BPS Technology

Boston Public Schools CIO Featured in Computerworld Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Recently, Melissa Dodd, the Chief Information Officer of the Boston Public Schools was featured in a Computerworld magazine interview segment called "The Grill". In the article, Ms. Dodd answers questions about being the CIO of a large school district. Here is an excerpt of the article, please click on the link to read the rest:

Melissa P. Dodd speaks passionately about children and the importance of their education. That's not surprising, considering Dodd has a master's degree in education from Harvard University. Dodd opted not to teach, however, and instead chose to support teachers and students through technology. She worked as an educational technology administrator at Tufts University before moving in 2003 to the Boston Public Schools, which serve some 56,000 students. There she started as a technology strategic planner before becoming deputy CIO in 2006 and then CIO in October 2010. Here she shares her ideas on running a large school system's IT department.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9225869/Melissa_P._Dodd

BPS Student Adobe Aspire Award Finalists Need Your Votes!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:48:00 +0000

Four BPS high school students are finalists in the Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards competition - and they need your vote to win!

Adobe Youth Voices, the philanthropic focus of the Adobe Foundation, aims to empower youth and educators through media making experiences that promote social change. As a part of this effort, the Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards celebrates the extraordinary work of young media artists from around the world by recognizing top talent in media production.

Each Like, Share, Tweet, and Re-Tweet automatically counts as a vote. Voting begins May 4 and ends June 8, 2012.

Vote for:

Jeru Berry (Madison Park) - Smoking Affects Everyone
http://youthvoices.adobe.com/awards/finalists/4f91d1e08d536245570000f5

Yisheng Pan (Boston Latin School) - Missing
http://youthvoices.adobe.com/awards/finalists/4f91c6968d5362455200007d

Yahkeemah Blair (West Roxbury Academy) - Teen Vote
http://youthvoices.adobe.com/awards/finalists/4f91fd658d53624555000417

Myles Pruitt (West Roxbury Academy) - Smoking Kills!
http://youthvoices.adobe.com/awards/finalists/4f92212a8d536245570004bd

To learn more about the Adobe Youth Voices Program in the Boston Public Schools, visit: http://bpsayvproject.wikispaces.com

Remembering Larry Laguerre

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:50:00 +0000

With immense sadness, we lost a member of the OIIT family this week. Larry Laguerre, senior technician for OIIT, succumbed to cancer on April 29, 2012. We're devastated by the passing of such a caring and supportive man, much too soon. Larry leaves behind a wife and young daughter, and a network of family and friends who will miss him greatly.

All are welcome to calling hours Friday, May 4, 2012 from 6:00-9:00p.m. in Waitt Funeral Home, 850 North Main St. BROCKTON. Funeral Saturday at 9:00a.m. in Avon Baptist Church, 119 North Main St., Avon and burial at Blue Hill Cemetery, Braintree. Visit www.waittfuneralhome.com or call 508-583-7272.

OIIT is collecting financial donations to provide support to Larry's family. If you are interested in making a contribution, please contact Stan Deas at 617-635-9199.

BPS Librarians and Parents Group Receive Prestigious Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:57:00 +0000

Congratulations to Boston Public Schools Librarians Jennifer Varney (Hurley K-8 School) and Susanna Hall (Boston Green Academy) and to the Hurley K-8 School Parents for being chosen by the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA) as recipients of prestigious statewide awards for 2011-12. Winners were honored during the Awards Banquet at the 2012 MSLA Annual Conference.

Jennifer Varney, Hurley K-8 School Librarian

Jennifer Varney, School Librarian at the Hurley K-8 School, received a MA Super Librarian Accolade Award. This award recognizes an exemplary librarian/library program in each of the six regions across the state. Jennifer was recognized for her willingness to outreach to and collaborate with teachers to infuse 21^st Century and Information Literacy Skills into the curriculum, her support of literacy efforts in the school, and her contributions to the extended library community. Congratulations to Jennifer Varney!

