Register now to attend TERS 2018!

Plan to attend the upcoming Technology Education Research Symposium -TERS 2018 by PAECT which will be held on April 14th, 2018 on the campus of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania! 

Examples of presentations at TERS 2018 include:

Role of the Humanities in the 21st Century College Curriculum

The Best of Both: Integrating two learning management systems in an Intermediate Algebra course

Student Study Skills: Perception vs Reality

Feedback, Reflection, and Revising: Using Google Docs as a Platform for 21st Century Learning

Pre-service Teachers' Perceptions of Classroom Management and Self-Efficacy in an Urban Practicum Experience determined with ePortfolios and Surveys

4 Apps for a More Efficient Classroom

The potential benefits of using video discussion boards in middle schools as meaningful formative assessments to promote engagement and social learning: A Review

Register by April 1st, 2018 to lock in the registration price and avoid a $20 late fee.

Click here for additional information and to register to attend:

https://www.smore.com/mvnaf

Teacher of the Year:  Sara Heintzelman

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Award: Paul Sanfrancesco

Mary C. Renner/Ronald G. Bennett Award: Diahann Snisky

Outstanding Technical Support Person Award: Shannon Decorrevont

Pioneer Award: Matt Dancho

Paul W. Weliver: Nathaniel R. Turcotte

Sunday, February 11

• 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - KTI Pre-conference Event, Hershey Lodge
  
• • Pre-registration required
    
• 4:30 p.m. - PAECT Board Meeting - Hershey Lodge, Suite TBA
  
• • All PAECT members invited
    

Monday, February 12

• 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Visit the PAECT Booth across from PETE&C Registration.
  
• 6:30 p.m. - PAECT Banquet - Hershey Lodge, Room TBA
  
• • All PAECT members are welcome.  However, you must have a meal ticket. Meal ticket cost is $40.00. Stop by the PAECT booth to purchase a ticket. 
    

Tuesday, February 13

• 9:15 a.m. - 2:15 p.m. - Visit the PAECT Booth across from PETE&C Registration.
  
• 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Higher Education Session - Hershey Lodge, Trinidad Room
  
• • By attending this session you can meet and collaborate with others interested in higher education, discuss PAECT Higher Education Student Chapters, TERS 2018 by PAECT, future higher education events, and talk about other important topics pertaining to our field.
  • Please feel free to bring your lunch as snacks will be provided. This session will be hosted by Dr. Lynn Hummel Ed. D., PAECT Higher Education Chair.
    

Keystones Technology Innovators Staff Applications

Staff selection is a competitive process, especially considering there are only slots for 20 full-time and 5-15 part-time staff. Folks will be disappointed when they are not selected, so please do not take it personally. (I know, easier said than done.) We are looking to put together the best staff possible with folks that can be a help in a lot of different ways; as someone on the PAECT leadership team puts it, we are looking for Swiss Army Knives, versatile individuals who can jump in and help out in a lot of different areas. Please consider that carefully when crafting your application.

Applications for staff are due on January 31, 2018, we expect to select full-time staff before February 28. The first and immediate expectation is that some of you will assist with selecting the 100 individuals attending the 2018 Summit. 

Here's the link for the application: https://goo.gl/forms/hJChskzQoxPtquX92

If you have any questions or feel you need to communicate anything, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Scott Snyder

ktichair@paect.org

KTI Chair

Dear PAECT members,

As you well know, PAECT is your organization: the board and committee chairs, both regionally and for the state, are volunteers, selflessly giving hours of their time to make PAECT the great organization that it is. Some of you have already given back to the organization by running for elected office or offering services in various areas. 

One thing we consistently hear as we talk with members from across the state is “How can we get involved?” Contacting your regional director is always one option we suggest. Getting involved in your region, planning for and participating in the wide variety of events offered, is certainly one way to “get your foot in the door.”

While there has never been a formal way of indicating a desire to be involved on the state level, we felt it was important to do so now. As the organization grows and evolves, we understand it is important to include fresh voices and new energy to sustain and help the organization continue its evolution. This is your call to action!

The PAECT Board has a number of non-voting committee chairs & committees that are critical to our operations. They include the following:

• Newsletter Chair - responsible for weekly newsletter
  
• Parliamentarian - monitors board meetings & advises on parliamentary procedure
  
• Webmaster & Asst. Webmaster - works on designing and maintaining website
  
• Membership Chair - oversees new member registrations and renewals & database
  
• Student Showcase Chair & Committee - brings districts from across the state to the State Capital to show off projects
  
• Marketing Chair - seeks ideas and quotes for member giveaways, etc.
  
