Every time I check my Twitter feed, I get a notice of a data breach occurring at a business or school district. That's why it's critical school leaders come up with a Safeguarding Sensitive Data Plan for their district. Below, you'll find some of my efforts along with my colleagues' efforts in developing a District plan. Your feedback is welcome!Image SourceSome points to keep in mind:Avoid using the term "data breach" should your district experience one.If you become aware of a potential loss of sensitive confidential data, make sure you notify TASB so they can help you from the get-go (this should be like the first phone call you make after becoming aware of the problem).Put a policy in place (there are plenty online to choose from, and I've included one further below that's adapted from other sources). Here's one example.Provide professional learning to all staff. Here's one possibe approach.Remember, it's not just digital...paper is important to protect, too.Overview A data security breach occurs any time there is unauthorized access to school district data, including FERPA and/or HIPPA data. Other terms you may encounter when referring to data breaches include a loss of "personally identifiable information," as well as "personal health information."  Lost laptops and misplaced USB flash drives are the top two main cause of data breaches in schools.The District is putting this policy in place for the following reasons:Ensure that District’s staff and student print and digital information remains confidential and only those who should access that information, canPrevent unauthorized individuals from changing staff’s and/or students’ sensitive information.Verify that your information is available when you need it (by making encrypted, secure backup copies and, if appropriate, storing those secure, encrypted backup copies off-site)To accomplish this, you need to secure, not only physical copies of the data (e.g. print-outs in locked file cabinets) but also encrypt digital copies of that data.Defining TermsConfidential, Sensitive or Personally Identifiable DataThe SCHOOL ISD is committed to protecting confidential, sensitive data. Personal Information means any information relating to an identified or identifiable person (employees and consumers) and includes, for example, a person’s name, physical address, phone number, e-mail address, social security number (SSN), credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, date of birth, savings account, checking account, insurance policy or other health account or financial account number or information, and health or disability information. Personal Information includes employee background checks, including credit reports, and any records that are derived from this information. Additionally, Personal Information includes consumer credit reports and any records that are derived from this information that relate to an identified or identifiable consumer.Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)K-12 educators and support staff are largely unaware of the threats and vulnerabilities associated with the information systems they use.  For example, private student data can be stolen, lost, and/or exposed to the public. This threat is especially pertinent as educators and support staff are obligated to protect sensitive information such as Student Test Numbers under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, which is one of the nation’s strongest privacy protection laws.  These individuals need opportunities to learn about the threats and countermeasures associated with information protection. (Source: Purdue University - Data Security in K-12)Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or HIPPAThe SCHOOL ISD is committed to compliance with the health information privacy and security requirements set forth by federal law and the regulations of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These requirements dictate that the privacy of personal or protected health information (PHI) received by or generated through certain District employee health plans be protected from improper use or disclosure. Protected health information generally includes personally identifiable health information that is maintained by or on behalf of a HIPAA-covered health plan, including information in writing, electronic medium, and oral communications. Protected health information does not include health information that is maintained by the district in its role as an employer (e.g., information maintained in relation to FMLA or worker’s compensation). The HIPAA security rule applies to personally identifiable health information that is in electronic form. Privacy and security safeguards will be implemented to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information created, received, maintained, or transmitted by the Plan, including information in electronic form, whether it is being stored or transmitted. Consequences of NOT Securing DataData breaches leave people six times more likely to become victims of identity theft, according to a survey this year by Javelin Research. There can be various consequences to not securing data, such as the following:Direct costs are incurred by the school district for having to notify individuals whose confidential data has been compromised, as well as notify credit agencies.The cost of paying for credit protection for individuals affected.The school district may suffer damage to reputation.Staff may be disciplined or terminated depending on the severity of the data breach.Laptop theft facts that make encryption of confidential data important:Statistics show that as many as one in ten laptops will be stolen or lost from an organization over the lifetime of each computer.86% of security practitioners report that someone in their organization has had a laptop lost or stolen.56% report that it resulted in a data breach.Encryption of data stops cyber criminals from stealing data on laptops.Ninety-seven percent of stolen computers are NEVER recovered. That means that confidential data could be out there indefinitely, waiting like a time-bomb to explode until someone discovers it and then uses it. What could have been done differently in each of these cases (Appendix 4: Case Studies)? Encryption of the data being transmitted via email, or stored on a computer, USB flash drive or web site. Encrypting the confidential data is the single-most important step that could have been taken.Plan for ImplementationThe SCHOOL ISD Plan shall implement and maintain these policies and related procedures to manage the selection, development, implementation, and maintenance of security measures to protect sensitive data (both personally identifiable and health information) and manage the conduct of the District employees in relation to the protection of the protected health information as follows: Authorization. Only District employees designated by the Privacy and Security Official as requiring access to protected health information will be given such access.Training. District employees, including management, authorized to use and disclose protected health information will receive annual training, including privacy and security awareness. Initial training upon hiring; annual refreshers required trainings.Response, Reporting, and Sanctions. Issues of non-compliance with this Policy or the Privacy and Security Rules must be reported promptly upon discovery to the Incident Response Team.Breach Notification. The Plans shall comply with the District’s breach notification policy.Physical Safeguards. Plan members’ protected health information shall be secured in a locked file cabinet used solely for the purpose of storing this information. Paper documents containing protected health information shall be shredded before being discarded. Electronic files containing protected health information, if any, shall be password protected. Unattended work stations and terminals will prevent unauthorized access to protected health information by closing files when not at the computer. A facsimile machine used to transmit and receive protected health information shall be in a secure location. Physical access to systems containing electronic protected health information shall be limited, as reasonable and appropriate, to individuals authorized to use those systems.Technical Safeguards. To the extent protected health information is maintained electronically, access to electronic information systems or software programs will be provided to only those persons who have been granted access rights.Minimum Necessary. When using, disclosing, or requesting PHI, the Plans shall take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure that only the minimum amount of PHI necessary is used, disclosed, or requested, consistent with HIPAA’s minimum-necessary rule.Contracts with third party entities for storage of District’s data in the cloud.  This has been a hot topic at conferences.  There is specific contract language that should exist within contracts including, storage, security, disposal, etc.  This is what the Walsh Anderson advertisement was referring to.Incident Response TeamDesignate someone who will lead the team but train everyone on what to do.PlanGather thorough, extensive documentation of events leading up to and immediately following the discovery of the breach.Enable clear and immediate communication with everyone in the District about what happened, and how they should respond to any external inquiries.Facilitate immediate notification and activation of the designated response team, especially legal counsel, to determine whether law enforcement and/or other regulatory agencies need to be involved.Participate in identification of the cause of the breach and implementation of whatever steps are necessary to fix the problem.Manage development of messaging and deployment schedule for notifying those whose data was compromised, based on counsel from lawyers who will review state laws, compliance regulations, and other mandates affecting what the messaging must say and how soon notification must occur, as well as what compensation to affected victims should be provided.Notify TASB should be the first step; we have data breach coverage, and they have worked with 3rd party vendors with respect to post-data breach protocol.Data Breach Prevention ChecklistDistrictCommunicate protocols for handling data to all stakeholders. This needs to include paper form, district owned devices, personal devices, and third-party contracts for data.  Challenge will be to identify all stakeholders and what data they currently work with and/or store.  Determine appropriate levels and types of training; implement training for new employees; develop refresher trainings annually for all employees.Monitor prevention measures on a timely basis.Establish an incident response team with clear expectations as to role to play.Conduct an inventory of sensitive data assets.Categorize data so that end-users know how to protect data.Implement a communication plan for all stakeholders, including partners.Heighten awareness of how critical it is to safeguard data.Maintain up to date firewall and content filtering system.Require safeguarding sensitive data for all staff in the Responsible Use Agreement.Provide web visitors/users with terms and conditions for the use of the school district’s web site, network and systems, prohibiting the collection of information through the use of bots and other types of hacking.Incorporate the District’s Vendor Access Policy into the vendor’s contract to lessen the school district’s risk of a data breach.All district hard drives and storage media will be wiped (e.g. DBAN) or destroyed as appropriate prior to being made available for auction or released to public and/or community.CampusPractice steps--modeled via professional learning--to safeguard sensitive data consistently.Learn how to communicate effectively to District Incident Response Team with critical information about what data was lost, the source of the data, the media (e.g. USB, email with attachment, paper), number of individuals affected, etc.Establish processes for shredding paper and digital data while maintaining records retention policies when appropriate.IndividualPractice steps to safeguard sensitive data consistently (refer to list)Lock your workstation when you step away from it.Encrypt sensitive data that includes staff/student information.Lock confidential documents.Avoid opening sensitive data on personal mobile devices and/or removing them from a secure campus location.Engage in healthy data protection practices.Practice encryption of sensitive data, including emails, files.Maintain secure passwords and protect passwords using a "password-keeper."Response ChecklistDistrictReceive a report of an alleged data breach from an individual to District personnel (this could be from an employee or a vendor). Need to establish process and protocols for identifying and reporting different types of data breach. Establish chain of command reporting for staff to ISD.Establish chain of command for contracted services data breach reported to ISD..Conduct a forensic analysis of data breach to determine reportable incident.If data is unencrypted, law requires that a data breach be reported to the Incident Response Team, law enforcement, and affected individuals. If data is encrypted, no data breach occurred.Types of notice to affected individuals: Per a recent session at TASB, third-party vendors are able to assist with this process and the cost is included within the coverage type.  Written notice to last known home address for the individual.Telephone notice.Email notice if a valid email address is available (e.g. staff).Substitute Notice. This involves conspicuous posting of data breach notice on the School District web site and notification to major media outlets. CampusPractice steps to safeguard sensitive data consistentlyCommunicate effectively to District Incident Response Team should a breach occur.ReferencesEdTech, How Schools Can Mitigate Data Risk. Available online 07/22/2015 at http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2014/10/how-schools-can-mitigate-data-risksHIPAA Privacy Policy. Available online 07/22/2015 at http://www.brf.org/wp-content/uploads/tiedejul/523.5-HIPAA-Privacy-Policy-10-3-13.pdf DRAFTI. IntroductionThe SCHOOL ISD collects and works to safeguard sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII), as well as data classified as Family Educational Rights Protection Act (FERPA) and/or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protected data. This can include data such a person’s name, physical address, phone number, e-mail address, social security (SSN), credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, data of birth, savings account, checking account insurance policy or health account or financial account number or information, and health or disability information. Unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of sensitive data can seriously harm individuals by enabling the opportunity for identity theft, blackmail or embarrassment. The disclosure of sensitive data can also cause the SCHOOL ISD to suffer a reduction in public trust and can create a legal liability.Sensitive data collected and/or used should be considered protected data and must be protected when in digital format and/or print format. This policy covers students, employees and others on whom the SCHOOL ISD may have such information. The policy applies to all persons exposed to sensitive data, its storage mechanisms (how the information is stored, e.g. paper, electronic, other media) and modes of transmission.II. Purpose and ScopeThe purpose of this policy is to ensure (a) that employees understand the need to safeguard this information, and (b) that adequate procedures are in place to minimize this risk of improper disclosure of sensitive data. Access to sensitive data may only be granted to authorized individuals on a need to know basis. This policy seeks to ensure the security, confidentiality, and appropriate use of all sensitive data processed, stored, maintained, or transmitted on the SCHOOL ISD’s computer systems and networks. This includes protection from unauthorized modification, destruction, or disclosure, whether intentional or accidental.III. PolicyThe SCHOOL ISD supports the protection of individual privacy. As such, it will comply with all applicable laws that govern the collection, storage, transfer, use of, and access to sensitive data.The SCHOOL ISD shall strive to minimize collection of sensitive data to the least amount of information required to complete a particular transaction or to fulfill a particular purpose related to the academic or business needs of the institution. Employees should limit any request for sensitive data to the minimum necessary or appropriate to accomplish the District’s purpose for which it is requested.All sensitive data in the possession of the SCHOOL ISD is considered confidential unless:The data owner has authorized the release of information designated as "Directory Information" by the District; orThe data owner has otherwise authorized its disclosure.The SCHOOL ISD requires that sensitive data--such as that listed below--must be stored and transferred in encrypted format when digital, and kept secure when in paper form.Consistent with applicable law and District policy, custodians of sensitive data shall take reasonable and appropriate steps to:limit access to and further use of or transfer of such informationensure that the information is maintained in a form and manner that is appropriately secure in light of the nature and sensitivity of the information.How to Protect Sensitive DataElectronic Storage and DisposalDo not store sensitive data on a portable, mobile device (e.g. USB drive, CD, laptop) in decrypted format.Do not store sensitive data in public files accessible via the Internet (e.g. Dropbox, non-District GoogleDrive). Do not download sensitive data from District databases (e.g. Eduphoria, Data Dashboard) unless legally required or for standard district practice.Do not transmit sensitive data to external parties via email or the Internet unless the connection is secure and/or the information encrypted. Refer to http://tinyurl.com/ecbesafe for help on how to encrypt/decrypt information).Safely wipe (a.k.a. "digital shredding") storage media when disposing of equipment.Contracts with third party entities for storage of District’s data in the cloud will be signed to ensure protected storage, security and disposal of data in alignment with District policy is assured. The District will require the vendor to detail in the contract how data is securely stored, who has access and use of the data, as well as how data is transferred or shared among users internal to the third party and/or other authorized users. Third party entities will also be expected to detail how data will be destroyed at the end of the contract term and a copy returned to the District.Physical Storage and DisposalDo not publicly display sensitive data or leave sensitive data unattended, even on your desk or on the desk of a co-worker.Do not take sensitive data home.Do not discard sensitive data in the trash. Shred sensitive data when it is no longer needed.SecurityLock your computer when unattended.Lock offices, desks, and files that contain sensitive data when unattended.Eliminate the use of forms that ask for sensitive data whenever possible.Password-protect all accounts with access to sensitive data.Do not share passwords and do not document passwords.Legal Disclosure RequirementsDo not share sensitive data with anyone unless required by law, specific job responsibilities, or business requirements. Be prepared to say "no" when asked to provide that type of information.Do not communication sensitive data designated by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).Notify your supervisor immediately if you suspect sensitive data may have been compromised. The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) will be notified of any situations in which sensitive data is compromised, and apprised of the details of that situation. Laws and Regulations relating to Sensitive DataFERPA -- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Limits the disclosure of "education records" defined as those records that are: (a) directly related to a student, and, (b) maintained by or on behalf of the District.A record is "directly related" to a student if it is "personally identifiable" to the student.A record is "personally identifiable" to a student if it expressly identifies the student by name, address, birth date, social security number, ID number, or other such common identifier.Examples of "education records" include registration records, transcripts, papers, exams, individual class schedules, financial aid records, disability accommodation records, individualized education plans, and placement records.HIPAA -- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Imposes privacy and security standards addressing the use, disclosure, storage and transfer of "protected health information.""Protected health information (PHI)" means "individually identifiable health information," which is any information that identifies an individual and relates to the individual’s past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition.Examples of information that should be treated as "protected health information" at the District include employee benefit information, worker’s compensation claim information, student health services information, and student counseling information.GLB -- Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Requires implementation of a written information security program for "customer information.""Customer information" means any record containing "nonpublic personal information" handled or maintained by or on behalf of the institution about a customer of that institution.Examples of "customer information" at the District include financial records of employees, students and/or their parents (such as cashier’s accounts, or information related to financial aid), and donors.PCI-DSS -- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. Requires implementation of security standards surrounding the authorization, processing, storage, and transmission of credit card data. The security standards apply to electronic and paper credit card data. Credit card data is defined as the first six and/or the last four digits of any credit card provided by a customer to conduct business. If all digits of credit card are used, then name, card expiration date, and source code are considered credit card data and must be protected.Texas Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act. Requires implementation and maintenance of reasonable procedures to protect information collected or maintained in the regular course of business from unlawful use or disclosure, including personal identifying information and sensitive personal information.IV. Disciplinary ActionViolation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment pursuant to the District’s Employee Handbook and Responsible Use Agreement.V. Review and ResponsibilitiesResponsible Party: Assistant Superintendent of FinanceReview: Every 2 years, on or before September 1VI. Approval_________________________________________________Superintendent of Schools_________________________________________________Effective DateAdapted from the Texas Southern University Personally Identifiable Information Policy 04.06.28. Available online at http://tinyurl.com/qyb3xww 10/15/20159 Simple Steps for Safeguarding Sensitive DataAs SCHOOL ISD employees, we are all afforded access to a variety of confidential or sensitive data. This data, which may include personally identifiable information, pertains to students, parents, and/or employees. Below, please find a list of steps you can take to model responsible data practices in line with our Responsible Use Agreement and District Policy.CONVERSATION1. Avoid discussing sensitive data in the presence of unauthorized personnel. If they are not authorized to view sensitive data, then they are not authorized to hear about it either.PAPER DOCUMENTS2. Avoid sharing sensitive documents with unauthorized individuals. This includes allowing others to view documents as well as giving them copies of documents.3. Store sensitive documents in a lockable file cabinet or drawer.4. Shred documents before disposal.DIGITAL5. Don’t allow others to view your computer programs unless you are present to monitor activity and operate the technology. Also, be sensitive to prevent unauthorized viewing of confidential data or misuse of data while another is viewing content, even when you are present.6. When away from your desk area, lock your computer. This will keep unauthorized personnel from accessing and using your computer.7. Avoid saving sensitive data in unencrypted format directly to your computer. This includes places such as your Desktop, MyDocuments, or your hard drive. If your computer/laptop/tablet is stolen, any sensitive data stored there will be accessible by the thief and anyone else who touches that device. Also, do not save sensitive data in unencrypted format to external storage devices such as thumb drives, CDs, and "cloud storage." Get encryption software appropriate for Your DeviceFile Encryption?Mac/Windows/Linux computer? Get the cross-platform version of Secret Space Encryptor (SSE).Chromebook or use Google Chrome? Try Minilock for individual file encryptionAndroid device? Get Secret Space Encryptor (SSE) for Android from Google Play store.Text/Email Encryption?iOS/iPhone/iPad device? Get Paranoia Text Encryptor (PTE)Any device? Text Encryption (save then open in your web browser)You may also want to get a copy of File Shredder for Windows to securely delete information from your Windows computer.PASSWORDS8. Avoid sharing your passwords. In fact, it is a direct violation of district policy to share your password with other staff. If an issue arises, contact the EC Technology Operations Office for assistance at 210-649-2343.9. Avoid storing your passwords in an unencrypted text file or cloud storage (e.g. GoogleDoc). Instead, take advantage of a "password locker" type program. More information on developing and securely storing your passwords is available online at http://tinyurl.com/safeguardpasswordsEverything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

