Bill Lee, from Winifred, Montana, was named MCCE's Outstanding Technology Using Educator of the Year at the 1997 MCCE Annual Meeting in Billings, October 17, 1997. President Bob Gunderson presented Bill with a plaque recognizing his excellence in technology education. Along with the plaque, Bill received a check for $500 and automatic nomination as Montana's representative to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) "Outstanding Technology Using Educator of 1998."
Bill Lee has been teaching the fifth and sixth grades in Winifred since1986. The superintendent of the Winifred schools, Mr. James D. Whealon, acknowledged Bill as the person responsible for getting all the teachers in the Winifred Public Schools to use technology to enhance their teaching. As an example, Bill helped a second grade teacher to get the class to participate in the "CyberClown Internet Project." In this project, the students contacted students from other schools using e-mail and they exchanged written descriptions of a clown to construct. Based solely upon this written description, the students constructed the clown, photographed the clown, and then sent copies of the photos to each participating school.
Bill coordinated Winifred high school's implementation and setup of an interactive television studio, NorthNet/VisionNet Interactive Television Consortium, which provides students with classes not taught at the local high school. This facility is also used for inservice training for the Winifred schools' faculty and community.
Bill actively uses the Internet in all aspects of his teaching. Bill developed an Acceptable Use Policy for the Winifred students wishing to access the Internet which was used by the Montana School Boards Association as a model policy. In his own class, the students download real-time weather images from NOAA and GEOS satellites. With the aid of the computer, the students perform image processing that helps them to better understand the weather lessons from his science class. This also gives the students the experience of a "real-life' technology application. His class also participates in Journey North, a project in which students use Internet information to track the northward movement of spring, based on robin sightings and tulip emergence across the U. S.
Not only does Bill help the teachers in his school, but he is actively involved with assisting teachers across Montana and across the United States. As a member of the Annenberg Teacher Help Service, he is part of a thirteen teacher national team of Internet mentors for the Science and Math Initiative (SAMI). These mentors research possible Internet based solutions to questions and problems that teachers and students leave at the SAMI web site. He has been a writer for the Network Montana Project where he authored web based science modules that students are able to access and use for real-time scientific learning. Bill is a member of the Microsoft Speaker's Bureau and a Microsoft Partner in Education. In this role, he is able to showcase various Microsoft software titles to teachers and students throughout Montana to provide them with ideas in how to incorporate computer technology into the curriculum.
Congratulations to Bill Lee for an honor well deserved! The MCCE officers and board members wish Bill the best of luck in his quest to become ISTE's "Outstanding Technology Using Educator of 1998."
At the close of the 1997 MCCE General Meeting in Billings I moved into the role of President of this exciting group. I hope I can follow in the footsteps of those who preceded me in recent years. Karen Johnson, David Hamilton, and Bob Gunderson have left some pretty big shoes for me to fill.
The excitement of the MEA/MFT Educators' Conference is still with me. Our organization, MCCE, had a very active role in this conference. Under the able management of Bob Gunderson, MCCE sold the Conference T-shirts which is one of our primary fund raising projects. The MCCE booth in the exhibit area proved to be a popular stop for the "conventioneers." Through the efforts of Julie Schoff, MCCE acquired 320 sets of headphones which we sold at our booth. These items were so popular that we hope to have a similar offer at next year's convention.
I heard nothing but compliments regarding our program. The sectionals I attended were well attended and well received. A big thank you to all who presented. A special thanks goes to Kevin Thane and Computer Lines for all their efforts. The "nuts and bolts" workshops that Kevin presented were always packed. It appears that our colleagues in the schools are really "hungry" for ways and means to manage the networks that are being installed.
Our Keynote speaker, Yvonne Andres, gave an enlightening and informative presentation. The interest generated from this opening presentation was evident by the attendance at the next two presentations that she gave later in the day. There was a shipping problem with the CD's that Yvonne had planned to distribute, so if you did not receive one, you can sign up for one using the URL www.advanced.org/thinkquest/info-list.htm.
At the MCCE General Meeting Friday morning, Mr. Bob Lee from Winifred, MT was named MCCE's "Outstanding Technology Using Teacher of the Year." You can read about this outstanding individual elsewhere in this newsletter. Several new officers and board members were elected at this meeting. I want to welcome on board our new President-Elect Sally Brewer, our new Treasurer Karen Johnson, and our new Board Members Bill Lee, Julie Schopp, Sandi Shawhan, and David Thompson.