Boston Green Academy Librarian Susanna Hall with Valerie Diggs, MSLA President

Susanna Hall, School Librarian at the Boston Green Academy, was the recipient of the LMC President’s Award. This award is given to a School Librarian who, in a career of three or fewer years, has made a significant impact on student learning through a quality school library program and has made a positive contribution to MSLA activities in the region or state. Susanna was honored for her role in building a library program at the Boston Green Academy, a new BPS school, and for her collaborative work at the district level to help establish a web presence for BPS Libraries. In addition, Susanna has contributed to the profession by joining the MSLA Executive Board in her first year as a school librarian. Congratulations to Susanna Hall!

Hurley Parent Rhys Sevier, Valerie Diggs and Jennifer Varney

The Hurley K-8 School Parents were chosen from the many nominations submitted to receive the PALS: Parents as Library Supporters Award. The MSLA Awards Committee noted that the Hurley Parents rose to the top of their list because of the group’s unwavering support for and commitment to the school’s library program. The Hurley Parents created the school library in 2007 by purchasing books, soliciting donations for furnishings, and raising funds to pay for library staff during the first year of operation. The parents have continued their support for the library by providing grants for library books and other resources, advocating for the library, and lending volunteer support when needed. Congratulations and thank you to the Hurley Parents!

In addition to the above-mentioned awards, Dr. Nancy Jones, former long-time BPS Director and Librarian, was recognized posthumously with an MSLA Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is given to someone who, during the course of ten or more years of MSLA membership, has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to the service of students and 21st century learning and the advancement of school libraries. Dr. Jones was recognized for her contributions to the profession through her work in Boston as well as her years of service as a member of the Executive Board of MSLA and an adjunct professor/educator of future school librarians. Dr. Jones’ family was in attendance at the banquet to receive the award.

For more information about the awards or for a complete list of award winners, please visit the Massachusetts School Library Association Awards Page.

2012 L4L Registration Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:17:00 +0000

On March 19th, OIIT launched an updated registration application to all L4L laptops as part of the annual L4L laptop registration process. All L4L users are required to update their laptop registration information by Wednesday, April 25th. Registering laptops enhances laptop security, runs routine laptop maintenance, ensures accurate user information, and provides updated laptop inventories to schools.

All users will need to register laptops while connected to the BPS Network. The registration application requires the user to log into the BPS Network. If the user is already logged into the laptop, s/he will need to log out of the laptop and log back in while connected to the BPS Network. Upon log-in, the application will automatically launch. Users are able to by-pass registration up to 5 times. After the 5th time, the application will lock users out of the laptop until registration is completed.

Registration takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and requires a reboot of the laptop. For a Step-by-Step Quick Guide click here. Upon successful completion, users will receive a date & time stamped registration PDF confirmation on the laptop desktop. Users will also receive an email to your BPS email address confirming that you have registered your L4L MacBook.

NOTE: Users that have recently changed their password in The Hub should use the new password.

To ensure a successful registration process, users must have recently run software updates (Mac, Windows & Parallels). Software updates should be run regularly (i.e. weekly) while connected to the BPS Network to ensure laptops run at peak performance. Visit the L4L website for tutorials on running software updates.

Please note that after the April 25th deadline, OIIT will collect laptops that have not been registered to run routine maintenance and software updates. As part of this process, data will unfortunately be lost. OIIT will redistribute laptops to teachers as quickly as possible.

If you have any registration questions, please contact the OIIT Service Desk at 617-635-9200.

Boston Students Learn Computer Programming During February Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Twenty-one students from Boston decided to learn a new skill during their February break last week. On Feb. 21 and 22 the students attended a Technology Bootcamp focused on computer programming. During the two day workshop, students assembled microcontrollers and learned how to use C programming language to control the devices. After programming the microcontrollers to make lights and sounds in response to a remote control, each student made a laser tag device which they used for a fun game of laser tag at Madison Park High School. After the laser tag game the students got an introduction to Scratch, a graphical programming language for making animations and games. The bootcamp was sponsored by the BPS Office of Instructional and Information Technology's TechBoston unit and MachineScience, with funding from the Barr Foundation.

