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The Toolkit addresses many technology-related issues important to all district leaders. It is tailored to address the needs of not only technology leadership, but it also embraces the topics that are most important to superintendents, business officers, treasurers and curriculum leaders.
"I hope that school leaders who are considering a school construction project will use the Toolkit to promote facilities that are built with the technology infrastructure that their students, teachers and staff deserve and expect," said Michael Shoemaker, Ohio School Facilities Commission Executive Director.
Further, the Toolkit allows school communities to take a panoramic view of the new school process and prepare staff for an innovative learning environment.
"The guidance of this Toolkit raises a greater need to lock ongoing educational technology plans within district initiatives such as a new school facility project," said Quentin Briggs, eTech Ohio Educational Technology Consultant.
From Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and Value of Investment (VOI) presentations, to Virtual Tours of facilities containing model classrooms, extended learning areas (ELAs) and security systems, the online Toolkit provides informative resources to help districts conduct engaging and productive teaching discussions.
"The state and national resources linked in the Toolkit unveil extraordinary concepts in web 2.0 environments and future-proofing 21st century classrooms," Briggs said.
In addition to technology planning and integration, this tool also addresses infrastructure considerations, professional development resources and E-Rate timelines. Lastly, the Toolkit provides guidance on team building and collaboration to reinforce effective communication between district departments and facility workgroups.
"The Toolkit highlights the way in which the design of a school building can have an impact on the infusion of technology into the daily lives of educators and learners," Shoemaker said. "It also highlights the importance of the involvement of technology-savvy staff during every phase in the design and construction of a school."
The Toolkit provides common threads to district-wide, comprehensive continuous improvement plans (CCIP) and district initiatives that are incorporated in the district educational technology plan.
"This collaboration between eTech Ohio and the Ohio School Facilities Commission has brought the best two worlds together," Briggs said. "The common link we hope this Toolkit will create is the ability to house an efficient and safe learning environment that compels and engages students to be high achievers through the technology."
Contact  Quentin Briggs, Educational Technology Consultant, at 614.485.6611 for more information.
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By Arlyne Alston
Communications Officer
eTech Ohio
eTech Ohio's network staff provides videoconferencing services to the Ohio K-12 Network and Ohio's Public Broadcasting stations. As part of the videoconferencing service, eTech Ohio maintains a series of Multipoint Conferencing Units (MCUs) that are capable of linking multiple video endpoints in a single videoconference. eTech Ohio also maintains an online scheduling system which enables users to schedule their video resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In addition to the video services, eTech Ohio staff has closely worked with the 23 Information Technology Centers (ITCs) and seven large urban districts to migrate away from the legacy ATM backbone, to a more efficient and higher speed IP backbone. Scott Gaughan, eTech Ohio Director of Network Planning and Services, said "This transition will enable the Ohio K-12 Network to move from its current OC-3 (155mb/s) connections, to the higher bandwidth Gigabit Ethernet (1000mb/s) connections.
"The increase in bandwidth will enable users to take better advantage of the many video and multimedia applications being offered throughout the state, and will help satisfy the ever increasing demand for Internet capacity," Gaughan said.
In addition to the increase in bandwidth, this transition will also provide greater flexibility, and allow for improved recoverability in the event of a network failure, while reducing the overall cost of operating the network. This project is scheduled to be complete this fall.
"eTech Ohio has worked with the K-12 Advisory Committee, Ohio Department of Education, OARnet and others to complete this migration. We already have 25 of the 30 sites converted," he said.
The eTech Ohio networking staff is also working on establishing a second Internet connection in the Cleveland OSCnet PoP in order to better serve the Ohio K-12 Network. Gaughan said establishing the second Internet connection will serve several purposes including: providing additional bandwidth to end users, greatly increasing the reliability of the network, and reducing the overall unit cost of delivering Internet service.
Contact Scott Gaughan, Director of Network Planning and Services, at 614.485.6004 for more information.
