Marianne Smith
The SMART Board Institute is awesome! We are in the middle of a very active summer Institute with a couple classes yet to begin. Today John Sebalos and Joanne DeLisio are teaching 37 educators how to use SMART Boards in the Elementary classroom. (Yes, count them, 37!!) Next week is the time for the Administrative Leaders to get some hands-on activity on the SMART Boards and learn to use the SMART Notebook as well, with Kris Felicello from Farley Middle School leading the leaders.
There's still time to Register for the Institute. More workshops will take place in August. Go to www.rockteach.org and click on Catalog and Registration, under Quick Links on the left. Scroll down to course numbers 5,6,12,14 to register.
We have had a great response to the Institute, which is supported by the North Rockland School District Grant awarded by Honorable Nita Loewy. This past school year 5th graders used Handheld Computers, supported by Verizon Wireless to learn, research, draw and share information both at home and at school. At school much of their work was shared with others via the classroom SMART Boards. This is a summer extension of that project for teachers, enabling educators from across the region to learn from teachers who use the technology tools on a daily basis. Best way to learn!
Hope your summer is a great one!!
OPEN HOUSE & FREE Workshop — Learn a few handy Web 2.0 Tools!!
Wednesday July 28, 2010 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
RTC Institute
14 E. Vanderlip Circle
Thiells, NY 10984
Call Lori at 845-942-7608 or Joleen at 845-942-7603 for further
information.
Special OPEN HOUSE Happenings! All day long! NYIT info session and Web Tools Workshop from 2-3pm.
Brooklyn
College info session from 11-1pm.
Please RSVP to Lori Feeney at
845.942.7608.
Marianne Smith
This summer RTC Institute, with North Rockland School District, will be hosting our first SMART Board Institute at North Rockland High School. This includes full graduate and inservice Courses along with one-day workshops, taught by instructional classroom leaders from our districts who are actively using interactive whiteboard to connect with curriculum in today's classrooms. This is open to classroom and special teachers, teaching assistants, administrative leaders and all those who use the SMART Board to promote learning in schools!
All courses and workshops are provided at no cost for North Rockland staff, as the professional development is covered by a grant. This is the same legislative grant through Hon. Nita Lowey's office that made it possible for three classes of fifth graders at Haverstraw Middle School to take their learning home and go beyond the confines of their classrooms this year. Using Mobile Computing Devices (aka Smartphones) NR students and teachers have been working with Eliot Soloway's Go-Know software, with the LHRIC's VPN for safe internet searching, and with Verizon Wireless support for mobile learning, 24/7. Sue Tomko, Director of Technology in North Rockland, crafted the project and was just honored this past Friday at the annual Pioneer Awards in Westchester by her technology leader colleagues in the region.
also...
OPEN HOUSE
Come to our next OPEN HOUSE Wednesday June 23, 2010 3:30 to 5:30 pm
RTC Institute
14 E. Vanderlip Circle
Thiells, NY 10984
Call Lori at 845-942-7608 or Joleen at 845-942-7603 for further
information.
RTC Institute & the National Work Readiness Credential Council
RTC Institute is now a test site for the National Work
Readiness Credential Council. This program offers individuals a chance
to earn their Work Readiness Credential, which will provide potential
employers with proof of their entry-level skills for future employment.
For more information about this program call Joleen at 845-942-7603.
New TESOL Master’s coming this Fall
RTC Institute is partnering with The College of Mount Saint
Vincent to bring an exciting new Master’s Degree Program to our area.
Starting Fall 2010 we will be offering a 30-Credit Master’s in
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Please
call Lori at 845-942-7608 and come to our open house to find out all
the details.
Marianne Smith
Due to the Snow Cancellation of North Rockland School District and the RTC Institute, the new Master's in Instructional Technology will not begin today but the first class will take place at the Teachers' Center Institute lab
14 E. Vanderlip Circle,Thiells, NY 10984
next Thursday, March 4 at 4:30 pm.
Marianne Smith
We are so pleased to announce that RTC Institute will launch the NYIT (New York Institute of Technology) Master's in Instructional Technology (MSIT) beginning in February. Come to the Open House to find out all about it!
Open House
New York Institute of Technology
Master's in Instructional Technology
&
Educational Technology Specialist Certification
Tuesday, February 9
3:30 - 5:00 pm
Rockland Teachers' Center Institute
14 E. Vanderlip Circle
Thiells, NY 10984
'Back by popular demand!!' NYIT's 36-Credit Master's Degree Program in Instructional Technology and the 18-Credit Certificate in Computers and Education. The Master's program offers Permanent/Professional Certification in Provisional/Initial area of certification and Permanent/Professional Certification as an Educational Technology Specialist. Dr. Sarah McPherson from New York Institute of Technology will be with us to answer your questions. For more information contact Marianne Smith at 845-942-7604 or email rtci@optonline.net.