Bob Gunderson, Sally Brewer, and I will be attending the MEA/AFT Convention wrapup in Great Falls November 21 and there we will start planning the 1998 Convention. All members will be receiving a call to present at this convention. We invite each member to consider doing a presentation to share his/her expertise and experiences with all of us at the next convention. This is what makes MCCE the exciting organization that it is.
The Board of Directors will be meeting in Great Falls March 21, 1998 to plan the activities for the year. If any MCCE member has activities, issues, or concerns that should be brought to the attention of the board, feel free to contact me, another officer, or a board member to have these items presented.
Here's wishing all our members and friends a joyous holiday season.
Editor's Note: This semester at Billings Senior High I have 6 students enrolled in Independent Studies in a variety of topics ranging from computer programming and robotics to multimedia design. I asked five of them to submit articles reflecting on how technology has affected their educational experience.
The Importance of Technology in the Classroom:
An Editorial
By Brad Alexander
The school system of today has an interesting problem that few people want to address. It leaves many students without a chance to excel and it has remained this way since the early 1900s, which has hurt the quality of teaching without anyone even realizing it. However, it will be realized in the future when these people struggle with a job that will almost inevitably have much to do with computer technology. This is especially true in many office positions.
The future will consist of many thousands of new technological jobs that the school system does not presently address, and this is the most unfair thing to youth in this society at this time. Many children who are interested in this major prospect of the future now have to take special classes to receive instruction on how to use a computer and this should be standardized by now. The recommendation of the National Commission on Excellence was that all high-school graduates should take a core academic curriculum including (at least) four years of English, three years of social studies, three years of science, three years of mathematics, and one half-year of computer studies. Many high-school students today know hardly anything about computers and will have difficulty finding a job that will not force this upon them, which can be a nearly frightening experience to someone with little or no previous challenges in the technological realm. Computer skills and a reformed version of Technology Education courses should be mandatory in all public schools for at least one semester. To have it any other way is a severe disadvantage to a majority of students. Schools also need to start taking advantage of the individual's skills and passions to better place them in the work force.
Brad converted MIDI compositions,
created with friends, to audio files that
were recorded to an audio CD-ROM.
Brad did his own cover art.
Without technology in the classroom, a student may not be fortunate enough to have access to it otherwise. This could become a problem for our future. There is already a huge shortage of competent programmers today, especially overseas, and this needs to be addressed for a vital part of the economy to continue to prosper.
In a survey entitled "A National Survey of Americans' Attitudes Toward Education and School Reform" conducted by International Communications Research, Media, Pennsylvania, a nationwide scientific survey was enacted to gauge public sentiment on several education reform issues. The results were fairly interesting and gave the public a greedy, but more serious image. They wanted the best chances for their children, like any parent would. Most parents wanted the option of sending their children to the school of their choice - either public, private or parochial - rather than only to the school to which they are assigned.
A rather large step should be taken to improve public schools instead of dodging the problem and only helping some of the children, not nearly all. A poll conducted by another group suggests that Americans are deeply concerned about education. Angela Dale, Director of Research for The Center for Education Reform writes in a report, "They readily acknowledge that the schools in general are not up to par. Only 22% of those surveyed in the latest Gallup poll on education give the nation's public schools a grade of A or B. However, when considering their local public schools, the number doubles to 44%. And a whopping 70% give their own child's public school a grade of A or B. Clearly, the public is aware of the problems with today's schools, but many still turn a blind eye when it comes to their own backyard. In fact, the evidence shows that most American schools need serious attention."
That attention could very well be some upgraded hardware to begin an upgraded education for the young people of today, who will be enveloped in a world of technology that they will need to take advantage of in order to keep many problems away from their own kids.
- Brad is a senior at Billings Senior High
Technology Education: A Valuable Tool
by Wes Miller
My education in technology, both through Tech Ed and an independent study, has helped me a lot in my daily life. I find Technology Education to be a useful tool in the schools.
For example, Tech Ed has helped me to think more creatively when I'm designing something. In my independent study I have learned what it takes to program a computer properly and I am currently learning how to control a robot not only with a computer but also via the Internet.
Technology Education is a valuable part of the education of students. It helps them to prepare for the jobs that today's market has to offer. It gives them a look into the challenging careers that lie in their future, and prepares them for, and teaches them how, to use the technology available to them. Tech Ed gives students a chance to interact with the personal computer on more friendly terms than if they just went out and tried to use one. It also provides a chance to become more familiar with the World Wide Web in an environment where, if help is needed, help is available. The activities in the program are written in such a way that they make it seem as if you are employed within a company, and are performing the exercise in order to do your job. This takes some of the school work feeling out of the activity, and makes it more fun and enjoyable.
