Archive for December, 2008

Dec 29 2008

Profile Image of uraimondo
uraimondo

Schools in collaboration with community agencies

Filed under Alternative Education, General Education, High Schools New Face, Special Education, Uncategorized, communication with teachers, instructional resources, professional development for school leaders

 NAMI Makes Donation to St. Susan Center

 So many of our students suffer from mental diagnoses and live within the confines of pervasive mental disorders.  The article below highlights the collaboration being fostered by schools like the Hewes Center and area agencies.  One of the impressive points conveyed in this article is the collegiality and joint mission shared by the three educational programs housed at the Center – Special, Alternative and Career and Technical Education. 

NEWS RELEASE

Jared Lindell, Public Information Officer

December 11, 2008 

          NAMI of Chautauqua County and Hewes Center Donate to St.   Susan Center

         

 (photo not available at this time)

 

Caption: Pictured (in back, from left) are Hewes Center School Resource Officer Deputy Brian Gustafson; County Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant and NAMI representative Jim Quattrone; Hewes Criminal Justice students Phil Anderson (Jamestown HS), Brittany Baum (Jamestown HS), and Corey Lincoln (Falconer HS); high school instructional program students Brendan Navarro (Southwestern HS), Nolan James (Panama HS), (seated, from left) Ben Tresler (Chautauqua Lake HS), Adam Schrader (Westfield HS), Heather Hart (Ripley HS), Hewes counselor Wendy Darling, and Danielle Lacky (Southwestern HS).

 (Ashville, NY) – St. Susan Center in Jamestown will soon be the beneficiary of a $100 donation from NAMI of Chautauqua County (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), with the potential for this gift to grow with the support of other area businesses.  NAMI is making the donation on behalf of the High School Instructional program at the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES, Hewes Educational Center.

NAMI’s organizational mission is dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life for persons of all ages who are affected by mental illnesses.  By partnering with the High School Instructional program at the Hewes Center, the hope is to bring awareness to the fact that mental health issues affect people from all walks of life, including youth, students, and some of the individuals that visit St. Susan Center.  As stated by NAMI director Lucy Studd, “St. Susan’s is open to anyone in the community in need and they do not stigmatize or discriminate against those in need.”    Una Raimondo (Hewes Special Education Supervisor) is very aware of those troubled with mental health issues in schools.  Like other school leaders she  recognizes the impact of mental illness on families, the community, and the entire educational process.  According to her, “…….those who work in schools get to see first hand the devastating affects of illnesses not treated.  Teachers and the entire spectrum of school personnel have to be advocates for these students.  The positive interactions with students and those afflicted,  borne from understanding and knowledge of these illnesses, is crucial to the success of persons who suffer from these maladies” 
 
The $100 donation comes at the right time of year, as St. Susan Center will see increased visitation over the next few weeks, with the holiday season in full swing.  Furthermore, to expand on the $100 donation, other area businesses have committed to matching the donation, increasing the support St. Susan Center will receive from the gift.

In addition to the cooperation between NAMI and the Hewes Center’s Alternative and Special Education program, there is a very important tie between NAMI and local law enforcement agencies as well.  “Law enforcement members, many times, are first responders to crisis situations involving those with untreated serious mental health illnesses.  Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant Jim Quattrone is a Crisis Intervention Team trained officer, as well as NAMI member, and NAMI is responsible for his training,” said Ms. Studd.  The training on how to handle those with mental health issues also reaches to the Hewes Center’s Career and Technical Education Criminal Justice program.  “Criminal Justice students are learning more about these issues and being trained earlier so that they can address potential challenges from those suffering with mental health issues in their futures as law enforcement officers,” said Mrs. Studd.  “Law enforcement education, training, and partnerships are critical to addressing these challenges.”

Overall, the donation from NAMI, on behalf of the Hewes Center, is one kind gesture that aims to address the much larger issue of bringing awareness to mental health issues county-wide.  Supervisor of Special Education at the Hewes Center, Una Raimondo concluded, “NAMI has been a great partner to us with many of the issues our students face, and an even greater advocate for mental health issues all across the county.  This donation to show us their dedication to addressing this issue which afflicts all age groups,  while also working closely with intra-agency and educational partners in doing so.”

