January+14,+2008+Meeting+Agenda+and+Minutes

4:30-6:00pm Pendergast Learning Center**
 * Westside AzTEA Leadership Team Meeting Agenda** (scroll down to view meeting minutes)
 * Monday, January 14, 2008


 * Agenda:**
 * I. Welcome and Introductions**


 * II. Business (old/new)**

Continue discussion on action steps for Goal #1. We had a great brainstorming session in the December meeting related to strategies and ideas for improving/increasing Westside communication to reach more teachers. We decided it would be a good topic to continue discussing in our January meeting so bring your ideas. :-) o Goal 1 -Host events and use the wikispaces and website to share, showcase and explore the integration of technology, curriculum and innovative instructional strategies. + Explore ways to obtain data from AZTEA on membership within districts to better figure out how to spread the word about AZTEA events + Explore steps to take starting in January to beef up registration for WOW Peggy reviewed several action steps for Westside AzTEA goal #1 and many suggestions were offered for ways we can increase/improve our communication with a broader audience beyond the leadership team and to increase participation and involvement: o Reach more potential members, perhaps through direct contacts provided by districts o Find new ways to spread the word about AzTEA through wikispaces and the AzTEA website; need to update our mailing lists to reach targeted audiences. Shawn recommended that we explore using RSS feeds to keep people informed, provide discussion forums, etc. which will require some training and education. o Increase the use of technology through AzTEA resources by modeling Web 2.0 tools. o Identify contact people in districts who are directly involved with technology instruction, not necessarily IT coordinators or school/district administrators, who would be willing to forward information to appropriate people in the district. Jan recommended targeted, brief emails rather than blanket emails that provide information that will address their immediate needs/concerns related to using technology to help them meet academic content standards. Emails can contain information about how people can find specific resources to help them on the AzTEA site. Steve suggested a list of “go-to” people for instructional technology in the Phoenix area. He recommended that we begin to identify “experts” with various technology tools and compile them on our site so people could easily find support people to help them with their problems—a resource bank of people with expertise in specific areas. One possibility would be to create a list of people who would be willing to present professional development workshops to support in districts including fees for services. We would also like to identify teachers in the Westside area who are using technology with great results and invite them to share their success stories. o Steve suggested considering taking AzTEA out to faculty/administrator meetings to do brief presentations about AzTEA and the support resources available to teachers. There was discussion, pro- and con- about links to useful ed tech web sites o Amanda provided an excellent model for a way we can help teachers become more aware of AzTEA resources available to them by including the AzTEA site on her list of Teacher Ed Tech Resources and Related Links.
 * To refresh your memory, these are some of the suggestions made during our December brainstorming. We would like to expand upon this discussion in our January meeting.**


 * III. Share & Solve** (continuing this popular agenda item to allow members to ask questions, brainstorm/share solutions, and share new technology discoveries)

Have you discovered **Yahoo! for Teachers?** Great site to tell your teachers about. Here's a short video about it on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cNVOWmsL78


 * Ed Tech Website of the Month:** Shawn Wheeler, Peoria Unified School District (filling in for Amanda who has a time conflict for this meeting)

February Website of the Month: Amanda Hughens, Director of Educational Technology, Litchfield Elementary School District http://www.lesd.k12.az.us/departments.cfm?subpage=95409 Amanda will share both sides of her website (internet and intranet) On the intranet she has begun a repository for integrated lesson plans that all Career Ladder level 3 teachers submit. http://www.lesd.k12.az.us/intranet/departments.cfm?subpage=174628

Do we have a volunteer for March? Rosy Escandon (Cartwright), Steve Andrews/Rod Turner (Glendale), others???

Presentation on IDEAL resources available for all AZ educators: Cathy Poplin. This will be a brief "walk-through" demonstration of the many teacher resources and tools available and/or planned for IDEAL.
 * IV. Special Interest Topics**

Continue the discussion from a question raised by Rod Turner (Glendale) in the December meeting about K-8 district examples of technology curriculum, scope and sequence, curriculum maps and student technology assessment tools. Bring examples or website URLs to share any resources you may have.

Please continue to add links, resources and ideas to our wikispace for District/School Ed. Tech websites, AUPs, presentations, quotations, etc. There are many people, even beyond AZ that are beginning to look to our wikispaces for resources, and we want to make it relevant and valuable to all.

Update on workshop being planned for Thursday, January 17, 2007, 4:30-6:30 on social networking sites. The workshop will be held in the Cartwright computer lab. (Possible topics include Second Life, wikispace, FaceBook, MySpace, Ning, blogs, wikis, Google Docs, VoiceThread, internet safety with social networking) The following people volunteered to help coordinate and present information about various tools and social networking sites (Dave Beard, Steve Andrews, Laurie King, Peggy George, Rosy Escandon, Irma Sandercock). We will provide pizza and drinks for workshop participants as well as professional development certificates for 2 hours of re-certification credit. (See workshop invitation on Westside wikispace home page for additional details. Help us spread the word!)
 * V. Westside Workshops for 2007-08**

Workshop suggestion from Irma--should we add this to our workshops for this year? Julia Lott does a very nice workshop on using GPS’s in the classroom and geocaching. She or one of her team members would be happy to come out and do a presentation if they are available. I think teachers would love it.


