NEON is an e-newsletter provided by SEIR*TEC, Regional Technology in Education Consortium at SouthEast Initiatives, through the Instructional Resource Center (ITRC) at the University of Central Florida.

This West Coast Edition of NEON is made available to you through a collaboration of SEIR*TEC and WestEd RTEC. It is accessible to you by email and web page, and is published electronically once a month.

To subscribe to the email list, send email to:
klarsen@wested.org
In the subject of the message type:
subscribe neon-list

=========================================================

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. NEON Turns 100!
2. Education Picks a New Technology Director
3. Florida Virtual School Educates Legislators
4. Free Professional Development Modules from GLEF
5. Using Technology to Support the English/Language Arts Adoptions


AWARDS & CONTESTS
6. GVC Contest Winners Announced
7. "My Teacher is the Best" Essay Contest

CLASSROOM RESOURCES
8. People of the Century
9. Exploring Ologies
10. Classroom Calendar
11. Celebrating 100!

PUBLICATIONS
12. 100 (or More) Best Books
13. Navigating the Media Landscape

CONFERENCES

14. NECC Update
15. Upcoming Conferences

NETS RESOURCES
16. Evaluation and Assessment

RTEC RESOURCES
17. GRITS

===================================================

---------------
ANNOUNCEMENTS
---------------

1. NEON TURNS 100!

Happy Birthday to NEON! Yes, this is the 100th issue of News for Educators Online Now! Born in 1998 from an idea we had on a LONG drive back from a national educational technology conference, we've had a number of milestones:
-1998, premiere issue, Dr. Mary Bird, editor; NEON available by email, Web and "push" technologies;
-2000; NEON reaches 2000+ subscribers;
-2001, NEON expands to serve the SEIR*TEC region;
-2002, Kathy Katz becomes NEON editor; NEON for handhelds premieres;
-2003, NEON reaches over 4000 subscribers;
-2004, NEON teams with SEIR*TEC and WestEd to provide the "West Coast Edition."
While looking for a way to mark this event, we found some classroom web resources where the number 100 is significant --see items #7, #8 (sort of), #10 and #11 in this issue. It's been an interesting ride! Take your own trip through the NEON "Way Back Machine" at:

http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/neon/archives/archives.html

to see what was "news" at different times, and have a piece of birthday cake for us! We appreciate your ongoing support!

----------

2. EDUCATION PICKS A NEW TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR

The Education Department named Susan Patrick director of the Office of Educational Technology. Patrick has served as acting director since February 2, when she replaced former director John Bailey.

Patrick is responsible for coordinating programs and policies on technology, including implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, virtual education and e-learning, student data management systems, online assessments and the National Education Technology Plan.

Before coming to Washington, Patrick worked for Arizona on technology issues and coordinated the Digital State Survey 2002. She served as former Governor Jane Dee Hull's liaison to the Legislature and the press on technology and served in the Government Information Technology Agency. Written by Mary Mosquera, GCN Staff (Source: Government Computer News, April 13, 2004)

Related URL: http://gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/25415-1.html

----------

3. FLORIDA VIRTUAL SCHOOL EDUCATES LEGISLATORS

The Florida Virtual School is inviting legislators to become students. This spring, FLVS began offering a mini-course providing elected officials with a first-hand look at the school's high-quality curriculum, individualized instruction and proven approach to helping students achieve educational goals. FLVS currently serves the state of Florida and beyond, offering 75 courses including honors courses and 11 Advanced Placement courses, to students in grades 7-12, as well as adults seeking GED alternatives. (Source: Ed.Net Briefs 3.29.2004)

Related URL: http://www.flvs.net

----------

4. FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODULES FROM GLEF

The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) offers a series of free online professional development modules. The newest, "Technology Integration in Math and Science," shows that technology integration can lend fun and color to quantitative activities. Experienced educators provide text, video, PDF, and PowerPoint resources to illustrate the power of technology to bring math and science alive. Other modules are available for educational leaders and classroom teachers.

Related URL: http://www.glef.org/foundation/courseware.php

----------

5. Using Technology to Support the English/Language Arts Adoptions

Linda Perry, Staff Development Coordinator in CTAP Region 3 will present an overview and examples from her the face-to-face workshops on using technology to support California English/Language adoptions such as Open Court Reading 2002 (K-6), Houghton Mifflin Reading: A Legacy of Literacy (K-6), and Holt Literature and Language Arts (6th-8th).

Related URL: http://rtecexchange.edgateway.net/cs/rtecp/view/rtec_e/58

--------------------
AWARDS & CONTESTS
--------------------

6. GVC CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The winners of the Global Virtual Classroom (GVC) Contest have been announced. About 1800 students from 77 schools in 26 teams submitted websites for assessment by a panel of judges.

