News · 2009. 9. 14. · 1:1 learning can start to take place in more schools where budgets are tight. Handhelds have gained popularity in recent years and already have pre-built

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Issue Highlights

11 Request for Sessions for NETA 2010

Message from the President—

Time is on My Side??

17 Student Contests & Teacher Opportunities

This summer I had the opportunity to participate in training sessions that made me consider how I delegate my time. Do you remember the song “Time is on My Side?” I wonder if any of us really feel that this song title reflects our feelings about time. It seems that most of us feel that time is an “enemy.” Everyone is too busy and time flies past too quickly. We never have enough time to do all the things that we want or need to do. We are always striving to manage our time more efficiently.

Technology has provided educators a number of great timesaving technologies...Student information manage-ment systems—streamline student record keeping by providing a one-stop place to enter grades, print report cards, audit graduation requirements, calculate GPAs, manage discipline, create individual student schedules, and transcripts.

On-line learning systems and quiz/activity websites—teachers can create and administer on-line quizzes and worksheets and track student scores. These programs can quickly correct and provide statisti-cal results of student performance.

The handheld computer—provides an organization tool that allows us to have all of our informa-tion wherever we go—names, addresses, calendars, and phone numbers.

Live chats—users can send a note, invite a third or fourth party to join the chat, and save or print conver-sations. Because today’s phone systems are voice mail driven it can be a challenge to reach people. With a web browser and a free account, you can communicate with anyone available on your Buddy List.

In some cases technologies have transformed our use of time...Student information manage-ment systems—educational research has demonstrated that parent involvement in a child’s education is the most important factor for a child’s academic suc-cess. The Parent Portal feature of SIMS helps create a better partner-ship and dialogue between parents and teachers. The portal allows

parents to stay up-to-date with their student’s assignments, attendance, activities and academic progress.

Podcasting—changed the teach-ing style of Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, science teachers at Woodland Park High School and founders of Educational Vodcasting. Instead of giving kids written homework assignments, their homework is to watch recorded lectures. Students then do their homework during the class time.

They both started recording their lectures live for students who couldn’t make it to class. That’s when their wheels started turning. “What if we did that all the time,” said Sams. And now they do. “Instead of sitting and wasting 45 minutes listening to a teacher yap, students are going to have more one on one time with the teacher, work through problems, have a lot more hands on activities and a lot more lab activities,” said Sams.

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A Publication of the Nebraska Educational Technology AssociationNews September 2009

Sue Oppliger ESU 7, Columbus

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NETA News

September 2009 http://netasite.org

NETA Newsletter

Published four times yearly.Contributions are welcome.

PO Box 27, Waverly, NE 68462Phone (402) 540-1904

e-mail: [email protected] http://netasite.org

NETA Officers andBoard of Directors

Scott Plummer ............ Past PresidentMorrill Public Schools [email protected]

Sue Oppliger ....................PresidentESU 7 [email protected]

William Bolen ............President ElectESU 10 [email protected]

Nicole Badgley ..................SecretaryArnold Public Schools [email protected]

Rich Molettiere .................TreasurerOmaha Public Schools [email protected]

Jason Rushing .................Board 2010Lincoln Public Schools [email protected]

SuAnn Witt ....................Board 2010Nebraska Department of Education [email protected]

Jane Davis .....................Board 2010Hershey Public Schools [email protected]

Jason Everett .................Board 2010ESU 10 [email protected]

Susan Prabulos ................Board 2011Lincoln Public Schools [email protected]

Bob Goeman ..................Board 2011University of Nebraska Omaha [email protected]

Dawn Prescott ................Board 2011Schuyler Community Schools [email protected]

Gregg Robke ..................Board 2011ESU 4 [email protected]

Josh Allen .....................Board 2012Papillion-La Vista Public Schools [email protected]

Michelle Baldwin .............Board 2012Millard Public Schools [email protected]

Jackie Ediger .................Board 2012ESU9 [email protected]

Renee Kopf ....................Board 2012Falls City Public Schools [email protected]

In this issueMessage from the President—Time is on My Side? ............................... 1Message from the President Elect—Thinking about Tomorrow Today ......... 3NETA 2009 Photo Gallery ............................................................. 4Sharing Morsels from NECC 2009 ................................................... 6Past President Reflections ........................................................... 9Technology Coordinators Unite! .................................................... 9Twitter Tips ...........................................................................10Creative Journeys to Learning—Submit a Session for NETA 2010 .............11NETA Board Goal—Showcase Web 2.0 .............................................11Internet Safety Month Proclaimed in April .......................................122009 NETA Conference Report .....................................................13Tapping the Wealth of Social Networks for Professional Development ......14Tips for Submitting a Great NETA Contest Entry ................................16NETA K–12 Open Class Contest .....................................................17Opportunity to Attend NETA 2010 .................................................18ISTE (formerly NECC) 2009 Teacher Trek Contest ...............................19Excellence in Leading with Technology award ..................................20Excellence in Teaching with Technology award .................................22Technology Grant Program .........................................................24K–12 NETA Conference Logo Contest ..............................................26Web 2.0 Tools Student Collaboration Contest—New! ...........................28Web 2.0 Tools Teacher Collaboration Contest—New! ...........................30K–12 Graphic Imagery Contest .....................................................32NETA Board Meeting Minutes .......................................................34Calendar of Technology Conferences and Seminars ............................39NETA Membership Form .............................................................40

If you can share a success story related to technology in the classroom, or a software solution review, we’d love to print it in a future newsletter. For making the contribution, you will receive a 2010 Spring Conference T-shirt.

Contact Sandy Blankenship, phone (402) 540-1904 or e-mail [email protected] with a short summary to see if your story can be included in a future issue!❖

Dennis McIntyre ....... Site [email protected]

Lynne Herr .........Contest CoordinatorESU 6 [email protected]

Jason Everett ..Interim Web CoordinatorESU10 [email protected]

Sandy Blankenship ...... Executive [email protected]

Tom Rolfes ................. Executive LiaisonOffice of the CIO-NITC [email protected]

Mike Burns ............Exhibitor [email protected]

NETA is an affiliate of ISTE—The International Society for Technology in Education.

NETA Executive Officers and Coordinators

3September 2009http://netasite.org

NETA News

Message from the President Elect—

Thinking About Tomorrow Today

Our society has learned to use new technologies much faster than our education system. In fact many of our schools have rejected the use of exciting new tools because they don’t fit the way we teach. Fear, misunderstanding or lack of experience has blocked many creative ideas from reaching our students. The 21st Century Chal-lenge tells us that our students have discovered technologies that we need to explore in order to better reach them.

Everyone must choose to what degree they can accept and use new ideas and technologies; schools are no different. The challenge is before us: can we be more effective in teaching our students? Perhaps your “catch phrase” is not a phrase but rather an open hand to a world in which your students already live.

Can you list some of the Web 2.0 tools you are using in your class-room? Do you use cell phones as a tool to higher-level learning? Is Facebook a live picture on your Wall? Have you encouraged your students to contribute to Wikipe-dia? Is there a sweet Tweet in your lesson plans?

Recently, a phrase caught my attention, “In the Web Age: We Are What We Share, Not What We Own,” Charles Leadbeater. With this challenge before us, consider how you can use NETA to help share your experiences. From “Textbooks to Texting,” the ball is in your court.

BTW—Don’t believe everything you hear in commercials. According to Sonic Drive–Ins, “2” is the second prime number. What a great teachable moment. ❖

William Bolen ESU 10, Kearney

Catch phrases are usually fun and they grab our attention, but do we accept them as truth? When you select a book to read, watch a commercial or attend a session at a conference it is usually that snappy title that caught your eye. These phrases are a great way to hook people into listening to what you have to say.

Take a lesson from those multibil-lion dollar advertisement agencies—“if you don’t get them in the door, you ain’t gonna make the sale.” So it is with education and learning. Not that everything needs to be sugar coated and fun but how do you learn best? Should we continue teaching with the methods that served us well during a time when every commu-nity had a bomb shelter?

NETA ConferenceApril 29–30, 2010La Vista Embassy Suites & Conference Centerhttp://netasite.org

Creative Journeys to Learning

Save the Date!

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NETA News


NETA 2009 Photo Gallery


NETA News

NETA 2009 Photo Gallery

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NETA News


Sharing Morsels from NECC 2009Compiled by Sandy Blankenship, Executive Director

then were able to go onto the next application. If they finished the lesson early, they were able to play any applications they wanted until instructed to quit. For security reasons, some settings, such as Internet connectivity, on the iPod can be disabled so students do not have access.

This session piqued my interest, as I believe there are many classrooms that can benefit by using handhelds in the classroom. But, what about charging and syncing? If you are familiar with iPods, then you under-stand that you can only sync an iPod to one account at a time. Take into consideration TriBeam (http://www.tribeam.com/product.html), which allows you to charge and sync multiple iPods to one account at a time. In this session, they showed the participants that they can charge and sync up to 15 at a time.

Other sessions I went to included the same idea—using handhelds (smartphones, iPods, etc) in the

classroom. I believe that is where 1:1 learning can start to take place in more schools where budgets are tight. Handhelds have gained popularity in recent years and already have pre-built apps in-stalled, such as calculators, calen-dar, and stopwatches. Some of them, including iPod touches, have notes built-in that will sync back to your computer, provided you have the new 3.0 OS for your iPod touch. Then, when you consider all the free apps that Google has built, such as Goog411, Google SMS, and Google Maps (to name a few) there is a lot of teaching and learning that can be done with these small “computer-like” devices. For the iPod, many educational apps are free from the Apple store.

NECC is always an exciting experi-ence for me. It gets me charged up for the upcoming school year and it allows me to consider ways to better use technology in the class-room. You can check out all my NECC notes on my blog at http://grobke.blogspot.com. Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any questions about the content of this article.

Lynne Herr, ESU#6:At NECC 2009, I especially enjoyed the keynote sessions and have been thinking since then about Malcolm Gladwell’s notion of the importance of working hard to overcome personal knowledge and skill deficiencies. This struck me since it appears to be in direct opposition to Gallup’s Strengths-based

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Here are some resources those who attended the National Educational Computing Conference are sharing with all NETA members. The conference was held in Washington, DC June 28–July 1.

Gregg Robke, ESU#4: iPods + Phones = Engaged LearningImagine a classroom where a student walks in, grabs an iPod touch, and takes a pre-class survey, then moves on to an interactive lesson, then finally does some practice questions and a post-survey, all from an iPod.

While at NECC 2009 in Washington, D.C. I choose sessions that dealt with using smartphones and iPods in the classroom. One session I went to was a model lesson using iPod Touches in the classroom and what was described above actually happened. It was very interesting and the presenters did a great job of answer-ing questions. They were in a pilot year and had found many ways to incorporate iPods into their school. This particular school received a grant from AT&T to purchase 70 iPods. The iPods allow for universal design and they were amazed at the increase in student motivation. The presenters stressed that they were focusing primarily on increasing math scores in their K-5 classrooms.

The participants were given an iPod when they walked into the classroom and were doing a short lesson on adding fractions and were given log sheets to keep track of applications they used. The participants were able to learn at their own pace by paus-ing, stopping, and/or replaying the content on the iPod. The participants were to record their data on their log

Sessions on hand-helds, like the iPod Touch, were popular at NECC.


NETA News

philosophies. Two distinguished panels debated the value of “bricks and mortar” schools to education. Seminal questions included: What constitutes community? How are students socialized for their future lives and jobs? How can we most wisely spend our time and resources to support teaching and learning? Lots to ponder.

