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Symposium on Student Online Safety Coming to Austin

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

This is a guest blog post by Rob Yoegel for Gaggle.

The Symposium on Student Online Safety, offered by Gaggle at no cost to educators, is coming to Austin on Tuesday, October 11, at the TCEA Conference Center.

Products like Google Apps for Education and Office 365 are powerful learning tools, but they’re also like digital playgrounds without fences or recess monitors. As educators, we have a legal and moral responsibility to protect our students and help them become responsible digital citizens. The Symposium on Student Online Safety is a great start.

The symposium will bring together school and district administrators responsible for student online safety. Attendees will engage in strategic and tactical discussions with a roster of incredible presenters. You’ll leave the half-day symposium ready to have ongoing discussions regarding the role to be played in keeping students safe, especially when they’re using school-issued technology and devices.

View the full agenda and register here.

In addition to a keynote from Common Sense Education, scheduled presenters include Luann Hughes, Director of Technology at Temple ISD; Meghan Zuraw, North Texas Outreach Manager for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; and Sarah Orman, Senior Attorney, Legal Services, Texas Association of School Boards.

Gaggle, which has been providing safe online learning products and solutions to the K-12 market since 1999, will provide morning coffee and lunch. And in the spirit of a typical Gaggle event, they will also be giving away some cool prizes at the end of the symposium.

Here’s what attendees are saying about the Symposiums on Student Online Safety:

“I was worried this would be a vendor-dominated event–more like a sales pitch than anything helpful–but the symposium was great!”

“The symposium was all about the exchange of ideas and information to make sure we’re doing everything possible to keep our children safe.”

“Very informative and helpful. Kudos for making this much more than a sales pitch!”

“Fantastic speakers and a lot of relevant and useful information. Thank you!”

Don’t delay. Space is limited, so register today.

 

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Arp ISD
Leadership

Texas District Named Second Best in the Nation

by Alexis Cline
written by Alexis Cline

Arp ISD has been named second in the nation among small school districts by the National School Board Association and the Center for Digital Education. This recognition is part of the annual Digital School District survey, which looks at the ways districts use technology to expand student engagement and improve parent communication.

I asked Dr. Joy Rousseau, CTE, Technology Integration Specialist, and IT Director for Arp, how the district achieved this level of success. She contends that it is a result of everyone working together rather than some magic formula. Administrators, faculty, school board, and parents all share a clear vision of technology-integrated learning, and the technology staff is always reading, researching, and encouraging teachers and administrators to try new ideas and approaches.

Faculty Development

Arp ISD is a small district in east Texas and has around 1,300 devices available for student and teacher use, allowing teachers the flexibility to choose the best technology for each project. “Teachers need to choose and be confident,” explained Dr. Rousseau. “They can select the device they want. You don’t want to lock teachers down with one option.”

Along with choice, Arp ISD is constantly offering technology workshops for teachers, students, and parents alike. The district has built training capacity with teacher mentors and student teams who specialize in technology.

Not all teachers are comfortable with technology at first, but Dr. Rousseau reassures both early adopters and the resistant by telling them, “If I’m not making your life easier with tech, I’m not doing my job.” Over time, each educator finds the level of technology integration that best fits his or her purpose.

Student Access

Limited broadband access in Arp means that the schools are some of the only places residents from the community can get online, and this reality, compounded by the limited job opportunities in this small community, is one reason for the district’s proactive approach. Dr. Rousseau noted, “About half of our students don’t have Internet connections at home and might not have access to technology outside of school.”

 

Keys to Success

  • Develop a clear vision for technology integration and keep pushing and selling that vision all the time.
  • Connect with educators around the country and the world, examining their successes and challenges.
  • Take the time to read journals and discover proven, research-based approaches.
  • Troubleshoot your ideas with other educators in groups like TCEA’s TEC-SIG.
  • Always keep evaluating and rethinking your goals and your progress so you can adjust and account for the needs of your students and staff.

 

Watch this video to learn more about Arp ISD’s technology-rich learning environment.

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