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By Arlyne Alston
Communications Officer
eTech Ohio
"In my State of the State address this year, I outlined six principles that will guide me as I draft my plan for education," Gov. Strickland's website states. "We will follow these in pursuit of one clear standard; schools that rank among the best in the world and meet the needs of every Ohio child."
Gov. Ted Strickland's "Conversations on Education" symposiums are being held throughout every region of Ohio through mid September. Each meeting is focused on the six principles for education reform that he laid out in his State of the State address last February.
These meetings provide an opportunity for local citizens to share their thoughts and vet proposed ideas on creating a system of education that is innovative, personalized and linked to economic prosperity in Ohio.
"As we conduct these conversations, I will engage parents and students, teachers and school administrators, business and community leaders, school board members and education advocates across the state," Gov. Strickland's website states.
Each of the 12 symposiums are broadcast on local PBS stations and streamed live on the web at:
 www.conversationoneducation.org.
While there is limited studio seating, Gov. Strickland's website encourages participation from citizens.
"Please join us in this important conversation," Gov. Strickland's website states. "With your help, we will succeed in creating a world-class system of public education in Ohio."
A second round of educational symposiums will be held this fall to exemplify how to properly finance a reformed system of education.
Visit www.conversationoneducation.org for more information on Gov. Strickland's "Conversations on Education."
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By Tonia Gibson
Grant Officer
eTech Ohio
eTech Ohio is looking forward to sharing resources that were developed with the FY08 Public Television Grant funding. Projects include professional development and online learning resources, curriculum kits, and a video game.
eTech Ohio will award $1.2 million in Multimedia Production Grants to eligible Ohio Public Television Stations. These grants are awarded for the production of interactive instructional programming series, with priority given to resources aligned with the state academic content standards, in consultation with the Ohio Department of Education.
- CET ($100, 606)
- "Navigating the Community Water Cycle"
The proposed project will be designed to help students understand how communities manage water resources. The multimedia curriculum kit will be based on Ohio Academic Content Standards in both Science and Social Studies in grades 11 and 12 and be targeted to the needs of low-wealth districts in Southwest Ohio and all across the state.
- Think TV ($201, 213)
- Our Ohio: Exploring Our Heritage
ThinkTV/WPTD will create a third curriculum kit with multimedia resources on the subject of Ohio and American history for grades 4-8. The kit will explore a wide range of Ohio history themes, including westward expansion, the Fort Ancient Indian culture, and the Northwest Ordinance.
- WBGU ($100, 606)
- Project MORE
Project MORE, like other Ohio reading programs, applies scientifically-based
reading research strategies and follows the No Child Left Behind "high expectations for all" standard. Most importantly for this grant, Project MORE was designed to raise the expectations and performance or children with disabilities in the area of reading, and has also proven effective for students at risk for reading failure.
- WGTE ($100, 606)
- WGTE will create a series of five, eight to 10 minute video modules, and support programs and materials, which will enhance teacher professional development sessions for K-12 educators.
These videos will:
- Illustrate effective instruction strategies for teaching with technology, allowing teachers to see best practices in action.
- Increase teachers' expertise in technology use and assist them in improving their teaching methods.
- Serve to enhance teacher professional development programs throughout the state.
- WNEO ($201, 213)
- Teacher Guide, Web Activities, Streaming Video Kit
All districts in the state will have complete access to the kit. The Teacher Guide, web activities and the streaming video will be online. PBS 45 & 49 will offer free professional development on the use of this kit in our service area and will also provide it to other educational technology agencies in Ohio and also make the teacher guide available online and the videos available through instructional television at eTech Ohio.
- WOSU ($201, 213)
- Video Game
WOSU/WPBO TV proposes to develop a video game to facilitate learning by
second grade students of basic economic concepts and applications. These include money, labor, resource allocation, production, distribution and consumption. The center of the learning experience is a Toy Store. The object of the game is to build resources which can eventually be turned into money.