On my work commute, I had a visceral reaction to a sign from a university. I forget the university, but the gigantic billboard next to the highway certainly grabbed my attention. In red letters, Fit in. caught my eye and my gut-level reaction was, "No way!" I immediately second-guessed myself. Am I so rebellious, so anti-authority, anti-establishment that fitting in is now a bad thing? We evolved as human beings to fit in. If you did not fit in to the village of 150 people and the chief got mad at you, you were kicked out, the tigers would find you and you would die. So we were trained to fit in, to do what we're told, to buy into the norm.Today, the ideas is the currency, not the ability to do what you're told. If you want to make an impact in this world, you better overcome your fear of being different and stand out from the crowd. (Read More Seth Godin)As I've shared previously, my desire as a K-16 student was to fit in whenever possible. Even during my early career years, the goal wasn't to do extraordinary things--unless helping students be extraordinary using writing and technology isn't ordinary--but to get a job and keep it. Some time in the last 20 years, my vision has changed. "Fit in" is good advice for college students when that phrase means, Find some place that aligns with your core values and beliefs, that will help you dig to bedrock of your soul and tap into the wellspring of power that lies latent inside you. Watching my daughter go through interview process with a university that could swing her up into the stars, it occurs to me that "fitting in" is terrible advice when it means, "Do what you can to fit in, don't rock the boat, support the status quo." The reason my daughter gets access to awesome university opportunities--scholarships that can take her far farther than my wife and I could with our meager education pay--is because she's 1) Obsessed about pursuing her academic passions; 2) Unwilling to sit still and be quiet, instead reaching out to make connections; and 3) She's darn smart!Now, what happens when you think of technology, pedagogy and content? If we were to personify those 3 areas, it would be easy to imagine technology as the child who is constantly being told to "fit in," right? Think about the conversation:Pedagogy says, "You can't do nothing without me, baby!" Content cries out, "You ain't got nothing without me, honey!" and Technology replies, "I guess that must be true."A quote from a recent MyNotes article really has stuck with me, and I'm going to share it again:Digital design is, neither learning about technology nor learning with technology, but learning creativity and innovation through technology. http://tpck.org/Now, while many educational technology folks know about this already, it's worth revisiting the idea of TPACK:The TPACK approach goes beyond seeing these three knowledge bases in isolation. On the other hand, it emphasizes the new kinds of knowledge that lie at the intersections between them. Considering P and C together we get Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), Shulman’s idea of knowledge of pedagogy that is applicable to the teaching of specific content. Similarly, considering T and C taken together, we get Technological Content Knowledge (TCK), the knowledge of the relationship between technology and content. At the intersection of T and P, is Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), which emphasizes the existence, components and capabilities of various technologies as they are used in the settings of teaching and learning. Finally, at the intersection of all three elements is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK). True technology integration is understanding and negotiating the relationships between these three components of knowledge. A teacher capable of negotiating these relationships represents a form of expertise different from, and greater than, the knowledge of a disciplinary expert (say a mathematician or a historian), a technology expert (a computer scientist) and a pedagogical expert (an experienced educator). Effective technology integration for pedagogy around specific subject matter requires developing sensitivity to the dynamic, [transactional] relationship between all three components. (Source: http://tpck.org/)When people ask, where does technology fit into the grand scheme of teaching, learning and leadership? We have to step back and ask ourselves, do we really want technology to "fit in," or do we want to find that sweet spot, unleash the coiled energy that lies at the base of the relationship between Pedagogy, Content, and Technology?Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

State Board of Education to explore digital textbooks and technology use in Texas schoolsThe State Board of Education will host a learning roundtable on Tuesday, Nov. 17, in Austin to explore the increasing use of digital textbooks and technology in the classroom and hear from state and national experts in the field. The Learning Roundtable - Educating the Digital Generation Summit begins at 8:30 a.m. in the House Appropriations Hearing Room (room E1.030) in the State Capitol Extension. The meeting will be livestreamed over http://www.house.state.tx.us/video-audio/. "We are in a transition time as more and more districts embrace the promise of digital education," said Donna Bahorich, chair of the State Board of Education. "However, moving to digital content in the classroom brings a significant set of challenges, such as network connectivity and capacity in closing the digital divide; gaps in digital skills of staff, teachers and students; the complexity of the variety of devices and content; cost, support and obsolescence; and student security and privacy. Our goal is to better understand where we are today and what Texas should be doing over the next five years to ensure our students and teachers have the best environment possible for learning and success."Invited presenters include: ·         Brendan Desetti, director of education policy for the Software & Information Technology Association, who works with stakeholders to identify educational trends. ·         Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers’ PreK-12 Learning Group, who directs the group’s advocacy, public policy development and operations. ·         Lan Neugent, interim executive director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association, who has first-hand experience with online testing and statewide instructional technology resource teacher deployment. ·         Anthony Swei, co-founder of EducationSuperHighway, who is on the forefront of leading the nationwide effort to provide network capacity and connectivity to allow digital learning for every K12 student. ·         Chuck Weaver, chair of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Baylor University, who is widely published on the topics of reading and education, memory and language, and the relationship between confidence and memory. ·         Jon Wilkins, managing director of the Federal Communications Commission, who will discuss the E-rate program which provides discounted telecommunications, internet access, and internal connections to eligible schools and libraries.Texas superintendents, publishing company representatives, district textbook managers, open educational resources providers and technology experts will also present during the learning roundtable. The speakers have been asked to cover a number of questions during their presentations. Brief biographies of the invited speakers are available online.In addition to the full day's discussion, there will be an after-action report capturing all the recommendations from panelists that is intended to be helpful to the legislature, governor and lieutenant governor, particularly with their focus on increasing connectivity for every classroom.______________________________________________________________________________The 15-member State Board of Education regularly oversees an extensive instructional materials adoption process. The board creates an adoption cycle that calls for new materials in the Foundation Curriculum areas every eight years. Adoption of new materials for subjects in the Enrichment Curriculum may extend beyond eight years.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