As always, Tammy Worcester did a great job of highlighting the newest tools available to educators. It was my first glimpse of augmented reality when Tammy showed GE’s smart grid wind farm. Augmented reality was a Twitter trend topic in August so it seems to be gaining momentum and exposure.

Essentially, augmented reality uses a web cam, computer and a graphic to activate 3-D images and control their actions. With Tammy’s ex-ample from GE, holding a blocky image printed from the GE web site in front of my computer’s web cam, activated a 3D wind turbine farm that I could control by blowing into my computer’s microphone.

Topps baseball cards are also utilizing this technology where you can activate 3D players in the same manner, and control their move-ment by tilting the card in front of the web cam.

Since hearing about augmented reality, I have found examples of an application that merges twitter messages with 3D images of the sender’s location, as well as 3D business cards. My son even no-ticed an icon on a bag of Doritos to activate augmented reality on the Doritos web site.

How would this technology impact your classroom? Would storybooks come to life with 3D interactive

(NECC Morsels, continued) characters? Math manipulatives jump from the computer screen to help students solve equations?

Only time will tell, but I can’t wait to find out!

Related Web sites:GE’s Smart Grid:http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/augmented_reality/

Smart Business Cards:http://digital.venturebeat.com/2009/07/22/business-cards-finally-useful-again-with-augment-ed-reality/

Topps Baseball cards:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7jm-AsY0lU

Google Sketchup Augmented Reality:http://www.inglobetechnologies.com/en/products/arplugin_su/ info.php

Renee Kopf, Falls City Public Schools:I arrived back in Nebraska from this year’s NECC conference with a long list of new websites. One of the most exciting ones for grades 3–8 is a site called KerPoof.com by Scho-lastic. It is free, no software to install and as long as you have an Internet connection, you are set!

This site allows students in grades 3–8 to develop animated cards, stories, drawings, or movies and in the process learn basic computer skills. Reminds me of the Kid Pix program. You have 3 themes to choose from. (doodle, make a picture or make a movie). If you would like to save your work, you have to setup an account, but you can print your drawing without an account. You will have the option of printing in full color, colorbook page, medium or small card or full-page card.

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The “Make a Story” page of the KerPoof.com website

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NETA News


(NECC Morsels, continued)Teachers can integrate the web site into their lesson plans and by signing up for a free teacher ac-count; they would have access to special features for the classroom.

Check it out! http://KerPoof.com

Sandy Blankenship, NETA Executive DirectorThe NECC Conference was a great experience, as usual. Some of the sessions I attended were given by speakers we’ve previously had at NETA and I will comment on a few of those.

Kathy Shrock’s session on “Winning Strategies to Conquer Information Overload” was one I attended. For starters check out Edmodo (private social platform built for education), xmarks (syn-chronizes bookmarks across all your computers & more) and drop.io file sharing. Here is her web site where she lists all of the resources she introduced. http://kathyschrock.net/score/

Leslie Fisher’s session on “Gadgets” is always interesting and she seems to continually share new resources. You can review the slides from her presentation by going to

http://www.lesliefisher.com/ handouts/index.html This page will ask you to agree to her terms of use, then click on “Gadgets.”

Bernie Dodge has been known for his webquests. He now is starting a new project—promiseofplace.org where he focuses on place-based education, and says it “Immerses students in local heritage, cultures, and experiences; and emphasizes learning through participation in community projects.” Bernie talked about Mark Twain’s house and when students know it’s “place” and the relationship to where others lived, it gives them an excitement for learning. On the promiseofplace.org web site he provides links to re-search showing student achievement through the use of this approach.

Join in to learn from what was provided through NECC 2009! You

Bernie Dodge’s promiseofplace.com web site

can view many of the sessions by accessing http://www.istevision.org/. A good option is to click on “Sessions and Keynotes.”

We’ve tried to share a few resources that some of us from the NETA Board found at NECC 2009. An-other great way to learn from the national conference is to review the handouts from presenters. Go to this search site and search for your curriculum area or for certain speakers (like Schrock, Fisher, Worcester) to find a link to their resources: http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2009/program/search.php

Click on a session listed and then if presenter posted handouts the links will be provided. By the way, next year NETA plans to also have presenters upload their handouts and/or links to their web resources! ❖

NETA sponsored a reception during the NECC Conference in Washington, DC. Sponsors were Academic Superstore and Engag-ing Technologies. 72 guests attended the event at Phillips Seafood at Waterfront. Please plan to join us June 27-30, 2010 at the ISTE national Conference, to be held in Denver, CO.


NETA News

As the Past President,it is my “job” to be reflective during this next year. The NETA board is a fantastic group of educators. I have really enjoyed my time on the board and feel great about our accom-plishments as an association over the last couple of years. We’ve gone from our old venue of the Holiday Inn to the upscale venue of the La Vista Embassy Suites & Conference Center. The conference last year was a rousing success with our largest attendance yet!

Another duty of the Past President is to rally the volunteer troops. Pam Krambeck did a good job of gather-ing a large group of willing volun-teers for the “Ask Me” force. They were so helpful and made sure that people had their questions answered. We will be doing this again next year, so if you are a past board member or a willing attendee, please contact me and let me know that you would like to be part of the “Ask Me” crew for NETA 2010!

New State LeadershipWhat I am seeing develop in Nebraska K–12 education, espe-cially concerning technology, is very exciting. Dr. Breed, the new commissioner, brought this front and center in his address during Administrator Days. He referred to schools that are beginning to align their budgets to allow the purchase of laptops for each high school student. I was pleased that he noticed the initiative and that he was in favor of technology in the classroom. I think that he will help lead Nebraska’s K–12 educational system into the 21st century!

On to future technologiesI watch the “future” of technology with great interest. One advance that has been “sci-fi” until now is the flying car. I was following with interest its development the past few years. Until this year, it had not been flown. Recently, it was taken up for a maiden flight. The flight only lasted 37 seconds, but the takeoff and landing was flawless. Check out this link to learn more! http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/tech-flying-car-takes-off.html

Another new technology on the way is Xbox’s challenge of the Wii. Xbox is going to take interactive gaming to a new level. Instead of holding a controller, the new Xbox will detect the players’ movements and translate those to game play on the screen. This is actually an “add-on” to the current Xbox systems so users do not need to purchase a completely new system. Check out this link to learn more. http://www.foxnews.com/story/ 0,2933,524297,00.html

Are students ready?I realize that these examples of technology are not classroom technology, but they illustrate a major point that I have tried to make for years. Technology is changing our world in ways that we could hardly begin to imagine, much less believe a few years ago. Yet, we find ourselves in the middle of a technology revolution. Our students need to be prepared to enter this world as life-long learn-ers. We need to make sure that we embrace technology in ways that will spur them on to learning and creativity so that they are prepared for this future world! ❖

Past President Reflections

Scott Plummer Morrill Public Schools

Technology Coordinators Unite!Mark your calendars for fall and winter meetings.

Do you provide technical support for your district? NETA helps sponsor the Tech Coordinators’ Group. The agenda for meetings focuses on technology coordinator duties that are largely plat-form independent.

The Technology Coordinator’s Group will have their fall meeting in October:

• Date: October 21, 2009

• Place: Grand Island Pub-lic Schools Administration Building

Please also mark your calen-dars for the winter meeting planned for February 17, 2010.

If you have questions either check our web site:

http://netasite.org/resources/TechCoordinators.html

or contact Gary Needham:

Gary.Needham@ kearneypublic.org.

This group also has a listserv. You can join the listserv by going to the web site above and entering your name and email address. Get or lend support to your colleagues or just keep in touch with Tech Coordinators across Nebraska.❖

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NETA News


Twitter TipsSubmitted by Nicole Badgley

Are you craving a connection with other great educators who are passionate about the same things as you? Do you wish you could keep up with other NETA members during the year? Do you wish you had a way to keep track of people--that is short and simple? Well, Twit-ter might be the answer. You can go to http://twitter.com and create a free account. Twitter is a great way to create connections with other educators, but getting started can seem a little daunting. Who do you add to follow? Who will follow you? How do I find great people to follow? Are their groups that you can follow or search through? Here’s a short list to get some of you started.

TeachersThis twitter for teachers site will help you find people (by category) to follow on Twitter. Add quality names if you have them. http://twitter4teachers.pbworks.com/

Science & MathThis is a “getting started with twitter” post that includes great science and math educators to follow. http://elemenous.typepad.com/weblog/2009/07/getting-start-ed-with-twitter.html

TwibesYou can also join groups interest-ed in the same topics as you. For example, you can join a music Twibe. This group of music techies provides tons of great ideas. Go to: http://www.twibes.com/group/musiced to collect names of Music twitter users.

EnglishAnother great group to join is the English Teachers Twibe. Go to: http://www.twibes.com/group/englishteachers to collect names to add to your twitter friends.

LibrariansFor librarians, go to the twitter site and search #followalibrarian There are many of librarians who have joined this group. Note: Click inside search box (as shown below) and enter #followalibrarian

MusicFor Music teachers, go to the twitter site and search #musiced There are tons of music teachers who have joined this group.

While you are on this site, you can search for other groups, other people you might know, presenters you enjoyed at NETA, bloggers you have read, and much more. Give Twitter a try! Send a message, and receive even more! ❖

2009 RetreatThe NETA Board of Directors met in July at the LaVista Marriott Courtyard for their annual two-day plan-ning retreat.

It is during this retreat that goals are set and a large percentage of the conference planning takes place.

September 2009http://netasite.org

NETA News

Creative Journeys to LearningRequest for Sessions for NETA 2010

NETA is looking for members and friends who are willing to share their classroom, school or district technology experiences with others from across the state by presenting at the NETA conference, April 29–30, 2010. Presenters who can address uses of technology in any discipline and at any educational level are encouraged to submit a presentation. Sessions are either lecture/demonstration style (45 minutes in length) or poster/gallery sessions.

Poster/gallery sessionsA poster/gallery session allows many presenters to set up in one large session room with poster boards or other resources. It is possible to bring a computer for the gallery showing if it is stated ahead of time on the proposal. Partici-pants stroll through the gallery in an informal manner while present-ers show projects and answer questions.

Presenter guidelinesLead presenters will pay the signifi-cantly reduced rate of $25.00 and

are expected to provide ample handouts or Web/email access to their information after the confer-ence. A co-presenter may assist in the session. A co-presenter must, however, register for the conference as a regular attendee ($115.00 full conference or $80.00 for one day). A limit of three presenters per session will be printed in the program. Students are allowed to assist in a presentation as guests of the conference (limit of four, and must be supervised at all times).

Questions should be directed to William Bolen, President Elect/Conference Chair by email at [email protected].

Online onlySessions may only be submitted online, and must be entered by the December 1, 2009 deadline. No emailed sessions will be accepted. Click the link at the NETA home page at http://netasite.org to submit. The online submissions are targeted to be available by September 10, 2009. ❖

NETA Board Goal— to Showcase Web 2.0 for Membershipsubmitted by Sandy Blankenship

If you check out the minutes of the NETA Retreat, you’ll find that we spent some time reviewing the NETA goals estab-lished last October. The activities for two goals: 1) Empower innova-tive learners and 2) Membership collaboration include sharing Web 2.0 resources and success stories on the NETA web site (netasite.org) and through our newsletters.

To demonstrate one popular Web 2.0 tool, Wordle, a “word cloud” has been created by using the text from the goals and activities listed in our Retreat minutes (below). See page 38 for the list.

