eTech Ohio Connections
Volume 2, Issue 8

• eTech Ohio is pleased to now manage the K-12 videoconferencing services through the agency's network services practice.
  
  By bringing the videoconferencing system in-house, eTech Ohio is able to provide a focused support center to meet K-12 educational technology needs. This is just one of many steps eTech Ohio is taking in the transition from ATM to TCP/IP and towards providing future multimedia services to the Ohio K-12 community. This transition is being made possible primarily as a result of eTech Ohio's investment in the new TFN infrastructure, which provides a tremendous increase in bandwidth to the Information Technology Centers (ITCs) and large urban aggregation sites.
  
  The VC Wizard scheduling interface will remain the same, and customers will access this site via a link from the eTech Ohio website. Ohio's K-12 education community should contact eTech Ohio for all videoconferencing needs and issues.
  
  Contact eTech Ohio network services at 877.VIDEO.40 (877.843.3640).

• The Ohio K-12 Network application is now available online. Districts will again need to use their Hall Pass accounts to apply for the subsidy.
  
  There are some important changes to the program requirements this year, including increased eligibility for additional wireless WANs and metro-Ethernet service offerings. Districts will still need to complete the online application including an updated WAN diagram, and applicants are still required to have completed an eligible Funding Year 2006 E-Rate application. The per-building allocation for FY07 remains at $3,000 per eligible building.
  
  Eligible entities include all Public Schools, Community Schools, Educational Service Centers, Joint Vocational Schools, Ohio School for the Deaf, Ohio School for the Blind, and the Dept. of Youth Services. In order to receive funding, all entities must be in compliance with the program guidelines.
  
  The application deadline for this year is Tuesday, October 31, 2006, and there will be NO LATE APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED.
  
  Should you have any questions concerning the application process, please contact program manager Scott Gaughan at 614.485.6004.

• Life after approval - technology planning next steps! eTech Ohio would like to congratulate Ohio's educational organizations that have completed this year's technology planning certification process. We value the effort, input and collaborative measures taken to ensure that the learning environment in Ohio's schools have a working plan to benefit the growth and development of students and educators through technology implementation.
  
  With a technology plan completed and approved, please be advised of some recommended follow-up steps:
  
  
  • Revisit your technology plan as changes occur in your organization.
    
    
  • Encourage the implementation and monitoring of planning teams to sustain any action plans derived from your plan.
    
    
  • Contact your eTech Ohio educational technology consultant for guidance in updating your technology plan.
    
    
  • Regarding E-Rate: With your tech plan now approved, be sure to file E-Rate Form 486 for any SLD approved funding commitments for Funding Year 2006-07. Print a copy of your approved educational technology plan and certification letter and place it in your E-Rate program files to ensure accessibility in the case of a request by SLD (program administrators) during a potential audit or site visit.
    
    
  The Public View of Certified Technology Plans is now available! The technology plan search tool is available to search for best practices in technology integration, to identify new strategies in managing technology, and identify innovative and emerging technologies. Anyone can access the public view of the certified technology plans without an eTech Ohio Hall Pass on the eTech Ohio website.
  
  Search for your choice of education organization by clicking on "Lookup Organization". The link will allow you to select an education organization's certified technology plan for public view. NOTE: For the protection of education organizations the security and budget information has been suppressed.
  
  Please contact your eTech Ohio Educational Technology Consultant with any questions.

• The eTech Ohio Techcoords listserv address has changed to techcoords@list.em.ohio.gov.
  
  The list archives will still be available online. To navigate to the archives via our website, go to > Communications > Lists > archive link under techcoords.
  
  If you have staff members that you would like subscribed to the list, please have them send an email with no message to <join-techcoords@list.em.ohio.gov>.
  
  The best way to unsubscribe from the techcoords list is to send a blank email to <leave-techcoords@list.em.ohio.gov> from the email address by which you are subscribed.
  
  If you have any questions, comments or need assistance, please contact us at 877.383.2406.