BPS Tech Apprentice Program: Get Ready for Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:53:00 +0000

Last month, Mayor Menino called on Boston tech companies to hire BPS students, saying, "Companies like the ones that have set up shop in our Innovation District are the next generation of business in Boston, and our summer youth employment effort helps to create the next generation of workers in Boston...It's vital that the two come together." (Boston Globe, 1/30/12)

The Tech Apprentice Program is the perfect place to make this happen. The program is a seven-week internship opportunity at local companies for technology skilled high school juniors & seniors from Boston and the Metro Boston area. These talented high school students are considering pursuing IT majors in college and they need a work-based experience to focus their efforts and understand the options available to them in the high tech arena. The internship program runs for seven weeks in the summer from July 9th through August 24, 2012. Prior to the program start date, students participate in a mandatory business orientation. Students are paid $10/hour for 35 hours/week.

The deadline to apply is Friday, April 6, 2012.

Since its pilot summer of 2006, over 50 Boston-area companies have participated and over 300 high school students have been successfully placed in challenging IT internships. Tech Apprentices work across a diverse number of industries: financial services, healthcare, non-profit, higher education, media and information technology. Several students worked on desktop support and helpdesk teams; others on web development teams; another talented student created an Apache web service front end with a MySQL backend database. From software programmers to web designers and videographers, hundreds of talented Boston Public School students have spent their summers as Tech Apprentices--contributing their talents and learning new skills that could be very helpful to them in their future endeavors in the IT industry.

For more information, please contact:
Cecilia Oyediran
TechBoston Employer Organizer
Boston Private Industry Council
Email: cecilia.oyediran@bostonpic.org
Phone: 617.488.1328 or 617-799-4264

To download application and recruitment forms, go to:www.techboston.org/techapprentice.html

To learn more about the Mayor's Summer Jobs Program, visit the newly launched website www.bostonsummerjobs.org and check out a video on the Tech Apprentice Program.

TechApprentice is a partnership of: BATEC, the TechBoston unit of the BPS Office of Instructional & Information Technology (OIIT) and the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC).

February Vacation Technology Program

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:34:00 +0000

OIIT's TechBoston unit and Machine Science are hosting a FREE two-day technology workshop for BPS students in grades 6-12. The program will take place on Feb. 21st and 22nd from 8:30AM - 3:00PM at Madison Park High School. At the camp, students will learn how to assemble and program their own electronic devices using Machine Science's XIPMods and the C programming language.

For more information, please go to the following web link:
http://bpsengineering.wordpress.com/student-resources/february-2011-bootcamp/

Space is limited and REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED:
http://tinyurl.com/february2012camp

Program Contact: Haruna Hosokawa, 617-908-6045 or hhosokawa@techboston.org

Three New Computer Labs Open Thanks to Timothy Smith Network Donation

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:43:00 +0000

Thanks to a generous donation by the Timothy Smith Network, the Hale, Trotter and Blackstone schools have all opened brand new computer labs this year. The Timothy Smith Network donated $25,000 to each of the schools to purchase the new computer equipment. The Nathan Hale school installed a new lab that features a SMARTBoard with integrated projector and 17 new iMac desktop computers. The Blackstone School purchased thin-client multi-seat computers to completely renew two computer labs. They were also able to establish a "mini-lab" of six computers in their Parent Center, which allows parents access to technology for Parent University and Parent ESOL classes that are held at the school. Director of Accelerated Improvement at the Blackstone, Lisa Lineweaver, said "We are very appreciative of this generous donation from the Timothy Smith Foundation and excited about the boost to learning and student engagement that is sparking at the Blackstone."

The Trotter Elementary school used the donation to purchase 25 brand new PC's for their computer lab. They are very excited to use the new machines for research, developing podcasts, presentations and utilizing intervention programs such as First in Math and Reading Counts. They are also confident that the new lab will help to increase participation in their Technology Goes Home program which is a city-wide program that provides families with 15 hours of technology skills training. At the end of the training graduates can purchase a netbook at an incredibly low price as well as qualify for discounted internet access. The computers that were in the Trotter lab before the donation were older had become unreliable, costing the students valuable learning time.

A fourth school, the Higginson-Lewis school, also received a Timothy Smith Grant. They purchased a number of different interactive technologies for their classrooms, including Mobi mobile interactive whiteboards, document cameras and iPads.