A district-level administrator has a GoogleSheet with 500 Social Security Numbers for students and they accidentally drag it into a publicly shared GoogleDrive folder. A data breach has just occurred. What happens next?If you take advantage of the right solution--like those reference in this email below--you can mitigate the negative effects of these "accidents." But are these solutions even necessary? You decide.This video from SysCloud, one of the vendors which I mention below, covers the basics of concerns:Do you have the technology in place to catch that error? Here are two possible solutions, but they aren't the only ones....Solution #1 - CloudLockMyNotesFind out more online at https://www.cloudlock.com/products/google-apps/Several organizations use CloudLock to protect their content in mergers and acquisitions to safeguard data, as well their own internal data.Many organizations--some of the ones mentioned included GSA, BBVA, 100s of colleges/universities, Texas Technical College, Austin Community College, DART in Dallas, 250 K-12 schools (Lufkin ISD)91,000 apps discovered that students can sign-in with Google10 million users1 billion files monitoredOne example shared was Kaizena - it allows students to use their GoogleApps login to get into apps that may be compromised in the future.Kim Kardashian app breach used as an example.10 critical controlsPromote digital citizenship and end-user awarenessstudent welfareobjectionable lang and contentstudents sharing externally and domain widepublic or domain wide sharing of student recordsstaff sharing student info externallyPII + student record information handlingIEP information handlingDiscover and control 3rd Party appsEncrypting sensitive and confidential data in Google DriveControlling against VPN (qualifies as suspicious behavior by students). They use these to get around network firewalls.CloudLock recommends focusing on these areas for cloud security:Compromised accountscloud malwaresensitive datacompliancesecurity administrationCost-free, commitment-free commitment available.Solution #2 - SysCloudMyNotes from their DocumentSome of their core features include:Granular Level Control: Flexibility to create policy scopes at every level for greater policy controlDocument Policy Security: Implement granular data access controls through security policiesManual Control: Administrators can unshare or take complete control without waiting for user to take actionDocument Sharing Visibility: Gain visibility into users, documents and internal/external sharing of your dataMessaging: Customizable messaging templates for policy announcements and policy violation notificationsIn-depth Auditing: Keep track of user access and actions with full audit capabilitiesEnd user exception management portal (self service)They provide compliance audit reporting and security policy templates for FERPA, CA 1584, HIPAA, PCI, CIPA They provide online backup of all GoogleApps accounts and the ability to export them as PST files which can be opened with Mozilla Thunderbird and other apps (e.g. MS Exchange)SysCloud Backup software is secured with a Starfield Technologies SSL Web Server Certificate. Transactions on the site are protected with 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.Complete data backup is done under a secured channel. The inbound data from source domain is completely encrypted using 512 bit encryption and stored in the destination.Software connects to the domain Google API servers using OAuth and doesn’t require any passwords to the source email accounts.Hosted by Amazon (AWS)Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

When a hurricane, typhoon strikes a remote area, as a citizen of the U.S. where every surface appears paved, every destination has an asphalt road leading to it, I am always amazed that the only way for people to help is to walk, climb, float or fly. It's a frightening thought--help is a helicopter flight away.Source: http://bit.ly/1PCO69s"In a country where we expect free wifi with our coffee," said President Obama in June 2013, "we should definitely demand it in our schools." Many would go so far as to say, we need it in our children's homes, too. As the Internet becomes even more essential to student success, it's clear that more needs to be done to connect families at home.Case Study: As I recorded here, 1:1 Infrastructure for Equitable Mobility, large Texas districts like Dallas ISD have put in a lot of blood, sweat, money and tears to get students connected at home. Dallas ISD did a wireless study to discover  how the District can provide a wireless connection to students, which do not have any internet connections, throughout the Dallas urban area. They found several possible options, including setup of an 802.11 wireless mesh system homing back access points to nearest school or network location, microwave antennas for hard to reach places, local internet service providers, issuing WiFi hotspots, and private LTE.Wow, that's fairly mind-boggling! What should the role of schools be in making this happen? Per a this study, CoSN Infrastructure Survey Highlights Broadband Progress and Troubling Gaps, there is an expectation schools provide access to students at home.And this is reflected in some of the presentations I've seen at Conferences, not unlike Dallas ISD. I've seen an increasing push for school districts to cover the cost of creating networks so that students can have Internet access at home."For some families, $9.95 a month is still too much," Leonard said. "Also, one hard-wired computer per family doesn't necessarily work in our world anymore. If I'm giving kids iPads and MacBook Airs to bring home, those are not hard-wired devices. They work in a wireless environment. Even if you did hardwire one of them, you can only have one computer on that hard-wired system at a time. You need a router." Source: Bandwidth for All, THE Journal When you consider that EVERYTHING is on the Web, I can't imagine many schools arguing that this isn't essential. Internet is a utility, like telephones, electricity....many rural schools are looking to expand bandwidth by installing fiber optics, either between buildings or across parts of the community. "They have to negotiate right of way, or even crossing rail road tracks," he said. "That's where it takes a lot of work and leadership in the local community. It may take five years. In many cases, the community may look to bond funds or other sources in addition to the E-rate program to get that funding in place." Source: Bandwidth for All, THE JournalFor all schools, getting their pupils connected at home can be a daunting task. Comcast's effort, laudable as it is, isn't getting the job done in San Antonio, Texas, USA.We need a better solution. What is your district doing?Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

"What are your District Technology KPIs?" I asked a colleague. "In fact, do you even have KPIs?" His response drew a chuckle."It's on my bucket list." Funny, isn't it?  The KPIs that help gauge our success, generate insights, are perhaps the last thing we think about. Yet, KPIs can help us be more strategic about what we do daily in edtech. Can you imagine if we identified CSFs and KPIs for housework? What our homes would look like?Image Source: http://www.bscdesigner.com/kpis-vs-csfs.htmWhen I first started down the road of trying to better track what was going on in regards to professional development, I had access to a lot of information. That said, I needed to boil it down to simple visuals others could understand at a glance. I didn't realize it, but I was playing around with a concept known as Key Performance Indicators:The purpose of KPIs is to create an easy-to-understand visual representation of metrics, integrating and automating data analysis from a few key systems and share the data with stakeholders. The goal is to "create conversations about the data."Source: Adapted from THE Journal, December, 2013 issueKey = Important/RelevantPerformance = Doing, Carrying out, ExecutingIndicator = Point out, Tell, Show (Source: RMIT University)Setting up KPIs means you need to figure out what data is relevant and important to you, your stakeholders:A KPI is a selected indicator considered key for monitoring the performance of a strategic objective, outcome, or key result area important to the success of an activity and growth of the organization overall. Source: http://smartkpis.com/blog/2011/04/Some possible KPIs for technology management that come to mind include the following:Outstanding support tickets/work orders for a campus or locationPurchase order number to date for technology acquisitionsTotal value of purchase orders to date for technology acquisitionsResponse Time for Work OrdersWhat are your District's KPIs for Technology?Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Fiber is generally regarded as the fastest, most reliable, and most adaptable vehicle for satisfying schools' huge appetite for more bandwidth, but only about 40 percent of U.S. districts are believed to have direct fiber connections to an Internet service provider, based on the most recently available data from the National Center for Education Statistics. . .Many districts have also struggled to establish internal fiber connections among all of their schools. Source: Districts get creative to build faster internet connections, EdWeekCould this be the solution for districts that have to rely on wide area network providers that constantly have aging equipment fail, interfering with school district business and student learning? It seems every time I turn around, the wide area network provider for a local area school district has had a piece of equipment fail. Everyone howls, looking for the Technology Department to fix equipment they don't even own, control, or know what to do with. And, each time, the WAN provider drags their feet to resolve the issue.Find out moreWhat to do about this problem? Earlier this month, I had the chance to spend a few minutes chatting with my colleague, Virgil Kirk. We had been inspired byRussell Neal (VST Consulting), who had spent some time telling us about the possibilities. In fact, he drenched us in gasoline then lit a torch! Yes, quite exciting!Dark fiber is a privately operated, secure and dedicated way for organizations to have access to high bandwidth, while controlling their own network. Dark fiber puts you in control of your own network, allowing you to control costs by gaining the benefits of network ownership without having to construct the physical network yourself.Source: Unite Private NetworksThere are definitely benefits to private fiber, especially leased fiber. You setup a contract with a vendor, and they get to deal with all the headaches and problems. They are the ones that have to worry about "right of ways" (great podcast), and the District enjoys unlimited bandwidth on its fiber network. This really sounds like the solution to a lot of problems districts deal with when it comes to providing access to faster networks and internet at lower cost...check out this info below:This chart of five different school districts across the U.S shows some of the savings schools have experienced with municipal networks. The orange is the original provider’s exorbitant price for each Mbps per month. The blue is the price from the municipal network. The savings are stunning.Sources for the graphMuniNetworks Public Savings Fact Sheet and Breaking the Broadband Monopolyas cited online at Muninetworks.orgAs I reflected on all the great info Russell had shared with us, I asked Virgil to clarify what he thought the process was for laying private fiber. I hoped that listening to him respond to my question below would help review what I'd heard from Russell.What do you see as the process of laying your own private fiber network?Here is his response...as you read it, ask yourself, what's missing? What would I add to this?Do an RFP with kind of bandwidth outlined in it. You'll want to define how many strands and locatio ns you'll want. Dark fiber, he pointed out, is fiber you're not using. Dark fiber can be leased to others, such as small businesses. Based on the size of your fiber, you can lease out a certain amount of bandwidth.Define builds that will be part of the loops, and which are jump-overs.Idenify the type of network--loop or star topology. Vendor would provide a design based on how much redundancy is needed.Obviously, we needed to do a little bit more planning and reflecting. One of the points to consider, Russell Neal had told us, was that leasing fiber for 10 years or so was better than laying your own fiber, especially if you worked through a third party. Hmm....After that, he rattled off a list of fiber leasing vendors including Conterra (the only one I remember off the top of my head but there were others):Conterra offers complete, turnkey, managed wide area network, Internet access and hosted VoIP services that include; the network design, all permitting/licensing services, deployment of all required infrastructure, on-going operations and maintenance support. Conterra is a Priority One E-Rate Eligible Telecommunications Provider (ETP) as defined by the Federal Communications Commission and the Schools and Libraries Division of USAC and is qualified as a Priority One Provider of telecom services for participating schools’ E-Rate funding.  Our California subsidiary is eligible under the California Teleconnect Fund. Source: http://www.conterra.com/solutions/school-high-speed-wans/Some places--like Arkansas--have seen reports that make recommendations about leasing fiber to schools:"This existing state resource should be extended to school district hubs … using leased private provider, fiber-optic lines," it states. "This preserves provider revenue streams and minimizes the need for each of the state‘s 258 school districts to lease, purchase or maintain redundant filtering and firewall equipment and maximizes access to rich educational curriculum and content." The report recommends centralized management of statewide network support services, including network construction. Buying services in bulk instead of through individual school districts would reduce costs and increase scalability, allowing districts to have higher speeds during peak periods such as statewide testing, the report states. Local districts would be responsible for networks connecting their own buildings. Read moreOne neat point is that eRate now pays for 80% of leased fiber costs. That's pretty awesome!And one of the biggest challenges facing schools and libraries today is the "fiber gap" — by the FCC’s own estimates, at least 35 percent of schools and 85 percent of libraries lack access to fiber infrastructure today. That’s why we’re excited the Commission adopted changes recommended by OTI and many of our allies to make it easier for schools and libraries to use E-rate support to invest in fiber. The new order also goes a step further to allow schools and libraries to construct their own networks (or portions of their own networks) if it is the most cost effective solution. This rule is designed to help schools and libraries that receive few or no bids in response to their Form 470 submissions by giving them the option to direct E-rate dollars toward direct investment when it makes financial sense to do so. Source: EdCentral's FCC's New E-rate Order Brings More Money, Better Rules to Support Fiber InvestmentFind out moreTCEA shared the following information earlier this year:New E-rate rules allow districts to do things they haven’t been able to do before. Three main points to remember are:The new rules allow school districts to lease dark fiber and receive discounts on the fiber as well as the electronics to light the dark fiber beginning in 2015-2016.Beginning in 2015-2016, in some situations, districts will be allowed to self-provision (own) the fiber if it is the most cost effective solution.Up until now, the E-rate program would only provide discounts on construction projects that costs $500,000 or less. For four years, they are suspending that cap. This is an opportunity to utilize E-rate funds for those districts whose construction costs for fiber installation exceed that amount.The E-rate program will provide up to an extra 10% discount on special construction costs for fiber installation if the state of Texas matches up to 10% of the total cost of the construction. What process do you follow for leased fiber lines? Now that E-rate supports it, are you thinking about doing this?Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

