Familty Tree of the Greek Gods” provide learners opportunities to organize their thoughts in an environment filled with choice, as they experience learning through interaction.


The Alliance for Excellent Education (the sponsors of Digital Learning Day) define Digital learning as:

“any instructional practice that is effectively using technology to strengthen the student learning experience. Digital learning encompasses a wide spectrum of tools and practices, including using online and formative assessment, increasing focus and quality of teaching resources and time, online content and courses, applications of technology in the classroom and school building, adaptive software for students with special needs, learning platforms, participating in professional communities of practice, providing access to high-level and challenging content and instruction, and many other advancements technology provides to teaching and learning.” (From: http://www.digitallearningday.org/)

As evidenced in the examples above, every day is digital learning day at New Albany - Plain Local Schools.

The above list of 4 examples are part of a larger list gathered during the day yesterday through an online form. The complete list contained over 20 examples! To see the other examples of what happened in the classroom yesterday, visit Digital Learning Day Examples.

Other Recent Technology New Stories:

Subscribe to NAPLS Shared Calendars

Fri, 01/13/2012 - 11:12 — Cathryn Chellis

Stay up-to-date with the calendars!  As you know, Google calendars are used for a variety of tasks, such as scheduling meetings, laptop carts, and rooms.  Follow the steps below to subscribe to calendars.

  1. Login to the NAPLS Portal
  2. At the Staff Portal page, scroll down and click Subscribe to NAPLS.US Shared Calendars to see a list of available calendars.
  3. Locate the calendar you want to add.  Click Add to your NAPLS calendar.
  4. A pop-up window appears, asking if you want to add the calendar.  Click, Yes, add this calendar.
  5. Next, open your Google Calendar.  The newly added calendar will appear under Other calendars on your Google Calendar.

YouTube Video for the process:

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