• Mark your calendars! eTech Ohio presents the ninth annual Educational Technology Conference, Ohio Connects! Technology for Learning February 12, 13 and 14, 2007, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
  
  Registration is now available through the Conference website. Online registration will be available later this month. The Early Bird Registration deadline is Wednesday, December 13, 2006.
  
  Note that Conference registration rates remain unchanged for Conference 2007. School districts may use their FY06 Professional Development (PD) Grant funds to offset Conference costs. Details and further information is available at the eTech Ohio website.
  
  
• Call for Proposals: Interested in sharing new ideas or successful practices for improving learning through the use of technology? Consider presenting at Conference 2007. The Call for Proposals for Concurrent Sessions, Panel Sessions (NEW for 2007), Student Displays and Teacher Displays (NEW for 2007) is now available through the Conference website.
  
  The deadline for Concurrent Session and Panel Session proposals is Wednesday, October 11, 2006. The deadline for Student Display and Teach Display proposals is Wednesday, October 25, 2006.
  
  
• Call for Submissions: 2007 Student Video Contest: eTech Ohio and the Ohio Public Television Stations are pleased to announce the 2007 Student Video Contest. Student Video Contest 2007 recognizes outstanding student achievement in grades 6-12 in the use of video production technologies while meeting Ohio state academic content standards and other instructional objectives. Complete details - including the application form - can be found on the Conference website.
  
  Check Back Soon! The Call for Nominations for Educator Awards will be available later this month.
  
  
• 2007 Exhibition Space: Is your company or organization interested in exhibiting at Conference 2007? Join the hundreds of other private companies and public entities who exhibit during the three days of the Conference. 49% of Conference attendees report spending 3 or more hours in the Exhibit Hall while at the Conference. It's an excellent opportunity to connect with current customers/clients while also discovering new ones. Contact Conference exhibit hall staff for information about available booth space and rates for Conference 2007.
  
  Additional questions or inquiries about the eTech Ohio Educational Technology Conference can be directed to the Conference Team at 1.877.383.2406.

• The recipients of the eTech Ohio Competitive Professional Development grant have just completed the first part of the Action Research and Technology online course. In this ten week session, the teachers collaborated in the writing of their research proposals for the studies that they will conduct in their classrooms this fall.
  
  Besides working with their school team, the teachers have collaborated virtually with teachers from across the state who are also part of the grant. Throughout the process, the teachers have demonstrated support, encouragement and acted as critical colleagues to one another.
  
  We, at eTech Ohio, are excited about the research proposals that are being finalized by the grant recipients and are eager to see the results of the studies as they unfold this coming school year. The grant recipients will share their studies at the 2007 eTech Ohio Educational Technology Conference in February.
  
  For more information, please contact Sandy Paxton at 877.383.2406.

• WOUB's Passion Works documentary wins Telly Award: "Passion Works: A Story of Flying," a documentary produced by WOUB, has been named a silver award winner by the Telly Awards.
  
  "Passion Works" tells of an Athens-based art studio that showcases the works of adult artists who overcome limitations to reach new creative and artistic achievements. This one-hour documentary, produced and directed by Blis Hanousek DeVault and edited by Eric Anderson, shows how an active community arts program can inspire, transform, and even transport people to reach new passions and new places, regardless of the person's history, social standing, physical limitations, or so-called disabilities.  
  
  "Passion Works" premiered at the Athens Film Festival in 2005 and aired on WOUB in February 2006. Studio artists discuss their place in the artistic process, both individually and collaboratively; the mayor of Athens, Ric Abel, dedicates the Passion Works' flower as the official flower of Athens; and the Governor of Ohio, Bob Taft, discusses and the impact of Passion Works' Studio Art upon him and the state's First Lady Hope Taft. Included are interviews with local and regional community members along with a look at of how the studio serves as a community resource. Passion Works' Studio Artistic Director Patty Mitchell began the program in 1996 with a modest grant from the Ohio Arts Council.
  
