So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

(10 bonus points for anyone who gets the reference in this post's title!)

As some of you may have heard, I have recently accepted a job with Hamden Public Schools, and so will be vacating my position here at CSDE in the next few weeks (August 5th is my final day with the state). Although I am very excited to work at the district level and more directly with teachers and students, it is with deep sadness that I leave the Department and the opportunity to direct programs and policies at the state level and connect with educational leaders like you.

Although at this time, it is not possible to hire a replacement for me, I am confident that our many visionary regional and district educational technology leaders will work together to continue to move our agenda forward and keep Connecticut teachers and administrators informed about relevant ed tech news and advancements.

I am truly grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded as your state educational technology director, and for the chance to collaborate with so many of you over the years. I look forward to continuing our connections, though in a different capacity, to promote uses of technology that truly make a difference in students’ educational experiences, both in school and beyond.

-Karen

(After August 18th, you can reach me and my avatar at kkaplan@hamden.org.)

Commission for Educational Technology Meeting - June 16th

Are you tired of final exams, graduation ceremonies, senior pranks and all the other end of year drama in your district?  Consider attending the final meeting for the year of the Commission for Educational Technology, to be held at the Legislative Office Building (next door to the Capitol) on Wednesday June 16, 2010 from 10:00-12:00 in Hearing Room 1C.

We are fortunate to have a guest presenter for this meeting – Dr. Don Leu, the John and Maria Neag Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology at the University of Connecticut. Don will speak and answer questions on “How the Internet Redefines Reading, Writing, and Learning: How We Must Respond to Compete in a Globalized, Online World”. As one who has followed Don’s work for several years, I can assure you that his presentation of ideas will give you a lot to think about!  

The meeting is open to the public - all are welcome.

NECC/ISTE Conference - Denver June 2010

It's coming - ISTE 2010 - June in Denver.  I am not able to attend this year :-( but I hope many of my CT colleagues will be!  Please drop me an email if you plan to attend - karen.kaplan@ct.gov.

My Bloggers Get the News First! - 21st CLE Grant Winners

Since you are one of the faithful (and read this blog), you get rewarded by being the first to view the list of awardees for the 21st Century Learning Environment grants! I'll post below the email that will go out later today to all who submitted proposals.  Take a deep breath all you proposal writers, here goes...

Hello,

I am happy to report that there was a very high quality of proposals submitted under Connecticut’s Title IID ARRA 21st Century Learning Environment Competitive Grant Program. There were many wonderful, innovative projects proposed, and for this reason, additional money (beyond the $1.4 million originally anticipated) has been approved for use in the program. This will allow us to fund many more proposals than we had originally anticipated.

Based on the proposals received and a rigorous review process, the following 14 proposals were the highest scoring, and will receive full funding for their proposed projects under the Title IID ARRA 21st Century Learning Environments Competitive grant program (listed in alphabetical order):

• ACES (Wintergreen Magnet School)
• Bridge Academy Charter School
• CES (Six-to-Six Magnet School in Bridgeport, Woodbridge Public Schools)
• Common Ground Charter School
• East Haven Public Schools
• Education Connection (Consortia with Wilbur Cross High School, New Haven)
• Hamden Public Schools
• Meriden Public Schools
• New Haven Public Schools
• Norwich Public Schools
• Oxford Public Schools
• Torrington Public Schools
• Windham Public Schools
• Windsor Public Schools

In addition, pending the submission of a revised proposal, several other districts (the next highest scoring) will be partially funded at the level of $100,000. Listed in alphabetical order, these proposals are:

• Brooklyn Public Schools
• CREC (Charter School for Young Children, Hartford, International Magnet School for Global Citizenship, East Hartford, Reggio Magnet School for the Arts, Avon)
• CT Technical High School System
• EASTCONN (Regional School Districts 8, 11, and 19)
• East Windsor Public Schools
• Killingly Public Schools
• LEARN (Regional Multicultural Magnet School and Dual Language Arts Academy, New London)
• Vernon Public Schools
• Waterford Public Schools

For those receiving a reduced amount – I am asking that you meet with a consultant from your RESC to modify/revise your proposal to accommodate the reduction in funds. Please contact the appropriate person as listed here:

ACES: Barbara Haeffner bhaeffner@aces.org.
CES:: Kevin Klemme klemmek@ces.k12.ct.us
CREC: Doug Casey dcasey@crec.org
EASTCONN: Jane Cook jcook@eastconn.org
EDUCATION CONNECTION: Jonathan Costa jpcostasr@gmail.com
LEARN Verna Sodano-Richards: vsodano@learn.k12.ct.us

I recognize that some of those receiving less than the requested amount may decide that it is not possible to implement their project, even with modifications. If you are one of those and feel it is not possible, please notify me immediately so that I might fund the next eligible proposal.

Whether or not you are among those who will receive funding for your project, I thank you for your time, interest, and thoughtfulness in the creation of your proposal. I am fortunate to work among so many who believe as strongly as I do that technology can significantly improve learning opportunities for our students.