To create your own Wordle, go to http://www.wordle.net/

Here are some ideas for using Wordle in the classroom: http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_157dpbsg9c5

Five Reasons to Use Wordle in the Classroom by Terry Freedman: http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/20322 ❖

NETA Goals in a Wordle (see above right)

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Internet Safety Month Proclaimed in April

The Governor holds the proclamation designating April as Internet Safety Month in Nebraska. In attendance were educational technology leaders from across the state along with Attorney General Jon Bruning (third from left).

Grades K-4Hand-drawn Poster Title: Never Tell Your Password Sophie (1st Grade), Johnson-Brock PS, Teacher: Sandra Behrends

Computer-generated PosterTitle: Tips for Internet Safety Haley & Sadie (4th Grade), Ogallala Prairie View, Teachers: Mrs. Lee & Mrs. Kammerer

Grades 5-8Hand-drawn Poster—TieTitle: Parents, Play It Safe! Austin (5th Grade), Grand Island Knickrehm Elem. Teacher: Mrs. Diane Meyer

Hand-drawn Poster—TieTitle: You Got Mail… Zendy (5th Grade), Wahoo Middle School, Teachers: Linda Walker & Ann Egr

Computer-generated PosterTitle: Who Are You Talking To? Ethan (7th Grade), Columbus Scotus Central Catholic Teacher: Patti Salyard

Audio PSATitle: Tips for Internet Safety Alex (7th Grade), Ogallala Public School, Teacher: Sharon Jones

Video PSATitle: You Never Know Who You Are Talking to on the Internet Janae, Tymber, Evann (7th Grade) Wahoo Public Middle School Teachers: Linda Walker & Ann Egr

Video PSA—Honorable MentionTitle: Social Networking Marcus & Noble (7th Grade) Emmet Attendance Center (O’Neill)Teacher: Lara Morrow

OpenTitle: Be Cyber Smart (PPT) Jennifer, Kaili, Josephine (grade 5) Shelton Public School Teacher: Jeanne Pope

Grades 9-12Computer-generated PosterTitle: Beware! Cyberbullying Josie (9th Grade), Sargent Public Schools, Teacher: Mrs. Jan Osborn

Audio PSATitle: Three Easy Ways to Stay Safe on the Internet Kris Fleeman, Merle (11-12), Scotus Central Catholic, Teacher: Aaron Sasges

Video PSA—TieTitle: Keep Kids Safe Online Nathan, Megan, Taylor (12th Grade), Scotus Central Catholic Teacher: Aaron Sages

Video PSA—TieTitle: Credit Card Safety Hans & Joy (12th Grade), Johnson-Brock, Teacher: Tera Stutheit

OpenTitle: Internet Safety (audio)Melissa, Jacob, Blake, Tobin, Kevin (11-12), Litchfield Public School, Teacher: Kathy Dobesh

To learn moreTo learn more about Internet safety, visit the Attorney General’s Web site at http://www.safekids.ne.gov. ❖

April 2009 was proclaimed by Governor Dave Heineman as Internet Safety Month in Nebraska. Robert Hays (ESU#11), Attorney General Jon Bruning, and the statewide ESU Technology Affiliate Group have been major promoters of Internet safety in Nebraska schools.

Students across Nebraska entered related contests to create posters and video or audio public service announcements (PSAs) promoting Internet Safety. The contests are jointly hosted by Nebraska Educa-tional Service Units and Attorney General John Bruning’s office. Students from across the state partici-pated in this contest to help promote and understand the importance of Internet safety (winners listed below).


NETA News

“They used to go home and they would get stuck, or call a friend which is okay, or they would cheat or just give up on it,” said Sams.

Student scores have shot up this year leading teachers to believe their new teaching technique is the way of the future. Kids can watch lectures on their iPods, cell phones or on the Internet at home. But since not all kids have those tools, teachers burn lectures onto DVD’s. So far that’s worked for every student. Listen to the full story at http://snapkast.com/kktv-story.html

Bookmarks—with all the things we need to remember, not having to remember a site’s address is a great time saver. With over 15 billion webpages available, social book-marking has made this feature even more useful. Users can tag, save, manage and share web pages from a

centralized source and create their own knowledge-sharing community.

Web-based training—provides instruction in a variety of educational topics: software, curriculum, and teaching strategies via the web. These websites offer districts another way to provide professional develop-ment—a “just-in-time” approach rather than “just-in-case.” Any time or anywhere questions come up, the website is available with answers through tutorials or movies.

Technologies can assist us in doing some of our mundane work tasks and

allow us more time for tasks and relationships that affect student learning, and allow for more per-sonal and family time.

Are you and your colleagues using all the technologies available to you to maximize your time? I know I am not. Mostly because I haven’t made the time to learn something new!! My goal for this school year is to learn and use two technologies to be more efficient and effective in my work. I invite you to join me and in your new free time let me know how it is going. My Twitter account is soppliger. ❖

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We Met, We Explored, We LearnedA year ago we were looking forward to moving our 2009 NETA Confer-ence from the Holiday Inn to the new La Vista Conference Center. With much anticipation we were looking forward to larger rooms, better parking, lower food prices and faster Internet connections. We were “Exploring New Territories”.

How did we do? The rooms are never large enough but what a wonderful problem to have! If we had lots of empty chairs it would not be a good sign for the relevance of our conference. This year’s conference had 2203 in attendance, a 11.5 % increase over last year!

We know that the parking lot was full! Not everyone can have that parking spot next to the front door.

Will it be any better next year when both hotels are open? There will be more spots closer to the front doors. Remember, though, carpool-ing helps everyone.

How about the food? As in any conference, we are aware there are always some issues with cost, selections, long lines and congestion. We heard your com-ments and are already working with the conference center to find better solutions for the future. Did you go hungry?

To say there were a few problems with the Internet might be an understatement. Keep in mind that there were many of us trying to connect at the same time. If this were the National Marshmallow Convention, we probably wouldn’t

have had this problem. Rest as-sured, we are addressing this issue; you will hear more about this in the future.

Despite any problems we may have had and issues that need to be worked out for future conferences, according to the surveys that you filled out, NETA 2009 was a great success. We tend to look at the negatives but the site improvements far outweigh any problems we expe-rienced. The keynotes were great! The workshops were wonderful! The sessions were sensational! In other words, the stuff that mattered was right on target!

• Overall Conference: 98% Approval

• Conference Site: 96% Approval

• Exhibitor Area: 87% Approval ❖

2009 NETA Conference Report by William Bolen, President-Elect

Educational Vodcasting (http://educationalvodcasting.com) was founded by Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, science teachers at Woodland Park HS

14

NETA News


Tapping the Wealth of Social NetworkS for Professional Development

by Christine Greenhow, reprinted with permission from June/July 2009, Learning and Leading

Last fall, when New York Times technology writer David Pogue wanted to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of Twitter, he turned to his network, sending “tweets” to 1,900 followers. He found that social networking, if not used judiciously, could be a massive time-absorber, but he also found that technologies such as Twitter could be a “brilliant channel for breaking news, asking questions, and attaining one step of separation from public figures you admire. No other communications channel can match its capacity for real-time, person-to-person broadcasting.” In his January 15, 2009, blog post, Twittering Tips for Beginners, Pogue wrote:

“A few months ago, I was one of 12 judges for a MacArthur grant program in Chicago. As the judges looked over one particu-lar application, someone asked, “Hasn’t this project been tried before?” Everyone looked blankly at each other. Then the guy sitting next to me typed into the Twitter box. He posed the question to his followers. Within 30 seconds, two people replied, via Twitter, that it had been done before. And they pro-vided links.

The fellow judge had just harnessed the wisdom of his followers in real time. No e-mail, chat, Web page, phone call, or FedEx package could have achieved the same thing.

I was impressed.”

Today, information and communica-tion technologies such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are some of the most popular technologies available on the Internet, with millions of users worldwide, but research is still trying to discover how we use them, for what purposes, and in what settings, and investigate how they may be shaping the ways we think, work, and communicate.

Harvard law professor Yochai Benkler in The Wealth of Networks examines the ways in which such technologies available over the Internet enable extensive forms of collaboration that may have transfor-mative consequences for the econo-my and for society. He argues that through emerging forms of online participation, we can not only publicize our opinions, and so have a hand in shaping our democratic culture, but also become more critical, self-reflective, and collec-tively intelligent.

If this is true, as reflective practitio-ners, how do we start enjoying the wealth of networks— tapping our collective intelligence—for our own personal and professional develop-ment in education? In our increas-ingly online world, can we get a little help from our friends?

A recent and thorough review of the professional development research literature from one of the education field’s top journals, Review of Educa-tional Research, argues that in terms of technology professional develop-ment for educators, we still have a long way to go in understanding methods of effective practice: “We need to move to a more systematic study of how technology integration

occurs within our schools, what increases its adoption among stu-dents and teachers, and the long-term impacts that these investments have on both teachers’ and students’ learning.”

Moreover, the research on teachers’ uses of the kinds of freely available, online-all-the-time social digital technologies that Benkler and others are writing about (social networking sites, blogs, wikis, microblogging services, videocasting, and audio-casting) is only now emerging.

So, without a tremendous research base from which to draw, permit me to describe two of the trends in using these tools to develop professionally and socially that I and my colleagues see happening, based on our own research.

First, social bookmarking sites, such as Delicious, Diigo, and CiteULike, can provide the resources to facilitate a scholarly approach to teaching where teachers concerned with developing research-based best practices can collectively assemble, annotate, recommend, and share scholarly resources, such as books, journal articles, websites, and contacts. Social scholarly practices leverage and archive our collective intelligence.

According to library media scholar Laura Cohen, social scholarship operates on principles such as “openness, conversation, collabora-tion, access, sharing, and transparent revision.” As educators reflect on what it means to take a scholarly approach to their teaching, their use of these social bibliography tools



NETA News

Copyright © 2009 International Society for Technology in Education. Reprinted with permission. ISTE members have special reprint permis-sions. To support our work, consider joining ISTE as a member. Visit www.iste.org/join for more information.

Christine Greenhow is a Harvard-trained educational researcher and former school teacher at the University of Minnesota, where her work focuses on how people learn, teach, and collaborate with emerging tech-nologies such as social network sites. Learn more at www.cgreenhow.org.

may, in turn, provide greater insight into their own attitudes and teaching practices (e.g., what it means to teach “the research paper” in the presence of social scholarship tools). For more on this topic, please see “Social scholarship: Applying social network-ing technologies to research prac-tices” (Greenhow, 2009) and “Web 2.0 and Educational Research: What Path Do We Take Now?” (Greenhow, Robelia, & Hughes, in press).

Second, social networking tools, such as Facebook, Classroom 2.0, Ning, and Twitter, can be used to garner collective emotional support and recognition for one’s creative prac-tices. We all know that teaching is hard work, and it typically happens behind closed doors. Such social networking services allow many-to-many broadcasting, previously only afforded to the privileged few, so that classroom ideas, questions, or puzzles, such as Pogue’s, can be quickly circulated through a vast network, putting others’ problem-solving skills and political acumen to work for you.

Broadcasting the anecdotal evidence you are gathering from classroom teaching to a private or semi-private network can not only help teachers reflect on their practice to trouble shoot and improve it, but also can help teachers garner recognition for their good work. And, of course, with recognition may come more opportu-nities for professional development (such as grants, time off for projects, and leadership positions).

