Tiffany Braunel: "Read and Ride" Program
I spearheaded the implementation of a new program in our district called "Read and Ride". Through this initiative, students are given incentives to be reading independently or reading to younger students while riding the school bus on the way to and from school. There was a book drive in order to be able to have a collection of books available on each bus; these collections rotate throughout the school year in order to keep new and fresh titles available on each bus for students to read. This helps keep the students occupied and aids in monitoring their bus behavior as well as keep them engaged in reading. Jone Davis: Internet Safety for Students and Parents I helped to create an Internet Safety and Digital Awareness night for parents and students. A group of 6 teachers got together with a recommendation from the Tech Committee and we discussed what was needed. As a group we came up with the information night for parents and student in 6th grade an up. We had a local police officer coming to present information on safety and Digital Awareness. Our presentation was interactive, giving parents a chance to respond to questions with any device they bring with them. This program was open to all community members and not just parents who go to our school. The two documents attached our the press release and a poster.
Ellen Reinertson: Girls Gaining STEaM
The Manitowoc Public School District has continued to receive funding to implement opportunities to girls in the community to encourage females to enroll in coursework that will lead to careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. As part of this project, a program entitled STEaM is offered at Lakeshore Technology College in Cleveland, WI for girls. Several stations are provided where girls experience activities related to STEM. Our STEM team included teachers from Lincoln High School, Wilson Junior High School, the Lincoln High School grant coordinator for the program who is also the coordinator for all of the technology courses in the district, representatives from Lakeshore Technical College and faculty from LTC. We worked together to organize the event which included approximately 50 girls from grades four and five. Specifically, I worked with a science teacher to prepare and facilitate the scoping out life-just winging it. The science teacher focused on the use of the microscope and stereomicroscope. My individual role for the day was to provide instruction on the proper use of an app entitled, "Educreations". Workshop participants learned about the app, used the app to draw detailed observations of their specimens and learned how to take photographs using the iPad as a tool.
Janet Sager: Title: Community Night at the Library, Brown County Library Denmark Branch
I offered adult technology education sessions pertinent to community members' needs. Websites You can't Live Without...get hands-on training using free websites for photo management, saving bookmarks, medical websites, and Skype; Help I Don't Know How to Work My...Bring in your iPod or iPad and learn about application management, music library and more. The Brown County Library Technology Community nights are growing. There were over 20 participants at the January session. Since the program was so well received, the program is continuing with sessions offered in the current school year.
Lisa Sorlie: It's Time for Action!
Using Technology to Problem-Solve and Collaborate Using Edmodo to coordinate teachers and students from different districts and grade levels, I am mentoring three teachers and 85 students in the area of problem-solving and collaboration. Students have worked to identify areas that they see as needing their assistance, and they have narrowed down those areas to four primary focuses: Helping Agencies that Help Others, Bridging the Gap, Pay it Forward, and School Safety. Under my coordination, we met "face-to-face" via a Polycom. Students created Edmodo accounts and/or joined Edmodo teams that are working towards collaborating with agencies like the homeless shelter in Green Bay, WI., area animal shelters, and local hospitals to meet their needs. The Bridging the Gap team is working to host technology trainings that will keep elderly in touch with family via e-mail and Facebook. Pay it Forward is working to establishing a culture of appreciation and thoughtfulness in the community. School Safety is working to teach others about online safety and safety in the brick-and-mortor school environment.
Jessica Schmitz: After Hours Open Library
Port Edwards does not have a public library. Our school has been working with the South Wood County Community Foundation discussing the digital divide. We have had several meetings and the Community Foundation has held several community forums with residents of Port Edwards, and it has become apparent that those in our community without access to regular Internet services or computers would like to see those services offered in our village. We, as a school district, have decided to keep the library open two nights a week for two hours for the next school year. We promote this through the local newspaper as well as the school newsletter that goes out freely to all residents of Port Edwards. We offer computer access as well as access to iPads, laptops, cameras, and iPods so that community members can become familiar with these gadgets/tools they have heard about but have not been able to use themselves. I am in charge of keeping the library open for the beginning of the project and eventually we may get others to do this. I am also offering a few training sessions/workshops throughout the year so that community members can learn how to more effectively use the gadgets and online tools that are available.
Polly LaMontagne: Merrill Tornado Historical Records / Merrill Tornado 2011 Website
Many people in my community experienced devastating losses resulting from a tornado that ripped through Merrill, Wisconsin on April 10, 2011. My project recorded their experiences in written form as well as through images, recorded interviews, and linked to news reports on television, in newspapers, and on the radio. The project was coordinated with the historical society and the library to ensure that these stories of survival and resilience are not forgotten. Update: We plan to finish the web pages that provide directions for community members to upload their own stories, and we've decided to interview people and help them to upload their experiences. We're using Merrill Hometown Facebook pages and the grand opening of the new historical society to spread the word. People seem to find it very therapeutic to share their stories, and they're interested in learning more about what their neighbors experienced.
Merrill Tornado 2011 Website (http://www.merrilltornado2011.com/)
Michael Slowinski: Internet Safety for Students and Parents
Working in conjunction with the Technology Curriculum Team in the West De Pere School District, I created an internet safety scope and sequence for all students and teachers K-12. Following the creation of the curriculum, I met with each grade level team to help the teachers understand the standards and lessons they were responsible to teach students each year. To help the teachers implement the curriculum, I offered links to pre-made lesson plans and offered to help teach the lessons in their classes. Additionally, with the help of the Technology Integration Specialist, we presented internet safety and awareness tips to middle school parents during conference and open house nights in our district.
Loretta Veers: Virtual Library for Marshfield Alternative School - Information Access Point
The Marshfield School District has a charter alternative school. The students that attend the alternative high school have chosen or been placed there for various reasons. This school is not located near the high school and so the physical benefits of proximity are lost. One of the major drawbacks is that the students do not or have limited access to our high school library. I collaborated with the alternative high school staff is to create a virtual library in which they might have access to reading materials through an e-book help guide as well as research instruction, reference & database links. The resources offered will develop and change as student and staff determine where they are see weakness in the information change.