I remember the first time I encountered the "Factors for Sustained Institutionalization of Schoolwide Initiatives." It was at a campus meeting, and I immediately snapped a picture of it. Wow, this chart really nails it!Original image from article by Donni Davis-Perry (check link at start of blog entry for source)As I look over these factors, I don't explicitly see relationships and trust, but they are certainly powerful enough to derail any initiative. If I had to fit these two incredibly important items in, it would be in the "Motivators" box...without them, you encounter resistance.I continue to see this image pop up, but all the examples have to do with instruction, seldom with the blending of technology into instruction:As I read Davis-Perry's article, these key ideas jump out at me:These are the factors that lead to successful institutionalization of schoolwide initiatives.Institutionalization occurs when an initiative becomes the universally accepted and normal way of conducting business.The first step in the process of institutionalizing an initiative is forming a planning team that maintains focus and addresses each of the critical components [in the diagrams above].Working through resistance (e.g. Motivators) leads to transformational organizational change.Implementing a new program with fidelity is vital.Schools need to strategically plan for initiatives in order for them to be sustained.The cycle of continually adopting and abandoning new initiatives each year creates cynicism.School planning teams should take the time to ensure critical components are in place over time-typically multiple school years.In the excerpt of the article that was shared with me by a colleague, I didn't see what were the "other" or additional steps. Davis-Perry starts with the first step but doesn't develop this into a list with Step 2, Step 3, etc. We can infer, though, that the next step is to put these critical components in place.In technology, Dr. Scott Mcleod (Dangerously Irrelevant) shares the formula for tech failure. I've flipped it around and written the formula in a positive manner to get the formula for Technology Success:TECH SUCCESS =Vision + Infrastructure+ Training +Implementation+Ongoing Support+Willingness to ChangeThe Technology Success Magic Formula, when lined up against Lippitt, Walter-Thomas, et al model, appears to be missing some critical components. In future blog entries, it would be fun to explore what technology success looks like when you have the factors for sustained institutionalization of initiatives aligned to technology initiatives. And, I'm referring to not only instructional technology but others.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Like an after-thought in many districts, technology is dropped in when convenient, ignored when not. Too often teachers, administrators, leaders focus on the productivity aspects of technology, go "app crazy," or disregard it entirely.And, it's not surprising to see instructional technology sacrificed on the altar of high stakes testing and test-prep...after all, if kids can't read and write well, let's not waste time on technology...it's a distraction.Yet, as many Around the Corner readers know, any district should have, as a part of its core mission, a willingness to prepare students for life, a way to give them what they need to make their way in the world (that's money to live), and a way to use technology as a lever to improve their lot in life.Just as life, learning and work are interconnected, we must embrace technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge and the relationship between each. The TPACK framework (www.tpack.org) suggests that technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge areas do not stand alone and not one of them "drives" the others. While I often hear or read that "pedagogy or content" comes first, in truth, they are triune. All three are interconnected.When considering revamping a school district's approach to curriculum, professional learning, and technology's relationship with that, the TPACK model can be a helpful visual to explain the interconnections between the trinity TPACK represents. But TPACK may not be seen as enough of a framework to clearly describe what technology in the classroom should look like. For that, we must turn to other tools, ranging from Dr. Chris Moersch's Levels of Teaching Innovation (LOTI) and H.E.A.T. and/or the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM). These approaches allow us to frame progress for staff.A quick overview of TPACK and TIM appears below:Content Knowledge: The content is the "what" will be taught in class. Content knowledge (CK) is teachers’ knowledge about the subject matter to be learned or taught. Pedagogical Knowledge: The pedagogy is the "how" teachers will instruct whether it is through pairs, direct instruction, etc. Pedagogical knowledge (PK) is teachers’ deep knowledge about the processes and practices or methods of teaching and learning. This refers to the transformation of the subject matter for teaching. Specifically, this transformation occurs as the teacher interprets the subject matter, finds multiple ways to represent it, and adapts and tailors the instructional materials to alternative conceptions and students’ prior knowledge. PCK covers the core business of teaching, learning, curriculum, assessment and reporting, such as the conditions that promote learning and the links among curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy. Technology: Technology is a partner to content and pedagogy, and is to be used to enrich the "what" and "how". Technological pedagogical content knowledge is an understanding that emerges from interactions among content, pedagogy, and technology knowledge. TPACK is the basis of effective teaching with technology, requiring an understanding of the representation of concepts using technologies; pedagogical techniques that use technologies in constructive ways to teach content; knowledge of what makes concepts difficult or easy to learn and how technology can help redress some of the problems that students face; knowledge of students’ prior knowledge and theories of epistemology; and knowledge of how technologies can be used to build on existing knowledge to develop new epistemologies or strengthen old ones. To provide specific examples of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, we can rely on the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM). TIM illustrates "the sweet spot" where the trinity of content, pedagogy and technology can be effective for transforming teaching and learning. We can rely on the wealth of video examples and descriptions, making it unnecessary for school districts to create their own.We also need to consider how the TIM aligns to an organization's beliefs, values, goals: The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) is aligned if your organization values developing real-world problem solvers.The organization should value collaborative thinking and TIM promotes student collaboration to solve shared problems.TIM would align with your organization's vision of growing creative and innovative individuals by encouraging students to explore and investigate in order to develop solutions and new ideas.If your organization believes in developing and fostering life long learners, then TIM can provide learning opportunities that promote cross-disciplinary thinking and encourage growth in teachers and students. Overview (What and How): In the chart below, you can see how TIM distinguishes between entry and transformation levels. Consider that entry involves technology as a content delivery system, which is usually what happens when you "plop" a student down in front of a device and have them run through Istation (for example) tutorial. Entry level isn't necessarily an evil level and shouldn't be characterized as "bad," because it may occur due to technology availability or some other factor beyond the teachers' desire to use available classroom technology. That said, though, all an organization's teachers must be made to strive for Transformation. I say "made" because it is not necessarily a place where we are comfortable...we have to work hard to get to transformative uses of technology in our classrooms. That's why I like rubrics like the Classroom Learning Activity because it provides a gauge, not only of technology, but of pedagogy and content strategies.The end goal of any technology is to accelerate a student's movement to higher-order thinking, collaborative problem-solving (in the classroom, as well as at a distance when appropriate), and result in the creation of some incredibly awesome multimedia product that fully engages our human senses. This leaves us, a warm puddle of quivering excitement, because we are so moved as human beings.Technology Integration Matrix (TIM)StageDescriptionEntryThe teacher begins to use technology tools to deliver curriculum content to students.AdoptionThe teacher directs students in the conventional and procedural use of technology tools.AdaptationThe teacher facilitates students in exploring and independently using technology tools.InfusionThe teacher provides the learning context and the students choose the technology tools to achieve the outcome.TransformationThe teacher encourages the innovative use of technology tools.Technology tools are used to facilitate higher order learning activities that may not have been possible without the use of technology.Like a picture of a healthy person in a gym inspires someone trying to improve himself, the TIM provides teachers with a reflective tool. It can also serve as a way for third-party observers, coaches, objectifying the language of what teachers are doing in the classroom...less personal, less likely to prick the pride of a classroom educator.And, TIM provides examples of lesson plans of what it would be like to be at the next level. The matrix is replete with video examples, lesson plan samples, and other resources to support teachers as they grow. Digital coaches can work with teachers in their content area to develop lessons to move them along the continuum. Curriculum documents with accompanying professional learning can be revised to include technology tools and electronic resources to give teachers ideas of how they can blend technology into their classroom, and provided at the varying levels of the matrix.See the Matrix online at http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php What does Success look like?Students engage in ongoing metacognitive activities at a level that may have been unattainable without the support of technology tools. Students are empowered to extend the use of technology tools and have greater ownership and responsibility for learning. The teacher creates a rich learning environment in which students regularly engage in higher order planning activities that may have been impossible to achieve without technology. The teacher sets a context in which students are encouraged to use technology tools in unconventional ways that best enable them to monitor their own learning. The setting includes access to a wide variety of technology tools and robust access to online resources for all students simultaneously.Supporting Research:TIMBalula, A., & Moreira, A. (2014). "SCAI: A three-dimension model for e-teaching evaluation in higher education" in Evaluation of online higher education: Learning, interaction and technology. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.Barbour, D. R. (2014). The Technology Integration Matrix and Student Engagement: A Correlational Study. NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITY.Kieran, L. & Anderson, C. (2014). Guiding Preservice Teacher Candidates to Implement Student-Centered Applications of Technology in the Classroom. In M. Searson & M. Ochoa (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2014 (pp. 2414-2421). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).Kruger, M. & Bester, R. (2014). Integrating eLearning to Support Medical Education at the New University of Botswana School of Medicine. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning. 12(1), 52-76.Welsh, J.L., Harmes, C., & Winkelman, R. (2011). Tech Tips: Florida’s Technology Integration Matrix. Principal Leadership, 12 (2).TPACK"Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org"Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70.Digital Coaching LinksApplying the EdTech Coaching Model: A VignetteExploring EduCoaching and Growth MindsetOn VisioningCollegial Coaching Podcast5 Responses to Edtech Coaching QuestionsDigital Coaching ResourcesThe Effects of Technology Integration CoachesPeer Coaching Supports TeachersInstructional CoachingSpecial Thanks: Portions of this have been adapted, or inspired, from Clear Creek ISD's Technology Plan. I hope those parts are unrecognizable but it would be remiss of me to not thank them for sharing!Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