In our work studying the potential educational benefits and challenges of social network site use among urban teenagers, we found that such technologies could function as social learning resources and spaces for new literacy practices. For instance, some young people put up their creative work (a video they made, creative

writing in their blog, photography, etc.) on MySpace and in turn receive recognition and feedback in the form of kudos, comments, tags, or friends being invited to view their work. Many students felt this peer valida-tion and appreciation encouraged them to be even more creative, clever, and articulate in their online self-presentation, and we saw actual examples of this in their online work.

In addition, they turned to their social network site to get emotional support and school-related task support from online friends and peers during tough times, such as transitioning to college or working on a stressful assignment. See Greenhow and Robelia (in press) for more specific illustrations that may spark ideas for teachers, as well.

For more on how these networks are creating social learning opportunities for young people in high school, please see http://apps.facebook.com/hotdish, a news-sharing community within Facebook focused on environ-mental science, literacy, and social activism.

Although these are just some of the ways we might get a little help from our friends along our own profes-sional development journeys, they are meant as a starting point for further discussion. To that end, I invite you to “friend” me on Facebook, tweet to me on Twitter (www.twitter.com/chrisgreenhow), message me on the ISTE Community Ning (www.iste-community.org), or find me in the halls of NECC 2009.

Resources

CiteULike example: www.citeulike.org/user/davidbrake

Diigo article: schoolcomputing.wikia.com/wiki/Why_We_Like_Diigo

“Informal Learning and Identity Formation in Online Social Net-works” by C. Greenhow and E. Robelia (in press). Learning, Media and Technology.

Pogue’s Posts, “Twittering Tips for Beginners”: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/twittering-tips-for-beginners

“Professional Development in Integrating Technology into Teach-ing and Learning: Knowns, Un-knowns, and Ways to Pursue Better Questions and Answers” by K. A. Lawless & J. W. Pellegrino (2007). Review of Educational Research, 77(4).

“Research on Learning and Teach-ing with Web 2.0: Bridging Conver-sations” by C. Greenhow, E. Robelia, & J. Hughes (in press). Educational Researcher.

“Social Scholarship: Applying Social Networking Technologies to Re-search Practices” by C. Greenhow (2009). Knowledge Quest 37(4).

“Social scholarship on the rise” by L. Cohen (2007, April 5): http://liblogs.albany.edu/library20

“Web 2.0 and Educational Research: What Path Do We Take Now?” by C. Greenhow, E. Robelia, and J. Hughes (in press). Educational Researcher.

(Social Networks, continued)

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NETA News


Read the directions! Each contest has specific directions to streamline the process for the submitter and for those who are judging. Carefully following all directions that are listed for your contest ensures that your submission will be given the full attention of the judges. Before submitting your entry, ask yourself, have I followed all of the directions that were given to me?

When submitting contest materials, please be mindful of the following areas:

Content Evidence of educational value. Ask yourself; is the purpose of my submission clear? The purpose should be clear and its content should reflect its purpose, be it to entertain, persuade, educate or sell. Promoting social biases (gender, racial, religious, or other types) rather than enlarging the views of the student should not be considered worthwhile.

Clear, appropriate and correct information. Make sure your material is related to the topic and does not contain offensive material.

Functionality and value-added elementsIf audio, video or sound is used, be sure that the timing, placement, volume and selection add value to your project.

Spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structureProofread and edit! A good project will be downgraded if there are errors.

Effective use of spaceIs the project visually appealing? Does the size, shape and color of the text complement the project? The background should also be visually appealing—flashing fonts, moving backgrounds and dizzy color patterns detract from projects.

Sequence and navigation.Make sure that the sequence is logical and that the navigation is easy for the viewer.

Creativity and Originality• Creative and artistic use of elements

• Demonstration of an original, unique or new idea

Well-planned color choicesAppropriate use of contrast within the color scheme should be evident. Light color text, dark color back-ground; dark color text, light color background.

Format & design consistencyProject should have uniform layout and balance. Does the project make good use of white space?

Credits/Citations• All works properly credited to author or illustrator

• All project sources properly cited

• All entries to the contests must be completely created by the student (or by the teacher for teacher contests). ❖

Tips for Submitting a Great NETA Contest EntrySubmitted by NETA Board Directors Jane Davis & Dawn Prescott


NETA News

NETA K–12 Open Class ContestWrite a great computer app? Send it to us! Create an awesome desktop publishing file? We’d love to see it! Do you have a digital story to tell? A cool animation? A podcast? An original music composition? We want them all!

The Rules? They’re simple: (1) Contest is open to K–12 students in Nebraska public or private schools. (2) Each student may enter a maximum of two projects in this contest. (3) Students do not require teacher sponsorship to enter this contest, but are required to list adult (teacher or parent) contact information. (4) Projects entered in this contest may NOT be entered in any other NETA contest. (5) Entries should be submitted under one of the three Contest categories.

The Categories: • Pursue Your Learning (showcase a digital creation based on something you’ve learned in class)• Teaching Others (present your ideas or share your knowledge with others in creative ways)• Express Yourself (tell us who you are, or what makes you special, through a digital creation of your choice).

Divisions and Awards: This year there will be three age group divisions: K–4, 5–8, and 9–12. The number of winners per category/age group is at the discretion of the judges. All entrants should check the NETA website (http://www.netasite.org) on or after February 15, 2010 to view the list of winners. Winners will be notified at the email(s) provided on the entry form by February 15, 2010.

Guidelines:1. The type of digital media accepted is wide open. However, if you are using a program, please include a player

for that program, or compress to one of these file formats (.mp3, .mov, .pdf, .jpg, .gif, .swf, or .html)2. For judging purposes, entries must not take longer than 10 minutes to review.3. Entrants using copyrighted material must follow copyright and fair use guides available on a handy PDF chart

available at http://www.umuc.edu/library/copy.shtml#guide.4. For judging purposes, we are requiring only one entry per CD / DVD. 5. Entries must be accompanied by the form below.

Submission deadlineMust be postmarked on or before January 25, 2010. Direct questions to Jason Rushing at [email protected]

Submit to: Jason Rushing c/o Humann Elementary 6720 Rockwood Lane Lincoln, NE 68516

Entry Form for NETA Open Class Digital Media ContestPlease print legibly or download an interactive PDF form from http://netasite.org

Student Name ____________________________________________________________________________________Grade _____________________ School name _________________________________________________________School address (City, State, Zip) _____________________________________________________________________Contact Name _________________________________ Contact Email ___________________________________Student Home Address (Street, City, State, Zip) _______________________________________________________Select one: ( ) Pursue Your Learning ( ) Teaching Others ( ) Express YourselfAge Group: ( ) K–4 ( ) 5-8 ( ) 9-12The signature below verifies that the entry was completely produced by the submitting student.Student signature _________________________________________________________________________________Date ___________________________________Students: Please include this form with your entry. Deadline—Postmark on or before January 25, 2010.

Express Yourself!

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NETA News


Put your name “in the hat” to possibly win a free NETA Registration

Attention Nebraska K–12 Public/Private Teachers who are in their first three years of teaching!If you can answer “yes” to all of the following, please submit your name for the drawing: 1) teacher with 3 years or less teaching experience, 2) has not attended NETA Conference, 3) knows that school or district does not have the means to pay registration costs, 4) has strong interest in use of technology in the classroom, 5) has principal/supervisor support.

A maximum of three names will be drawn for free NETA Conference Registrations. Each winner will be regis-tered at no cost for the full two-day conference. (Principal’s consent for attendance required.) All three winners drawn will receive notification via email by February 15, 2010 at the email address provided on the entry form. Teachers submitting their name for the drawing should NOT register for the conference until winners are announced.

Submission deadline The drawing form below must be postmarked on or before January 25, 2010. Direct contest questions to Lynne Herr at [email protected].

Please Submit Your Entry to: Dr. Lynne Herr ESU#6 210 5th Street Milford, NE 68405

NETA Free Conference Drawing Entry form—please print! Print legibly on this form or go to the NETA website at http://netasite.org to download an interactive form.

Name _____________________________________ School __________________________________________

Position (content area and grade level) ____________________________________________________________

Home Address (Street, City, State, Zip) ___________________________________________________________

School Address (Street, City, State, Zip) ___________________________________________________________

Home Phone _______________________________ School Phone ____________________________________

Teacher’s email _____________________________ Principal’s email __________________________________

Principal’s printed name_________________________________________________________________________

Principal’s signature ____________________________________________________________________________

Certify that you meet each item below by checking in the boxes:

❐ I am teacher with 3 years or less in classroom. ❐ I have not attended the NETA Conference. ❐ I know that my school or district will not be able to pay my registration. ❐ I have a strong interest in use of technology in the classroom. ❐ I have principal/supervisor support.

Signature of applicant _____________________________________________ Date ______________________

Submit Your Entry to: Dr. Lynne Herr ESU#6 210 5th Street Milford, NE 68405Deadline: January 25. 2010

Opportunity to Attend NETA 2010For Teachers Who Have Taught Three Years or Less!


NETA News

ISTE Teacher Trek Contest Win a Trip to ISTE 2010 (Formerly the National Educational Computing Conference) in Denver Next Summer!

This opportunity to attend ISTE 2010 (June 27–30) is open to Nebraska K-12 Public or Private School Teachers.

Judging and AwardsTrips will be awarded with a maximum of $1500 each (total in awards not to exceed $9000). Each winner will be invited to the NETA Spring Conference on Thursday, April 29, 2010, to be recognized at the opening general session and the teacher’s school district will be reimbursed for the district’s actual cost for a substitute on Thursday so the teacher may attend the award ceremony. (Principal’s consent required.)

All winners will receive notification of contest results via email by February 15, 2010 at the email address provided on the entry form. Teachers should NOT register for the conference until winners are announced. All products submitted become property of NETA, and may be distributed. Creativity in submissions is encouraged!

Guidelines:• Up to $1500 will be awarded for conference registration, coach class airfare, hotel and meals to attend ISTE

2010 in Denver, Colorado.• Up to six winners will be chosen (see special note on page 25).* On a separate sheet of paper, please explain how you use technology to enhance student learning and how

attending ISTE 2010 would strengthen what you already do. What are you hoping to learn or gain by attending sessions at ISTE 2010? (Maximum 150 words.)

• The winners will write a follow-up NETA newsletter article explaining what projects or plans will be imple-mented in their classroom based upon what was learned through ISTE 2010 attendance.

Submission deadlineMust be postmarked on or before January 25, 2010. Direct questions to Nicole Badgley at [email protected]

Submit to: Nicole Badgley, Arnold Public Schools, 405 N. Haskell, Arnold, NE 69120

ISTE 2010 Trip Contest Application Form

Entry form—please print clearly or download an interactive form at http://netasite.org:

Name _______________________________________________ School ___________________________________

Position (content area and grade level) ________________________________________________________________

Home Address (Street, City, State, Zip) _______________________________________________________________

School Address (Street, City, State, Zip) ______________________________________________________________

Home Phone _________________________________________ School Phone _____________________________

Teacher’s email ___________________________________________________________________________________

Applicant’s signature ______________________________________________________________________________

Principal’s printed name (required) __________________________________________________________________

Principal’s signature (required) ____________________________________________ Date ____________________

Submission deadline: Postmarked by January 25, 2010.

Submit this form with application narrative described above to: Nicole Badgley, Arnold Public Schools, 405 N. Haskell, Arnold, NE 69120

http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/2010/

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NETA News


PurposeThe purpose of the Nebraska Excellence in Leading with Technology Award is to recognize and honor an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in implementing technology to improve teaching, learning or administration.

EligibilityThis contest is open to Nebraska K–12 public and private school administrators and technology coordinators whose primary job role does not include teaching students. All entries must include the superintendent’s consent for contest entry and superintendent’s contact information. If a superintendent is submitting his/her own application, the President of the local Board of Education may be used.