The Grand Prize winner in the younger primary school category, "The Science Wow Factory," put together by almost 70 students from Australia, Spain, and Mississippi, is a collection of creative science experiments, presented as scripts that are downloadable for use by other schools.

In the older secondary school category, the Grand Prize went to a team of almost 60 students from Canada, Israel, and the USA for their site, "Progression Through Time: The Digital Age of Technology." This site is a creative exploration of the history of technology that has come to be used on a day-to-day basis.

Related URL: http://www.gsbi.org/gvc/GVC03/contest/2A.html

----------

7. "MY TEACHER IS THE BEST" ESSAY CONTEST

GiveKidsGoodSchools.com is running its "My Teacher is the Best" Essay Contest. By writing a short essay about their favorite middle school teacher, public school students in grades 6, 7, and 8 can win two new laptop computers -- one for themselves and one for the teacher they write about. Essays must be submitted by May 31, 2004 and may be no longer than 250 words. (Source: PEN Weekly Blast for April 2)

Related URL: http://www.givekidsgoodschools.com/goodteachers/essay.html


--------------------
CLASSROOM RESOURCES
--------------------

8. CELEBRATING 100!

Education World has compiled 99 ways to celebrate the 100th day of school.

Related URL: http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson149.shtml

And for strictly informational purposes, more than you probably need to know about the number 100.

Related URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred

----------

9. EXPLORING OLOGIES

Ology means "the study of." At this site, maintained by the American Museum of Natural History, you can explore a variety of Ologies (i.e., Archaeology, Astronomy, Biology). A few of the things you can do at this site include:
- Finding out about fossils, the universe, animals, and much more.
- Collecting over 100 Ology cards and make projects with them.
- Doing activities such as drawing dinosaurs or making a birdfeeder.
- Meeting Ologists (kids and scientists who share their discoveries).

Related URL: http://www.ology.amnh.org/

----------

10. CLASSROOM CALENDAR

In this calendar, you'll find entries that contain background information, ready-to-go activities, and other suggested curriculum materials related to math and science topics. The entries contain direct links to carefully chosen Internet sources and are correlated to national science and mathematics standards.

Related URL: http://enc.org/features/calendar/?ls=bc

----------

11. PEOPLE OF THE CENTURY

From TIME Magazine, this site highlights 100 remarkable people from the last century. Twenty individuals from five fields of endeavor (Revolutionaries, Builders and Titans, Scientists and Thinkers, Heroes and Icons, and Entertainers) are profiled.

Related URL: http://www.time.com/time/time100/


--------------------
Publications
--------------------

12. 100 (OR MORE) BEST BOOKS

An annotated list of 100 picture books everyone should know, complied by librarians from the New York Public Library.

Related URL: http://kids.nypl.org/reading/recommended2.cfm?ListID=61

A list of one hundred books selected by the National Education Association as great reading for children and young people. To help make these books more useful, book and author links to any TeachersFirst resources and lesson ideas are included.

Related URL: http://www.teachersfirst.com/100books.htm

And to give equal time to our neighbors to the north, this site lists the 100 best Canadian books for today's children and teens. This annotated list was complied by the Children's Librarians of the Toronto Public Library.

Related URL: http://www.tpl.toronto.on.ca/KidsSpace/grownups/100bestbooks.htm

----------

13. NAVIGATING THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE

The National PTA and Cable in the Classroom have released a report, Navigating the Children's Media Landscape: A Parent's and Caregiver's Guide, by the American Institutes for Research. The report offers guidelines to help teachers, parents, and caregivers deal with all the media available to children now. It includes:

• A guide to help families develop a comprehensive media plan.
• A chart on how to use media to support age appropriate development.
• Ideas and strategies to help parents and caregivers select and use media in ways appropriate for their children.

Related URL: http://www.ciconline.org/navigate


--------------------
CONFERENCES
--------------------

14. NECC UPDATE

Just a quick reminder that April 30 is the last day to register under the Early-Bird rate of $175 ($130 for ISTE and LACUE members).

Tickets for workshops and special events are selling fast, but are still available. Open workshops/events include: Saturday - Tuesday workshops, special forums for administrators and those interested in issues of assessment and technology, and a Wednesday keynote luncheon with Peter Reynolds, CEO and founder of FableVision.

Related URL: http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2004/registration/default.php

----------

15. UPCOMING CONFERENCES

EETT Competitive Grant Evaluation Workshop (for awardees)
California Department of Education & CTAP
May 18 -19, 2004
http://www.cde.ca.gov/edtech/eett/

National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)
June 21-23, 2004
New Orleans, LA
Related URL: http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2004

American Library Association Annual Conference
June 24-30, 2004
Orlando, FL
Related URL: http://www.ala.org/

Digital Generations: Children, Young People, and New Media
July 26-29, 2004
London, England
Related URL: http://www.ccsonline.org.uk/mediacentre/Events/main.html

AECT 2004 International Convention
October 20-24, 2004
Chicago, IL
Related URL: http://aect.org/events/Chicago04/call/default.asp?