  The Telly Awards were founded in 1978 and honors outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. The Awards annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world. The Telly Awards is a widely known and highly respected national and international competition and receives more than 10,000 entries annually from all 50 states and many foreign countries.
  
  A re-broadcast of "Passion Works: A Story of Flying" is scheduled for fall 2006. Programming information can be found on WOUB's website.
  
  
• WMUB Public Radio at Miami University in Oxford sponsored the Dayton premiere of the Prairie Home Companion movie, directed by Robert Altman. Over 100 of WMUB's donors attended the private screening in Centerville on June 8. A select group of members attended a pre-show dinner at a local church, consisting of Midwestern comfort foods (fried chicken, meat loaf, biscuits and rhubarb pie). Giveaways included t-shirts and mugs and a movie poster signed by the cast was auctioned to support the station.
  
  The WMUB News Team swept the radio news category in this year's awards presented by the Cincinnati Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, claiming 8 of the 11 awards presented on Friday June 21 at Cincinnati's Union Terminal Museum Center. The awards were: Radio Spot News, First Place: John Hingsbergen, "Oxford Fire"; Radio Long Feature, First Place: Cheri Lawson, "Fallen Soldier": Radio Long Feature, Honorable Mention: Tana Weingartner, "Searching for Salamanders"; Radio Documentary, First Place: Cheri Lawson, "Coping with Obesity"; Radio Documentary, Second Place: Tana Weingartner, "Dayton Peace Accord"; Radio Business Coverage, First Place: WMUB-FM News Team, "Business News Montage"; Radio Investigative, First Place: Gary Scott, "Risky Remedies"; Radio Public Affairs, First Place, John Hingsbergen & the WMUB News Team, "WMUB Forum."
  
  
• On Friday, July 7, WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN ideastream and The Cleveland Orchestra collaborated to present the "Star-Spangled Spectacular Concert & Festival" in downtown Cleveland's Public Square. This is the 12th year that ideastream has partnered with The Orchestra to present the event. ideastream provided the production and technical support to present the concert and related entertainment to the estimated 80,000 audience members on-site, via a large screen set up on Public Square.
  
  The 90.3 WCPN coverage of the "Star-Spangled Spectacular" began with a live broadcast of Around Noon, the WCPN daily program focusing on Northeast Ohio's arts and culture. Program host Dee Perry presented a preview of the Cleveland Orchestra concert and the pre-concert music festival, including interviews with assistant conductor James Gaffigan and soprano Measha Brueggergosman. Perry also acted as on-stage emcee for the "Spectacular" concert, as well as the preceding festival performances, a role she performed for the fifth consecutive year.
  
  A video produced by WVIZ/PBS in cooperation with the Cleveland Arts Prize was also showcased prior to the concert as the first public announcement of the recipients of this award that recognizes those important people who sustain the fine arts in Northeast Ohio. A spectacular fireworks display provided a dramatic finale to the evening. The concert was simulcast on 90.3 WCPN and WCLV 104.9.

• Who is the Ohio Learning Network? The Ohio Learning Network (OLN), a consortium of 72 colleges and universities, markets courses and degrees to potential students, provides programs and services for faculty using learning technologies including a statewide Collaborative Learning Environment.
  
  OLN helps Ohioans explore online learning with: E 4 ME , a free, non-credit introduction to eLearning; OhioLearns!, a catalog of degrees and certificates; and Ohio IT Clearinghouse, a link to a broad collection of information related to IT and CS-related fields. Faculty can find valuable teaching tools and resources on the Teaching and Learning website, including CourseCheck, a self-study tool which provides a process for faculty to review their courses incorporating The Seven Principles of Good Practice.
  
  OLN has invested more than $10M in grants to Ohio's colleges and universities to develop additional online programs, redevelop and improve existing courses, and for the development of Learning Communities at campuses around the state. For additional information about OLN call 614.995.3240.