Judging and AwardsThe winner will be determined by a panel of Directors from the NETA Board based on the following guidelines: (Note: Technology is assumed to mean more than just computers.)

a. The nominee is NOT a K–12 classroom teacher.b. The nominee’s work has had a significant positive impact on technology use in teaching, learning or

administration; locally, regionally, statewide or nationwide.c. The nominee has made efforts to involve the community in their work or has facilitated partnerships with

business and/or other organizations to advance the use of technology in teaching, learning or administration.d. The nominee works tirelessly to genuinely improve the quality of education.e. The nominee has integrated deliberate planning in an effort to improve education through the use of

technology.f. The quality of education and/or work experience has been significantly advanced in the nominee’s

workplace as a result of the nominee’s efforts.h. The nominee has contributed to the profession by presenting at professional conferences, seminars

and/or workshops or publishing articles in print or through electronic media.i. The nominee’s work can be used as a model.j. The nominee’s work reflects the mission and purpose of NETA.

The winner will receive a $600 award for use by the recipient for professional activities, which could include conference reimbursement, tuition, or subscriptions (to be spent by April 30, 2011); a plaque and will be invited to the NETA Spring Conference on Thursday, April 29, 2010, to be recognized at the opening general session. In addition, the winner of this award will become Nebraska’s nominee for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) “Outstanding Technology Leader Award.”

The winner will also be invited to be a special guest at a Wednesday evening dinner with the NETA Board of Directors where they will be asked to do a short speech on their approach to integrating technology. The winner will receive a complimentary conference registration.

Please complete the nomination form and submit it along with the packet described on the next page. If you have any questions feel free to contact Scott Plummer by e-mail at [email protected]. Thank you very much for the application and we wish all of you the best of luck!❖

Excellence in Leading with Technology Award

NETA’s 2010


NETA News

Excellence in Leading with Technology Award—Guidelines & nomination form

To nominate a technology leader, submit a nomination packet as described below. Please print legibly on this form or go to http://netasite.org to download an interactive form.

Part I: Contact Information

Nominator _______________________________________________________________________________________

Relationship to the nominee _________________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address ___________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip _____________________________________________________________________________________

Daytime phone _______________________________ E-mail address ______________________________________

Nominee Information

Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________

School ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Position (Please also specify building or district level) ___________________________________________________

Home address (Street, City, State, Zip) ________________________________________________________________

School address (Street, City, State, Zip) _______________________________________________________________

Home phone _________________________________ School phone ______________________________________

Nominee e-mail ______________________________ Superintendent’s e-mail ______________________________

Nominee’s signature ____________________________________________ Date ____________________________

Nominator’s signature __________________________________________ Date ____________________________

Superintendent’s printed name ______________________________________________________________________

Superintendent’s signature ______________________________________ Date ____________________________

Part II: Nomination Statement

(To be completed by person(s) submitting the nomination.) Please state your reasons for recommending the individual. Include a brief description of the nominee’s achieve-ments and service to teaching, learning or administration using educational technology. Discuss how the nominee has served the field in an exemplary manner. Please be as specific as possible.

Part III: Resume or Vitae

Please include a resume or vitae outlining the nominee’s professional background and experience.

Part IV: Letters of Recommendation

Two to three letters of recommendation are strongly encouraged.

Submission deadline

Must be postmarked on or before January 25, 2010.

Submit to: NETA Excellence in Leading with Technology Award c/o Scott Plummer Morrill Public Schools P. O. Box 486 Morrill, NE 69358

22

NETA News


PurposeThe purpose of the Nebraska Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award is to recognize and honor an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in implementing technology to improve teaching and learning.

EligibilityThis contest is open to Nebraska K–12 public and private school teachers. All entries must include principal’s consent for contest entry and principal’s contact information.

Judging and AwardsThe winner will be determined by a panel of Directors from the NETA Board based on the following guidelines: (Note: Technology is assumed to mean more than just computers.)

a. The nominee is a K–12 classroom teacher.

b. The nominee’s work has had a significant positive impact on technology use in teaching and learning; locally, regionally, statewide.

c. The nominee has made efforts to involve the community in their work or has facilitated partnerships with business and/or other organizations to advance the use of technology in teaching and learning.

d. The nominee works tirelessly to genuinely improve the quality of education.

e. The nominee has integrated deliberate planning in an effort to improve education through the use of technology.

f. The quality of education and/or work experience has been significantly advanced in the nominee’s work-place as a result of the nominee’s efforts.

h. The nominee has contributed to the profession by presenting at professional conferences, seminars and/or workshops or publishing articles in print or through electronic media.

i. The nominee’s work can be used as a model.

j. The nominee’s work reflects the mission and purpose of NETA.

The winner will receive a $600 award for use by the recipient for professional activities, which could include conference reimbursement, tuition, or subscriptions (to be spent by April 30, 2011); a plaque and will be invited to the NETA Spring Conference on Thursday, April 29, 2010, to be recognized at the opening general session. In addition, the winner of this award will become Nebraska’s nominee for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) “Outstanding Technology Using Educator Award.”

The winner will also be invited to be a special guest at a Wednesday evening dinner with the NETA Board of Directors where they will be asked to do a short speech on their approach to integrating technology. The winner will receive a complimentary conference registration and the teacher’s school district will be reimbursed for the district’s actual cost for a substitute on Thursday so the teacher may attend the award ceremony. (Principal’s consent required.)

Please complete the nomination form and submit it along with the packet described on the next page. If you have any questions feel free to contact Scott Plummer by e-mail at [email protected]. Thank you very much for the application and we wish all of you the best of luck!❖

Excellence in Teachingwith Technology Award

NETA’s 2010


NETA News

Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award—Guidelines & nomination form

To nominate a technology leader, submit a nomination packet as described below. Please print legibly on this form or go to http://netasite.org to download an interactive form.

Part I: Contact Information Nominator _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Relationship to the nominee _______________________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address _________________________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip _________________________________________________________________________________________

Daytime phone ___________________________________ E-mail address ______________________________________

Nominee Information

Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________

School __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Position (Content area and grade level) _____________________________________________________________________

Home address (Street, City, State, Zip) ______________________________________________________________________

School address (Street, City, State, Zip) _____________________________________________________________________

Home phone __________________________________________ School phone ____________________________________

Nominee e-mail _______________________________________ Principal’s e-mail _________________________________

Nominee’s signature ______________________________________________________________ Date _________________

Nominator’s signature ____________________________________________________________ Date ________________

Principal’s printed name __________________________________________________________________________________

Principal’s signature ______________________________________________________________ Date ________________

Part II: Nomination Statement

(To be completed by person(s) submitting the nomination.) Please state your reasons for recommending the individual. Include a brief description of the nominee’s achievements and service to educational technology. Discuss how the nominee has served the field in an exemplary manner. Please be as specific as possible.

Part III: Resume or Vitae

Please include a resume or vitae outlining the nominee’s professional background and experience.

Part IV: Letters of Recommendation

Two to three letters of recommendation are strongly encouraged.

Submission deadline

Must be postmarked on or before January 25, 2010.

Submit to: NETA Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award c/o Scott Plummer Morrill Public Schools P. O. Box 486 Morrill, NE 69358

24

NETA News


NETA’s 2010

Technology Grant ProgramPurposeTo further encourage the linking of technology to the curriculum, NETA is proud to continue the Technology Grant Program. NETA wants to encourage projects that directly integrate different types of technology into different subject areas (including across the curriculum) and different grade levels. The desire would be that selected grant projects would be beneficial to many educators and students (not just one individual or situation).

EligibilityThis contest is open to Nebraska K–12 public and private school teachers. All entries must include the appropriate principal’s consent for contest entry and the principal’s contact information.

Judging and AwardsGrants will be awarded with a maximum of $1500 each (total in awards not to exceed $9000). Each winner will be invited to the NETA Spring Conference on Thursday, April 29, 2010, to be recognized at the opening general session and the teacher’s school district will be reimbursed for the district’s actual cost for a substitute on Thursday so the teacher may attend the award ceremony. (Principal’s consent required.)

All winners will receive notification of contest results via email by February 15, 2010 at the email address provided on the entry form. Teachers should NOT register for the conference until winners are announced. All products submitted become property of NETA, and may be distributed freely.

Guidelines· Grants awarded will have a maximum of $1500 each.· Materials purchased with NETA grant money will belong to the recipient’s school district, not to the individual.· A hard copy “midterm” progress report is due by December 1, 2010. (This is to keep the NETA Board up-to-

date with the progress of the grants and aware of any problems that may arise.) Progress reports will be pub-lished in the NETA newsletter.

· Grant recipients will be required to present their project at the following NETA Conference as a poster session. At this presentation, handouts and information about the project will be shared with other NETA educators.

· Grant recipients will be announced at the NETA Conference Opening Session and in the NETA newsletter.· Grant recipients will submit a hard copy final report by July 1, 2011, of less than 250 words that describes

activities, software, and the impact on students that can be printed in NETA’s newsletter.· Grants are to be awarded for original projects only and are not to sustain previous grant projects.· The number of awards may vary depending upon the quantity and quality of entries. This decision will be made

by the judges, and the judges’ decision is final.

Submission deadlineMust be postmarked by January 25, 2010.

The ApplicationOn a separate sheet of paper, please answer the following questions and be as specific as possible.

1) Describe your project.2) How will your project improve the learning environment for students?3) Describe student population(s) and how many will be directly impacted.4) How will your project help teachers incorporate technology into their classrooms?5) How will you evaluate this project?6) How will you share this project with others?7) Itemize your budget needs.8) Justify why NETA should fund this project.

Direct contest questions to: [email protected]. Submit this application narrative with the form on the next page.


NETA News

Technology Grant Application Form

Read the grant guidelines on the previous page and submit the required narrative with the form below.

Entry form

Please print legibly or go to http://netasiste.org to download an interactive PDF form.

Name ____________________________________________________________________

School ____________________________________________________________________

Position (Content area and grade level) ________________________________________

Home address (Street, City, State, Zip) ________________________________________________________________

School address (Street, City, State, Zip) ________________________________________________________________

Home phone ______________________________________ School phone __________________________________

Teacher’s e-mail ____________________________________ Principal’s e-mail _______________________________

Applicant’s signature __________________________________________________________ Date ________________

Principal’s printed name (required) ___________________________________________________________________

Principal’s signature (required) __________________________________________________ Date _______________

Submission deadline: Postmarked by January 25, 2010.

Submit this form with application narrative described on previous page to:

Nicole Badgley Arnold Public Schools 405 N Haskell Arnold, NE 69120

Special Note about the NETA Grants and the ISTE Teacher Trek Contest

(ISTE contest described on page 19.)

• The total amount of money allotted for BOTH the Grant Awards and the ISTE Trip awards is $9000.

• There will be up to six winners of up to $1500 from Grants and ISTE contests combined. The six chosen winners can be in any combination from the two opportunities, depending on the number and quality of entries.

• Questions should be directed to Lynne Herr, Contests Coordinator, at [email protected]

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NETA News


K–12 NETA Conference Logo ContestCreate a design for the NETA Spring Conference 2010—

Creative Journeys to LearningPurposeEncourage students’ creativity by entering artwork created with computers in the NETA Conference Logo Contest.

EligibilityThis contest is open to Nebraska K–12 public and private school students. All entries must include principal’s consent for contest entry and principal’s contact information. Only individual entries will be accepted—no group entries.

