Digital Camera Course to be offered…

We’re ready to offer our next round of digital camera courses…

Here’s what has been offered so far:

Step 1) Last Nov, we took applicants for building level digital camera trainers –this training has been completed. http://wp.me/p1JF02-3T

Step 2) We provided a set (which is 5 cameras and supplies) to each school media center.  We also provided training to each Teacher Librarian. These devices are already available for checkout at each school.  

Our next step is to deploy the rest of the cameras (about 40 sets, with a set being 5) out across the district. They will be distributed across the schools based on both the size of the school as well as factoring in how many sets are already in the school.  Schools will typically be able to get 1 to 4 additional sets.   We’ve decided not to deploy the rest to the media centers for checkout, as we’d prefer to see the cameras deployed through a training program, to assist with making sure they are used more frequently, but yet still available to share between rooms.

Q1.Who decides who gets the cameras?
First, remember the cameras belong to your school and can be used by anyone – but they will be “assigned” to the teacher who takes the training. The decision will be handled by your building principal.  It’s likely that many schools will want to spread them out across certain grade levels, departments or something similar. We understand that this is dependent on who can actually make the training dates – but we thought it was best to leave this decision at the school level.

Q2. If selected, do I have to teach a course to others? (like the trainers did?)
No.

Q3. What are you looking for in applicants?
* can attend one of the courses being offered (15 hr of class time)
* committed to the successful integration of the cameras
* willing to share their knowledge and cameras with their colleagues

Q4. How do I apply?
Contact your building principal.  They have the application form, also ask them when the due date is for your building. The district is asking each building to submit their list of names by March 14th.

Q5. When are the classes being offered?

Option #1:

When:	March 21        8:00 – 12:00 March 22        8:00 – 12:00 March 23        8:00 – 12:00 (3 hours will be conducted outside of class)
Where:	Learning Resource Center
Credit:	1 Hour License Renewal or Drake Graduate
Course #	EDEX 120:820D
Instructor:	Katie Seiberling

Option #2:

When:	March 29        4:15 – 8:15 April 5             4:15 – 8:15 April 12           4:15 – 8:15 (3 hours will be conducted outside of class)
Where:	Learning Resource Center
Credit:	1 Hour License Renewal or Drake Graduate
Course #	EDEX 120:820E
Instructor:	Jackie Neuberger

A set consists of 5 cameras, SD card, tripods, card readers, and bags.

Q6.  What exactly is in a “set” of cameras?
A quantity of 5 of each of the following….

* Nikon S4100 digital camera (pictured at the top of the article)

* flexible tripods

* SD memory cards (16Gb)

* SD card reader

* Camera bag

What’s the progress on moving towards a District Registrar?

What’s the status of the district’s progress in moving towards the District Registrar? 

Who is the District Registrar?
Joy Zuber, who currently works in Administrative Services, will begin transitioning after spring break to work in the District Registrar position that will be housed in Teaching & Learning, at the Learning Resource Center.

Will the Registrar start handling new family registration right away?
No.  Our first task is to collect, review, and standardize the different enrollment forms that are used across the district.  We’ll then work with various departments including nutrition, transportation, and others to learn about their needs.  The new enrollment forms will then need to be reviewed by schools and departments.  Once the forms are standardized, then we’ll start handling the new family registration – and we’ll begin transitioning one building at a time.

Why one buiding at a time?
Changing from school based enrollment to a district enrollment is a significant change.   Transitioning one building at a time will enable us to work out issues and challenges along the way.

How long will it take? In other words, how long before all schools are transitioned?
We’re estimating that it will take 6 to 12 months.

Seriously?  This means our school will have to go through our regular registration process in August?
Yes, most schools will still need to conduct their traditional school registration again this August.

Why don’t we just do on-line registration for all of this?
We are moving towards on-line registration, but there are two key problems that need to resolved first, as on-line registration systems are based on…. 1) your district has a standardized enrollment process that is identical across all schools  and 2) your district has a District Registrar who is responsible for reviewing and approving all on-line registrations.   If we can resolve these two issues during the next 12 months, then our next step would be to automate the registration process on-line, which would put us in the summer 2013 timeframe.

What could possibly be so hard about standardizing the registration forms?
With building based registration, each school has had the ability to customize the forms for their own needs.  In addition, most schools use a student based form – which means parents fill out the same form for EACH student.  This leads to lots of repetition.  Instead, we’d like to move to a family based form, so that the family can fill out one form that contains information on everyone in the family.

When the Registrar is ready to transition schools to the new registration, which schools will go first?
Order hasn’t fully been determined yet, but the district will make that decision.

Will the registrar come out to the school to handle kindergarten roundup this spring?
No.  Even in future years, it’s likely that kindergarten roundup will still be run by the school, you’ll just send the forms to the Registrar.  For this spring (2012), please plan on conducting your roundups just as you have in the past.

 Will the District Registrar be accepting fees and handling registration money?
Sorry, this hasn’t been reviewed yet, but it’s likely that this will remain at each schools.