 

 

 

 

 

No responses yet

Dec 22 2008

Profile Image of uraimondo
uraimondo

Considering a name change for “E” building and the work we do

Filed under General Education, High Schools New Face, communication with teachers, instructional resources, professional development for school leaders, virtual school communties

<a href=”http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=fACKgs47Hvrz9oyt1S6SMQ_3d_3d”>Click Here to take survey</a>

Please complete the above survey so as to give feedback about whether or not the Hewes Center should consider a name change to reflect more of the work students, teachers and staff are doing to promote education for all – Kindergarten through 12th grade plus. 

Rationale:  The above is a survey I created using a very useful tool called surveymonkey.  The work that we are doing within the instructional programs at the Hewes Center – the blending of general and special education programs at the middle school level grades 7-12, the extension of our special education programs to include grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade;  the collaboration we enjoy with Little Seeds Preschool, a for profit agency located within our facilities which also mirrors the blended educational programming we do, speaks volumes for the changes we have undergone these past 5 years.  This type of educational programming one based on the premises of IDEA has transformed the notion of “E building” being one serving the neediest of children with severe behaviors and disabilities, to one where the students are learning that the “E” stands for Education and higher standards, the attainment of Regents Diplomas, College and the world of self-independence, independent living and work. 

Result from this survey will be shared with faculty at the February 2009 Team Meetings which will also discuss how feedback will be received from students, parents and component school district personnel. 

 

No responses yet

Dec 19 2008

Profile Image of uraimondo
uraimondo

Smartphones while schools are still grappling with student laptops

Filed under Daily Living Skills, General Education, High Schools New Face, communication with teachers, instructional resources, professional development for school leaders, self-directed teacher professional development, virtual school communties

This is a very interesting article that should get commentary and reviews.

One Laptop One Child

How about having kids bring their own?

By Wayne D’Orio

The request was simple, but it still managed to put its finger on one of the most intriguing technology questions inside K–12 schools today. It was just after the winter holiday break last year and a student in the Bremerton, Washington, school district came back to school eager to show off one of his presents. Only this wasn’t a new shirt or even a fancy smartphone: It was a laptop and he wanted to not only show it off, but use it in class.

The district’s policy didn’t allow for students to bring in their own computers and connect to the school’s network, and the administrators told the student that, says Jeff Allen, the educational technology director for Olympic Educational Service District 114. The issue might have stopped there, and if it weren’t for a visit his parents made to a subsequent board of education meeting, it probably would have. But when his parents asked the board why their son couldn’t connect to the network that they as taxpayers helped pay for, well, suddenly the issue wasn’t so cut-and-dried.

Across the country, the same question is being considered. The idea of having 1:1 computing in schools has turned from if to when, and while the last great hurdles remain price and sustainability, more and more administrators are wondering if the answer isn’t already in their students’  backpacks and bedrooms. With so many students owning computers, especially high schoolers outside of urban areas, it’s easy to daydream about using them to help schools reach 1:1 goals.

Almost as soon as the idea of free technology starts drifting through administrators’ minds, reality intrudes with a highlight reel of bad what-ifs: What if students bring viruses, spam, and other threats to your servers? What if students have such a mishmash of software that even completing a simple project in Word becomes a guessing game of “What Version Do You Have?” What if students use the anonymity of their open computer to im, watch videos, or download music instead of taking notes or listening to their teacher?

Plunging In
while it’s possible to over think this knotty problem and subsequently make no changes in your system, some districts—including Allen’s—are slowly setting up programs with the idea that they will learn as they go.

“The whole thing with 1:1 is it’s going to happen regardless, in spite of us,” says Mark Klingler, the director of technology services for Forsyth (ga) County Schools. Klingler admits allowing students to use their own computers in class helps boosts the district’s already formidable technology base, but also raises questions—some of which his team has still to answer.

“It definitely creates classroom management issues, including many we haven’t thought of yet,” he says. Nonetheless, Forsyth is plunging ahead in a limited manner, handpicking teachers to quietly tell select students about the policy. However, the district did alter its Acceptable Use Policy, eliminating the ban on personal computers in the classroom. So, Klingler says if any enterprising students figure out the policy change, they’ll be welcome to join the experiment.