Wes learns to program the movements of a
robot that he built as part of his
Independent Study.
Another aspect of the business world covered by the Tech Ed program is the design process. The student is prompted to design an educational yet fun game that would sell well on today's market. This gives the students a look at what it takes to design things that people enjoy and prepares them for jobs in those fields. This was a very positive experience for me. I learned that it wasn't all fun and games to design a marketable product. It takes a lot of time and effort from the whole design team and it's not something that can be done in just one day. But it was fun, and in the end, the product was good, all that we hoped it would be.
Personally though, my favorite part of the program is the computer programming section. We spent about a week in the semester working with BASIC programming. We learned how to use the mathematical functions and when we completed that, we went on to some of the more advanced functions. A very wonderful learning experience.
All together, I found the Technology Education program at Senior High to be a very positive experience. It has helped me a lot in as I go through life. I look forward to continuing my education in the different areas of technology and have had a wonderful time doing so thus far and will continue to do so throughout my education.
- Wes is a junior at Billings Senior High
Learning with the Tools of Technology
by Jesper Bickley
Some people complain that technology takes away from the traditional way of life. Some may say that technology does more harm than good. I disagree strongly with these accusations. I think technology has been nothing but productive and helpful in day-to-day life.
Technology serves as a helping hand to make life easier on all of us. Every technological advancement in the world has lifted the load on us poor humans beings. Plus, technology helps us develop our minds. In fact, the majority of technology created is educational in nature. The Internet is nothing more than a vast database of information, available to most. This makes it much easier to obtain information on certain subjects, making learning enormously easier. Multimedia also plays a key role in education because it helps the student want to learn, making it fun and easy.
Technology provides teachers with powerful productivity tools. Technology can help calculate and manage data more reliably. It can also be a tool for writing, budgeting, and other common tasks such as a computer gradebook.
This sort of technology use has been around for a long time. I don't mean to minimize it - it's important and it's the hook that motivates many teachers to bring technology to their work. Technology can change what is taught in mathematics. Technology can be a key to new endeavors and techniques.
I have learned much from technology, and feel it will play a big role in everyone's life in the future. I am working in an independent studies program this semester at Billings Senior High and I have learned very much in just a short period of time. I feel I have a head start on life with the skills I have gained in this class. I have learned about CGI, PERL, HTML, robotics, C++, BASIC, electronics, the World Wide Web, and computer hardware, not to mention the fact that I have learned to work on my own and accomplish tasks. Technology helps all walks of life, whether it is in business, education, the military, or even agriculture. Technology and information are what define humans as the superior beings on the earth. It is the human's power to think that help us to conquer all odds and solve problems.
- Jesper is a senior at Billings Senior High
Technology and the Real-World
by Jon Schoemer
I've heard teachers complain about classes such as Tech Ed claiming that no one learns anything in these classes. I have also heard people say that only the "slower" kids or the "delinquents" are involved in technology. I can speak for no one except myself, but I believe that my technology-based independent study has managed to enrich my other classes as well.
I use technology in my math classes to assist in calculations. I use technology in science courses to assist in lab work, lab write-ups, and other such exciting things. I use technology in history and social sciences to browse the Internet, a mass volume of information. I use technology in English class to type papers and to do research. In my art class I use the computer to mass produce images that I have drawn or painted. In my band course I use technology to record myself and to adjuticate my playing.
Some people claim that technology can ruin your people skills. Others might add that it deters communication. This is true if one exists only in technology and does not associate with others. I have enriched my conversation skills by talking to people from all over the world in chat rooms. Technology is thus an important commodity, but is of no use without social training and other supplements. English, math, history, and science are very important but are not as developed without the addition of a technology emphasis. Our society is experiencing a metamorphisis just like in the past. Television replaced radio. My generation is becoming more and more dependent on technology to exist and in the future the television set will be replaced by a computer. Cable will be replaced by the Internet and baseball will be replaced by hackers. (That last one is kind of a stretch.)
Jon is building web pages for several
departments at Senior High as part
of his Independent Study.
If it were not for technology I would have never learned to type, would probably never send mail to people, and would probably not be able to make a very lucrative living in the future. I have been infatuated with technology as long as I can remember, and unlike the common feeling that the only kids in technology based programs are poor students, I'm not. I have a 3.9 G.P.A., scored a 31 on my S.A.T.s, and write well enough that you have read this much of my paper.