 * VI. Conference Updates** (Tucson, WOW) Time to register if you haven't done this already. Registration forms and payment procedures are all online this year: http://members.aztea.org/

Monday, February 4, 2008: 12:30-2:00pm, Pendergast Learning Center
 * VII. Next meeting: Date/Place/Location Confirmation**

Monday, January 14, 2008 4:30-6:00pm Pendergast Learning Center
 * Westside AzTEA Leadership Team Meeting Minutes**


 * Agenda:**
 * I. Welcome and Introductions**


 * In attendance:** Peggy George, Jan Irvin, Ann Lumm, Mike Shepard, Cathy Poplin, Ruth Catalano, Linda Thompson, Shawn Wheeler, Nan Williams, Rosy Escandon

Due to the length of the meeting agenda it was unanimously decided to table items II. Business, III. Share & Solve, and Ed Tech Website of the Month so there would be enough time for the this month's Special Interest Topic: IDEAL 2.0.
 * II. Business: (old/new)**


 * III. Share & Solve****:** //(postponed until next month)// This popular agenda item allows members to ask questions, brainstorm/share solutions, and share new technology discoveries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cNVOWmsL78
 * Have you discovered Yahoo! for Teachers? Great site to tell your teachers about. Here's a short video about it on YouTube.**


 * Ed Tech Website of the Month:** //(postponed until next month)//

Amanda will share both sides of her website (internet and intranet) On the intranet she has begun a repository for integrated lesson plans that all Career Ladder level 3 teachers submit. http://www.lesd.k12.az.us/intranet/departments.cfm?subpage=174628
 * February Website of the Month:** Amanda Hughens, Director of Educational Technology, Litchfield Elementary School District http://www.lesd.k12.az.us/departments.cfm?subpage=95409


 * Ed Tech Website of the Month for March:** Shawn Wheeler, Peoria Unified School District
 * Do we have a volunteer for April? Rosy Escandon (Cartwright), Steve Andrews/Rod Turner (Glendale), others???

IV. Special Interest Topics** Cathy Poplin and Nan Williams provided a brief "walk-through" demonstration of the refreshed IDEAL 2.0 Learning Environment which is scheduled to go live at the end of this month. Cathy has provided the PowerPoint and Implementation Plan here: [|AzTEA+IDEAL.ppt], [|IDEAL+Implementationsld.doc] here if you wish to use them in your district meetings and trainings.

The launch of IDEAL 2.0 is scheduled to take place on Monday, January 28, 2008 with registration for courses beginning on Thursday, January 31, 2008.

Update on workshop being planned for Thursday, January 17, 2007, 4:30-6:30 on social networking sites. The workshop will be held in the Cartwright computer lab. So far approx. 45 people will attend. The following people volunteered to help coordinate and present information about various tools and social networking sites (Dave Beard, Steve Andrews, Laurie King, Peggy George, Rosy Escandon, Irma Sandercock).
 * V. Westside Workshops for 2007-08**

Due to the large number of attendees it was suggested participants bring their own laptop if they have one. Reminders will be sent out to those who have pre-registered. We will provide pizza for workshop participants as well as professional development certificates for 2 hours of re-certification credit. (See workshop invitation on Westside wikispace home page for additional details. Help us spread the word!)

Time to register if you haven't done this already. Registration forms and payment procedures are all online this year: http://members.aztea.org/
 * VI. Conference Updates** **(Tucson, WOW)**

The first meeting of the 2008 WOW Planning Committee will be held at the Catalano Conference Center on Wednesday, February 6 from 4:30-6:30. Dinner will be provided for those who RSVP Ruth. Most major responsibilities have been assigned but volunteers still needed.
 * Peggy George - will organize the Friday night event with Tim Tyson. Limited to 50 guests. Want to promote getting administrators to attend the event. In addition, everyone was encouraged to invite administrators to the day of the conference to take advantage of the scholarships for free registration, including lunch, sponsored by AzTEA. Be thinking of people you'd like to invite.
 * This year there will be 3 breakout sessions plus a closing session.

Discussion was held on the need to locate a new site as ASU West is becoming too cost prohibitive. Ruth Catalano is seeking suggestions on locations that can accommodate 500+ attendees for general sessions. Possible suggestions included one of the new Peoria high schools. Shawn Wheeler will check into cost and availability. Other suggestions included Phoenix College. Estrella Community College.

Monday, February 4, 2008: 12:30-2:00pm, Pendergast Learning Center
 * VII. Next meeting: Date/Place/Location Confirmation**

submitted by Irma Sandercock, 1/17/08