Closing down Blogspot site

After Friday, 1/8/10 the Blogspot site (and website syndication) will become inactive.  Blog posts will ONLY appear on the HASIP UEN page.  Please visit the UEN page daily for updates, news, event information, links, and resources.

Thank you!

Updates for 1/7/10

A few important reminders as we come to the end of our first week back after break:

1. TEACHER TALK will happen today (1/7) starting at 3:30 in Amy's Wimba Room.

2. Goal Review and November/December Lesson Reflection are due TOMORROW, 1/8/10.

3.  I must know by NOON TOMORROW (1/8/10) if you want to enroll in the next USU online course.  I have replied to everyone to has asked to enroll so far - if you sent me you info and haven;t heard back, please call me!

4.  Please let me know if you are attending UAGC, and if so, how your registration was paid. Remember, you can deduct $40 as a HASIP participant (or be reimbursed $40 if you already paid the full amount for whichever days you are attending).  Be sure to note on your registration that you are a HASIP participant  [this includes COACHES as well!].

5. Please expect to be contacted by Drs. Jim Carroll and Joe Montecalvo of the Maxwell School of Social Sciences, Syracuse University AND/OR Dr. Carolyn Callahan of the University of Virgina - they comprise our external evaluation team and will be beginning the survey process soon as part of the evaluation.  The first evaluation report is due to the state legislature in February, so it's important that we're all prompt in our responses in to their inquiries. Paricipation in the external evaluation process is required in order to maintain your stipend eligibility at the end of the program year. The surveys are NOT difficult or time-consuming (yay, Survey Monkey!); their will also be some phone/internet interviews as well.  Coaches are also part of the evaluation protocol.

Visit the HASIP UEN page daily for updates, and have a great rest of the week!

Updates 1/4/10

I hope that everyone's winter break was wonderfully relaxing! Now it's back to the routine of teaching and learning, which is a GREAT routine to be in.

As I mentioned in emails/blog posts prior to the break, the HASIP servers were moved to the Washington school district's new data center in late December. The move took our VPN offline, closing your "tunnel" and preventing access to secure iChat and Confluence. Now that are servers are located in a new location and are part of a different network, they have new IP addresses.

These new IP addresses necessitate that we reconfigure the security protocols on your HASIP MacBook. You will be hearing from Matt and Trent in the coming days with specific information and instructions for what will happen. Until your machine is updated you will continue to have a "closed tunnel," no secure iChat, and no Confluence access. Thus, it is essential that you watch for the information to come from the HASIP tech team, and that you respond according to their instructions. We want to get you back to full operating capacity ASAP!

Some other reminders:

1. If you want to take the next endorsement course (beginning the second week of January), I need to know NOW. USU is currently enrolling our course, so I need your names (and A#s)! I have responded to every email I have gotten so far about registering, so if you emailed me and didn't hear back, PLEASE email me again (the way that Gmail "stacks" responses to a thread sometimes causes me to miss individual email, despite my paranoia!).
2. If you plan to attend the UAGC conference at the end of the month, please make sure that I am aware so that I can add you to my reimbursement list.
3. Goal Reviews and November/December lesson reflections are due on January 8th. I have also acknowledged each of these emails, so if you sent something in and haven't heard back, let me know.
4. Please check the HASIP UEN page daily for informational blog posts and reminders.

Have a GREAT first week back at school!

Friday Hot Links for 12/18/09 ~ Vacation Animation Edition

Click below for good info on helping kids stay safe online:

Thinkfinity has some great resources on helping kids to understand copyright issues.  As we have our high-abiloty students participate in independent research, this is important information for them to understand!

Pete's PowerPoint Station is THE place on the web to find fabulous presentations! This is a great resource for teachers as you lesson plan (yeah, over vacation!), and there are interactive games for kids to try out as well.  BEFORE you spend hours making a cool PowerPoint to teach your content, stop by Pete's first!

Holiday Lessons

Holiday lesson plans from Thinkfinity

Online G/T Endorsement Class Registration

(THIS INFORMATION IS A REPEAT OF MY EMAIL ON 12/14/09)

The time has come to start the registration process for the next online G/T endorsement course.  We're working on refining the system to try to make the registration process go more smoothly. Here's the scoop:

1. Somehow, I don't have the day of the week/time information!  I have emailed Dr. Hunsaker, and am waiting to hear back from him with that information. I know, I know... it's pretty important info to have when you are figuring out of you are going to enroll in the class!  I'll let you know as soon as I hear back from him. (Perhaps this was discussed in a class session that I missed???)

2. The course syllabus was attached to my email, so that you know what the expectations are.  This information is also posted  on the UEN site, in a folder called "Online G/T Endorsement."

3. If you were enrolled in the first course (6420/30), and wish to enroll in the Spring course (6480/90) ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is email me with your FULL "USU" NAME (whatever they have you enrolled under) AND your A-NUMBER.  I must have your A#!!! Hey, if you took the forts course is should be burned in your memory by now, since you needed it every time you logged in for class.

4. If you were NOT enrolled in the first course, but wish to enroll in "Methods and Materials in Gifted Education" for the Spring semester, you may do so. A registration form was attached to my email, and is also posted on the UEN site.  It is a type-on PDF. I tested it - using my HASIP Macbook - and was able to download, type-on, do a save-as, and email as an attachment to myself.  My fervent hope is that this WILL WORK regardless of what computer you use.  The form will also be on the UEN site in the "Online G/T Endorsement" folder.  So, new enrollees, DOWNLOAD THE FORM, COMPLETE THE INFORMATION, DO A SAVE-AS (and save it with the title of your last name), AND EMAIL THE FORM BACK TO ME.  Follow the instructions form USU at the bottom of my email for completing the form (it's also in the blog post on the UEN site).

Hopefully this all makes sense!  If not, get in touch with me.  It would be great if we could have this registration done as much as possible before the winter break (in order to save stress as soon as we're back after the new year).  The first week of classes is 1/11/10, so let's get this done! :)

A note about the financials: HASIP pays your tuition. If you drop OUTSIDE of the drop period, or fail the course, you get to pay HASIP back approximately $900. Bah, humbug!  You DO pay a $90 credit recording fee.  I should have been collecting this during October and November for the fall course, but that's another thing that fell through the cracks during my FMLA/bereavement leave.  I am NOT going to ask you for this money during the holiday season!!!  BUT - do be aware: The reckoning is going to have to come this spring.  I KNOW who was enrolled in the Fall course, and I'll know who was in the Spring... you're going to need to pay your $90/course fee ($180 total for both courses) before May.  Please start planning for that!!! You can send a check to me at the address below (made payable to "Washington County School District") ANY TIME (if you owe for two courses you can pay each separately in different months).  I have the record-keeping set up, so pay when you're ready.  But don't forget about it... reminders WILL be sent.  Also, receipts will be provided for tax purposes.

Directions for completing the registration forma  for new students were included with my email, and are posted on the blog on the UEN site (since this forum is publicly accessible, I won't be posting specific course information here).

UAGC Conference Credit Information

Here is the information I have related to USU credit for attending the UAGC conference:

• 1-3 credits will be available depending on how many days are attended in full and the work a person chooses to do after the conference.
• Attendance, reflection, and application are the requirement variables depending on how much credit a person wants to earn.
• Sign up is at the conference.  The cost will be $30/credit + $15 processing fee.