Recent Changes

http://www.theflip.com/en-us/Products/specs.aspx (all come with wrist strap, soft protective case, user guide, built in USB arm/speaker/microphone).
$149.99 - $279.99
are available (Rechargeable batteries would be a good purchase to consider if funding allows.)
http://www.theflip.com/en-us/Products/accessories.aspx:
$14.99 - $49.99.

home
Our Collaborative Committee Page
1. Planning Technology Initiatives
2. Needs Assessment
3. Technology Solution Plan
4. Implementation Plan and Schedule
5. Safeguarding Flip Video Camera Technology
6. Funding Our Technology
7. Maintaining and Supporting Our Technology
8. Support Services Document
9. Professional Development Plan
10. Integrating Your Technology
11. Reflection Topic: Professional Growth and Leadership
NETP Infomation

Welcome to Our Technology Initiative Wiki!
hosted by: Valerie Phillips and Kathleen Volturo
{technology-engineering.jpg}
Getting started:
Click here to take our initiative survey.

Reflection Topic: Professional Growth and Leadership
a. Our ongoing renewal of professional practice for adopting current technologies for student success.
Kathy:
For the longest time I have always thought that when a new technology idea came along, it was thought about and brought into the school. It always seemed to just magically appear. Never did I think that so much went into creating and implementing a technology plan into a school. So much time and research goes into it to make sure it can be done and be successful. Teams need to be created and people need to step up and be responsible for initiating the plan. All of this just to make students succeed and teachers be able to do their job and meet the 21st Century Learning Skills.
Introducing technology in the schools is very important, since the wave of the future is technology based. The main problem is that technology is expensive. Buying a piece of equipment requires accessories and a budget in case something breaks or goes wrong. Training is also another part that goes along with the expense. Most technology companies provide their own trainers to come and introduce the technology and provide onsite training to the teachers. All of this comes with a price tag.
As an educator who uses technology within the classroom, I can honestly say that this course has taught me a lot. I firmly believe that technology is here to stay, and we as educators need to become aware of it and what it has to offer. I do not believe that every little piece of technology that comes along needs to be bought up, but perhaps looked at and analyzed as to whether it is worthwhile to bringing on into the school. I still believe that some of the "old school" ways of teaching is still effective and students need to have a mixture of both technology based education and old fashion paper and pencil education. Students need to be adaptive to the ways their teachers teach. Not everyone is going to be utilizing technology, and they need to be prepared for when that happens.
Valerie:
As a member of the 21st century, I have watched technology grow and develop as I grew and developed into a teacher. My first piece of technology was a Walkman cassette player, which my students do not know what it is or looks like, that has been replaced by my iPod, a familiar technology tool that is being updated continuously. My first computer was large, not very fancy, and made a horrible screeching noise at it connected to the Internet, that has been replaced with my wireless iMac desktop computer that greets me when I turn it on and is automatically connected to the wireless Internet in my home, without that memorable noise. These changes and advancements in technology took place over the 26 years of my life, and represent huge jumps in technology. Changes in technology today are monthly. The iPod I got 2 years ago already has 3 new models, and the next iPod I will own has not even been created yet. Technology is a process not a thing. Technology is continuously changing and we need to keep up. As a teacher, it is necessary for us to continuously change as well. I never realized how much went into the process of technology. This initiative was driven by my students and opened by eyes to the amount of effort put into implementing technology.
Everyday someone somewhere is inventing or implementing some new way to use technology and our students are among those people. Out students do not know what it was like to not have a cell phone or high-speed Internet, how can we teach students without the things they know exists. The implementation plan that I worked on this block is based on the idea of using what we have with what we already had. Cameras are digital and have become an everyday tool of our community. Students own their own and can create more than just snapshots so why not bring that into our classroom, because someone needs to put in the time, effort, and money to make it happen. I am proud to say that I am determined to make it happen. Technology is not just buying something to use, which is an issue in itself especially in a time of financial struggle in and outside of the schools. Once we find funding, we will still need to put the tool in to motion. Students will use any technology tool you put in front of them but we want the use to be meaningful and beneficial. Flip cameras meet both expectations by opening up the world of learning through creation. Flip cameras will allow students to take what they learned and make something out of it, something that is important to them.
The students have grown up in the age of advanced technology and are not the biggest battle when talking about technology initiatives. Unfortunately we face the issue of our co-workers openness to adapt. In order to expect our students to use the technology effectively we need to be trained on the uses first. It is important to accept changes and be open to allowing them in. As a teacher who is studying educational technology, I understand that technology in our classrooms is not an idea it is a plan being put into place as we speak. We need to embrace the opportunities and do what we can to make the technology growth process as smooth as possible. More exposure and training of educational technologies will help us teachers be able to teach to the students and their advance technology needs. After creating a technology initiative I have learned that technology does make a difference, even more than I already knew. I also learned that time, following through, and planning are behind every successful tool. Not everyone will accept this ideas as easy as I have, and we cannot force them to but we can inspire them. I hope to use my technology experience to help expose fellow teachers, and my students to new ways of improving our technology. It is work the time and effort to make education better, allowing our students to have a better more successful future.

iii. Copyright/Fair Use Policy
Neither school, St Mark’s High School or Williamstown Middle School, have a separate copyright/fair use policy.
Both the Diocese of Wilmington and the Monroe Township Public Schools should have a copyright/fair use policy that can be used in all it's schools within their district. Both schools use computers and technology in their setting and need to have information on what copyright means, how to properly cite information found and what legal ramifications can be implied when not done correctly.
iv. Communicate with Professional Technology Committee
Communication will be conducted face to face as well as through the blog. Questions, comments and concerns