NSBA's T+L2
October 27 - October 29
Colorado Convention Center in Denver
http://www.nsba.org/T+L

E-Learn 2004
The World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, & Higher Education
November 1-5, 2004
Washington, DC
Related URL: http://www.aace.org/conf/elearn/

GaETC
Georgia Educational Technology Consortium
November 10-12, 2004
Macon, GA
Related URL: http://www.gaetc.org/conference.htm

Sloan-C International Conference on Asynchronous Learning Networks
November 12-14, 2004
Orlando, Florida
Related URL: http://www.aln.ucf.edu/


--------------------
NETS RESOURCES
--------------------

Each month, we take a look at one of the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS) at http://cnets.iste.org/teachers/t_stands.html and identify resources for helping teachers meet those standards.

16. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT

NETS for Teachers - Standard IV(A): "Teachers apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques."

Related Resource Sites:

Assessment & Rubric Information
http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/assess.html
From Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators, this web page includes links to examples of and information on Student Web Page Rubrics, Subject-Specific and General Rubrics, and Electronic Portfolios.

Assessment and Evaluation
http://www.middleweb.com/ContntAssess.html
Learn more about performance standards, rubrics, and assessment strategies that can improve teaching and learning. MiddleWeb maintains this page.

Assessment: Information Technologies in the K-12 Curriculum
http://www.iste.org/research/roadahead/assess.cfm
Current research is presented and analyzed from an information-technologies point of view. The focus is on student assessment in instructional settings where information technologies are woven into the everyday curriculum.

Using Technology to Support Alternative Assessment and Electronic Portfolios
http://electronicportfolios.org/portfolios.html
This set of pages describes and discusses the use of technology to support alternative assessment from a number of perspectives. Developed and maintained by Dr. Helen Barrett, Assistant Professor, Educational Technology, School of Education, University of Alaska Anchorage.


--------------------
R*TEC RESOURCES
--------------------

The Regional Technology in Education Consortia (R*TEC) program at http://www.rtec.org/ supports the integration of technology into K-12 environments and other educational settings. In each issue of NEON, we will explore some of the free and/or inexpensive resources being provided to educators by this program.

17. GRITS

From the SouthEast Initiatives Regional Technology in Education Consortium (SEIR*TEC), GRITS (Great Resources for Integrating Technology in Schools) is connected to curriculum standards in reading/language arts, math, science, social studies, and instructional technology from the six southeastern states.

GRITS is a Web-based catalyst for engaging teachers in the development, use, and assessment of standards-based activities that promote collaborative, constructivist learning.

Related URL: http://www.gritsonline.org/
----------------------------------------
To unsubscribe to the email list, send email to
klarsen@wested.org
In the subject of the message type:
unsubscribe neon-list

To access through the web, go to
http://www.westedrtec.org/neon/

NEON (News for Educators Online Now! - the West Coast Edition) is designed to disseminate educational technology announcements and news. NEON provides a way for YOU to let others know what you are doing.

To submit an announcement of national interest, use the online form at http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/neon/archives/submitstory.html OR send email to ucfitrc@orion.itrc.ucf.edu. To submit an announcement of interest for West Coast educators, send an email to klarsen@wested.org. Each announcement should be sent separately and MUST include an email address or URL for people to go to for more complete information. We will use as space allows.

The IRTC staff reserves the right to determine which announcements will be used in NEON based on content, length, and timeliness. The ITRC staff also reserves the right to edit information provided.

The Instructional Technology Resource Center (ITRC) at UCF
University of Central Florida
Dr. Donna Baumbach, Director
Kathy Katz, NEON Editor
http://www.itrc.ucf.edu
ucfitrc@orion.itrc.ucf.edu
(407) 207-4962

SEIR*TEC
Elizabeth Byrom, Ed.D., Principal Investigator
http://www.seirtec.org

WestEd RTEC
Kurt Larsen, Principal Investigator/Director
http://www.westedrtec.org

DISCLAIMER: We do our best to verify the information in NEON, but we do not guarantee accuracy nor agree with every opinion expressed.

The Instructional Technology Resource Center (ITRC) at UCF is a partner in the SouthEast Initiatives Regional Technology in Education Consortium(SEIR*TEC). SEIR*TEC & WestEd RTEC are funded by the U.S.Department of Education under grant number R302A000011, CFDA 84.302A to support the integration of technology in education. The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Education, or any other agency of the United States government.