Judging and AwardsThe winning design will be used on the conference materials, T-shirts and will also be published in the NETA newsletter and/or on the NETA website and shown at the conference. The Logo Contest winner will receive an award and a complimentary T-shirt and Conference program featuring their design. Each contest entry must be sponsored by the entering student’s current classroom teacher, and each teacher may sponsor a maximum of three entries. The sponsoring teacher of the Logo Contest Winner is encouraged to attend the NETA Spring Conference and will receive a nontransferable complimentary conference registration, and the teacher’s school district will be reimbursed the actual cost for that teacher’s substitute.

All entrants are encouraged to check the NETA Website (http://www.netasite.org) for results on or after February 15, 2010. The Logo Contest winner and their teacher sponsor will receive notification of contest results via e-mail at the email address provided on the entry form. We request that sponsoring teachers do not register for the conference until the winner is announced. All products submitted become property of NETA and may be distributed freely. Decisions are at the discretion of the judges.

Guidelines:1. The graphic must be computer-generated from scratch (no clip art of any kind).

2. The NETA board is anticipating printing the winning Logo on a dark colored T-shirt—please plan your designs with this in mind.

3. There is a four color maximum (black counts as one color, as does white). The entry may be printed in color or be printed in black on white paper with the design “colored” in, but students are encouraged to use a good color ink jet or color laser printer.

4. The design should contain “NETA,” the conference theme “Creative Journeys to Learning” and the year 2010. All words contained in the graphics must be spelled correctly.

5. The design may be no larger than 8.5” by 11”.

6. The entry must be mounted on a 9” by 12” piece of construction paper.

7. The entry blank on the next page must be completed and scotch taped to the back of the construction paper.

8. Entries must by postmarked by December 1, 2009.

9. The winner must be prepared to immediately submit the graphic and any fonts used by e-mail attachment immediately after judging.

10. All entries are to be mailed with the form on the following page to: Jason Rushing Humann Elementary 6720 Rockwood Lane Lincoln NE 68516


NETA News

(Graphics Contest Guidelines continued)

Note: Entries will not be returned. Maximum number of entries per teacher is THREE (3). You will need to do some prejudging at your school and only send in your three best entries.

Questions should be directed to the address on the form or e-mailed to the following address: [email protected].

*NETA stands for Nebraska Educational Technology Association. Members are teachers, college students interested in teaching, technology specialists and college professors. NETA is committed to helping kids learn by using computers and any other kind of modern technology. Over 1800 members attend the spring conference each year.

K–12 NETA Conference Logo ContestEntry Form

Please print legibly or go to http://netasite.org to download an interactive PDF form:

Student Name ___________________________________________________________________

School ________________________________________________ Grade __________________

School Street/PO Box Address _____________________________________________________

School City, State, Zip ______________________________________________________________________________

Teacher e-mail ________________________________________ Principal e-mail ____________________________

School phone __________________________________________

Software Used (include version) __________________________ Computer used ____________________________

The signatures below verify agreement that the entry was completely produced by the submitting student.

Student signature ______________________________________ Date ______________________________________

Teacher’s printed name _____________________________________________________________________________

Teacher’s signature _____________________________________ Date ______________________________________

Principal’s printed name ____________________________________________________________________________

Principal’s signature ____________________________________ Date ______________________________________

Include this form to the back of the entry, as described on previous page. Deadline—Postmark on or before December 1, 2009.

Mail to:

Jason Rushing Humann Elementary 6720 Rockwood Lane Lincoln, NE 68516

✄

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NETA News


NETA’s 2009

Web 2.0 Tools—Student Collaboration Contest Web 2.0 tools are characterized as online tools to encourage and foster communica-tion, information sharing and knowledge in a user-centered design, allowing the user to navigate through the information and therefore interact with it.

EligibilityThis contest is open to Nebraska K–12 public and private school students. All entries must include principal’s consent for contest entry and principal’s contact information.

Contest ExamplesExamples of interactive entries: classroom blogs, wikis, web pages, online interactive classroom newsletters or educational social networking sites e.g. ning.

Judging and AwardsThree places will be awarded in each division of the contest. Certificates will be given to the winning student groups.

Each teacher may sponsor one entry.

Divisions of ContestThe Web 2.0 Tools Contest has divisions. Places and grade divisions may be adjusted based upon the number and quality of entries received. Decisions are made at the discretion of the judges.

Student DivisionsGrades K–4, Grades 5–8, Grades 9–12

Each contest entry must be sponsored by the entering student’s classroom teacher. The sponsoring teacher is encouraged to attend the NETA Conference to be recognized if the students they sponsor are selected as contest winners. The sponsoring teacher listed on the entry form of a winning entry will receive a nontransferable compli-mentary conference registration, and the teacher’s school district will be reimbursed the actual cost of Thursday’s substitute pay.

All entrants should refer to the NETA web site (http://netasite.org) on or after February 15, 2010 for contest results. We request that sponsoring teachers do not register for the conference until winners are announced. Application materials will not be returned to entrants. All submitted projects may be distributed freely by NETA. The entry form must be completed in full. Awards will be mailed out to the students’ school districts following the NETA Spring Conference. All entries must be posted online.

Guidelines1. Evidence of educational value.2. Completely accessible online.3. Any links, including audio or video, must be functional.4. User-friendly navigation.5. Copyrighted material must follow copyright and fair use guidelines.6. Project is sustainable.

Collaboration Contest—NEW!Web 2.0 Tools Student

(Entry form on the next page)


NETA News

Submission deadlineMust be postmarked on or before January 25, 2010

Submit toJane Davis c/o Hershey Public School Box 369 Hershey, NE 69143

Direct contest questions to Jane Davis at [email protected]

Web 2.0 Student Collaboration—Entry Form

1. Please print legibly or download interactive PDF from http://netasite.org

Grade Level (check one): ❏ K–4 ❏ 5–8 ❏ 9–12

Student Name(s) ___________________________________________________________________________________

School ____________________________________________________________________________________________

School Street Address_______________________________________________________________________________


Teacher e-mail ____________________________________________________________________________________

School phone __________________________________________ Project name _______________________________

The signatures below verify agreement that the entry was completely produced by the submitting student(s).

URL of entry: http:// ________________________________________________________________________________

Student signature ______________________________________ Date ______________________________________





2. Also send your URL to Jane Davis in an e-mail.

INTHE SUBJECT LINE please put STUDENT WEB 2.0 CONTEST Copy and paste your URL link and e-mail to [email protected]

Mail the form above for the official entry. Deadline—Postmark on or before January 25, 2010.

Web 2.0 Tools Student

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NETA News


NETA’s 2009

Web 2.0 Tools—Teacher Collaboration Project Contest Web 2.0 tools are characterized as tools to encourage and foster communication, information sharing and knowledge in a user-centered design, allowing the user to navigate through the information and therefore interact with it.

EligibilityThis contest is open to Nebraska K–12 public and private school teachers. All entries must include principal’s consent for contest entry and principal’s contact information. Teacher category is defined as one teacher.

Contest ExamplesExamples of interactive entries: classroom blogs, wikis, web pages, online interactive classroom newsletters or educational social networking sites e.g. ning.

Judging and AwardsThree awards will be given.

Divisions of ContestThe Web 2.0 Tools Contest has divisions. Places and grade divisions may be adjusted based upon the number and quality of entries received. Decisions are made at the discretion of the judges.

Teacher DivisionsGrades K–4, Grades 5–8, Grades 9–12

The teacher is encouraged to attend the NETA Conference to be recognized if selected as a contest winner. The teacher listed on the entry form of a winning entry will receive a nontransferable complimentary conference registration, and the teacher’s school district will be reimbursed for the district’s actual cost of a substitute for one day.

All entrants should refer to the NETA web site (http://netasite.org) on or after February 15, 2010 for contest results. We request that teacher entrants do not register for the conference until winners are announced. Application materials will not be returned to entrants. All submitted projects may be distributed freely by NETA. The entry form must be completed in full. Awards will be mailed out to the teachers’ school districts following the NETA Spring Conference. All entries must be posted online.

Guidelines:1. Evidence of educational value.2. Accessible online.3. Any links, including audio or video, must be functional.4. User-friendly navigation.5. Copyrighted material must follow copyright and fair use guidelines.6. Project is sustainable.

Collaboration Contest—NEW!Web 2.0 Tools Teacher

(Entry form on the next page)


NETA News

Submission deadlineMust be postmarked on or before January 25, 2010

Submit to:Dawn Prescott c/o Schuyler Middle School 200 W. 10th St. Schuyler, NE 68661

Direct contest questions to Dawn Prescott at [email protected]

Web 2.0 Teacher Collaboration—Entry Form

1. Please print legibly or download interactive PDF from http://netasite.org

Grade Level (check one): ❏ K–4 ❏ 5–8 ❏ 9–12

Teacher Name(s) ___________________________________________________________________________________

School ____________________________________________________________________________________________

School Street Address_______________________________________________________________________________


Teacher e-mail ____________________________________________________________________________________

School phone __________________________________________ Project name _______________________________

The signatures below verify agreement that the entry was completely produced by the submitting teacher.

URL of entry: http:// ________________________________________________________________________________





2. Also send your URL to Dawn Prescott in an e-mail.

IN THE SUBJECT LINE please put TEACHER WEB 2.0 CONTEST Copy and paste your URL link and e-mail to [email protected]

Mail the form above for the official entry. Deadline—Postmark on or before January 25, 2010.

Web 2.0 Tools Teacher

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NETA News


K–12 Graphic Imagery ContestEntries in the graphic imagery contest could include:

• digital photographs• images that have been digitally enhanced• hand drawn images• others...be creative

All entries should be original work created by the individual submitting the entry—clip art should NOT be used.

Eligibility This contest is open to Nebraska K–12 public and private school students. All entries must include principal’s consent for contest entry and principal’s contact information.

Judging and Awards •Three places will be awarded in each of the three divisions

•Each contest entry must be sponsored by the student’s current classroom teacher

•Each teacher may sponsor a maximum of three entries

•The sponsoring teachers will receive a nontransferable complimentary NETA conference registration and be recognized at the 2009 NETA Conference

•The sponsoring teacher’s school district will be reimbursed for the actual cost of a substitute for one day.

Divisions are as follows: Grades K–4, Grades 5–8, and Grades 9–12. All entries to the contest must be completely created by the student. First, second and third places will receive awards.

All entrants should refer to the NETA website (http://www.netasite.org) on or after February 15, 2010, for contest results. Letters will be sent via US mail to winning teachers and students with conference information at a later date.

We request that sponsoring teachers do not register for the conference until winners are announced. All products submitted become property of NETA and may be distributed freely. The graphic imagery contest has divisions. Places may be adjusted based on the number and quality of entries received. Decisions are at the discretion of the judges.

Guidelines:1. Students shall digitally capture, create, enhance or draw the graphic image themselves as an original

work. (No clip art of any kind)

2. Students are permitted to create their image using a digital camera, image creation program, drawing tablet, or other digital device.

3. The digital image must be submitted on CD as one of the following file types: .pdf, .png, .jpg, .tiff AND the image must be printed and mounted on construction paper not to exceed 8.5” by 11”.

4. The entry blank must be completed and taped to the back of the construction paper with the submitted CD. Each entry MUST be on its own CD or it will be disqualified.

5. Entries must be postmarked by January 25, 2010.

6. Entries will not be returned.


NETA News

7. Maximum number of entries per teacher is THREE (3). Teachers may need to complete prejudging at the school level to determine the three entries submitted.