- WOUB ($201, 213)
- Standards-Based Multimedia Resource - Ohio History
This project will utilize the latest courseware design technology and will feature digital video and animation components. This educational resource will be made available online through the Internet on a local multimedia streaming server at the WOUB Center for Public Media. Clearly, there is a critical need for a standards-based multimedia resource that will make learning Ohio history more challenging and interesting to students in 4th and 5th grades, and at the same time, will help them improve their performance on the 5th grade achievement test. Teachers will also benefit, because they will have a ubiquitous, dynamic web-based resource that can be utilized in individual, self-paced learning situations, and is also capable of being presented to an entire class through video projection and computer lab technologies.
- WVIZ ($100, 606)
- Physical Science (PSI) Project
The Physical Science project will produce a collection of 10 multimedia resources, distributed through DVD, web and D3A2, that:
- provide teachers and students access to science lab experiments that, otherwise, would be difficult or impossible to replicate in the classroom or in the school's science lab (such as the creation of a mercury barometer);
- support the presentation of a science concept or principle that is particularly difficult to teach or comprehend; and
- support the teacher's application of inquiry method in the classroom.
This year, major components of each project will be made available online to Ohio's public K-12 schools through Ohio's D3A2 collaborative project.
Contact Tonia Gibson, Grants Officer, at 877-383-2406 or 614-485-6042.
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By Verda McCoy
Grant Officer
eTech Ohio
eTech Ohio and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) are pleased to announce 57 school buildings in 17 districts were awarded funds on July 1 for the 2008-09 school year as part of the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) competitive grant process.
Approximately $5 million in federal funds has been awarded through this competitive application process to new and continuation grant recipients in eligible Ohio school districts.eTech Ohio and ODE congratulate the following EETT award winning school districts:
- Akron Public
- Canton City
- Cincinnati Public
- Cleveland Metropolitan
- Columbus City
- Dayton City
- Euclid City
- Jefferson Township Local
- Springfield City
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- Summit Academy-Middle Akron
- Summit Academy Cincinnati
- Summit Academy Community - Dayton
- Summit Academy Community School - Warren
- Summit Academy Community Middle Columbus
- Summit Academy - Middle Lorain
- Summit Academy Community Secondary Parma
- Summit Academy Community -Toledo
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The EETT grant program is a two-year, federal initiative which ensures that funded projects are of sufficient scope and quality to efficiently meet the purposes of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Each awarded school building was classified as high-need, based upon Title 1 status and the ODE report card status (Academic Emergency/Academic Watch in grades four and six for mathematics and English/language arts), completed the Biennial Educational Technology Assessment (BETA), and received high scores during a peer-based grant review.
- Improve student academic achievement through the use of technology in schools;
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- Ensure that each Ohio student is technology literate by the end of eighth grade; and
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- Implement effective integration of technology with teacher training and curriculum development to establish successful research-based, instruction methods.
Per the RFP, all sites that receive funding are required to attend an orientation held at the Quest Business Center for New and Continuation awardees on July 23-24 respectively. The EETT Orientation Meeting is the initial gathering of grant awardees and program affiliates. This orientation is designed to provide essential information and resources to the EETT Grant awardees as they embark on the journey of implementing their projects.
eTech Ohio hosted a two-day grant orientation which allowed grant recipients an opportunity to gather and receive information and resources regarding the implementation of the grant. Sessions provided opportunities for teachers to learn how to organize professional development, use technology and software in their curricula, and methods to track student progress that will be easily adopted.
The 2008-2009 school year will be the sixth year of implementation for the Ohio EETT Competitive grant. Success factors for the grant include:
- Managing data to impact and track success;
- Sustained professional development that stresses process over participation;
- Prudent planning and purposeful procedures; and
- Effective Integration (content, context and competency).