When my father took me to buy an Apple //e, I had no idea it would change my life. In fact, I imagined it would ruin it. My father, driven inexplicably to the Computer Solutions store, bought me technology that he would never use, never truly understand...but he dreamed I might.Image Source: http://www.atsirehab.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/parent-holding-childs-hand.jpgI didn't feel that until my son played on his Xbox, and I found myself afflicted with only a mild curiosity. What would it be like to fight zombies, play with people around the world,  people I would never meet face to face? What would it be like to learn how to play an infinite variety of games by watching endless hours of YouTube videos? What would it be like to begin my homework on one device, switch to another, and another, mixing-n-matching (a.k.a. app-smashing), remixing information and creations?...research shows that vilifying the devices’ place in family life may be misguided...My data revealed that parents could be roughly divided into three groups based on how they limit or guide their kids’ screen time, each group with its own distinct attitude towards technology. The first group is the digital enablers, whose kids have plenty of screen time and access to devices...Digital limiters, by contrast, focus on minimizing their kids’ use of technology...Digital mentors instead take an active role in guiding their kids onto the Internet. Source: Parents Reject Technology Shame, The AtlanticMy father had been a digital enabler, making those trips to Radio Shack an exciting adventure that left me wondering, "What else is out there that I could play with?" When my son and I began playing games online together--via computer, since gaming consoles did not find their way into my home until much later--I remembered showing him how to play, how to be a digital citizen...that is, to abide by the rules of the game (Enemy Territory).On the other hand, a work colleague made sure her son had only limited access to technology, refusing him a gaming console, a computer except for occasional research. She pushed him into outdoor experiences. A digital limiter, she only loosened her hold once, allowing her son to play Halo while at a friend's house..."He had nightmares!" she exclaimed upon his return, clinging to her.Image Source: http://bit.ly/1NI5g0WAs parents, we are at our best when we introduce our children to ideas, technologies that enable them to move beyond our provincial perspectives, our unfounded fears, our conservative constitution...it is only then that we can connect with our children, to touch a future we can see but not quite understand.Perhaps, we can also hope they will ease us into that future, as we helped them into their's.Mentors, in fact, may be the parents who are most successful in preparing their kids for a world filled with screens, working actively to shape their kids’ online skills and experiences...mentors are more likely than limiters to talk with their kids about how to use technology or the Internet responsibly—something that half of mentors do at least once a week, compared to just 20 percent of limiters...They’re also the most likely to connect with their kids through technology, rather than in spite of it: 58 percent of mentors play video games with their kids every week, compared to 42 percent of enablers and 30 percent of limiters. Source: Parents Reject Technology Shame, The AtlanticEverything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Upon arriving in the small, inner city school district, I knew I didn't fit. The old saying, "No me hallo," [S panish] or "I don't find myself in these surroundings," I'd learned from a childhood maid while growing up in the Republic of Panama (Canal Zone) was on target. But what to do? Six months later, it didn't matter. I had migrated to a better place, committed to finding a place that appreciated me for who I was, realizing my present wasn't preparing me for the future I wanted."When one discovers what is right and begins to pursue it, the necessary people and resources turn up." Source: GandhiI'd experienced the feeling before, a form of culture shock when I arrived from Panama in a beautiful neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas where I was afraid of being kidnapped, murdered, chased by gang of wannabe thugs too rich to venture away from their Atari consoles but once a day. In time, I came to make my home in San Antonio, but there is always a sense of strangeness.That sense of strangeness presses at you, stealing your breath, freezing your thoughts, and you realize, either you better make friends quick, islands of comfort in a place where you've been isolated, or leave. Worse, that sense of strangeness can permeate your interactions with others.Once you have a critical mass of good people — if you bring someone who isn’t a fit, they self select to leave. We had to watch really carefully to see if people were a fit or not and then help them leave if they weren’t the right person. Source: Diane Greene as cited in this interview, Scaling VMware with Diane GreeneHow do you survive in places where you don't fit?Focus on the work. While insufficient for more than a short time, focusing on the work enables you to do what you were hired to do, and increases the opportunity to build relationships with others.Inventory your biases and expectations, then make sure you don't take on work somewhere you don't want to be. You know almost instantaneously whether you're going to fit in or not. If you know what your expectations are, what your needs are, then you'll be less likely to fall for that voice inside you that says, "Go ahead...stay, it will be OK. You're not being fair." By knowing who you are, where you stand, you can take control of your expectations and endure.Listen to yourself. If there's a voice telling you to ignore that nagging sense of strangeness, listen to the part of yourself that senses things are quite what they need to be for you to be at your optimum.Avoid temptation. When we start a new job, it's easy to fall for the temptation...the money will change everything, you say, for the better. Unfortunately, money can drown out the warning your senses are whispering.Pray, reflect, ask for guidance. If you find yourself wondering, "Did I make the right choice?" or trying to decide if you should take the plunge, make the time to reflect. Avoid the frenzied lists of pros and cons. This is not a matter of the intellect alone, but of the heart and soul. Less talk, more listening, allowing yourself to dwell within the moments.Finally, when the time comes to leave because you don't fit in, embrace the separation. It may be a little frightening but...you avoid what Robert Quinn calls "slow death" in his book Deep Change:When dealing with slow death, deep change requires us to go "naked into the land of uncertainty, knowing how to get lost with confidence." This journey into uncertainty results in the creation of a new paradigm, "one in which we must separate from the status quo and courageously face and tackle uncertainty."When you don't fit in the pants you've put on, it's time to "go naked," to go into the land of uncertainty...get lost with confidence. When we do this, we take control back from that which urges to practice "safety," that says, "Fit in no matter what, no matter what the cost, the emotional toll."Note: This is NOT an exhortation to embrace a nudist colony life. ;-)Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

A short time ago, after a conversation with a colleague, I imagined the following continuum:Not being satisfied with that, I worked on it a little, and it ended up looking like this:GoogleDraw versionFor fun, I dropped the SAMR model into the equation, even though it has become quite controversial. In truth, I wonder if such "complex" models can really do more than describe ideas and mayhem endemic to school districts. As a technology director, I see my role as facilitating the technical side of things, allowing curriculum to blend technology into their work. And, this approach would probably work except for the deleterious effects of high stakes testings and interventions mandated from on-high.It may be that the role of Instructional Technology Specialist is an anachronism from a bygone era, but unfortunately, until curriculum folks aren't running around trying to meet TEA requirements that result in fascinating contortions, we may not see much progress without the hardy Instructional Tech Specialist."Research consistently shows that technology adoption requires the presence of pioneers to field-test technologies, contextualize their use for specific purposes, and then help their peers implement them." Source:ISTE, 2013, p.6 as cited in Dr. Kristi Shaw and Kaye Henrickson's presentationThis results in curriculum experts who may not know how to hook up their mobile device to a digital projector, create a wiki, or create a form to capture data or analyze it in a spreadsheet, perpetuating paper-n-pencil approaches that have been replaced in other areas.  I can think of at least one instance where this has had disastrous impact on school district public relations (e.g. a curriculum specialist published confidential data online).That this dichotomy exists, well, that's pretty astonishing given the amount of technology available, right?TOWARDS A  NEW VISION FOR INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGISTSIn Naturalizing Digital Immigrants, order it here, a different approach is suggested. Their "collegial coaching Model for Technology Integration" includes these points, which they elaborate on in their book:Establish the Need: Explore fears, hesitations, insecurities, and overarching goals, helping focus them on 3 tools.Create partnerships: This suggests adapting past projects and blending technology into those, focusing on content.Differentiate technology projects, supporting teachers in short-term, easy to attain projects, building confidence over time, moving on a continuum from personal to professional.Assess Progress: This involves aligning technology-enhanced activities to what was originally intended to be taught, constantly refining how you teach to match what students need to learn.Ask reflective questions. One nifty quote they share includes one from John Dewey, such as reflection allows one to convert "action that is merely appetitive, blind and impulsive into intelligent action" (Dewey, 1933). I can think of no better description for the avid app consumption that occurs when teachers are given iPads ("Go get this free app now! You can tutor kids with it!" rinse, repeat).Read my blog entry about this frameworkWhile it is tempting to continue as we are, with curriculum in one silo and instructional technology in the other, it is critical to realize we can't continue as we have been. But we may very well have to so long as our colleagues in Curriculum & Instruction are taking their marching orders from those bent on destroying public schools. In fact, instructional technologists may be all that stands between helping learners be "CREATIVE, COLLABORATIVE, and INNOVATIVE, not compliant, complacent, and disengaged" (Source: Todd Wold)HOW TO ACHIEVE CREATIVE, COLLABORATIVE and INNOVATIVEWhen I envision changing what is happening in the classroom, I confess that some of the transformations I'd like to see include the following:Problem-based Learning, or at worst, Project-based Learning: For me, choosing one of these approaches involves rethinking how you approach teaching and learning in the classroom. As a result, far better than any other instructional approach I've seen, PBL engages students not with technology but powerful ideas and learning possibilities that technology usage can only accelerate. Read More about PBL | Visit Professional Learning SiteCollaboration: The hallmark of today's technology-embedded classrooms must be increased communication opportunities, as well as collaboration. In my article on 3 Steps to Leverage Technology for Dual Language, any reader can perceive that these uses transcend technology and enable powerful, interactive activities that can be done at a distance. You're no longer collecting digital stories for classroom consumption, but creating a multimedia anthology of digital stories to be read, viewed, listened to across the wide global spectrum.Lifelong Electronic Portfolios: As consumers, most of our lives are captured through what we buy and sell. As learners, most of our work disappears at the closing of a grading period, if not sooner. Creating lifelong ePortfolios will enable students, parents, and teachers greater insight into what we learn, how we learn and what impact that has on us as human beings.Find out more: ePortfolios | Picture Portfolios | Holly Clark's Post on Digital PortfoliosEmpower the Previously Impossible or Hopelessly Difficult: Technology should allow us to learn in ways previously impossible. If it doesn't, then we have to overcome the "So what?" factor. For me, this means that Substitution/Augmentation activities benefits are so terrific that it's a "Wow!" moment that leads to Modification, or that the fundamental learning activity has been redefined. Consider technologies like an iPad and Moticonnect, which fellow blogger Richard Byrne highlights through a guest post by Maggie Keeler and EdTechTeacher...I don't know about you, but MotiConnect is pretty incredible augmentation of what may have been done in the past. Communication and Collaboration fall into this, too. Gathering and analyzing data via GoogleSheets with students groups across the Nation is pretty incredible.Amplify Student Voices: Powerful learning can come when we hear our own voice in the world. Students are, to be obvious, human beings, too. Affirming their ability to impact social justice issues in their community--which goes well with PBL--as well as connect via social media to highlight their burgeoning efforts can help them develop their Voice. "Voice" because crafting a digital presence means recognizing that when we possess and use digital devices, we are on a world stage which can transform our lives in an instant for good or ill.If we commit to these 5 transformations in our classrooms--is your campus ready?--we will have achieved the often-unrealized promise of technology in our children's lives. . .and, they will have learned much of what we hoped they would.Some related materials to this conversation:Low Hanging Fruit - 3 Simple IdeasLearning EvolvesRemembering PBL, Problem-based Learning Academy, PBL FlowTAKS, Technology and PBLKeep up to date on #EdTechCoach topics with the Flipboard eZine:Read it on your mobile device or via the WebEverything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Aaron MartinezMyNotesAdvanced Malware Protection (AMP) Everywhere...Malware DetectionAttack ContinuumBefore: Discover, Enforce, Harden, Reputation Filtering is done on URLs beforeDuring - Detect, Block, Defend: Signature, AV, Spam scanning, URL scanning, File Reputation/AMP, sandboxing/AMPAfter - Scope, Contain, Remediate- Continuous RetrospectionOpenDNS UmbrellaCover your DNS blind spot for better security visibilityProtect devices on and off the network against malware and breachesExtends firepower/AMP intelligence and protection beyond the perimeterIdentify targeted attacks by comparing your activity versus the world'sinvestigate security incidents with global context and predictive intelEverything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