The Boston Public Schools would like to thank the Timothy Smith Network and their executive director, Susan O'Connor, for their continued support of our students, families and schools.

Sharing, Collaborating, and Working with Colleagues - 21st Century Leadership Cadres

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:32:00 +0000

Teams of teachers and administrators in 15 schools and 2 central Academic Departments came together this week to share best practices related to learning with technology via the 21st Century Leadership Cadres Professional Development. Highlights of the day included use of QR codes for workflow in the classroom and “above the line” teaching practices related to 21st Century Learning. The goal of our leadership cadre is build a core group of educational technology leaders in each school. This year’s program pilots the use of iPads for instruction. It also provides time to “share, collaborate, and work with colleagues” which are key needs that teachers shared at the Superintendent’s Teach + Sharethis week.

The 21st Century Leadership Cadres is a yearlong professional development opportunity sponsored by the Office of Instructional and Information Technology (OIIT) and Apple Professional Development, that aims to develop cadres of leaders and teachers embedding 21st Century Skills into teaching and learning. Each cadre is made up of school teams that include one Principal/Headmaster and two teachers who participate in face to face learning sessions and online collaborations. This is the third year that the BPS has offered the 21st Century Leadership Cadres.

Senior staff members from the Department of Homeland Security visit students from John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:13:00 +0000

Students from Mr. Henry’s AP Computer Science class and member of O’Bryant’s Navy ROTC gathered in the Science Auditorium on Thursday, November 17, 2011, for a presentation from senior staffers from the Department of Homeland Security. Paul Mesterhazy, Deputy Director of the National Cyber Security Division, and Kristina Dorville, Director of Cybersecurity Awareness Programs were invited to the school as part of Cybersecurity week in Boston (Nov 14 – 18). Paul and Kristina discussed topics relevant to national cybersecurity and informed students that there are many jobs in the field of cybersecurity that require talented students with math, science and programming skills. Paul and Kristina responded to thoughtful questions posed by O’Bryant students. Paul and Kristina also met with BPS CIO Melissa Dodd and TechBoston director Felicia Vargas who shared information about the BPS Cyber Safety Campaign. Our guests were impressed with the Internet safety materials developed by BPS students and took samples of the materials to share with other Department of Homeland Security administrators in Washington, DC.

Winter Break Programming Class for BPS Students

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:15:00 +0000

The Boston Public Schools Office of Instructional and Information Technology is offering a free two-day training for students during vacation week. OIIT's TechBoston Unit in conjunction with Machine Science are hosting the two-day Scratch programming workshop. Students will learn how to design and write their own computer program or animation using Scratch, a graphical programming language developed at MIT.

During the training students will also:

Learn how to make programs in Scratch
Learn basic Scratch control structures
Experiment with motion, sensing, looks, and sound
Learn about using variables and operators
Make drawing programs with the pen function
Create original games and animations
Share projects on the Scratch web site
Download and “remix” projects from the web site

The free two-day workshop will be held on Tuesday, December 27 and Wednesday, December 28 from 8:30am-3:00pm at Madison Park High School. This opportunity is open to any BPS students in Grades 6-12. There are a limited number of seats, so sign up early!

For more information please visit http://bpsengineering.wordpress.com/student-resources/december-2011-bootcamp/. Online registration is required: http://tinyurl.com/december2011camp.

For further questions about the training, please contact:
Haruna Hosokawa
hhosokawa@techboston.org

To learn more about the Scratch programming language, please visit http://scratch.mit.edu/.

Target & Heart of America Transform the Hennigan School Library

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:00:00 +0000

On November 2nd, the Hennigan School unveiled a new library, thanks to the phenomenal partnership of Target and Heart of America, a non-profit literacy-focused foundation. For the third year in a row, Target and Heart of America have selected a Boston school to make over as part of Target's School Library Makeover Program. Complete with 2,000 new books, a state-of-the-art technology center, and eco-friendly design elements, the new library is bright and inspirational, just like the Hennigan Students. At the unveiling, students also took seven books for their home libraries.

