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EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS From the NH Department of Education |
March 14, 2005 |
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IN THIS ISSUE § NCLB Title II-D Program Cuts § Tech Progress Reports Due § NCLB Consolidated Application Meetings § E-Rate Update § New Study: Media Multi-tasking and Youth § Jamie McKenzie Comes to PD Centers § LoTi Notes § Star Office 7
Looking for other info? Check out previous issues online at www.nheon.org/oet/etnews |
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====================================== NCLB TITLE II-D ED TECH PROGRAM CUTS ====================================== http://www.setda.org/content.cfm?sectionID=184
We have received several inquiries about the President’s budget proposal to Congress for next year which includes the proposed elimination of the NCLB Title II-D program. This affects Round 5 grant funds that would normally become available in July 2006, and beyond. This program provides the bulk of New Hampshire’s educational technology grants to districts. Congress is debating the budget items now. Funds for Round 4 technology grants received a 28% cut last year when Congress approved the final budget. You can find periodic updates on the status of the budget situation on the website of the State Educational Technology Director’s Association (SETDA) at http://www.setda.org/content.cfm?sectionID=184.
Regarding current technology grants, the deadline for submission of Round 3 applications for formula funding was February 28. If your district has not yet submitted an application, please contact the Office of Educational Technology right away (via email at chiggins@ed.state.nh.us), as any unclaimed funds will need to be re-allocated. You can check on your district’s application status by viewing the following page on our website: http://nheon.org/oet/nclb/round3status.htm
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====================================== Title II-D TECH PROGRESS REPORTS DUE ======================================
Title II-D Tech Progress Reports are part of an ongoing data collection effort to understand the impact of educational technology grant programs and to meet federal reporting requirements. All Title II-D grants which were awarded in Round 1 are now closed and a one page tech progress report was due February 28, 2005 regarding the impact of those funds. Please submit your reports for first year funding ASAP. The report is available for download at http://nheon.org/oet/nclb/.
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====================================== NCLB Consolidated Applications Meetings ====================================== http://www.ed.state.nh.us/education/doe/organization/instruction/boip.htm
The NCLB Title II-D application for Round 4, Enhancing Education Through Technology, will be made available during the Consolidated Application Information Meetings. These meetings, sponsored by the NHDOE Bureau of Integrated Programs during the week of May 9, will provide general information about completing applications for the various NCLB Title programs.
Subsequent meetings with more detailed technology program information will be held at Local Educational Support Centers. For more information about the centers, visit www.nheon.org/centers.
We will also post information on our ET program site at www.nheon.org/oet/nclb. Stay tuned for more details about meeting locations and times.
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====================================== E-RATE UPDATE ======================================
The list of current discount percentage rates for a New Hampshire schools and districts is posted to the web at http://nheon.org/oet/erate. The list is based on school lunch data collected from NH schools in October 2004. Also available on the site is the Technology Plan Approval Status Report for all district tech plans.
More E-Rate resources online:
E-Rate Central has a set of “Ten Rules for E-Rate Success” at http://www.e-ratecentral.com/applicationTips/tenRulesForErateSuccess.asp?pg=1
E-Rate Manager provides a choice of a FREE or a low-cost online subscription to information on your e-rate applications documents at www.eratemanager.com.
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====================================== NEW STUDY: MEDIA MULTI-TASKING and YOUTH ====================================== http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia030905pkg.cfm
Kaiser Family Foundation just released a fascinating new study. Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year-olds, a national survey of young people about their media use, found that they are spending an increasing amount of time using "new media" like computers, the Internet and video games, without cutting back on "old media" like television and music. Instead, because they are using more than one medium at a time (for example, going online while watching TV), they’re packing increasing amounts of media content into the same amount of time each day. We encourage you to read the findings of this report.
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====================================== JAMIE McKENZIE comes to PD CENTERS ====================================== http://www.nhste.org/pd/Mckenzie
Attention all K-12 Teachers! Jamie McKenzie is coming to New Hampshire in less than a month! The sessions offered are targeted at ALL classroom teachers who want to enhance their teaching strategies. Sessions are filling quickly at four professional development centers (Keene, Manchester, Exeter, and Penacook) where these workshops are being held! Check out the NHSTE website for details and registration forms http://www.nhste.org/pd/Mckenzie
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====================================== LoTi NOTES ======================================
Teacher Question: I took the LoTi survey last year, so I have a LoTi login already. Now that I work at a different school, how can I make sure my LoTi results are associated with my new school, not the old one?
Answer: Each teacher can now change their school association by logging into LoTi Lounge and selecting the Menu option called "Edit User Profile" (which has been added to the main page of LoTi Lounge). Their User Profile contains all of their personal information including their school association. Once moved, they are permanently with the new school/organization. [Reminder: Your individual LoTi results still remain confidential. Only the school wide results are provided to your school.]
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====================================== STAR OFFICE Version 7 ====================================== http://www.sun.com/products-n-solutions/edu/solutions/staroffice.html
Star Office version 7 is still free to schools. “This is a multi-platform (Windows, Linux, Solaris Operating Environment) office suite and compatible with other office suites, including Microsoft Office. Sun Microsystems provides no-cost licenses for StarOffice 7, so education institutions can eliminate rising license fees and costly upgrades.”
What are tech coordinators in New Hampshire schools saying about it? “The price is right, and the product is excellent.”
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Regards, Cathy Higgins Visit us on NH Educators Online at http://nheon.org/oet |
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ET News is sent from the Office of Educational Technology at the New Hampshire Department of Education. ET News serves as a primary e-mail communication tool about technology matters pertinent to NH educators. Current and previous issues are posted on the web at www.nheon.org/oet/etnews and include information about: · NHDOE technology surveys and technology planning · Federal technology funding and E-rate discounts · Research studies, curriculum information, and professional development related to technology implementation
Requests from service providers to disseminate information about their technology products and services using the electronic newsletter ET News can no longer be accommodated by existing OET staff (see March 29, 2005 issue of ET News). Providers are referred to the Reports and Statistics section of the NHDOE website, where several data reports are available in various formats, including School and SAU Information with names, phone numbers, and addresses, Student Dropout Data, and more. Go to the Reports and Statistics area of the NHDOE website at: www.ed.state.nh.us
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