TheFebruary 2013

ConnectorOur focus is on serving you!

76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org

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A Message from Dr. Bell

February Workshops

12 Math Teachers Network Day 19 Teaching with an iPad

21 Principal & Guidance Counselor Forum

22 ASD-Using the Ziggurat and CAPS Model

26 Regional NWEA Members Meeting

March

01 ASD-Using the Ziggurat and CAPS Model

11 Academic Quiz Bowl Grades 6-8

14 Academic Quiz Bowl Grades 9-12

14 Using iPads in the Science Classroom

15 Special Education Quarterly Training

21 Using iPads in the Math Classroom

22 Using iPads in the History Classroom

26 Using iPads in the Language Arts Classroom

In November, I started looking at changes at ESU 10. It’s time to continue that discussion. I was reminded by a less than tactful employee that the color of my hair has changed. That fact can no longer be denied. The last driver license has changed hair color from brown to gray so it is official.

Another thing that was difficult to change around here was this very publication. We used to send out 3,500 copies of the Connector every two months. Now pub-lication is entirely on line. Some still lament this fact. I’ve been slowly awarding school districts cases of the old brightly colored paper that adorned the covers of the

ancient versions. It is my goal to stay one step ahead of the warehouse termites.

Federal revenues continue to dwindle. We have only about 75% of what we had five years ago. That’s good news and bad news. The good news is that we are less dependent on “soft money”. The bad news is we don’t have funds to help create incentives for program participation or some really neat, groovy new widgets or funds to meet the needs of a special population or program. The trend is for these funds to become even less in the future.

One change, that is an upswing, is the number of psychologists wandering the halls here at ESU 10. The unit has eight of these fine professionals on staff at this time and their roles have changed as they do much more than evaluations. They are integral parts of the Response to Intervention process and the Central Region Autism Spectrum Disorders Team. We started with two brave pioneers back in 1995 and one of them, Dawna Sigurdson, has been on the road as an ESU 10 employee ever since.

William Bolen has changed his role around here about five times since he became an ESU 10 employee and is in charge of one of the most exciting, and underutilized, new things here at ESU 10. That would be the new recording studio. Expect much more from William in the future as we discover new ways to use this special space and special man. I have a feeling you will see much more of me and others as we share short blurbs of knowledge and information. Maybe we’ll need to hire a full-time make-up person.

Another change that I really like is the work of the professional development group. More and more of their efforts are multi-year, imbedded efforts at staff development and support. This is exciting – although those “one day make it-take it sessions” of the past were excellent for us old timers when it came to getting graduate credit to move across the salary schedule!

Yes, change does abound here at ESU 10 as we “partner with our customers to meet changing needs thorough professional expertise, training, and support”.

76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org

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Technology Tips for Teachers by Jamey Boelhower, Remote Learning Specialist

Overview: Snapguide is designed for users to create visual based how-to guides. That’s it. Sounds simple. It is, and that is what makes it great. The guides are built around teaching how to do something through pictures and videos. Adding text is a part of the process, but you are limited to 200 characters on each page. Once your guide is finished you publish it to Snapguide’s site, then you can share it through other social media sites.

Why I like it:It is easy and fun to make a guide. Another bonus to the app is the Snapguide community. You can investigate other guides, or follow someone who makes

guides covering subjects your are interested in. Be prepared to interact through the comment option with people who like your Snapguides.

Use in the classroom:I have a Process essay unit for my writing class. I showed the students Snapquide as an option to create a “visual how-to” assignment (the students had a number of options). Three students used Snapguide. Below are their guides.

How to French Twist Hair

How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies

How to Make Ramen Noodles in the Microwave

Each guide was viewed at least 500 times. Each had at least 50 loves. And each got at least one comment. This is the power of creating work that connects beyond the classroom.

The other side of Snapguide is finding guides to enhance what you are doing in class. There are guides that could be used in art class, industrial arts, or music.

Snapguide’s focus is to allow users to make and find great step-by-step guides. It is a great example of how we can share our knowledge with people who also enjoy our interest. Using Snapguide is a great way to enhance any lesson that is centered on how to do something. Share your guides with me via Twitter (jdog90).

Snapguide

76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org

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Science Olympiad by Gaylene Mays, Prof. Development Secretary

MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND THE ANNUALESU 10 REGIONAL SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 19, 2013

What is the Science Olympiad?

The Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers.

Each year ESU 10 staff plan a variety of activities which directly involve more than 1,400 students. Science Olym-piad is only one of these events where students are provided opportunities to compete in the areas of physical, life, and earth sciences. This event allows students to accomplish goals in demonstrating understanding and mastery of science, mathematics, and technology concepts that require not only knowledge and problem-solving skills but also the ability to work together as a group.

Competition is provided on national, state, and regional levels. ESU 10 is providing the opportunity for area schools to compete by hosting the 24th Annual Regional Science Olympiad on March 19, 2013. A Science Olympiad team is composed of up to fifteen students for Division B (grades 6-9) and Division C (grades 9-12).