Target incorporated its Meals for Minds program as part of this year's makeover, partnering with the Greater Boston Food Bank to establish a monthly food pantry site at the school's community center. The pantry will provide fresh fruits and vegetables, among other healthy food choices, to Hennigan families.

For more on the library makeover, as well as photos, visit The Boston Globe article at: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/boston/jamaicaplain/gallery/new_hennigan_school_library/

BPS Technology & Special Education Offices Launch iPad Collaboration to Support Students with Autism

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:09:00 +0000

OIIT is partnering with the Office of Special Education and Student Services on an iPad project for special education teachers and strand specialists within the Highly Specialized Strands for students with autism. The use of iPads as an instructional support is proving to be instrumental in teaching students challenged with autism.

Approximately 60 teachers in 15 schools will began the project this past week with a two-hour training which will include basic operations and settings, overview of apps, use of a blog and wiki and BPS Connect devoted to this project, and small group discussion on how to use the iPad and applications in the classroom.

Each participating teacher will receive a 16 GB iPad 2 with wifi, which will be preloaded with over thirty applications, for student use in their classrooms. Applications will include basic Augmentative and Alternative Communication apps, speech-to-text apps, and literacy and numeracy activities.

For more information on iTouch technologies & OIIT’s app recommendations, visit our iTouch Technology Resources site.

New Student Information System Focuses on Using Data to Improve Instruction

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:58:00 +0000

On October 31st, teachers in all BPS schools will begin entering attendance online in Aspen, our new Student Information System. Over the next twelve months, additional modules will be rolled out as we provide training and support to ensure that schools are poised to leverage the power of this exciting technology to strengthen instruction and accelerate student learning.

Strengthening teaching and school leadership, a key strategy of our Acceleration Agenda, calls for providing schools with timely information to enable them to measure student progress on an ongoing basis and respond with appropriate interventions. The launch of our new student information system ushers in the district's renewed focus on using data to inform instruction in every school, for every student.

Our new SIS is a web-based solution that integrates many critical tools within one cohesive portal. The SIS will allow BPS teachers and staff to report on and access the most up-to-date information about the students in front of them, including student attendance, grades, behavior, assessment and demographic information. And next school year, families and students will be able to log in to monitor progress and communicate with principals and teachers.

As the needs of Boston's students evolve, so too must our strategies and systems to meet them. From the classroom to the district office, data need to be collected, analyzed, and used for consistent and intentional inquiry to inform our collective practice of ensuring that all students are ready for college and career success. Our new student information system is a milestone for our focused effort on using data to transform education.

To log on to the SIS, go to: http://sis.mybps.org. For questions and support, please contact our Office of Instructional & Information Technology (OIIT) at 617-635-9200.

Media Literacy Conference Saturday!

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 01:30:00 +0000

Media Literacy Conference, a Focus on Youth

Saturday, October 22, 8am-4pm, MIT

HOME, Inc., in partnership with MIT & Barr Foundation, invites educational decision makers, curriculum developers, after-school program coordinators, superintendents, instructors and community leaders are all welcome to attend and participate in relevant panel discussions and breakout sessions. The conference is the fourth to be held on a biennial schedule and will feature today’s most topical 21st Century educational challenges.

The conference will feature leaders in the field including Arnie Packer, the father of 21st Century skills and project based learning; and other prominent educators, filmmakers, public health workers and representatives from organizations dedicated to developing programs that promote and generate awareness and a deeper understanding of media literacy.

The keynote address will be delivered by Scot Osterweil, Creative Director of the MIT Education Arcade and a research director in the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program. He is a designer of award-winning educational games, working in both academic and commercial environments, and his work has focused on what is authentically playful in challenging academic subjects.

To learn more, visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/mlc/2011/prweb8809383.htm

To register: http://www.mlc2011.ezregister.com

Code-a-thon Saturday: Help Make Boston Better

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 01:23:00 +0000

Looking for something to do tomorrow? Check out the Boston New Urban Mechanics/CfA Code-a-thon.

Boston is one of the most livable cities in the United States. People come from all over the world to experience Boston’s walkable neighborhoods and lively local culture. However, Mayor Thomas M. Menino knows that there is still much that should be done to innovate in how we deliver services and provide information to the public about the City.

