Pragmatic+agenda+related+to+daily+tech+items+and+issues+at+EHS

May 6, 2008

**Please add any items that you see fit to the agenda - these are in no particular order.**
Intranet Group: Prototype -
 * Sub Committees Update:**
 * Survey Database can be used on web or on intranet for alumni or parents
 * Use of File Maker Pro vs. back end of Website to replace Power School - need to make a decision over the next week so program will be up and running by next school year.
 * Making the intranet accessible from off campus
 * I Web for assignments and displaying projects - should it be accessible from outside of EHS?
 * Change Teacher/ Students to Daily Bulletin Board
 * Locking certain links - i.e. Activities Director for Dave only; he would have his own user name /password; a generic one for callback

Student Standards / Faculty Standards -
 * See Standards
 * Question about adding Internet Safety and Etiquette on Faculty Standards?
 * Can look at training ideas before scheduling so going into it with a better sense of when/ where kids will be pulled
 * Look at Support Staff Standards - Pam will talk with Antoinette about type of tech support they would need and standards they need.

Professional Development -
 * Put stars by what each comm. member would find productive
 * Next step for them is to con't gathering more information from other schools
 * Contact small school in Maine (Liza has contact from LDA)

Staff development for new teachers (2 or 3 day plan) new teachers: Tues/Wed tenured teachers Thurs/Fri (approach Mark and Wendy b4 mapping it all out)
 * Have new staff members load all their own software and learn EHS basics - week before pre-service Wednesday they come in

Staff development for all teachers. What should it look like? What has worked, what has not?
 * Revisiting pullouts from Inservice time for 20 minute sessions with Tech people
 * Look at lunch period options for pulling out teachers by covering tables - doubled up tables or floaters
 * Returning faculty - offering 2 days for faculty to choose from to come a load their new computers, etc; and Tuesday after Labor Day
 * Look at teachers that may be freed up the last week of school for Tech Seminar @ GA - do we want to send teachers

Tech learning for students - pullout, push ins or both?
 * Deciding what students need what regarding technology
 * How to develop assessment
 * Looking at new students needs
 * Going into callback centers to talk about internet safety

Adaptive tech - what technologies will we use - how will we support students with this?
 * Kurzweil ( around $1,000 for 1 site sitting license w/ scanning; $ 250 per user for regular license)
 * Tech to Voice - Speak recognition - $180- bought on individual user basis; no site license that we are aware of; additional cost for mic and headsets

New operating system: Leopard - how do we structure upgrade?
 * Leopard will not load on all existing computers
 * Will upgrade computers that are 1 year old next fall

Office 2008 - wait for next year given the OS X upgrade and that it is new - let the kinks get worked out
 * Cost - expensive
 * Significantly different from Office 2004
 * If we can manage to wait for the kinks to work out before we adapt it
 * Let parent know that we have site license for Office 2004 but we do not support Office 2008
 * Possibly Tech Dept have it on their computers to be able to work with it as well as open Office 2008 documents for students that may need it

ActivBoards: people need more training to capitalize on all this tool has to offer. Send people out in summer for training (when we know who will teach with the boards? Bring people in for training? Should there be a criterion for remaining in a room with a board? There are also online training sessions - Tier people for training?? Hardware needs? post what we have for both hardware and software
 * Training levels identified
 * Promethean has on-line courses - 3 levels w/ assessments and interactive
 * Different Seminars offered
 * Portable ActivBoards
 * During pre-service - looking at how much time would be needed to have some senior faculty have a block of time to train and meet in small groups to use skills instructed
 * Add to list anything that you think we need or need more of either software or hardware
 * Document Reader
 * OCR Software

Software needs? clicker 5
 * Clicker 5 - can be checked out online

Teacher AUP - review what we have - do we use it?? simple lang. responsible for lost/stolen anything over $300???? and not covered by warranty
 * Currently written in firm language that we will need to be able to reinforce
 * May need some flexibility in wording and not as black & white
 * Pam will post it

Kurzweil use for all of Upper School? Read this study:
 * To be talked about after scheduling as to what is the most beneficial
 * Is it changing our mission of re-mediation
 * What is working for what kids

iPod use for books on tape and other uses??
 * Ordering IPod cart

Leasing laptops for Upper School - cost of leasing - what is it - push it to next year
 * Too late for next year - so many have their own computers
 * If we want to do it 2009/2010 then we will need change policy
 * Which would be better a direct lease from Apple vs. leasing from EHS
 * How do we stay as Administrators
 * May need to communicate with GA about their program
 * Need to talk with PA as well