Jason Murray, coordinator of district technology of Cornwall-Lebanon (pa) School District, is also taking the invitation route. “We’re going to invite 20 seniors [this school year] selected by teachers,” he says. We don’t want the computers to be a distraction.”

The Consolidated High School District 230 in Orland Park, Illinois, has taken a step in this direction by allowing students to bring their computers to school and connect to the Internet, but not log on to the district’s network, says Darrell Walery, director of technology.

Stay Away from My Network
walery sums up the struggle in this issue succinctly. He says tech directors who have been teachers favor the experiment, while those who have business backgrounds blanche at the thought. “My role as technology director is to mediate this exact issue,” he adds.

it people worry about viruses, worms, phishing scams, and spam, not to mention whatever games or inappropriate content may be loaded on said computer. For these reasons, most would want to avoid the whole problem before it begins.

While Walery admits these concerns are legitimate, he also thinks they can be handled. His district can certify PCs before they are allowed on the network and point users to necessary antivirus tools, and do it easily enough to avoid making students feel as if they’re going through an endless airport security line.

In Forsyth, the district uses radius servers for centralized network management. This device identifies the districts’ computers, allowing them access to the network according to their status. Laptops that don’t pass this test are put on the district’s virtual lan. This gives them online access while keeping the user behind the district’s firewall and within its Internet filters. It keeps these computers—and their users—away from the district’s network.

The district hasn’t tackled the problem of scanning laptops for harmful content yet, but knows the day for a policy is approaching, Klingler says. “We’re not sure which direction to go or what we’re going to need. The main problem we have is that we know these things are really necessary but we don’t want to make it too difficult for a student to connect.”
Murray’s Pennsylvania district scans each notebook before it can connect to the school server. Clean Server antivirus software is one of the tools it uses to avoid “malware” and worms. Also, the district’s scans point users to free patches and service packs that are needed to keep security up to date.

Compatibility seems to be less of an issue each day as more online applications become available. Rather than install software, schools can subscribe to a number of licenses, allowing students to use the applications from home or school, as long as they are counted in the school’s agreement. Or schools can turn to the growing number of free online tools available to all.

Currently, Walery says his district has hundreds of software titles used across multiple courses, ranging from geometry programs to healthy eating programs. This makes it nearly impossible for a student to get an exact (and legal) match for all the software he or she needs. And even if his it department could find the time and resources to load each computer with what’s needed, Walery says the district’s licenses wouldn’t allow it.

Keeping Control
klingler admits that for it staff, “standardization has been the mantra to keep down total cost of ownership and maintain our sanity. Thin clients seemed to be the way to handle that,” he says, but now student computers don’t fit into that model. That’s why Forsyth is going slow, because “we don’t want to bite off more than we can support,” he says.

Classroom management is another potential worry. If college professors feel like students sometime use their lectures as a quiet place to fool around or get other work done (see sidebar), then what chance do K–12 teachers have of getting—and keeping—25 students on task?

Teachers in Pennsylvania use classroom management software (a small software download) to keep control. Murray says this program allows teachers to take complete control of each laptop if they want, pushing out their lesson to each screen, blocking all work with a single button, and even using the pcs as glorified personal response devices.

The last big hurdle to make this policy a reality in more districts is one that can’t be cleared with a simple software program. It is instilling the idea that teachers will no longer be the dominant information delivery for each class. If a school goes 1:1 but the students use the computers only as a better way of taking notes, the whole experiment will fail. “We can solve most of the technology concerns about security,” Walery says. “How do you get teachers prepared to teach in a classroom where everyone is a teacher?”

That is why a transformational venture like this requires teacher and administrator buy-in, the earlier the better, Klingler says. “Professional development is key. We have instructional technology specialists at every school. These folks are not the fix-it people but certified teachers [usually from that same building]. It’s a peer.”

Benefits Abound, Too
but enough doom and gloom. if 1:1 computing brought only trouble, no one would bother trying to get it off the ground. The reality is that a well-run program where more students have access to technology and use the tools in meaningful ways is a goal for every school.