I love to be challenged and technology challenges me. Unlike English and math, technology keeps my interest because it is an ever-rapidly changing field. When are you going to need to know a quadratic equation or a differential in the real-world? How many times must you diagram a sentence to get a paycheck? Could you get paid to sit at a computer and make sure it runs well? Yes! Due to my experiences in technology I make $30 an hour as a part-time computer consultant. My friends average about $5 an hour no matter where they work and I make 6 times that amount. I don't understand calculus and I couldn't tell you when World War 2 started, but I can run a computer and I get paid to do it. So next time you hear some one poo-pooing technology courses tell them "Yeah, and that dumb ol' Bill Gates probably can't even explain derivatives any more."
- Jon is a senior at Billings Senior High
Technology all Around Us
by Nichole Ashworth
Technology is like the air around us. We use it everyday, all of the time, though usually we take its presence for granted. We don't realize that without technology communication would be very difficult. Imagine not having telephones, televisions, computers, or the Internet. We'd be lost. I personally use each of these everyday. I rely on technology for everything. School has become a big advocate for technology. Calculators are now mandatory for math and without them the problems seem impossible. Computers are necessary to type most English papers and also for looking up information for our reports.
Nicole finds learning Lingo, the programming language
behind Director, can be both empowering and frustrating.
Surfing in School
I love to surf. It takes me in many new directions and to many new places. I get to surf a lot at school in my Independent Studies class. Whoa- surfing at school? That doesn't sound right. Well it is. When I speak of surfing I don't mean surfing on the ocean, I mean surfing on the Internet. The Internet allows me to e-mail long distant friends and family, do research for school projects, and browse around all of the interesting web sites. Having an e-mail address lets me communicate on a regular basis with the people that I would usually only talk to every once in a while. I also e-mail people who know a lot about MacroMedia Director when I have questions with it. Then they can e-mail me back with answers to my questions.
Using the Internet for school papers gives me a lot of interesting information from a variety of sources and it's also easier than going to the library and tracking down a ton of books. Just checking out all of the cool web sites is fun too. The Internet has such a great variety of topics that almost anything can be found. The uses of the Internet are endless.
The Internet develops a whole new level of technology. It opens many doors of the future. I mean, who would've thought- surfing in school. What will they think of next?!
- Nichole is a junior at Billings Senior High
NCCE 98 Comes to Spokane
by Sally Brewer
The Northwest Council for Computers in Education conference (NCCE 98), Rendezvous in River City, will be held March 11-13, 1998 in Spokane. As mountain men and traders once rendezvoused on the banks of the Spokane River, today teachers, technology coordinators, and vendors will meet. They will meet to discuss the latest technologies and how they can be used in academic settings.
Keynote Speakers
Keynote speakers from around the United States will motivate us. The opening keynote speaker will be John Kuglin, formerly a teacher in Missoula, now the Senior Director at MCREL. Other keynote speakers include David Mash from Berklee School of Music and the Taglines team, Donna Baumbach, Mary Bird, and Gail West from Orlando Florida.
John R. Kuglin, our opening keynote speaker will discuss the vital role that technology will play in reshaping the way we work, educate, and entertain ourselves in his presentation "The Digital Tool Set: An Educator's Guide to Tomorrow's Technologies." This presentation will feature demonstrations of leading and emerging technologies and their impact on educators today. Participants will enjoy a brief look back at the history of technological innovations, develop an understanding for how this new digital tool set will impact the delivery of instruction to classroom of the future, and explore ideas for technology infusion and integration into today's curriculum.
John is the Senior Director of Technology at MCREL, which is located in Denver, Colorado. He presently is designing a state-of-the-art technology laboratory that will be used to integrate technology into MCCREL's nationally known work in standards and assessment. Prior to joining MCREL, John was Vice-President of Training for ETC, a wholly owned education subsidiary of TCI. In that position, John developed and directed three nationally known technology training centers, one of which is the Sparkman Center for Educational Technology. The mission of these facilities is to offer customized training to thousands of teachers from across the country. John also co-wrote and hosted a ten part technology series for the Learning Channel called Best Seat in the Class.
Before joining TCI, he was first a teacher and then Technology Coordinator for School District One in Missoula, Montana. His responsibilities included developing technology planning and implementation for more than 10,000 students and 400 educators. John was featured along with his students on CNN demonstrating their innovative use of technology in the classroom.
David Mash will talk about the Music Campus of the Future. Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts is building the Music Campus of the Future. By connecting all campus facilities with high-speed networking, and providing access to faculty, staff and students from both on and off campus, Berklee is redefining how music will be taught and learned in the next century. This session will outline the goals of the project, the technical architecture to support digital media delivery, and the musical, sociological, and pedagogical issues being addressed.