8. Only one entry per student is allowed.

9. All entries are to be mailed with the entry form below to: Jackie Ediger ESU#9 1117 E South Street Hastings, Nebraska 68901

10. Direct questions to: [email protected]

NETA K–12 Graphic Imagery ContestEntry Form—Please Print:Entry form—please print legibly or download an interactive form at http://netasite.org

Student Name ________________________________________________________________________________

School ____________________________________________________ Grade ____________________________

School Street/PO Box Address __________________________________________________________________

School City, State, Zip _________________________________________________________________________

Teacher e-mail ____________________________________ Principal email ____________________________

School phone _____________________________________________

Software Used (include version) ______________________________ Computer used ____________________

The signatures below verify agreement that the entry was completely produced by the submitting student.

Student signature __________________________________________ Date ____________________________

Teacher’s printed name ________________________________________________________________________

Teacher’s signature _________________________________________ Date _____________________________

Principal’s printed name _______________________________________________________________________

Principal’s signature ________________________________________ Date ____________________________

Deadline—Postmark on or before January 25, 2010.

Mail to: Jackie Ediger ESU#9 1117 E South Street Hastings, Nebraska 68901

Checklist for Entry:

❏ Entry mounted on construction paper or cardstock

❏ This completed form on the back of the entry.

❏ One CD per entry as described in the guidelines

✂

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NETA News


NETA Board Meeting MinutesA cash register was purchased for the sales table. Signs have been made to direct people to the Blog-gers café, the Sugarloaf rooms, and the Wingtip. We need to put out the signs around 6:30, breakfast will begin at 6 a.m.

Online evaluations have been uploaded. Vendors will open at 8:30, with Board members asked to watch for badges. There will be about 50 students helping with sessions, and teachers are supposed to monitor them.

Treasurer: RichSeptember 1st is the due date to submit all reimbursements for those leaving the board, or the money will roll back into the treasury.

Executive Liason: TomSpreadsheet of duties handed out and reviewed.

Exhibitor Coordinator: MikeA concern about having 31 vendors on wait list and late pull-outs will need to be on the discussion for retreat. The 90 vendors booths are all filled. Be watching this area and taking notes for later discussions. Mike is planning to retire in August, and would like to continue as NETA exhibitor coordinator past that point, and is willing to administer the FirstClass server.

Site Coordinator: DennisAmy Houston of the Embassy was present to greet the Board. Angie Tyner, also from Embassy, was present and commented on the hotel being fully booked. Anyone wishing to tour the Marriott can make arrangements later in the day.

Westside is hosting the Cabelas rooms for sound and lighting, wireless networks, etc. We are the

test model for the wireless network with this size of conference.

The NETA sales desk will have Café Press, T-shirts, ISTE books, the treasurer’s desk, the AV closet, with the Arnold students across the hall.

Debriefing meeting for the Board will be in the Wingtip at 4:30 Friday afternoon.

Contest Coordinators: LynneLogo contest winner will be brought in during the opening session. All other student awards have been mailed their awards. Teacher awards will be recognized, and sponsoring teachers for student winners will be asked to stand during the opening session.

Conference Chairman/President Elect: Sue OThanks to Sandy for all of her help getting ready for the conference and all the behind scenes work. A PowerPoint presentation has been made to visually show the new conference site and features include how to navigate the building, where to find things. Instead of going up on stage, the new board members will be recognized by standing by their chairs, then the returning members, and the rest of the board. Katie and Eric will go up on stage to receive their honors Friday morning. We need to lobby the state about changing the state reading test window to not cover NETA dates.

Web Site Updates: Jason EverettA group will be tweeting about the conference (neta2009). The bloggers café will be ready, a wikispace. (netabloggerscafe.wikispaces.com) There will be a laptop available to participants to order from Café Press at the NETA desk.

NETA Board Meeting Embassy Suites, Omaha, NE April 22, 2009

Present: Nicole Badgley, Sandy Blankenship, Eric Bell , William Bolen, Jason Everett, Lynne Herr, Renee Kopf, Pam Krambeck, Dennis McIntyre, Rich Molettiere, Katie Morrow , Sue Oppliger, Scott Plummer, Susan Prabulos, Tom Rolfes, Jason Rushing, SuAnn Witt, Jackie Ediger, Jane Davis, Michelle Baldwin, Josh Allen, Greg Robke, Bob Goeman, Jason Everett, Dawn Prescott, Eric Bell, Mike Burns

The meeting was opened by Scott at 12:16 p.m.

Motion made by Rich Molettiere, seconded by Renee Kopf, to approve minutes. All in favor, motion carried.

Lynne explained the lunches for the next two days, where to get keys, and other lunch arrangements. Scott extended a welcome to the new board members, as well as returning members of the board. A thank you was expressed to those leaving the board (Katie, Eric, Pam).

Executive Conference Updates and NeedsExecutive Director: SandyGoogle sheets for tasks were sent via email to save printing. The Marriott is not available for ses-sions, but the Cabelas rooms will be used for vendors. There will be some perks for attendees making the trip over to Cabelas. On site registration will be at the main entrance desk with the people from Oregon. Registration will be open from 5-7 PM Wednesday for early registration. We have 1850 preregis-tered, expecting about 150 on site.



NETA News

Punch lists need to be updated.

SuAnn shared about CTO (chief technology officers) leadership groups trying to come to NETA, bringing in 2 speakers from COSN. Kaestner to speak about green computing. Different sponsors would be involved. They will meet Friday morning, at ESU 3. They invited the top 30 schools in the state, and will try to open it up more next year.

Learning Web participants will be picking up their clicker sets at the NETA desk. Make sure that the right set is filled out on the check out sheet. That way a school doesn’t accidentally take two. The workshop is only taking a couple of clickers out of each box.

July 20-21-22, 2009 Summer Retreat Location yet to be determined. An email will be coming soon. Contest meetings will be Monday the 20th at 1 pm. On the 21st we will begin at 10 a.m. with the full board meeting.

Motion made by Jackie Ediger seconded by Dawn Prescott to adjourn the meeting at 1:45 p.m. All in favor, motion carried.

Respectfully Submitted, Nicole Badgley NETA Executive Secretary

Notes from Debriefing Session after the conference:Those present: SuAnn Witt, Bill Bolen, Mike Burns, Bob Goeman, Dawn Prescott, Jason Rushing, Susan Prabulous, Michelle Baldwin, Jackie Ediger, Scott Plummer, Sue Oppliger, Pam Krambeck, Lynne Herr, Greg Robke, Katie Morrow, Josh Allen, Jason Everett, Renee Kopf, Eric Bell, Sandy Blankenship, Rich Molettiere, Dennis McIntyre, Tom Rolfes, Jane Davis, Nicole Badgley

Debriefing:• Could use volunteers for a central

help desk next year• Continue checking badges• Do we want all 7 doors unlocked

for the vendor area? Need volun-teers at each door

• Past President should keep list of volunteers, past board members, people who have run for the board

• CTO clinic 25 attendees, 3 sponsors, targeted marketing invites worked well, want to see more, 30 largest districts could bring 2 people, 11 came, they made it clear that it was not good event scheduled against NETA so need to consider a new date

• Sandy said registration is up 110 on prereg paid, onsite is up to 130 from 88 last year,

• How should Wingtip room be used because of distance away from other rooms?

• Sugarloaf should be set up as one room next year

• If need to use Cabela’s again, use as one room

• Two Marriott rooms will be available

• Tech strand was in Fedora—can they go to Wingtip?

• Make registration system better? Session submissions through Oregon next year

• Found sponsors for the NECC reception. It will cost a lot more in DC so we may need more sponsors

• Take note of any feedback about student winner awards

• Contest committee comes in day early for Retreat, Nicole will do grants and Teacher Trek, Jackie will join contest committee

• NETA is a time of service, and NECC is a time of learning for many

• Discussed having four people designated as ones to manage the NETA sales desk

(Board meeting minutes, continued) Minutes for Retreat 2009 July 21-22, 2009 Marriott Courtyard

The meeting was called to order by President Sue Oppliger at 10 a.m. July 21, 2009.

Those present were: Rich Molet-tiere, Josh Allen, Scott Plummer, Dennis McIntyre, Susan Prabulos, Jason Rushing, Gregg Robke, William Bolen, Tom Rolfes, Jason Everett, Sue Oppliger, Sandy Blankenship, Jackie Ediger, Nicole Badgley, Renee Kopf, Lynne Herr, SuAnn Witt, Jane Davis, Dawn Prescott, Bob Goeman, Mike Burns (arrived at 10:15), Michelle Baldwin (arrived at 12:30) .

Motion made by Rich, seconded by Jason Everett, to approve April minutes. All in favor, motion carried.

Sue Oppliger reviewed the NETA 2009 conference evaluations, with 409 submitted electronically.

Conference ReportsExecutive Director’s Conference Report: Sandy reviewed the registration statistics report with 2200 people attending (2,433 when count exhibitors).

Site Coordinator’s Report: Dennis reviewed the first year in new facility. The issue of Internet, food services, vendor space, and traffic with crowds after keynotes and featured speakers were re-viewed and discussed. The costs for the conference, even with moving to a new space, actually went down. We saved in the vendor area, but spent a bit more for AV set up and equipment, sleeping room costs, services and taxes.


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NETA News


(Board meeting minutes, continued)


Workshops Report: Location evaluations by attendees were good. The shuttle was larger and had trouble maneuvering. Next year we may need a little more time between the shut-tles. Someone needs to be at ESU for Wednesday night check-in for workshops. We need a board member over there at all times for assistance. Presenters need to be reminded to have online evalua-tions completed. We may need someone to come help with install-ing software since many of the installs took a long time.

Room Host Report: We had trouble finding hosts, so we doubled them up and it worked, but we need to work on finding more volunteers.

Exhibits Report: Mike suggested considering starting vendor registrations in earlier in the fall. The committee will discuss more during commit-tee meetings.

Executive ReportsContest Committee Report: Contest entries deadline is January 25, 2010 (except for Logo Contest). Contest judging will take place February 6, 2010 with winners posted to netasite.org by February 15. All student contest winners will receive awards via mail. All teacher contest winners will be recognized on Thursday of the conference. The committee reviewed last year’s contests and propose the following revisions to 2010 contests: The digital movie and digital media contests have been eliminated. New contests offered will be Web 2.0 Collaboration Contests for teachers and students.

Executive Director: Sandy’s report had been submitted

via google docs prior to the retreat, so she highlighted a few items: Learning Web project, accounts for all board members updated for access to board portal, Board members were reminded to volun-teer to submit newsletter articles, and NETA reception at NECC was well attended.

Treasurers Report: Rich Molettiere reviewed the budget report with the board. Sandy suggested that we have an audit to meet nonprofit require-ments. The finance committee needs to discussion this issue. Motion made by Scott Plummer, seconded by Susan Prabulos to approve treasurer’s report, all in favor, motion carried.

Executive Liaison Report: EETT funding has been reduced 63%, and will affect our grants and funding for schools. The panhandle schools, OPS, LPS and ESU 3 schools will be coming onto the Network Nebraska network very soon. So far, 235 entities are scheduled to be on by August 3rd. Another membership invita-tion will be extended to the schools not included. Sandy, Rich, and Tom attended the ISTE Affiliate meeting prior to the NECC Con-ference. Some affiliates are diversi-fying, adding events, adding days to their conference, and including a Saturday option so teachers have more opportunities to attend.

Exhibit Coordinator: The committee has a lot on their agenda and will report back later.