Science Olympiad events are designed to use a variety of intellectual and practical skills. Some events require a quick recall of specific facts, while others require con-cept development, a process skill, or an application of a specific concept. Some events require general knowledge while others require a specific skill. Others may require a student to build an apparatus.

Athletic-style medals will be given for each event. In addi-tion, championship trophies will be awarded to the Division B and C school teams compiling the most total points dur-ing the Science Olympiad tournament.

To receive more detailed information regarding this upcoming event, please contact Bob Lungrin or Gaylene Mays at ESU 10 by email at blungrin@esu10.org or gmays@esu10.org or phone: 308-237-5927.

76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org

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Invention Convention by Emily Jameson, Prof. Development Coordinator

The Annual ESU 10 Invention Convention will be held Thursday, April 18, 2013. The goal of the Invention Convention is to provide students with an opportunity to find out about real inventions and fantasy inventions, real inventors, and the inventive process. Students will use both their creative and critical think-ing skills to develop an invention. The purpose of the Regional Invention Convention is to provide a forum for schools across the region to showcase their students’ best inventions. Students participating in the convention should be in grades one through eight and are limited to 10 students per district.

Teachers registration forms are due March 7, 2013, and student registration forms are due March 21, 2013. The cost is $10 per student, and schools participating in the ESU 10 High Ability Learner Consortium receive up to ten free entries. Regis-tration forms, official rules and other information can be obtained by contacting Dallas Lewandowski, dalewand@esu10.org.

Mixed Messages: The Changing Face of Discipline is Today’s Society

ESU 10 was a very busy place on January 18, 2013. The Early Childhood Training Center and Planning Region Team 10, chaired by ESU 10 Special Education staff, hosted a workshop with speaker Dan St. Romain, of Mixed Messages located in San Antonio, Texas. We had 160 early childhood educators learn about the changing face of discipline in today’s society. Dan shared many strategies to positively impact young children. Some of the comments from Friday’s session include: “I gained a lot of fabulous ideas!” “Practical, reasonable strategies!” “This was very helpful and informative!” and our personal favorite, “Dan St. Romain rocks and I would travel across the country to see his next workshop!”

The workshop was followed up on Saturday with training for parents and day care providers on similar topics. With 180 people registered, our parking lot was full! One person shared that after spending the morning engaged in this training, she would focus more on positive qualities that children possess rather than on their difficulties. It is obvious how great the training was when many people say it could have been improved by being longer! We were thrilled to have the opportunity to positively impact over 300 adults who will exponentially impact over a thousand children in our service area.

76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org

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Reading Interventions by Denise O’Brien, Prof. Development Coordinator

In an effort to expand Response to Intervention efforts into the middle school and high school setting, ESU 10 hosted a workshop on January 23, 2013. Dr. Kevin Feldman facili-tated the workshop which focused on reading strategies and interventions to help struggling middle and high school students. Over 100 Nebraska teachers and administrators attended the training.

Dr. Feldman has been focusing on Tier I, general education instruction, in the Adolescent Literacy Project ESU 10 has sponsored for the past two years. The intent of the Inter-vention workshop was to overview practical strategies and resources for schools to ensure that all students receive ef-fective reading interventions. Dr. Feldman explained four keys to effective reading interventions including:

1. Time- adequate and allocated2. Grouping- based on assessment needs/group size3. Curriculum- matched to assessed student needs and research based “tools”4. Instruction- active, language rich, responsive (I do it, We do it, You do it)

He gave ideas in assessing and screening middle and high school students. Throughout the workshop, he discussed important strategies to help struggling readers. Topics included: word study, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Teachers and administrators appreciated the vast amount of resources Dr. Feldman provided.

Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Intervention Practices Within an RtI2 Framework

76 Plaza Blvd • PO Box 850 • Kearney, NE 68848-0850 • Ph: 308.237.5927 • Fax: 308.237.5920 • www.esu10.org

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Upcoming Technology Workshops

Teaching With the iPadFebruary 19, 2013 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ESU 10You’ve got the iPad basics down and you’re feeling fairly com-fortable using an iPad personally. Now you’d like to teach with it. In this one-day workshop you’ll learn how to use an iPad as a presentation tool as well as explore educational apps, course management uses, and file storage.To Register click here

iPads in the Science ClassroomMarch 14, 2013 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ESU 10

iPads in the Math ClassroomMarch 21, 2013 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ESU 10

iPads in the History ClassroomMarch 22, 2013 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ESU 10To Register click here

iPads in the Language Arts ClassroomMarch 26, 2013 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ESU 10To Register click here

iPads in the Elementary ClassroomApril 12, 2013 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ESU 10To Register click here

In this one-day workshop, participants will explore a variety of iPad apps that support all instruction as well as specific apps for the science classroom. Participants should be familiar with the iPad and be able to install apps via the App Store.

To Register click here

To Register click here