David Mash is Vice President for Information Technology at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, charged with strategic planning and leadership in the successful integration of technology into all college processes. In previous roles at Berklee, David was the founding chair of the Music Synthesis Department, the first degree program in MIDI and music synthesis in the United States, now internationally recognized as the premier music technology program of its kind; developed the Center for Technology in Music Instruction-a development center for supporting faculty's use of technology in their teaching; and helped design the Berklee Learning Center-the largest networked music learning facility in the country. The unique facilities for teaching David designed for this department have served as a model for interactive teaching environments at many major colleges and universities.
As a leading authority on music technology and education, David Mash has been featured on national and international media broadcasts such as 3-2-1-Contact, Newton's Apple, World Monitor, CBS Evening News, All Things Considered, and Voice of America. He has also been featured on Apple Computer's video Macintosh, Music, and MIDI - The Open Door as well as BMG Victor's video Macintosh Music Bible Video - Volume 1. He has been a pioneer in music and multimedia and composed the score for the digital movie Maria Lionza which won the 1992 International QuickTime Movie Festival award for best documentary, and is available on CD-ROM from Sumeria QuickTime: The CD 1992.. He was affiliated with the Kodak Center for Creative Imaging in Camden, Maine, and taught the first music and multimedia courses offered at the center. Most recently, Apple Computer named David an Applemaster in recognition of his accomplishments in music and education.
David has collaborated on development and artistic projects with leaders in the multimedia and music industries such as Kodak, Adobe Systems, Digidesign, Opcode, and Korg and has consulted on product development for many manufacturers of music technology products. Rolling Stone magazine has called David "the industry's leading evangelist for the marriage of music and technology."
David is International Chair for Electronic Music for the International Association of Jazz Educators, and maintains an active schedule as speaker and presenter at national and international clinics and workshops on art, technology, and education. He has also been the recipient of grants, fellowships, and awards including a finishing grant from Apple Computer, the Arts Partnership grant for Composition/Performance, and Jazz Composition Fellowship from the Mass Council on the Arts and Humanities.
Donna J. Baumbach, Ed.D., Mary J. Bird, Ed.D., and Gail West, Ph.D. look at what taglines really tell us. Taglines, those quotes contained in e-mail signatures, often provide real insight to the authors' personalities. The closing keynote presentation looks at teaching, learning, life and love through some of the words our fellow technology users have chosen to sum up who we are and what we stand for. Join us for this quick trip down the sideroads of the information superhighway.
Featured Presentations
Why Connect? The Rationale for Bringing Networking in the Classroom
Dr. Boris Berenfeld
Senior scientist,TERC
Co-Principal Investigator, GLOBE program
Co-founder & Principal Investigator, Global Laboratory project
Fun Stuff for Primary Grades
Karen Bryant
Computer Coordinator
York Central School
MayaQuest
Dan Buettner
Leader, 1995-97 MAYAQUEST Interactive Expeditions
Putting 21st Century tools to work in today's classrooms
John Kernan,
Chairman and CEO
Lightspan Partnership
Over fifty workshops are being offered on Wednesday, March 11th. About half of them are hands-on and half are presentations. Workshop topics include: publishing on the World Wide Web; Using Clarisworks; Using eMates; how to get the most from your Powerbook; technology planning; Hypermedia, and much much more. For more information about NCCE 98, visit our website at:
www.NCCE.org/98
or contact Sally Brewer at
(406) 243-2563 or sbrewer@selway.umt.edu
See you in Spokane!!
1998 Northwest T3 Regional Conference
Target Audience:
K-14 Mathematics and Science Teachers
Sponsored by:
MCTM
MSTA
Teachers Teaching with Technology
The conference will include presentations in mathematics and science at all grade levels K-14. The presentations will involve the use of calculator-related technology in teaching favorite mathematics and science topics. The technology will be available to encourage hands-on participation.
Montana State University
Bozeman Campus
Bozeman, Montana
*****
Friday, January 9, 1998
12:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Saturday, January 10, 1998
Visit our sponsor's page:
Learning Services
The contents of my pages are Copyright © 1997, Vince Long
Articles included in these pages are Copyright © by their writers.
Comments are Welcome:vlong@mcn.net
Return to the MCCE Page
Go to the Past, Present, and Future Page...
This page was hand coded by Vince Long
Copyright © 1997, Vince Long