"Miguel," asked an administrator colleague at a school district, "How do I save my emails in GoogleApps forever? I was told they disappear forever after 30 days or something. Is that true?"The question is one that will occur to any administrator who has had to deal with discovery or open records request on short notice. While many school districts take advantage of email archiving solutions like Google Vault (available at no cost for GoogleApps for Education districts) or DataCove-type options, individual admins may be a little nervous about what's archived. "Did the email archiving system get it all?"Without what often involves superintendent approval--if not Human Resources Superintendent prior review--how do you safeguard your darlings?Here are a few tips on how to archive your own email, most of which will certainly raise an eyebrow in light of email server hacking news stories:1) Mozilla Thunderbird Offline Option or, if you have a Mac, use Apple's MailWant to maintain an "offline" email archive, no matter what the archiving policy is for your district? Then consider installing a free copy of Mozilla Thunderbird, an email program that is available at no cost for Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can set it up to save a copy of your email to your own home computer. Read these instructions to backup your Mozilla Thunderbird email now saved on your computer. Of course, be aware that any confidential or sensitive data you receive via email will also be archived. Are you taking precautions to safeguard (i.e. encrypt) that data? Before you save it to your computer, you may want to encrypt it and then delete the original, decrypted version.2) Auto-forward Critical Emails (use GoogleApps filters) to Evernote PremiumWhile you'll need an Evernote Premium account (approx $50 per year) for this, you can get a "secret" Evernote email address that you can auto-forward messages to from your Gmail account.There are some other solutions...GMVaultBackupifyEverything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

"Leadership and management skills required?" I gasped as I began to play this game on my iPad, then later load it on my Android, and even more recently, iPhone. "I just want some simple diversion, not to have to think while playing a game." Yet, I resisted the urge to delete the app. Something kept me hooked, and periodically, without realizing it, I found myself observing the valuable lessons in leadership and management the Game taught. May I share a few of these not so serious leadership lessons?Image Source: http://freepremiumfiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/clash-of-clans-latest-bot.pngAs a veteran Clash of Clans gamer, I have found myself reflecting on what powerful lessons this game teaches those who play it. It's only natural, of course, given the amount of time and discretionary funding I've spent. Of course, this wasn't my intent when I started playing, submitting to the incessant encouragement, exhortations and downright nagging of my son about a year ago. In no particular order, here are some leadership lessons:Lesson #1 - Get involved.If you're a laggard when playing Clash of Clans, your clan may decide to "kick you out" because you don't play well. So, you need to "show up and be present" when there's a war on. The flip side of that is that if you're a leader in your clan, you have to be willing to ruthlessly prune (a euphemism for kick out) your clan mates if they aren't willing to launch their attacks, invest 100% in the game. Sitting on the sidelines isn't an option.Lesson #2 - Develop your individual team members.When you are in a war, the higher the opponent you are able to gain stars (total of 3) on when attacking, the more loot you get. But you'll find that Level 1 players fight ineffectually in war, and succumb to the pressures of a tough field under fire. No team member is beneath being developed, and it's your responsibility to cajole other clan members, as well as your own teams, to build up their skills.Lesson #3 - Develop capacity to needed to support growth.In Clans, if you don't build up your capacity to store loot (gold, elixir, dark elixir), you won't be able to grow. Simply your ability to grow is directly connected to your storage of what your team needs to be nurtured.  As a leader, you have to continuously improve so that you can save for the tough times or be able to store enough so that you can save resources that are needed.Lesson #4 - Grow a little each day to achieve big outcomes.As a leader, it's easy to want to pile it on before the big deadline, getting the work done in one rush of adrenalin. Unfortunately, real change isn't like that. There are no shortcuts, I've learned. You have to make the changes, slowly, over an extended period of time. In Clash of Clans, that slow growth pays off big in time. Consider this Todd Nielson story:...changing our current state does not necessarily have to be hard.  Learning a new language is hard, but if you learned 10 words a day or 5 words a day, how much greater could you learn to speak that language, than if you had done nothing?  Dr. Nido Qubein, said: "I learned English by memorizing ten words a day.  Each day, I would review the words I had learned the day before and then study 10 new ones.  By the end of the week I had added 70 new words to my vocabulary.  It was this consistent effort, that enabled me to achieve fluency in English." Source: Don't be a Status Quo LeaderLesson #5 - Match your team members' strengths to the challenges ahead.In Clash of Clans, it's very easy to lose sight of the fact that your strongest players (e.g. dragons) may  not be the best to solution to apply in every situation. Each team member has strengths, but they may not be as powerful in the face of obstacles specifically designed to push back against them. As a leader you have to know exactly how to put them into play so that they are successful, that their interdependence enables each to be successful against the challenges they are most equipped to handle successfully.and, a bonus:Lesson #6 - Develop relationships.While it's easy to tell your clan, "fight or be kicked," the truth is that encouragement can go a long way. Not only encouragement but lending a helping hand when necessary (e.g. providing Clan Castle troops as needed by the team so they will be able to seize loot and be successful when at war or raiding others).Playing Clash of Clans sends a powerful message to future leaders...and there are many more lessons that time and reflection may be able to tease out. See you online!Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Update: I take back everything nice I said about Amazon Cloud Drive. Unfortunately, it's not ready for prime time. While you can store stuff there, it's difficult to interact with it in the same way you can with Dropbox or Google Drive. As a result, I've dumped Amazon Cloud Drive--what a terrible interface they have!--and switched back to GoogleDrive.Earlier this month, I received a notice from Dropbox. It said, simply, that I was no longer going to have access to gigs of space (buying a Samsung phone had given me additional hours) I had over the last few years. Instead, access would be knocked down 48 gigs! Still, I had to prioritize content for removal from the cloud, and figure out a way to migrate it from one cloud storage solution to another.At the time, I wished for a solution that would allow me unlimited storage and an easy way to blend my work scattered across various cloud storage solutions. Then, Amazon Cloud Drive--unlimited storage--for $5 for initial year came along (it may still be available, so I encourage you to take advantage of it!); it regularly costs $60 a year, which still isn't a bad deal.Some other needs:Access cloud storage solution on all platforms (especially GNU/Linux)Unlimited storage or as close to it as possible at low costA way to move content from one cloud storage solution to another easily.Easy Encryption accessible on mobile as well as computerCLOUD STORAGE OPTIONSHere are the cloud storage solutions I'm now using:Google Drive (Total Storage: 24gigs)- This is essentially where I store everything I'm using regularly. I don't imagine moving away from it, but I do occasionally back things up to USB external drives at home. Few items, if any, are confidential. Supports 2 factor authentication $20 per year.Dropbox (Total Storage: previously 64gigs) - This is where I store podcasts and content for the Around the Corner blog. There are no backups of the data stored on Dropbox, and none of it is confidential. Works great across multiple OSs and platforms, even if it has a bad rep for security. Supports 2 factor authentication. No Cost.Amazon Cloud Drive (Total Storage: Unlimited) - This is the first solution that provides unlimited storage at a reasonable cost. This will also let me make encrypted backups available via the cloud and better organize work. $60 per year (except for the initial $5 promotion)My goal is to "put all my eggs" in as few baskets as possible, while backing up other data. But how to move it in bulk from one to another?MOVING FROM ONE TO ANOTHERTo move content from one cloud storage solution to another, while I have access to the excellent CloudHQ.net solution, I explored using Multcloud.com (FREE) It flawlessly enabled me to begin the transfer of data from Dropbox to Amazon CloudDrive, even though it could just as easily been another cloud storage provider:Multcloud.netIt's amazing to see all the data flowing from one location to another:SECURING CLOUD STORAGEIn the past, I've eschewed solutions like Boxcryptor (even though it's great!) in favor of free, open source encryption solutions (e.g. Secure Space Encryptor). Unfortunately, SSE won't work on mobile devices I use every day and I need some assurance of encryption.While Amazon Cloud Drive has a nice web interface, Boxcryptor has just come out with Boxcryptor Portable, a solution that works on GNU/Linux and allows interfaces to all the cloud storage solutions I use (e.g. GoogleDrive, Amazon Cloud Drive, Dropbox) and others.With Boxcryptor Portable, you don't need a local installation of Boxcryptor or even your favorite cloud storage provider’s software. Therefore it is ideal for users who do not have administrator rights on their computer. Boxcryptor Portable connects directly to your provider to maximise your flexibility. Simply log in to your Boxcryptor account to have all your data in one place, encrypt it or perform file actions. Boxcryptor Portable supports all providers which are supported in our official Android version (Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive and many more).The usage is very similar to our smartphone apps as you decide on uploads and downloads. Therefore, there is no need to sync files locally. Place Boxcryptor Portable on your USB drive, hard drive or download it directly from our homepage and use it on any computer.  Access your secure data without caring about limitations of the computer you are using. This makes Boxcryptor ($48 a year, although there is a free version that allows access from 2 devices) an easy-to-use solution for encryption. Again, you may not need it and may prefer to just encrypt files on your computer before storing them in the cloud storage solution of your choice.How are you managing your cloud storage solutions?Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Source: Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.orgThese are MyNotes on the introduction to TPACK video that appears online. They are offered up as a way to help those participating in the ECISDLearners Weekly Voxer Chat.MyNotesContent Knowledge (CK) is about what teachers know (knowledge and expertise in your content/curricular area). It includes the following:factsconceptstheoriesPedagogical Knowledge (PK) is about how they teachers teach (expert knowledge about the art and science of teaching). It includes the following:Assessment StrategiesInstructional strategies - Approaches such as inquiry-based learning, Problem-based Learning, Think-Pair-Share, for example.Learning theoriesThe interaction between Pedagogical and Content and Pedagogical Knowledge (PCK) is "Teaching at it's best." [Miguel's Note: However, it's not enough to rely on traditional "teaching at it's best" at a time when technology is so prevalent in society and life. As such, we have to consider adding a third component--Technology Knowledge). Technological knowledge (TK) is about how technology is used in the classroom. It includes the following:Knowledge about tools, apps, mobile devices.How to integrate technology andImprove access to quality contentTechnological Content Knowledge (TCK) describes how technology is used for enhancing deep and lasting knowledge. For example, the use sophisticated tools to collect evidence, make observations, and document findings. Then, they can use interactive software to manipulate data. This allows deepening of student engagement or inquiry.Technological Pedagogical Knowledge describes how teachers choose and manage technology for your students. It tries to help you answer the following questions:What technology will be best?What collaboration tools could be used to enhance student learning and collaboration in the classroom, as well as at a distance?The core of TPACK is the dynamic interaction of all 3 elements.Support student more deeply and effectivelyExamine 3D models of water quality, do research, then share information with others.Collaboration with others.Brainstorm ways to redesign learning experiences with staff.The enclosing circle of TPACK is "context." This is because every classroom context is unique. Start with content and pedagogy, then layer in technology. Technology is a part of great teaching.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