Visit http://www.etech.ohio.gov/jcore/eett/ProjectPortfolioVideoIndex.jsp?schoolYear=2007-2008 to watch teachers discuss the impact of the EETT Competitive Grant and the difference the program has made in their school.
Contact Verda McCoy, Grant Officer, at 614.485.6054 for more information.
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By Arlyne Alston
Communications Officer/Newsletter Editor
eTech Ohio
Ohio public schools and libraries have received over $36 million to date, through the E-Rate program. This allocation will ensure that eligible K-12 schools and libraries have affordable access to modern telecommunications and information services. Annual discounts ranging between 20 and 90 percent provide schools and libraries with telecommunications services, Internet access, internal connections and equipment, and basic maintenance.
As of September 4, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) has released 21 funding waves, allocating Ohio's schools and libraries 3.2 percent of the funding total for the entire United States.
eTech Ohio is pleased to announce Lorrie Germann, Educational Technology Consultant, as E-Rate's primary contact for the State of Ohio. "I look forward to the opportunity to work with schools and libraries across the state as we prepare for the upcoming E-Rate 2009-2010 funding year," Germann said.
Germann has over 24 years experience working in the educational and technology fields. She previously worked for YES Learning and Computer Center, supporting public and community school districts implementing EETT grants and technology in the classroom. She also provided staff development and technical support for many schools across Ohio. Prior to working for YES Learning and Computer Center, Germann worked for Circleville City Schools as a Technology Coordinator where she was responsible for all aspects of the E-Rate process beginning with the first funding year in 1998.
Contact the following Educational Technology Consultants at e-rate@etech.ohio.gov for more information on E-Rate: Richard Kevern, Steven Crumbacher, or Lorrie Germann.
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By Chad Rex
Educational Technology Consultant
eTech Ohio
eTech Ohio recently interviewed a number of influential technical leaders who shared knowledge and best practices among their craft. These brief videos contain highlights from the interviews and are accompanied with more in depth responses in a Q & A format, via downloadable audio and text files. Since the November release of the multimedia, peer-based interviews, the TRI webpage has been viewed over 2,000 times.
Contributing leaders of the Technical Resource Interviews (TRI) are: Anthony Luscre, Chris Hamady, Keith Pomeroy, Matt Kuene, John Nickell, David Plotts, Matt Bostdorf, Steve Acton, Lyle Doe and Mark Kastur.
Supporting two essential focus areas of Total Cost of Ownership and Increasing Efficiency, this year's topics consist of:
- Client/Desktop for Thin Client
- 1 to 1 Laptop Initiative
- E-Rate
- Open Source Thin Client Server
- Open Source Voice over IP
- Moodle Server
- Podcasting Server
- Total Cost of Ownership
- Voice over IP Surveillance System
- Take back your district technology services
- Intranet
Visit www.etech.ohio.gov/programs/technical_training/interviews/ to review the Technical Resources Interviews.
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Over 100 school technology leaders participated in the sixth annual Technology Summer Summit in June. Participants shared successful strategies, knowledge and experiences on timely, relevant topics such as:
- Thin Clients
- Virtualization
- Moodle
- Creating video tutorials for staff
- PHP and MySQL
- Open Source Software
- Technology Planning
- School Facility Planning
- E-Rate
- Efficiency strategies with software and services
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"I found a great deal of value in every session I went to. The meeting facility is great, the food was great, the presenters were great, the topics were great, and the eTech Ohio people... Well, it's hard to believe that eTech Ohio is a state agency - I have never worked with a more helpful and accommodating group of people!"
"The topics were specific to needs all school technology staff are facing. Some of the skills learned could cost hundreds of dollars in another setting - it's great to learn from peers for the low cost."
"Sessions that were of interest to me, and obtaining practical, usable information at the sessions that I attended, while being able to discuss technology issues with colleagues were the most enjoyable facets of TSS."