The classes will take place in Rockland and will also involve hybrid and online coursework.The Master's program in Instructional Technology develops expertise in the use of leading edge media and technology for teaching and learning. Graduates of the program work as master teachers in P-12 classrooms, and as school or district instructional technology leaders, staff developers, and curriculum designers. Initial courses enhance teachers' expertise with a wide range of media and applications and set the stage for understanding how instructional technology can fulfill its potential to Entice, Encourage, Enable, and Empower learners.
Building on theories of learning, motivation, and curriculum design, teachers next learn to apply newly developed technology skills to language arts, social studies, math, science, and technology curricular content. An innovative action research project caps the experience as participants join the small number of certified educational technology specialists in New York state. Much of the coursework in the Instructional Technology program for educators will be offered in hybrid or online environment. Instructors represent both research-based faculty from NYIT and practicing technology leaders with special expertise in our public schools.
Marianne Smith
Please join us with all your questions and needs as we showcase the graduate, Masters' and Certificate programs developed and customized for you this coming year:
RTC Institute Open House
September 30, 2009
3:00 - 5:00 pm
Location:
Rockland Teachers' Center Institute
14 Vanderlip Circle
Thiells, NY 10984
Questions? Directions?
Call 845 942-7608
Marianne Smith
Today, September 8, is International Literacy Day and the beginning of National Literacy Month. Thinkfinity, one of the key partnerships of New York State Teacher Centers, has a wealth of resources for teachers, parents and students, particularly as part of the Read, Write, Think section, supported by the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Center for Family Literacy, National Council of Teachers of English and ProLiteracy. Check out the literacy assets that Teacher Centers are bringing to NY State, through this partnership with the Verizon Foundation:
http://thinkfinity.org/internationalLiteracyday.aspx
Keep in mind our own Rockland Literacy Extravaganza and Storytelling Festivals, which will take place here in October, 2009.
Check out the links here.
Marianne Smith
Timing is Everything! This from the NY Times: "TECHNOLOGY | August 19, 2009
Bits: Study Finds That Online Education Beats the Classroom
By Steve Lohr
Education that includes at least some online work is more effective than classroom-only teaching, according to a major research review done for the Department of Education..."
As we get ready for another (great) school year, we are in the midst of filling up our new Moodle Server (www.rocklearn.org) with content, connections and courses! And I am putting the final touches on the schedule for October for the NYS Online academy courses (http://www.olacatalog.org), filling in the details. Several of our own Rockland-based teachers have been trained to be instructors using Moodle, either through the Teacher Center Online Academy or locally, and will either teach entirely online this year or use the service to supplement the collaborations and resources of their classes. In addition to this, the prevalence of social networking tools and Web 2.0 resources abound and are taking hold not only in the home but in the schools. Handheld technology (Smart phones, Mobile Learning Devices) are functioning like full-blown computing machines! Stay tuned for some exciting times!
Marianne Smith
Shared from Maddalena Harper of North Rockland:
" For all you teachers out there and even moms, Staples is starting their 1 cent deals. This week it's pencils and copy paper. There is a limit of 2 per item, but teachers get more of a limit. Make sure you bring some type of proof that you are a teacher. Hurry, they run out quick. The sale starts tomorrow and it runs through wed. Have fun fighting through the crowds :)" Thanks, Maddalena!
Marianne Smith
How do you access information these days? RTCI is exploring online means to reach our educational audience, be that online registration (MyLearningPlan.com, which we currently make available), email blasts, such as Constant Contact, which we also use. We are considering branching into facebook, Twitter, etc., as a way to stay connected with you, especially over the summer, wherever you may be. Let us know your thoughts and ideas on this!
Marianne Smith
Busy times for all educators at the end of school year, but it's also a good time to look at the possibilties of summertime activities coming up. One exciting new opportunity is our 'first-ever'
Grantwriting Institute, which will take place on
July 17 and 18th:
This summer RTCI, in conjunction with The GCRTC Grants Center,
is proud to present this comprehensive program for
teachers, administrators, educational stakeholders and non-profit managers.
click here to enroll for non credit
click here to enroll for inservice credit
Get out the DateBook: Plans are under way for the combined 14th Annual
Literacy Extravaganza and Storytelling Festival which will take place at St Thomas Aquinas College on
Saturday, October 17. In addition, the following week, at the Haverstraw King's Daughters Library in Garnerville, on
Sunday, October 25. David Gonzalez, Jonathan Kruk, Mary Murphy and others will delight listeners of all ages at the afternoon event. Stay tuned for info on a November
"Tellabration" part of a National storytelling event held annually.