• Sponsorship Chair & Committee  - seeks out and negotiates with vendors for short and long-term partnerships
  
• Advocacy - stays aware of educational legislation and communicates needs to members
  
• Historian - maintains historic records for organization
  
• Social Media Chair - publicizing PAECT events through our social media channels
  
• Free Curriculum Tools Chair & Committee - developing a matrix to match ISTE Student Standards with PA Core Standards, digital skills, activities and resources.
  
• Leadership Development Committee Chair -
  
• Professional Development Chair & Committee - planning learning opportunities for members
  
• ISTE Liaison - stays in contact with ISTE, acting as our affiliate’s point of communication with this organization
  
• AECT Liaison - stays in contact with AECT, acting as our affiliate’s point of communication with this organization
  
• Higher Ed Chair - Connects with higher education entities across the state to promote opportunities at that level, including spring higher ed conference

If you have an interest in serving on a state level committee or as a presidentially-appointed board-level committee chair, you are welcomed and encouraged to share your specific area of interest (committee name as well as CHAIR or COMMITTEE) with PAECT Vice-President Scott Snyder (vp@paect.org) by January 15, 2018. Please indicate interest now even if you are already a chair or on a committee or are running for election as regional director or for the State Board. No decisions or selections will be made until after the election is complete.

If you would prefer to be involved more locally, contact your regional director at any time. Visit http://paect.org to find your regional director’s contact information.

Thanks you for your service,

Brandon Lutz            Scott Snyder

President                  Vice-President / President Elect

PAECT seeks to recognize and celebrate the talents and contributions of individuals who continually exceed expectations in their service.  The Board of PAECT invites you to help us connect, develop, lead and advocate for educational technology in Pennsylvania by nominating these deserving individuals.  

This is your opportunity to identify individuals who go above and beyond.  Think about individuals who contribute more than expected.  Identify those who serve as models of excellence and inspire us all.

Please look through the awards listed below (and in this linked file that contains more details).  Please submit information about individuals you feel deserve to be honored via the linked Google Doc no later than January 26, 2018.

Feel free to contact me at pastpres@paect.org if you have questions about the awards or the process.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Ann M. Noonen, Ph.D.

PAECT Past President

pastpres@paect.org

PAECT Awards Information

Click the name of the award to be taken to the submission page.

Ero W. Davidson Award

An award presented for outstanding accomplishments by a member of the Association in the field of communications in Pennsylvania.

Mary C. Renner/Ron Bennett Achievement Award

Presented to honor an outstanding contribution by a member to the Association.

PAECT Special Award

An award presented to a present, past, or non-member who has made a recent particular contribution to the field of communications.

Friend of PAECT Award

An award presented to a non-member for distinctive service to the Association.

Pioneer Award

An award presented for long and successful service in the field of communications by a present or past member of PAECT or its parent organization.

Paul W. Welliver Outstanding Student Award

An award presented to honor an outstanding graduate student who is a member of the Association.

Outstanding Teacher of the Year

Outstanding Leader of the Year

Outstanding Technical Support Person Award

Each year PAECT wishes to honor the performance of exemplary support personnel who make significant contributions to the successful use of technology in a district or IU or on a campus by providing exceptional technical support.

PAECT Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Award

PAECT seeks to present the PAECT Chief Technology Officer Award to an individual who is a pioneer and champion of the uses of technology in K12 education through Leadership, Community Building, Innovative Use of Technology, Creation of Partnerships and Impact on Learning.

If the awardee is also be a member of the PAECT CTL-SIG, which is the PA state chapter of CoSN, the awardee may also be submitted as the PAECT candidate for the CoSN Withrow Award.  The CoSN Withrow Award goes to a deserving individual who has followed the model set forth by Frank Withrow.  Frank has been a classroom teacher, early childhood educator, and Director of Research and Clinical Services for the Department of Children and Family Services for the state of Illinois. Frank was a long-standing member of the CoSN Board of Directors.  

Making IT Happen

This award is offered according guidelines provided through ISTE.  In addition, only nominees submitted by current or past PAECT Board members are considered.  

PA Public Policy Advocate of the Year

Each year, PAECT attempts to identify a PAECT member who has provided leadership and mentored others in advocating for education technology policy at the local, state, regional, national and/or international level.

What if Discovery Education or Safari Montage video distribution ended up costing your district more if they had to work with Internet Service Providers to guarantee their videos have the same pipeline as YouTube? Would a small innovative startup be able to compete in this market alongside these larger companies? Could a group hosting Open Education Resources compete with electronic delivery where large textbook publishers might have agreements to guarantee their digital delivery has priority over other traffic? If you are concerned about these situations potentially impact your and your work, you need to be concerned about Net Neutrality protections! PAECT's state CoSN affiliate supplied us with the following press release:

Express your opposition to eliminating the FCC's Net Neutrality protections. When you reach the FCC's express comment page, you must reference proceeding "17-108."

CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) CEO Keith Krueger today issued the following statement on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) net neutrality plans:

“CoSN, and the school technology leaders we serve, are concerned about the potential, unexpected consequences of Chairman Ajit Pai’s aggressive net neutrality plan. The FCC should carefully consider the proposal’s implications for teaching and learning before leaping into these murky waters.

“For example, will school districts be stuck with the bill for higher transport costs levied on digital content providers? Simply relying on carriers to disclose information about pricing and practices would be a flimsy guardrail for powerful Internet service providers (ISPs), especially for smaller, rural and high-cost districts that lack competition and meaningful market power.

“We are also concerned how the tiered pricing and fast lanes – potentially structured to benefit incumbent companies – would disadvantage new entrants into the education technology market. How will the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission protect startups from ISPs that prefer better-resourced incumbents?

“Finally, if this policy change aims to stimulate network investment, what guarantee will the FCC provide to ensure ISPs target underserved communities – especially rural, poorly connected school districts?

“Before rolling net neutrality back, the FCC should take a very cautious look at its impact on schools, students and families nationwide.”

Eduspire Spring Courses Open for Registration: Various Deadlines Throughout January, Click Here for More Info

- Important New Online Courses (start dates and reg. deadlines): 

Design Thinking in Education, starts 1/15, deadline 1/5. 

Adaptive Technology for Students, starts 1/15, deadline 1/5. 

Effective Formative Assessment and Technology, starts 1/16, deadline 1/6. 

Ownership of Learning, starts 1/16, deadline 1/6. 

Reading, Writing, and Speaking in Science, starts 1/27, deadline 1/17. 

Science of Teaching and Learning, starts 1/29, deadline 1/19.

 December: Registration ends 12/29 for Chromebooks in Education at Bellefonte (which includes a free Chromebook), The Mindful Classroom (online), and Google Tools for Educators (online; Eduspire will pay the Google certification exam fee).

Join PAECT, CoSN, ISTE, and SETDA on May 11 for a national Day of Action to advocate for the policies that could significantly impact educators, their schools and the students they serve.

What You Can Do on May 11th

On May 11^th, we ask that you please join educators and advocates all across the nation by taking one (or all) of the following extremely critical actions:

1. Send a prewritten letter to Congress

Use our easy advocacy tool to send this pre-written letter to Congress about the effectiveness of E-Rate and the Title IV, A block grant, which houses the ed tech provisions in ESSA.

2. Tweet #ERateWorks, #MoreTitleIV, #Act4EdTech

Here are some sample tweets you can use:

·        Millions of students are connected to the internet at school because #ErateWorks @AjitPaiFCC

·        Personalized and digital learning is possible in schools because #ErateWorks to provide broadband in classrooms @AjitPaiFCC

·        Give schools the funding to provide Students with a well-rounded education @[Congressperson] #Act4EdTech #MoreTitleIV

·        Every school benefits from #edtech funding @[Congressperson] #Act4EdTech #MoreTitleIV

3. Call your members in Congress!

Unsure who your Representative is? – Visit the Find Your Representative tool. Unsure what to say? - Here is a script you can use when speaking to staff member of the office.

·        I am a [insert title and organizational affiliation] and I am calling to urge Senator/Representative [insert name here] to support full funding of the Student Support and Academic Enrichment grant program under Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Congress authorized Title IV Part A of ESSA at $1.65 Billion to ensure that each school district received funds to support access to a well-rounded education, improve student’s physical and mental health and improve conditions for learning, and to increase the effective use of technology. Unfortunately, the current appropriation bill falls far short of full funding.

·        There is a wealth of evidence that supports the needs for students to have access to a diverse academic curriculum that includes science, arts, foreign language and civic education; programs that support students physical, mental, and behavioral health, and the improve school safety; and modern, classroom based technology. All of these areas are critical to ensure all students graduate from high school ready to enter.

·        ESSA consolidated most of the programs that support student health and safety, well rounded academics and education technology into this new flexible block grant.  Without a significant investment in Title IV Part A, districts will be faced with the unnecessarily difficult decision of choosing which area to invest in. Full funding of Title IV Part A will ensure that each district is provided funds to invest in each of these critical areas.

·        I urge Senator/Representative [insert name] to support the full funding if Title IV Part A.

We hope you can join us on May 11^th to support edtech policies!

Sincerely,

PAECT, CoSN, ISTE, SETDA