To this end, the Mayor Menino’s innovation team, the Office of New Urban Mechanics, is partnering with Code for America to host a code-a-thon that encourages hackers and makers of all types to come together to build tools, visualizations, and apps that enable more people to experience more of the City. Come help us build Boston.

The Challenge for the day will be to create tools that enable people from a wide variety of backgrounds in terms of ethnicity, physical ability, age, etc to access the diverse opportunities that the City affords.

When: October 22, 2011, 9am - 9pm
Where: Boston University, School of Management, 4th floor, Room 424

To register, visit: http://buildingboston.eventbrite.com/

Read what CfA is saying: Code-a-thon Saturday: Help Make Boston Better | Code for America

October Proclaimed National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Recently, President Barack Obama issued a proclamationthat October is National Cybersecurity Awareness month, calling our digital infrastructure “a strategic national asset” and its security “our shared responsibility”. This is a great opportunity to integrate cybersafety skills with your students and families. Cybersecurity is an important topic to teach to our students and families who live in a digital world where so much of their personal data and financial information is online. It is imperative that everyone learn strategies to stay safe online and keep their personal data safe. In conjunction with President Obama’s proclamation, the Federal Trade Commission launched a redesigned cybersafety website called OnGuardOnline.gov. StaySafe Online is also promoting October as CyberSecurity awareness month and contains numerous resources for the classroom and the home. The site also contains a section of handy tip sheets in pdf format that can be printed out and given to your students and their families.

Whether the topic is cyberbullying, cybersecurity, or online personal safety, any information you can share with your students and families is important. Don’t forget to check out the Boston Public School’s CyberSafety website, which also contains many helpful classroom resources and downloads.

New Technologies Helping Austistic Children in the BPS

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:50:00 +0000

Check out Channel 5's segment on how Boston Green Academy is using iPads and assistive technology apps to support students on the autism spectrum. Boston plans to pilot iPads in autistic strand classrooms around the city as we seek new and innovative ways to support the learning, and success, of all students.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/29335939/detail.html

Community Plan-IT Begins September 15th, Have Your Voice Heard!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:29:00 +0000

From September 15 - October 20, Community PlanIT will serve as a platform for the district's first "virtual town hall meeting" - engaging BPS staff, parents, students and other members of the community on how we should rate our schools' performance and the opportunities they offer. The exercise will culminate with a real face-to-face town hall meeting for all oparticipants on October 20th at The English High School.

Go to http:communityplanit.org and click on the Boston Public Schools link on the left pane to begin! Over 500 people are already registered, and groups of students across the district will play a more active role - producing video content and posting "challenges" to participants in the conversation. To get your students, parents, staff or partners engaged, contact Carl Allen in the Office of Accountability or send them straight to http://communityplanit.org.

Community PlanIt Introduction from Evan Leek on Vimeo.

New L4L Sessions Posted for Next Week

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Four new Laptops 4 Learning sessions have been posted to My Learning Plan and are ready for enrollment. If you are a newly eligible teacher, or still have your version one laptop, you can go to www.mylearningplan.com to sign up. In order to find the the laptop orientations, sign in with your username and password, click on the district catalog and then do a search for L4L. There are sessions on Monday, September 19 through Thursday, September 22. All sessions are held from 4pm to 6pm at Madison Park High School. If you have questions or are having trouble getting into My Learning Plan, please call the OIIT Service Desk at 635-9200 between the hours of 7:00am and 4:00pm. Please remember, all eligible participants must come to the training session with a valid picture id and their BPS username and password.

BPS CIO talks technology on WCVB's CityLine

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Dodd) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:58:00 +0000

A few weeks back, I had the unique opportunity to speak with Karen Holmes Ward, host of CityLine, Channel 5's award-winning urban news and feature magazine program, about technology in the BPS as we embark on a new school year.

In Boston, technology plays an increasingly central role as a driver of educational innovation to prepare students for college and career success. We aim to provide students and educators with access to state-of-the-art technology tools and support to eliminate access and achievement gaps, personalize instruction, and engage students in meaningful, relevant ways to realize the goals set forth in the district's Acceleration Agenda.