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- 100% of respondents rated the "overall value to district" as "high OR very high"
- 84% of respondents rated the TSS as a great opportunity to network with colleagues
- 97% of respondents said they "gained new knowledge or skills" "to a large extent OR to a great extent"
- 97% of respondents said they "met professional development goals" "to a large extent OR to a great extent"
- 97% of respondents said they will "probably OR definitely" recommend the Summit to their colleagues
- Over half of the respondents have participated in prior Technology Summer Summits
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The next Technology Summer Summit is planned for June 26-27, 2009 in Columbus. The Call for Proposals will be released later this year.
 eTech Ohio will continue to provide the Technical Reference Library (TRL) to school technical leaders in FY09. The TRL is an online library of some of the technology industry's top publications. What's more, this free resource is accessible via a single sign-on procedure by simply logging into your eTech Ohio Hall Pass account, navigating to the Resources page and clicking on the Technical Reference Library link. Eligibility information is on the Technical Training webpage.
In FY08, 500 Ohio school technical leaders accessed this tremendous learning resource. This group of technology directors, coordinators and staff combined for over 750 hours of training; the equivalent of 19 work weeks since last year.
Be sure to take advantage of this completely free training and resource opportunity.
This year's TTA workshops provided public K-12 district technology staff with the opportunity to participate in highly specialized, advanced technical training in order to acquire the skills necessary to support Ohio's school technology systems. One participant said, "The instructor was well versed in his subject but applied it to the environments in which we worked. He welcomed questions and was always willing to demonstrate what he meant if there were more questions. Despite the pace of the instruction, he kept the mood open and light and gave us time to experiment. He covered the material but not at the expense of individual understanding."
Topics to be covered at the TTAs are modified each year based on stakeholder feedback and emerging/evolving technologies. Don't miss out on the FY09 TTA courses! Plans are well underway for the release of the FY09 catalog this fall. Visit the TTA webpage for details.
Contact  Chad Rex, Education Technology Consultant, at 419.878.0341 for more information.
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By Jeff Good
Director of Educational Services
WNEO/WEAO
Grant Writing Conference - October 3
Ohio's Educational Technology Agencies consisting of NWOET, WGTE, SOITA, WCET, ITSCO, PBS 45 & 49, ETSEO and WVIZ are continuing their statewide videoconference series after the successful Web 2.0 conference in March. October 3 from 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. a Grant Writing conference will be offered, via videoconferencing, to educational technology agencies across the state. Presenters from multiple sites will be on hand to present on how to write, search and apply for grants to acquire educational technology, and appropriate professional development.
Interactive Classroom Conference - November 7
On November 7 from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., an Interactive Classroom conference will be offered, via videoconferencing, to educational technology agencies across the state. Presenters from multiple sites will be on hand to present the latest in educational technology from the interactive classroom. Audience response systems, interactive whiteboards, visual presenters and other technologies will be featured as well as presenter experiences with integrating interactive technologies into the classroom.
Contact Jeff Good, Director of Educational Services, at 330.677.4549 for more information.
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By Susan Meyer
Director of Communications
WOSU
In preparation for next year's digital television conversion, WOSU is asking everyone who doesn't need both digital converter coupons issued by the government (because they either have digital, cable or satellite television) to consider donating them to WOSU Public Media. WOSU will purchase converter boxes and the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging and LifeCare Alliance (Meals on Wheels) will deliver and install the converter boxes in the homes of at-risk elderly. This is a quick and easy way to help out someone who may not be ready for the digital conversion on February 17, 2009. Interested parties are asked to drop off their coupons at 2400 Olentangy River Rd., Columbus OH 43210 to the attention of Paula May.
Contact WOSU at 614.292.9678 or visit  www.wosu.org for more information.
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New Online School Facilities Technology Toolkit Available
Strickland Hosts Regional Education Symposiums Across the State
Ohio's 2008 E-Rate Funding Allocations Reach $36.5M
PBS 45 & 49 Grant Writing and Ineractive Classroom Conferences
WOSU Champions the 'Help Your Neighbor Campaign'