August 3, 2008 01:01 PM

Oregon Cadre MagCover.jpg

Posted by jena on August 3, 2008 at 01:01 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

billboard3491199.jpg

Posted by jena on August 3, 2008 at 12:53 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

October 31, 2007 09:00 PM

Consulting

Today was the first official consulting job for OETC. I did a half day training for North Clackamas on Moodle. They have a moodle account through OETC and were wanting to use it for their literacy coaches. It was a good training.

Afterwards, I met with Pulsemedia, the high school group who is creating video for the Oregon Cadre. WE discussed how we will put together the videos online.

I had an opportunity to meet with the Director of Curriculum of Clackamas ESD about their EdTech Grant. I would like to be able to fund it but wanted to be confident of their plan and roll out.

Posted by jena on October 31, 2007 at 09:00 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

October 15, 2007 08:20 PM

Personal IT Trainer

I spent half a day this week doing some one on one instructional technology training with one of the cadre leaders. It was a great opportunity for her to learn and time for me to reflect on where teachers are at, and how to provide the best staff development for them, possible.

Posted by jena on October 15, 2007 at 08:20 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

August 30, 2007 03:50 PM

Instructional Prgrams Coordinator

We posted a position last week to close this week for a Coordinator to run the OVSD and help with mini grants and other various projects that will expand Instructional Programs. We have had lots of great applicants. It is, as you know, time consuming and mind stuffing during the interview process.

As my days are crammed with the cadres, closing out mini-grants, getting locations for future events and just like you the hustle and bustle of the start of the school year.

If anyone hasn't seen the Bend Convention Center, it is beautiful!

Posted by jena on August 30, 2007 at 03:50 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

August 2, 2007 10:25 AM

Slammed

This has been a busy week for me:

  1. Working on ITSC website, adding content, working with facilitators (badgering in some cases) and vendors for program info. Fun addition, Adobe will help sponsor bringing Leslie Fisher to ITSC. This is a great addition.

  2. Cadre Leadership: I have been tracking down a perfect location for the leadership meeting. Following up on the registration system that was suppose to go live on the 1st. Hopefully I will be testing it this afternoon and sending out the registration emails.

  3. INX had a vendor open house. I went and came away with some great ideas I could use in ITSC for doorprizes. Also thought the strategy they used would be good for vendor road shows.

  4. I am presenting Moodle in Gresham next week, so I spent a lot of time preparing for that. I created a moodle intro page here.

  5. Submitted two proposals to NCCE for a workshop and short session. I will not be going to ASTE as NCCE conflicts, so Aaron will go to ASTE. Both of these conferences are RIGHT after ITSC.

Posted by jena on August 2, 2007 at 10:25 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

Posted by jena on July 29, 2007 at 03:19 PM| Permalink | Comments (0)

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:

  • First, that the critical need in school districts now is quality professional development.

  • Second, that it makes little sense for every district to duplicate the services of every other when there are so few talented professional development staff to draw upon.

  • Last, that it is the principals themselves who hold the key. I have seen many fabulous technology teachers put in positions where they were unable to make the contribution they might have because the principal didn't value or understand the importance of allocating the necessary staff time and resources.

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:

  1. ITSC: Increase registration. Make a small revenue.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Principals Cadre: Start a principals cadre that pays for itself and brings in revenue.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

Posted by jena on July 29, 2007 at 10:49 AM| Permalink | Comments (0)