Site Coordinator Report: Facility changes with availability of the Marriott will provide session rooms (in place of Cabela’s that was used last year). Lunch solu-tions are still being discussed, with a possibility of placing orders for food ahead, on site. We are hoping

to move most of the food down to the atrium and therefore help the traffic flow. The wireless issues need a lot of work; the process of bringing people together to find solutions has begun.

Committee ReportsConference Committee: The theme for 2009 will be Cre-ative Pathways to Learning - A Youthful Perspective (this was changed later to Creative Journeys to Learning). It was decided to reserve the Cabela’s rooms in case they would be needed. The vendor area will remain in the same area with 8 x 8 booths, with 6 ft tables. University of Oregon registration features: It was decided to have the following features utilized for 2010 conference:

• Presenters will be asked to post handouts/resources on session search site - no additional cost

• Scheduler—we will check to see if this feature has been improved Conference Planner – will not be purchased this year

• Session Submissions (use instead of using WuFoo)—This will cost additional $3.50 per session from last year’s price

• Interactive Exhibitor Map—will not be purchased this year

• Session Review—this feature will be used again

• Program Search—this feature will be used again

• Sandy is to check with Oregon regarding the possibility of negotiating on the charge for additional vendor booth staff registrations.


NETA News

(Board meeting minutes, continued)Workshop Committee: Recommended to leave time, place, and costs the same.

ISTE affiliate report: Some ideas shared from other affiliate groups were: save the date magnets, providing second conference (similar to our CTO, 1:1 event, tech coordinators day), purchasing insurance policy for conference disasters, letter on web site for attendees to give their administrators on benefits of attending conference, adding Saturday, and many allow18 months to find keynotes.

Finance Committee:There were several recommenda-tions made by the committee. Exhibitor Rate will have $65 added to absorb electricity charge. With sponsorships Level 5 will cost $515, and after December 1st adjusts to $615. Level 4 will cost $665, and after December 1st adjusts to $765. A maximum of 30% of sessions will be vendor sessions. September 1 the exhibi-tor mailing information should go out, allowing the final list of exhibitors to be done by February 1st. Late payment penalty for exhibitors will be 15% monthly penalty fee for non-payment prior to end of conference. Non-atten-dance policy for exhibitors is that there will be no refunds after February 1st. With exhibitor cancellations the space will be reassigned with no refund.

The Executive Director was asked to submit a salary proposal for 2009-2010 by August 15th for decision at October meeting.

Conference Committee:Registration rates for 2010 will increase by $5, with full registra-tion at $115, one-day registration at $80, and workshops $50. The

committee recommended not adding a retired registration rate. There will not be a raffle for 2010. The committee recommends contacting vendors to subsidize such items as badge holders, coffee mugs, pen drives. This information will be in vendor registration materials. The committee also recommended reusable grocery bag instead of traditional confer-ence bags. The conference-drawing prize will be ten $100 bills. The amount budgeted for NETA 2010 speaker fees will be $15,000. Linda Dickeson’s contract proposal will be adjusted by dropping the pre-conference program and replacing with pre-conference flyer, plus add the exhibitor guide in the conference program.

The exhibitors will be given the option to utilize the conference space for Wednesday all day, and/or Thursday night for their own events. This will cost the vendors $100 plus the level 4 rate. The vendor could invite or recruit their audience to attend these sessions. If an education group is interested, they could get a lesser rate.

A motion to raise the rates for conference and workshops by Renee Kopf seconded by William Bolen. All in favor, motion carried.

Outreach Committee:The Outreach Committee made the following recommendations to: 1) continue the affiliation and distribution of The Big Deal Book of Technology and to sign the letter of understanding, 2) send out a survey to the NETA membership inquiring about ISTE attendance for 2010, 3) change the structure of the web coordinator position to a sub committee from the outreach committee with a new position created as a web master, and adver-tise for a web master position

through the listserv, web site, and newsletter with defined parameters to come at a later date; the compensation will remain the same as current web coordinator position. We will advertise for applications as soon as possible, with applications due by October 1st. Then the board/outreach committee can review the applica-tions and make a decision at the October board meeting.

Policies and Procedures Committee:Scott Plummer motioned that the descriptions for all executive appointed positions be removed from the bylaws with the exception of the Executive Director, with the changes being drafted by the policy committee by the October meet-ing. Seconded by Michelle Bald-win. Discussion of updating the policies procedures is necessary. All in favor, motion carried. It was decided that Executive Committee would be defined as President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Executive Liaison, Site Coordinator, Execu-tive Director, Exhibitor Coordina-tor, and Contest Coordinator. President’s Council will consist of President-Elect, President, Past President, and Executive Director.

Changing of Officer Duties Discussion—The Board discussed the possibility of changing the person who is conference chair from the current President-Elect. Two options were brought forward from the Policies & Procedures Committee: Option 1: have the Past President serve as Conference Chair, this adds no additional costs for stipend reimbursement. Bylaws would need to be amended. Op-tion 2: Add 2nd Vice President to assist President-Elect (1st Vice President) with the conference and the move into that position the


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(Board meeting minutes, continued)following year. This would have bylaw and financial implications. There was discussion as to whether the Treasurer should be an ap-pointed office. The decision was to leave as is, with voting every two years. The vote then becomes a “vote of confidence.” There was also discussion on devising a succession plan with a process to “groom” replacements, for appoint-ed executive officers especially.

Evaluation of appointed officers. The Policies and Procedures Committee recommended that in the Policies and Procedures docu-ment, it be stipulated that all appointed positions would be evaluated annually with an instru-ment (to be determined). A 360 approach will be utilized (survey instrument from variety of sourc-es). The survey results will be shared during the retreat.

The auditing of treasurer’s records. Even numbered years an external formal audit will be completed with a CPA, and on odd years NETA will utilize the committee as designated in bylaws. The Execu-tive Director is to research bond-ing of Treasurer and Executive Director.

Vision Committee Reports The NETA Board held a visioning session in October 2009. This is a follow-up to the goals set at that time.

Goal 1: Empower innovative learners. Activities include featur-ing a web 2.0 project showcase in the newsletter, and featuring teachers on the NETA web site who are using the tools in the classroom. Another possibility is to have a model classroom for people to observe during the conference.

Goal 2: Member collaboration. Propose devoting a year to build-ing web 2.0 uses for new users. This would involve personal learning networks, hosting social site, articles in the newsletter, and then meet at the conference.

Goal 3: Expand membership. Activities include looking at the data to see where our membership lives, what districts they are from, and where to target new members (from districts who are not in-volved or regions of the state), and develop long-range strategies to increase attendance.

Goal 4: Community Support. Provide best practices and research resources to put on the NETA web site. Implement the newsgram.

Goal 5: Encourage Tech Advocacy. Activities to include promoting ETAN membership and presence at NETA, ISTE webinars, increase listings on the “schedule of events,” new sections of the newsletter (twitters, bloggers, teacher sites, etc.), and twitter for teachers wiki link (PB works).

Goal 6: Expand leadership oppor-tunities. Activities include ways to work with NDE to work with long term planning, and benefits for all districts and NETA growth.

New Business:Michelle Baldwin is moving from professional development to the classroom, and Mike Burns has retired from his position from Ralston. Jason Everett made a motion to reject the resignations of Michelle Baldwin and Mike Burns. Seconded by Renee Kopf. All in favor, motion carried.

A motion was made to accept the proposed budget for 2009-2010 by Scott Plummer, seconded by Susan

Prabulous. All in favor, motion carried.

Mike Burns presented an update of hardware and software for First-Class. ESU 10 will provide the space, FirstClass is providing the licenses, but NETA needs to acquire the hardware. Renee Kopf motioned to spend $800 on a server to get FirstClass up and going, hosted by ESU10. Seconded by William Bolen. Vote 15 yes, 1 no. Motion carried.

Upcoming Dates:• Fall board meeting: October 9,

2009 at ESU#10 in Kearney

• Winter board meeting: February 5, 2010 at Waverly Superinten-dent’s office

• Contest Judging: February 6, 2010 at Waverly High School

• Conference dates: April 29-30, 2010 at La Vista Embassy Suites & Conference Center

• ISTE Conference (formerly NECC) at Denver: June 27-30, 2010

• Summer Retreat: July 19-21, 2010 at La Vista Embassy Suites & Conference Center

Motion to adjourn the meeting at 3:10 PM by William Bolen, seconded by Jason Rushing. All in favor, motion carried.

Respectfully submitted by Nicole Badgley, Executive Secretary


NETA News

Calendar of Technology Conferences & Seminars

October 2009

ITEC (Iowa Technology & Education Connection)

October 11–13, 2009Coralville MarriottDes Moines, IAwww.itec-ia.org/en/conference/

Nebraska Council of School Administrators (NCSA)

October 29–30, 2009Holiday Inn, Kearney, NEedad-techconference.com

National School Boards Association—NSBA T+L² Conference

October 28–30, 2009Denver, COwww.nsba.org/T+L/

December 2009

Elementary Keyboarding Workshop

December 2, 2010Nebraska Department of Education, Lincoln, NEwww.nde.state.ne.us/TECHCEN/training.html

January 2010

Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC)

January 12–15, 2010Orlando, FLfetc.org

EDUCAUSEJanuary 13–15, 2010Baltimore, MDnet.educause.edu/marc10

February 2010

Midwest Educational Technology Conference (METC)

February 8–10, 2010St. Charles, MOhttp://metcconference.org

Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA)

February 8–12, 2010Austin, TXwww.tcea.org

MacWorld ExpoFebruary 9–13, 2010San Francisco, CAmacworldexpo.com

CoSN’s School Networking Conference

February 28–March 2, 2010Washington DCwww.cosn.org/Events/

March 2010

International Technology Education Association (ITEA)

March 26–28, 2009Louisville, KYwww.iteaconnect.org

April 2010

NETA Spring Conference Creative Journeys to Learning

April 29–30, 2010LaVista Embassy Suites & Conference Center, LaVistanetasite.org

June 2010

Nebraska Career Education (NCE) Conference

June 8–10, 2010Kearney, NEwww.nceconference.com

ISTE Conference (formerly NECC)

June 27–30, 2010In cooperation with Technology in Education (TIE) ColoradoDenver, COcenter.uoregon.edu/ISTE/2010/

Events of every type for educators, technicians & administrators

The ISTE Conference (formerly NECC Conference) will be held in Denver June 27-30, 2010. Since this is a closer location for Nebraskans, NETA will survey members to see whether there is enough interest to charter a bus.

Membership FormNETA Statement of Purpose: The Nebraska Educational Technology Association exists for the purpose of providing leadership and promoting the application of technology to the educational process. Its span of interest includes all levels and aspects of education.

Name Position

Preferred Address

City State Zip

Home Phone Work Phone

School/Agency Name e-mail

If you attended the Spring Conference in April, 2009, one year of membership was included with your registration. If you would like to be a member, but could not attend the Spring Conference, membership dues are $25 .00 and are good through April, 2010. Make checks payable to NETA. To become a member, please fill out the above form and mail with check to:

NETA Membership ❑ I am a new member P.O. Box 27 ❑ I was recruited by this current NETA member Waverly, NE 68462

Address changes should be sent to the above address or e-mailed to: [email protected]

NONPROFITU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDLINCOLN, NE

PERMIT NO. 1180

NETANebraska Educational Technology Association P.O. Box 27 Waverly, NE 68462

NETA—on the World Wide Web at http://netasite.org

Documents

News · 2009. 9. 14. · 1:1 learning can start to take place in more schools where budgets are tight. Handhelds have gained popularity in recent years and already have pre-built