The slides flash up on the screen. The basic expectations for technology integration for K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 are outlined to students. I can’t help but smile as the words come out of my mouth. "Folks, these are the minimum expectations for using technology in your classroom." As I pause for effect, I emphasize the following words, "Note that these are classroom-based expectations regardless of your content area, not something that happens only in the computer lab. These expectations exist whether you are a kindergarten teacher or a departmentalized fifth-grade teacher." The information in the slides is based on a presentation done by Patsy "Mother of TA:TEKS" Lanclos in the 1990s at the Education Service Center, Region 20.  How tim has passed.As I sat in a two-day academy on Problem-based Learning--a replication of the TCEA PBL Academy shared at the 2003 State Conference--and saw those same slides shared with teachers, I was astonished yet again at the fact that they registered as something "new."Excerpt from Dr. Chris Moersch's Levels of Technology Implementation - Source: http://www.lotilounge.comLOTI 0: Non-UseLOTI 1: The use of computers is generally one step removed from the classroom teacher (e.g., it occurs in integrated learning system labs (i.e. Jostens, CCC, IDEAL, Plato), special computer-based pull-out programs, computer literacy classes, and central word processing labs). Computer based applications have little or no relevance to the individual teacher's instructional program.LOTI 2: Technology-based tools serve as a supplement to the existing instructional program.Student projects (e.g., designing web pages, research via the Web, creating multimedia presentations, creating graphs and charts) focus on lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (e.g. creating a web page to learn more about whale species). Greater emphasis on technology rather than critical content.LOTI 3: Technology-based tools including databases, spreadsheets, graphing packages, probes, calculators, multimedia applications, desktop publishing, and telecommunications augment selected instructional events (e.g., science kit experiments using spreadsheets or graphs to analyze results, telecommunications activities involving data sharing among schools).LOTI 4a: Technology-based tools are mechanically integrated, providing a rich context for students' understanding of the pertinent concepts, themes, and processes. Heavy reliance is placed on prepackaged materials and sequential charts that aid the teacher in the daily operation of the instructional curriculum. Technology (e.g., multimedia, telecommunications, databases, spreadsheets, word processing) is perceived as a tool to identify and solve authentic problems relating to an overall theme or concept.).LOTI 4b: Teachers can readily create integrated units with little intervention from outside resources. Technology-based tools are easily and routinely integrated, providing a rich context for students' understanding of the pertinent concepts, themes, and processes. Technology (e.g., multimedia, telecommunications, databases, spreadsheets, word processing) is perceived as a tool to identify and solve authentic problems relating to an overall theme/concept.WHY HAVEN’T WE DONE MORE?Since September, 1998, the Technology Applications: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TA:TEKS) have served as a tool to encourage content-area teachers. It is for that reason that I was perplexed that a school district might not have a TA:TEKS curriculum that addressed Middle School. These days, many school districts flounder without a clue about how to blend technology into core content, and computer labs are kept as expensive assessment centers for high-stakes testing and/or interventions (e.g. Istation, Think Through Math). The reason why we haven't achieved escape velocity in the area of Technology Applications is simply that Curriculum & Instruction Departments lag far behind their Instructional Technology counterparts, unwilling to blend technology into content and pedagogy, to hit the sweet spot on TPACK.org, or follow the clearly staked-out, well-lit path of the Technology Integration Matrix, work that languishes without adoption in many schools.While the technology may be integrated across the curriculum, in an informal data collection effort, I found that the majority of school districts responding preferred to have abandoned efforts to address technology. It is too expensive to pay for a teacher, knowing that every teacher should be blending technology into the curriculum. In spite of knowing this, integration efforts in the content areas have failed in districts--and that includes device frenzies that achieve 1 to 1 device saturation but no one knows what to do next--that neglected to provide extensive staff development for classroom teachers at a LOTI Level 4 or higher.Yet, the fact remains that fostering technology applications is an imperative. But, how do we do move beyond technology-centric approaches, and build on content/pedagogy rich strategies that fail to achieve the promise of blended technology? Follow this 5-step approach that bridges the gap between computer literacy classes of the past and the desired target technology integration needed in Texas schools today. STEP 1: Schedule a meeting with key stakeholders (e.g. principals, teachers, and curriculum staff).STEP 2: Ensure that your campuses have the hardware and software needed. At a time when technology is like water, no one should be struggling. Develop and document multi-year equipment and infrastructure plans.STEP 3: Provide the necessary professional development for teachers in HOW TO USE the tools. It's easy to hand-out millions of dollars in equipment, but harder to show people how to use it once it has found its way into desk drawers, locked closets, or left behind in car trunks. Instill a sense of urgency, wonder, and develop a PLN/PLC to get going.STEP 4: Build a virtual space where curriculum using technology (CUT, an acronym I coined many years ago with colleague Jim Baldoni) can be found and contributed to.STEP 5: Develop an Implementation Plan with attention to fidelity of implementation.These steps are simple to state, difficult to implement.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Image Source: http://bit.ly/1Xto8eyI'm sure you've read the old classic, Two Wolves (A Cherokee legend), story of the grandfather and his grandson, but if you haven't, I include it below again. It also inspired me to write my own wolf tale, so you'll find my tale right after it...maybe you'll suggest a title?An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy."It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil--he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good--he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevelence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you--and inside every other person, too."The grandson thought about it for a minute, then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?""The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."Source: http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TwoWolves-Cherokee.htmlWhat a great story. Just this school year, I shared it with one of my team members, and she revealed that she had not heard it before. Then, in a moment I treasure, she made the effort to share it at a coaching session. For a learner who shares his learning, few moments are sweeter.Tonight, I realized that I had a wolf tale in me. Here's my attempt at writing a story, perhaps one that you have experienced in some form or another:An old hunter took a walk in the forest with his son. From the path ahead, vicious snarling could be heard intermixed with a rare whimper. Cocking the hammer on his flintlock rifle, the old hunter took the lead, signaling his son to silence."What is that?" asked the boy as a dry twig exploded beneath his bare heel. In the dawn's light, a magnificent wolf snapped at the steel trap it had blundered into."That's the wolf that ripped up our milk cow, ain't it, Pa?" the boy asked. "Will you shoot it?"The old hunter's face, still and quiet, bespoke of peace. He passed his rifle to the boy, and with a quiet calmness, edged slowly towards the wolf. It stared at him with dark malevolence, fear, anger and damned desperation. As the hunter stretched his hand out slowly to the manifestation of his nightmares, the wolf grew pensive. Making soothing noises, the hunter gently extricated the wolf's paw from the trap. With the wolf ready to snap, it's lips pulled back in a silent snarl, he made sure that the leg was not broken.As the hunter and the boy watched the wolf limp, then lope away, the boy asked, "Why didn't you kill that mean wolf?"The hunter, with a restrained smile, smoothed the boy's hair, and said, "I wouldn't leave my own worst enemy in a steel trap to die slow." With that, he took back his rifle, slung it, and headed for home.Source: Miguel GuhlinWhat do you think of my wolf tale?Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

"You really made me think of ways to use technology," the teacher had written in the online CUT journal. The author of the journal entry went on to say, "I felt inspired to go back to my classroom and use technology. We really need these kinds of inservices to keep me focused and renewed. " And, that's exactly what the Curriculum Using Technology (CUT) Institute was about--connecting with classroom teachers, reflect on what they're doing in their classrooms, and then helping them find ways to use technology in their classrooms. Sometimes, this can be a challenging, albeit necessary, experience for teachers.The Curriculum Using Technology (CUT) Institute helped teachers to develop problem-based learning units that integrate technology. Revised many times, the CUT Institute is the result of planning sessions in which the facilitators of the CUT Institute sought to interweave several important strands:Information problem-solving processes such as the Big6, FLIP IT, KWHL, and other similar approaches.Problem-based LearningA practical, step-by-step approach to integrating technology into classroom units and lessons.The use of rubrics to assess student creations.CORE CUT STRANDS AND PLANNING PROCESSTo blend these strands together, the CUT facilitators developed the Curriculum Using Technology Model and planning guide. They also developed several, imperfect lesson and unit plans.The planning process that participants follow for the 5 day institute is as follows:1. Ask a big question based on a real life problem or situation that requires your students to work in cooperative groups to research and develop a product. The example the CUT facilitators use is that of Benedetto Baldoni, an immigrant to America. Read the fictional narrative, or scenario, below which serves as the unit engagement:The year is 1914. Benedetto Baldoni has left his wife, Vittoria and 2 small children, Basilio and Massimo, behind to search for what he hopes will be a better way of life. Life in his home country has been hard the past 15 years. He knows that they will be reunited some day.The boat approaches the harbor and the large statue of the lady holding the torch is now visible. This is the symbol he has waited for. It has been a 10 day journey and the conditions on the ship have been deplorable. The food consists of bread and soup once a day."Those with papers go to this side," says the ship's officer as he points in one direction. Those without are told to stand on the other side and are given signs that are labeled WOP's (With Out Papers). Benedetto's heart is racing. He can't wait to touch dry land. He clutches the letter from his cousin, Guiseppe Belamori, to his chest."Cousin," Guiseppe writes in his letter, "many opportunities await you, but also many dangers. We will have much to discuss when you arrive."Below are the activities CUT facilitator model to teachers pretending to be students:After sharing the Unit Engagement with your students, ask them to respond to the following questions:What hunches do we have about Benedetto Baldoni and what is happening to him?What do you know about Mr. Baldoni and his situation?What questions do we need answer in order to do something about his situation?After exploring and prioritizing the questions, share with students that they will be exploring immigration in order to help Mr. Baldoni.To encourage them to focus on the activities, you might divide them up into different groups. Each group assumes a different stakeholder role. For example, the following stakeholder roles might be used with student groups:Immigration Officer(s)Recent Immigrants from different ethnic groupsSecond generation immigrantsItalians in Italy discussing the conditions as to why other Italians, like Benedetto, are going to AmericaLabor party. For example, where will Benedetto work?Relatives of Benedettoand many more...choose roles that will explore/investigate the content you want children to discover.After children are divided into stakeholder groups, have them begin their research.Problem-based learning approaches like this help introduce the unit to students and get them personally involved in doing the necessary research to find a solution to the problem introduced in the scenario. Feedback via the CUT Journal included comments such as the following: "All teachers learning should be guided through the activity with a class of non suspecting students to see their response and questions."2. Use the CUT Model to help guide your curriculum development, lesson planning and activity assessment. Feedback from the participants included comments such as: "The facilitators were well prepared and have a good format for guiding us through the process of making technology useful in preparing a unit."The CUT Model is a simple framework that asks 3 questions; the questions include the following:a) What is the real life connection to curriculum? Real life connections can be established through the use of video/newspaper articles or radio programs, plays or vignettes, fictional narratives, and/or community problems or projects that engage students emotionally.b) How is technology going to be used? The types of technology that can be used can include productivity tools, including web page creation, multimedia scrapbooks, subject samplers, and publishing student work to the web.In the "Diversity in the United States" unit plan, there are 16 different activities. Each activity represents a lesson that can be used with students. A wide range of technology tools are used to model how they might be used in the context of teaching and learning.Also, students have access to online resources that the teacher has organized in the form of a multimedia scrapbook on "The Immigrant Experience."c) How will students be assessed? Assessment through the use of rubrics is employed, however, careful thought must be given to whether students will be assessed individually, in groups, or both. Also, what other forms of assessment might be used in addition to rubrics?In preparing assessments for the "Diversity in the United States" unit, rubrics were used because they best assessed technology products created in cooperative groups.3. Technology is integrated in every content area in K-8. 4. Choose the tools and materials you will need to accomplish your teaching and learning objectives. For example, "The Diversity in the United States" uses a multimedia scrapbook to focus students in their research, as shown below:Activity 9. Students will use "The Immigrant Experience" learning activity and teacher provided handouts to research requirements for becoming a US citizen. They will also look at what past requirements have been and how they have changed. Students will create a graphic organizer to show the steps involved in applying to become a citizen.5. Write your unit plan and submit it to the CUT Online Unit Plan repository, a wiki site.And, finally...6. Decide on an information problem-solving process. In the Diversity in the United States unit plan, the Big6 (TM) (http://www.big6.com) is chosen as the information problem-solving process to use. Students use the Big6 Assignment Organizer as a way to organize information. The accompanying activity states:Activity 11. Step 1. Students will use the Big6 information problem-solving process to investigate the contributions of a self-selected ethnic group.Step 2. Students should work in groups to generate possible research questions. Some possible research questions that students may generate include: What traditions, customs and or celebrations did your ethnic group bring to the United States? What Language/specific words from your ethnic group do we use today? What types of entertainment, recreation, or arts did your ethnic group bring to the United States?, What notable Americans are members of your cultural group? Why are these people important? What types of food did the group bring to the United States? Did your cultural group settle in any specific area of the United States? If so where?Step 3. Ask students to brainstorm where they might find answers to their questions. Students might include web sites, Institute of Texan Cultures, the library, and other resource booksCONCLUSIONThe goal of CUT was the development of standards and problem-based learning activities through the informed use of cognitive tools (spreadsheets, databases, desktop/web publishing and multimedia), as well as meaningful assessment using rubrics correlated to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, and making those activities available via the web.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

