November 14, 2010

• The next parent information session will take place this Wednesday, November 17 from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. in the Nagel Cafetorium. Please join us as we explore technology enhanced learning!
  

• The participation letter has been uploaded; you'll find it at the bottom of this page!

• Look for information about laptop bundles being offered to parents the week of November 22! Parents will be able to purchase a Toshiba netbook, notebook or tablet pc from CDWG.

• All seventh grade students will find a new home on Schoology. This will be a central portal where students and teachers can learn from each other!
  

October 14, 2010

• Natasha Adams and Cary Harrod met with all seventh grade students to begin conversations about the pilot project. Many wonderful, insightful questions were brought up which you can find on the "Student Meeting" page. Our next step will be to create a “Student Voice” group which will consist of individuals who are interested in helping us create a vision for this project.

• We held a total of three parent information sessions in October. The parents were very supportive and have given us much to think about as we prepare for the January launch. While questions about security and damage are high on their list, their primary concern is how we will use these devices to support learning. This gives us a focus for the kinds of experiences we will need to plan for students, teachers and parents in the upcoming months.

• In October, power strips will be installed in team 7-2’s rooms. The installation will be semi-permanent, giving us the opportunity to move them around until we find the perfect location. Once we are satisfied we have the best placement, they will be permanently secured.

• The infrastructure equipment has been ordered; installation will take place throughout the last few weeks of October.

• We met with Diana Carter and Peggy Johnson, principals of the two high schools, to begin to vision out how their staff members can be woven into the planning of this project.

• Carla Johnson, U. C. professor, met with Team 7-2 to begin action research. More information will be forthcoming on this component. 2010

September 26, 2010

• We will talk to all 7th grade students this week to get their input/suggestions/feedback on the pilot project. Whether all of them will bring their device to school or not, we are committed to building a community of learners who understand our goal of increasing access to the technology. Look for the notes from these meetings to be posted sometime next week.

• If you are interested in working with us to create an incredible program for our 7th graders, please sign up on the "On Being a Tribe" page, located in the navigation bar to the left. Although we've listed some possible groups, feel free to add suggestions to the page.
  

September 8, 2010

• As part of our commitment to form a partnership with parents, we have scheduled three dates to meet with Nagel parents to answer questions, learn more about the pilot project and share ideas regarding the "Partnership for Powerful Learning" pilot project. Please plan to attend one of these sessions to find out more. (Each session will offer the same content.)

Tuesday, September 14 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Nagel Middle School
Wednesday, September 22 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. Nagel Middle School
Thursday, September 30 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Nagel Middle School

August 25, 2010

The summer was a busy time for all of us involved in the 7th grade pilot project. Take a look:

• 7th & 8th grade staff, as well as John Vandemeer, Natasha Adams and Cary Harrod worked together to begin planning for several aspects of the project, including the Student/Parent/Teacher Bootcamps, Classroom Management of the Devices and developing a central learning portal for our 7th graders to share their learning next January. We're still smack dab in the middle of planning but look for new content to be added to the "Laptop Care" and "Online Safety" pages of this wiki very soon.

• We're still in the beginning phases of planning the Student Bootcamp but the day (or days) will include an exploration of how to organize/manage your online environment; presentation, productivity and social tools; digital citizenship; and understanding the Nuts & Bolts of bringing in your own device. All 7th grade students and their parents are invited; the meeting is mandatory for any student who plans to bring their own device to school. (Please note: we have switched the day several times; as soon as we have a confirmed date, we will be sure to broadcast it to all involved.)
  

• The Parent/Student Device Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 14 , 2010 from 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. The evening will be very informative; topics will include understanding the differences between netbooks, notebooks and tablet pcs and the minimum specifications you should look for when buying a computing device. Stay tuned for more information!

• If you haven't already done so, please be sure to join this wiki; you will receive notifications when we have updated the content. Stay in the loop!

• By clicking on the "discussion" tab at the top of the page, you can join in the conversation. We need your voice!!!!