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July 29, 2007 03:19 PM
Board Retreat Brainstorm
What are the enabling strengths that get members to use Instructional Programs?
- We provide high quality
- Personality, knowledge, expertise and high quality trainers
- High quality programs
- Leading edge
- Cadre’s (Oregon and Montana)
- Word of mouth
- ITSC
What are the barriers that block members from using Instructional Programs?
- Competition
- Quality Control (if we grow)
- Lack of knowledge (people not knowing)
- Getting the word out
- Too advanced tech tools not providing the basic training
- ITSC in Montana (same level vendor participation?)
How to improve quality?
- Adding IT PD training (facilitating IT and Instructional conversations)
- Maintain good PD within department
- Breadth: to expand to other states without losing high quality (quality control myself as manager...training my staff)
- Focus on basic technology training (plugging in a projector, what level is the audience)
- Provide conversation and rationale and implementation strategy (How is relevant? How can we implement?)
- Help have presence in Washington (What form? Cadre, ITSC)
- Can we get at the table in districts when they do institutes or trainings?
- Give the big picture of where the technology is going how it might be used in the future. Gartner group.
- at ITSC and Cadre's... Partner with school and show how it is implemented…(step back and talk with someone or a school that has implemented it)
- Software in a school lab IT perspective (no one else is doing this. Cost service. Workshops: configuring Vista for a public lab)
How to increase the bottom line? (adding, changing, ditching)
- A way for getting revenue credit for new customers or purchases (ie. When new members sign up, ask them how they heard about OETC and measure it
- Charge more for the EdTech Cadre’s
- Charge more for ITSC
- Improve WriteSite (ditch?)
- Principals Cadre in Oregon (four days in August) (Be a Tech Savvy leader)
- Distance learning (what could we offer? Global classroom USA) Asynchronous or synchronous learning
- Consulting services (with specific quality control, who is the audience, what level are they at, very tailored)
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Instructional Programs of the Future
At the May board meeting I gave my Instructional Program projected budget presentation. Out of that came a discussion on Instructional Programs growing less of a subsidy by providing professional development consulting and services, because we are looked at throughout the NW as delivering high quality PD. [Currently we have about a $122,000 subsidy out of a $340,000 projected budget for 2007-08.]
To gain more understanding I emailed Steve Carlson and talked on the phone with Claire Hertz. Here is some of the thinking.
Three beliefs:
So with some of these thoughts under my belt I met with Aaron to design a plan to lower the subsidy of Instructional Programs and raise the revenue over the course of several years. It is an arduous task as for every training we add expense and it will take years to build up the opportunities to make Instructional Programs self sustaining.
Here are some of the ideas we have:
- ITSC: Increase registration. Make a small revenue.
- Oregon Cadre: We have gone from paying for participation to this last year where participants have to provide their own transportation and lodging costs, and we provide food. For 2007-08, we will charge a $150 membership fee. The Oregon Cadre will also be limited to 3 persons per district. Slowly we will make sure the cost of the cadre pays for itself, and if it is still a sought after opportunity we will charge to make a small revenue. I predict this to take three years.
- Montana Cadre: We are still in the process of growing, but for 2007-08 we will be charging a $150 membership fee to begin to cover the logistics and food. Over three years this opportunity would also make a small revenue.
- Principals Cadre: Start a principals cadre that pays for itself and brings in revenue.
- Grants: Qwest, and other foundation grants. In the future we will make sure to write in admin costs. For 2006-07 there were no costs for the 50K we gave to teachers. I have asked for this current year, but have yet to receive an answer.
- Professional Development Services: Starting this next year we will offer PD consulting services. Building up our clintel and expertise we will start with a contractor until the demand can support a staff developer.
- Other State ITSCs: Montana is interested in doing a Montana ITSC. If this opportunity grows we could help support conference endeavors in other states, bringing in some revenue for our services.
- Other State Cadres: If there is interest we could grow cadre's in other states.
The concerns I have with growing Instructional Programs and increasing the cost for our services can be worked through, but must be voiced. In fact maybe as you are planning, you can think about how to address these issues:
- For every event, service, and opportunity we add, we need staff to support it, which adds to expense and workload. So the service we provide has to bring greater revenue to cover the services and more. When that happens we become less comptetitive with other organizations that can provide similar services, thus looking less like the non-profit.
- My second concern is the more we grow, the less control we have over the high quality that we are known for in instructional programs.
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July 27, 2007 10:17 PM
How Much Time?
How much time does it really take me to accomplish tasks? Here is a brief snapshot of the various projects for the last year and what percent of time I spend on these projects.
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Miscellaneous
Another week filled with miscellaneous projects:
- Helped in the afternoon for CampTECH's day camp at OGI.
- Worked on board report.
- Cemented opening and closing keynote speakers for ITSC.
- Designed ITSC Vendor Pre-Con online submission form.
- Reviewed Janet Rush (Intel) science curriculum.
- On a fun note Karen Daily from Adobe took us out to lunch!
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July 23, 2007 08:28 PM
Are You Blogging This?
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July 19, 2007 10:34 PM
Catching Up
Welcome back from vacation! I am working with Tim Tyson to do a keynote at ITSC. Also trying to get Marco Torres to respond to me to do the other keynote and workshops.
I have been reviewing the grant reports for payments.
We were awarded another $50,000 from Qwest to offer the teacher grants for this upcoming year.
Spoke with Steve Nelson about the status of the OVSD Staff Development Project. He will have to do a bid, so I will be applying to the RFP in August. So if I were to hire someone it may not be until October or later.
Also met with Janet Rush from Intel to review a science curriculum they are thrilled about.
Hanging over my head to work on is:
- Board Retreat Report
- IP Plan for the Future
- Curriculum for the Montana Cadre
- Potential of a principals cadre
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July 18, 2007 10:30 PM
Oregon Cadre In the News
Once again OETCs success with the EdTech Professional Development Cadre's, this time Oregon has made it to the educational news. Thank you Carla for telling our story!
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July 4, 2007 10:32 PM
Vacation
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