“There’s an explosion of social activities” that computers enable, Murray says,  from talking with people worldwide to keeping in touch with like-minded groups through Twitter to having students take virtual field trips halfway around the world, or just down the street. Science students can do an online dissection with step-by-step analysis, or math problems where a simulation can help illustrate a difficult-to-grasp concept, he adds.

If used correctly, computers in more hands can help speed schools along the path to 21st-century learning, Walery says. “You’d be teaching them how to collaborate and work in the tech-rich time that we’re in. Teachers need to think about teaching in a different way,” he says. “If you’re doing that, a lot of these [problems] go away.”

Having kids bring in their own computers can help bring 1:1 a lot closer to reality, especially in poorer districts. Klingler says Forsyth can channel its existing computer stock to students without personal computers and help reduce tech disparity.

While Forsyth is able to hew to its computer replacement policy closely, Murray’s Cornwall-Lebanon (pa) School District faces another problem. While his state’s Classrooms for the Future program brought 550 pcs into the district, the technology coordinator realizes he won’t have the funding needed to replace these machines in three or four years. “We have to get on board [with this program] now to sustain what we have,” he says. “Technology is fairly expensive. This is a viable option. To really get ahead in the workforce today, you have to have a fairly good technology background. Some schools can’t afford a 1:1 program.”

The Next Laptops?
savvy tech directors already predict  that as technology advances, kids will move on from the laptop.

“The cell phone is their thing,” Walery says. “Communication is the main [goal]. They constantly text back and forth.”
Most districts tolerate cell phones, but require them to be turned off in class. Murray says that free online programs could allow teachers to use student cell phones as personal response devices. Instead of picking the next American Idol, the phones could be used for a multiple-choice quiz in geometry, he says.

Pennsylvania’s Murray already sees  students shying away from laptops because of the weight of carrying them around. “It’s much more likely in a few years all students will have their own smartphones,” he says.

The mini computers that are popping up with smaller form factors might become the next big player in the K–12 space, he says. Forsyth has even looked into using Sony Playstation handhelds in class, noting that they have a “decent Web browser.”
“We want to support whatever kids bring in,” he adds.  

No responses yet

Dec 12 2008

Profile Image of uraimondo
uraimondo

An invitation to speak – Jim Tillotson, teacher and Himalaya mountain climber

Filed under professional development for school leaders

A few weeks ago I read a very intersting article in our local newspaper, the Jamestown Post- Journal written by alternative education teacher, Jim Tillotson.  Jim teaches at Southwestern Central School.  The article highlighted Jim’s ascent into the Himalaya mountains.  His preparation for the climb, his travel to Nepal etc.  I thought what a wonderful topic to share with our students.  This afternoon Jim made the “trek” to our school complete with slides, mountain gear that he uses and anecdotes from his own life that he peppered the students with.  Our student audience was grades 7-12.  Jim spoke of setting goals, personal challenges, adversity, being healthy and staying fit.  He celebrated family and long life.  He spoke of his up coming retirement and how he has parlayed a personal interest he has in mountain climbing into a post retirement career helping to guide others up the Himalayas. 

I was inspired by Jim and I hope all our teachers and students in Alt. and Special Ed. were too!

No responses yet

Dec 12 2008

Profile Image of uraimondo
uraimondo

High Schools New Face – spreading the message at one campus

Filed under Alternative Education, General Education, Graduation rates, High Schools New Face, International Education, Special Education, communication with teachers, professional development for school leaders

On Monday, December 1, 2008 three instructional programs at the Hewes Center of Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES – Career & Technical, Alternative and Special Education,  met to discuss the impact of High School New Face (HSNF) on instruction, relationships with students, building configuration, 21st century skills infusion and planning for the future. 

The summary statements are below. 

Career & Technical Educatiion:  Reresentatives, Phil Stock, Jeff Angelletti and Russ LaTour, all teachers.  Phil, CTE liaison teacher,  mentioned the use of the MOOG platform, the launching of both personal and professional wiki’s to enhance communication.  The professional wiki reaches out to Jamestown Community College and is attempting to explore a Bio-Tech  opportunity with Erie 2- CC BOCES.  Absent were Kelly Joslyn, CTE liaison teacher and Connie Rice, Cosmetology teacher.  Their notes were shared by Phil regarding how their teaching and relations with students has been positively affected by the HSNF experience. 