Thank you to the Honorable Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston, the Boston School Committee, and Dr. Carol Johnson, Superintendent of Schools, for their commitment to education and technology.

Check out the short video segment to learn about some of the ways in which we're using technology in the district to strengthen teaching and learning:

CityLine Segment 3 - Technology in the BPS Video - WCVB Boston

Welcome Back to School!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:27:00 +0000

As schools are gearing up for a new school year, OIIT wants to share some technology updates with you:

What's New?

A new Student Information System (SIS) will upgrade MyBPS, one application at a time, starting with 'daily attendance' this fall. All schools will begin to use the SIS system to take attendance beginning on October 31st. Details about training and procedures will be coming soon! For more information about the district roll-out of the new SIS system, please go to: www.bpstechnology.org/sis

The new L4L laptops are here! Nearly 75% of eligible staff has swapped for a new model. We have also expanded eligibility of the program to assistant principals and assistant headmasters. L4L orientation sessions started up again as of August 29th. To register for a session, go to: www.mylearningplan.com

Support effective teaching with data & reports available in the BPS Data Warehouse. You can access MCAS data, attendance data, 'Leading & Lagging' indicators, GPA data and more. To access the BPS Data Warehouse, go to:
https://bpsdepot.mybps.org/dw/

Need Technology Help?

Let the OIIT Service Desk be your gateway to technology support. Call 617-635-9200 (Mon-Fri 7am - 4pm).

For how-to tutorials, FAQ's, Ed-tech resources, the new Library & Media Services website and technology purchasing support, visit OIIT Online at: www.bostonpublicschools.org/technology.

Comcast is offering monthly, low-cost Internet access ($9.95 + taxes) to families with a student who participates in the free lunch program. Check out this offer today and share it with your school community at: www.internetessentials.com.

Be Safe Online

Bullying and cyber-bullying are crimes and can negatively impact a victim's education. Report incidents to the Mayor's Anti-Bullying Hot Line at 617-534-5050.

Educate staff, students and parents about Cyber Safety. BPS Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) podcasts, Cyber Safety curriculum resources and downloadable materials are available at: www.bpscybersafety.org.

We hope everyone has a great start to another successful school year!

OIIT Conducts Successful Laptop Exchange in June

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:13:00 +0000

During the month of June, OIIT was able to successfully exchange approximately 3400 laptops and give BPS teachers brand new Macbook computers to kick off the second version of the Laptops for Learning Program. Laptops for Learning provides a state-of-the art dual platform Macbook to classroom teachers. By exchanging the laptops in June, teachers were able to take the new computers home over the summer to use while they attend professional development and prepare for the upcoming school year. Teachers were also given an introductory overview of the new Student Information System that will be implemented throughout the district during the 2011-2012 school year.

The June rollout was truly a team effort as all employees of the Office of Instructional and Information Technology took part in the laptop exchange sessions along with interns from TechBoston.

If you are newly eligible for a laptop or you missed the June exchange, sessions will be scheduled at the end of August. Please go to MyLearning Plan to sign up for sessions after they are posted. If you have any questions about eligibility or laptop sessions, please call the OIIT Service Desk at 635-9200.

Boston Celtics Donate Mobile Lab to the Edison School

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Kidd) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:39:00 +0000

The Boston Celtics continued to demonstrate their commitment to supporting the students and families of the Boston Public Schools by donating a brand-new set of 25 Macbook computers and a mobile cart to the Edison K-8 School in Brighton. To further illustrate the importance of community service, Managing Partner Steve Pagliuca and General Manager Danny Ainge also introduced their top two draft picks at the school when they unveiled the mobile computer lab. JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore were introduced as the newest Boston Celtics and then immediately put to work with 23 students of the Edison School on a scavenger hunt activity using the new computers. The students answered questions about the history of the Boston Celtics, including a question about Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, who also worked with the students.

This is the fifth computer lab donated this year by either the Boston Celtic's Shamrock Foundation or Ray Allen's Ray of Hope Foundation. The other new computer labs are located at the Dearborn School, the Hernandez School, the Tobin School and the Sarah Greenwood School.

Check out video from the event below!