12.26.2012 Update and public meeting dates

We shared an overview of the information from our transformational technology task forces at the December 10 Board of Education Meeting. Below is the video from the meeting. You can fast forward to 109:15 of the video to view the report:

We have also scheduled a series of four public meetings in January about the transformational technology project. 

Task Force Report and Feedback Sessions

Task force report and feedback sessions will be held in the Northfield Middle School media center on Saturday, January 5 (10 am - 12 pm) and Monday, January 7 (7 pm - 9 pm.) These sessions will focus on sharing what has been learned over the last several months through our task force work as well as key recommendations from those task forces. We will ask those who attend the meeting to work in small groups to discuss some of the concepts presented. The goal of these meetings is to engage in discussion with the community prior to formalizing the proposal for a potential student initiative to be presented at the January 28 Board of Education meeting. This proposal will be focused on which grade levels are recommended to begin using iPad tablet computers at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year.

Proposal Feedback Sessions

The second set of meetings will be held on Saturday, February 2 (10 am - 12 pm) and Monday, February 4 (7 pm - 9 pm) in the Northfield High School auditorium. These sessions will provide the details of the proposal for a potential student iPad tablet computer implementation for the 2013-14 school year. The community will have an opportunity to hear the proposal and ask questions about it.

In the mean time if you have questions about the status of the project, don't hesitate to contact Matt Hillmann, Director of Human Resources and Technology, at (507) 645-3458 or by email at matt.hillmann@nfld.k12.mn.us.

Update 12.7.2012

Our project is entering a critical phase this week -- the initial round of task force meetings have completed and we are preparing status reports on their work for the Board of Education meeting on Monday evening. We will provide a report on the following transformational technology task forces:

• App and Content selection
• Communication
• Policy and Procedure
• Professional Development

We'll also share our progress in working through some of the details in regards to long-term financing of a potential student initiative as well as some of the technical steps we have or plan to take in order to support such a possible implementation.

iPad Minute segments

We have also continued with our "iPad Minute" segment at Board meetings. Below is video from the November 26 Board meeting. This presentation focused on how Grade 7 Life Science teachers using a virtual frog dissection app with their students. The segment begins at the 98:58 mark:

We also had an "iPad Minute" segment at the November 13 Board Meeting. It featured Greenvale Park teacher Tony Seidl leading a professional development session on using Science apps on his iPad. The segment begins at  70:03 mark of the video.
Student Technology Advisory Council
One of the best events I've been involved with the transformational technology initiative has been working with our student focus groups. Our high school student technology advisory council met last Wednesday and was very enjoyable. We had students discuss their views on appropriate consequences for misusing an iPad in a 1:1 environment - as adults, our initial thought is to take the device away for misuse. However, a 1:1 environment means that the student relies on the device for much of their academic work - taking the device away isn't very practicable. They discussed limiting student privileges on their device as well as other measures. I love seeing teenagers talk through these kinds of situations in a group setting. They often have more keen insight as to what motivates students than we do as adults. We also had these students provide reaction to the iPad Mini as a potential student device. Thanks to High School Media Specialists Rebecca Glassing and Julie Wolner for orchestrating the student technology advisory council!
Preparing the proposal
Our District Technology Steering Committee also meets today to put together the core of our proposal for potential student initiative. Their work will be passed on to the Superintendent's Cabinet, who will put the final touches on the proposal that will be presented to the Board of Education in late January.