 Jeff Angeletti, Conservation Teacher attended the Connecting cohort of HSNF and leaned abour wiki’s, blogs and the use of IPODs.  He continues to remain in contact with colleagues he met at the conference and the group has talked about skypingand its uses with international classrooms to study things like the German Black forest, conservation  and the preservation of rare trees.  An idea that he continues to promote following HSNF is to have students self-evaluate and work with him on grade distribution. 

Russ La Tour, Information Technology teacher also attended the Connecting Cohort.  He spoke about accountability of students and their ownership of their learning.  He took away the idea of the US lagging behind other nations, 13th in the world, student centered learning and discovery.  He acknowledged the general perception that BOCES students are academically behind their counterparts in public schools.  After HSNF his positive ideas are reinforced – empowering students to take the learning journey from beginning to end using their own “footprints” by understanding what they need to know in order to realize their own personal and work/job/career goals.  Russ came prepared with a hand out for teachers and all who attended the faculty meeting.  He used the smart board to show how he incorporates this technology into his lesson delivery.

Representatives from the instructional programs were teachers, Phyllis Caloren, Jim Hedlund, Rose Dorey, Amy Stormer and Sarah Parmarter.  Phyllis spoke about the Read Across America and Cornell University Reading Projects that have been initiated this year w/in the High School  English Dept.  She also spoke about co-teaching with Jim Hedlund. 

 Jim spoke about his exposure to the impact of international news eduction in Chautauqua County and the U.S.  He mentioned how China educates 10% of its population which is its “best students”  and how India has a similar focus  because poverty and lack of funding affect how and who gets educated in those nations.  Both countries competing with the Eastern Bloc countries.  America on the other hand is working with all of its students and therefore results are mixed ie. educational outcomes, graduation rates etc. 

Rose Dorey, Consultant Teacher ( Special Ed. certified) attended the cohort on Engaging the 21st Century Teen.  She talked about positive affirmations eg. positive referrals, Engaging, Exploring, Empowering and being Empathetic with students as teachers attempt to mentor them into the adult world.  Rose talked about the Model Transition Program being administered by University of Buffalo under a grant from the State Dept. of Education, which allows for direct work with 44 students at the Hewes Center who are enrolled in the high school instructional programs.  The MTP program has allowed students access to tours at local colleges like Jamestown Community College and Jamestown Business College.  The grant in its second year already, has continued to focus students self-empowerment through interactive lectures presented by Dr. Ellen Arnold.  VESID – Vocational Education Services for Identified Students, applications have increased withthe collaboration of both Rose Dorey and Amy Montgomery, Work Experience Teacher – more students are receiving financial assistance to attend college and get post-secondary training, more students are learning about community agencies and assistance available to youth in terms of housing and job readiness.  The by- product of this collaboration between general and special education, is that more students are being pulled along to “dream” big about life after school and the role young people have to play in shaping their society. 

Amy Stormer, teacher spoke of the fascinating 3 day experience she underwent in the Connecting cohort of HSNF, 2008.  Her instructional focus this year is on nurturing student sand teaching them how to think for themselves and problem solve.  This is the focus of 21st century skills and employee characteristics, companies of seek.  Amy is a special education teacher, so when she comments on teaching her students independent thinking the challenge is far greater than one might think because her students are imbued with a array of disabilities as defined by IDEA. 

Administrators present at this meeting who also attended HSNF were Jennifer Clark, myself and Director, Bob Spino.  Our study group session was moderated by Alternative Education Supervisor, Kevin Bourgoine. 

At the Hewes Campus 9 teachers attended HSNF their work is a beacon to others and a call for Change and New Innovation in terms of 21st century skills use to communicate with and motivate students who are preparing to enter a work place that none will demand of them skills that we are yet to discover. 

The good work at Hewes can only be exemplied at our other BOCES sites, LoGuidice, Barker Road, South Side Academy and Ormsby.  We the HSNF team at Hewes will challenge our collegues to have similar faculy meetings at those sites as that which occurred on Dec. 1, at Hewes Center.  From there, we shall have DLL meeting to strategize more steps toward achieving more goals through the vision of HSNF. 

No responses yet

Older Posts »