PBS LEARNINGMEDIA ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR THE 4th ANNUAL DIGITAL INNOVATORS PROGRAMSearch for Top K-12 Educators Using Digital Technology and Tools in the Classroom Open to Educators Across the U.S.Arlington, VA, December 1, 2015 - Beginning today, educators from across the country who excel at using technology and digital media to support student learning are encouraged to enter the 2016 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators Program. PBS LearningMedia, the free media on-demand service from PBS that offers more than 100,000 digital resources for educators, has announced the 4th annual program in which K-12 teachers and administrators are recognized for their creative and unprecedented use of digital media in the classroom.The call for entries officially opens today and will remain open through February 8, 2016. Educators are asked to submit a 60- to 120-second video to showcase their innovative use of digital technology and tools in their classroom to inspire students. Entrants will also be asked to complete a profile and answer two essay questions. The PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators’ online application is available at pbslearningmedia.org/digitalinnovators. "As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, we are committed to providing teachers with the tools necessary to succeed in today’s digital classroom," said Alicia Levi, Vice President, PBS Education. "Educators selected for the PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators Program are exemplary leaders who are utilizing digital media and technology to drive student achievement and we are proud that this program allows us to recognize them."For the first time since this program launched, all educators who meet the entry requirements, follow the guidelines and submit their application to the Digital Innovators Program will be accepted into the program and rewarded with year-long professional development opportunities, including unique virtual trainings focused on digital best practices, access to exclusive resources from PBS LearningMedia Custom, invitations to special events, a free PBS TeacherLine professional development course, networking opportunities and more. PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators will also receive ongoing support from their local PBS member stations.A panel of esteemed judges will select one educator from each state throughout the U.S, its territories and the District of Columbia as Lead Innovators. The Lead Innovators will receive a three-day, all-expense paid trip to Denver, Colorado, to participate in the 2016 PBS LearningMedia Digital Summit and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference. Attendance at these conferences will provide the Lead Innovators the opportunity to meet with and listen to renowned speakers, experts and educators like themselves, to discuss technology in the classroom and learn how to maximize the benefits of using new technologies in the classroom. All Lead Innovators will receive a Samsung Galaxy(R) tablet.The 2016 PBS LearningMedia Digital Innovators will be announced in March. For more information on PBS LearningMedia, visit www.pbslearningmedia.org. About PBS LearningMediaAs America’s largest classroom, PBS offers digital content and services for teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation, is a free and paid media-on-demand service offering educators access to the best of public media and delivers research-based, classroom-ready digital learning experiences to engage students in exploring curriculum concepts that align with National and Common Core State Standards. Nationwide, more than 1.8 million teachers and users have registered access to more than 100,000 digital resources available through PBS LearningMedia. More information about PBS LearningMedia is available at www.pbslearningmedia.org or by following PBS LearningMedia on Twitter and Facebook.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

While sitting at home, waiting for the cramps around my mid-section to pass today, I paged through an old notebook, stumbling across notes from a conversation with a friend. I recall the conversation as if it was just yesterday, amazed at how long it has really been since we spoke. As I reviewed my notes, I realized that I hadn't ever blogged them. His responses to a simple question I posed undoubtedly were concepts I wasn't quite ready to understand at the time.The question I asked him was, As a brand new CTO, what are your top 5 priorities?Image Source: http://bit.ly/1Iq84n2His responses, imperfectly remembered, appear below:1) Collaboration and Building Relationships: The key job of a CTO is to build relationships with those who are impacted by technology, and explore relationships with those who will be impacted. In fact, technology can impact everyone's workflow and work processes. But nothing will happen, no matter how gifted you are, unless you first build a relationship. As you might imagine, it is also important to collaborate with campus leaders, as well as departments and district staff, to achieve goals.2) Conduct Needs Assessment: Not just one needs' assessment, but several that address every aspect of the District's needs as they relate to technology. For example, network assessments to obtain maps of the network; server management; disaster recovery and business continuity plans; professional learning and implementation. Remember that, as someone once said, a variety of factors combine to ensure success. You need to know where the District is at in each of these areas before moving forward. You also need to identify critical factors for success and key performance indicators that allow you to better communicate information to others. Some popular needs assessments include LOTI, Clarity.3) Infrastructure and Data: This seems obvious, but ensuring that the District has adequate infrastructure in place before beginning widespread instructional initiatives that rely on technology is a must. For example, ensuring that you have 100% wireless, adequate bandwidth at the local area network (a.k.a. LAN such as a campus), wide area network (WAN, district-wide connectivity), and Internet connectivity (e.g. if you have a small "pipe" to the Internet, it won't matter if you have 10gig to the desktop). Another key component is assessing how identity automation occurs, if at all. Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions, multi-year equipment and/or infrastructure replacement, eRate funding also fall into this area.4) Budgetary Planning: Often, at the District level, there may be some money earmarked for technology but it's no guarantee. If your district is going to move forward, you need to have a multi-year technology funding plan that is sustainable, and then ensure you constantly take stock of your inventory to ensure you're not caught by surprise. You also need to learn how to pull funding from a variety of sources, collaborating with other departments and campuses to get the funding needed to match technology solutions to organizational needs.5) Staffing: Building a culture that works, that ensures kindness and accountability is important. Nurturing staff with professional learning opportunities is important, as is evaluating stated vs real job description, setting metrics, and developing service level agreements (SLAs). It's important to, as John Maxwell says, "staff your weaknesses." The CTO doesn't have to be a network engineer, VM Server manager, data systems integration, or whatever, but be able to hire someone who CAN do that job.and, of course, another key area is shown below:6) Communication: You must be able to communicate constantly with others about what is happening, what you're doing (and your team is doing) or risk people making up their own stories. To achieve transparency, create a web site, publish your key performance indicators, create short videos that capture what is happening and WHY it's important.These 5+1 priorities are critical for CTOs. That's probably why you'll find them reflected in the CoSN CTO CETL Framework.What would you add?Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

PBS KIDS released its first coding app called PBS KIDS ScratchJr. This comes at the right time, as Computer Science Education Week kicks off on Monday (December 7-13). As part of next week’s activities, the international launch of the Hour of Code takes place to encourage young children to learn this vital new language that will be part of the future of learning. PBS KIDS ScratchJr FeaturesColorful Programming Blocks: Snap together the color-coded programming blocks to create sequences of actions that cause characters to animate and interact in fun and exciting ways.PBS KIDS Characters and Backgrounds: Create projects based on PBS KIDS shows and mix-and-match over 150 characters.Paint Editing: Create unique characters and backgrounds.Voice Recording: Use the recording tool to add sounds and give voice to projects.Story Starters: Find inspiration with in-app story starters! Each Story Starter features a different set of characters and is designed to encourage children to edit and complete the story however they’d like.   Designed for kids ages 5-8, PBS KIDS ScratchJr enables kids to create their own interactive stories and games featuring their favorite characters from Wild Kratts, Nature Cat, WordGirl and Peg + Cat. By snapping together colorful programming blocks, children can make characters move, jump, dance and sing. In the process, kids will learn to solve problems, design projects and express themselves creatively. The app is free, and can be downloaded on the App Store and Google Play. Listed app features below, and you can read more about it online here.Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin's blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure

Listen to the Audio Recording of the TECSIGchat #1: Hour of Code Listen to this Preview of TECSIGchat #1: Hour of Code!Feel free to email Susan F Reeves with any questions or information about Hour of Code or beyond! susan.reeves@esc20.net @susanfreeves Starting a new chat "TECSIGchat" for Texas (although all educators are welcome; it's not a closed chat!) technologists via the Voxer mobile app! The first chat took place on Sunday, December 6th, from 2:30-3:00pm (CST). My co-host was Susan F. Reeves (@susanfreeves) on The Hour of Code! ABOUT VOXERHere is the link to get to the Voxer chat; Get the app and join "TECSIG Chat" to see it. I'm mguhlin on Voxer.Need Help Getting Started with Voxer? Video Tutorial #1 - Intro to Voxer Part 1  via Justin SchleiderVideo Tutorial #2 - Voxer Tips and Tricks via Justin SchleiderGet Voxer - Download LinksGet the Voxer app for your mobile device using links below for Windows, iOS or Android.Chat Notes and LinksUse STEM Library to Connect - https://t.co/5oVLRfwhJWPBS ScratchJr - https://t.co/yWvZmyotQn iPad Monthly magazine - Coding Edition (Free) - https://slate.adobe.com/a/zXbAo/Coding Board Game  - http://www.amazon.com/Code-Master-Programming-Logic-Game/dp/B014993TCI Apple's SWIFT coding resources STUDENTS:  A Swift Time to Codehttps://itunes.apple.com/us/course/a-swift-time-to-code-student/id995253886 TEACHERS:  Teaching Swift coding https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/app-development-teaching-swift/id1003406963 http://swifteducation.github.io Browse the "App Development" Collection of curated apps, podcasts, books and iTunes U courses.Browse the "Learning to Code" Collection - a curation of amazing resources for your upcoming 'Hour of Code' campus events!Susan F. Reeves' Shared Resources:Hour of Code Countdown Planning Hour of Code Resources:My 6 Favorite Code.org/Hour of Code Links: http://hourofcode.com direct to tutorials: https://code.org/learn Pair Programming Video to show students: https://youtu.be/vgkahOzFH2Q Understanding 4 types of Mistakes from KQED: http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/11/23/why-understanding-these-four-types-of-mistakes-can-help-us-learn/ Promotional materials: https://hourofcode.com/us/promote/resources - Includes sticker, certificate templates, media release drafts, posters and morePrintable student certificates (up to 30 at a time, be sure to print landscape mode): https://code.org/certificates BEYOND HOUR OF CODE: https://code.org/educateInformation for teachers and school districts about training options and opportunities https://code.org/professional-development-workshopsK-5 Teacher training opportunities (underwritten by Code.Org) https://code.org/educate/professional-development-onlineOnline, self-paced workshop for elementary teachers https://code.org/educate/districtsSchool District Partnership Information BECOME A MEMBER OF TCEA TEC-SIG!TEC-SIG is the largest SIG and was established in 1989 for the purpose of providing a means of communication between technology coordinators, instructional technology leaders, and other administrators throughout the state.The organization furnishes its members up-to-date information on legislation, happenings within the Texas Education Agency, grants, and TEC SIG activities. Members share their own technology-related experiences at three yearly meetings in an effort to educate and inform each other on what is happening in the field of technology. Our next meeting is April 14-15, 2016 and will feature keynote speaker Doug "Blue Skunk" Johnson on April 14th! Special presentations will also be made on eRate on Friday, April 15, 2016. Want to join in the planning of this meeting? Please join in!Disclaimer: Please note that TECSIGchat is not affiliated with TCEA, nor do opinions shared in the chat reflect TCEA. Of course, I am the current Vice-President of TEC-SIG--barring impeachment or something--and my purpose for doing this is to amplify Texas EdTech voices! And, I recommend that all technology support staff, teacher-librarians, instructional technologists, digital coaches, and anyone who supports technology in Texas teaching and learning situations (e.g. public/private/charter/home schools) join TCEA TEC-SIG so you can connect to other educators as committed to transforming teaching, learning, and leading with tech in schools!