CareerTech Testing Center

Construction Concepts TLA Now Available from CIMC

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:42:00 +0000

CIMC has recently introduced a new Construction Concepts TLA (Technology Learning Activity) that covers the basics of construction and takes students through the process of building a structure. Students will create a scale model of an early home, design a home as an architect (online), research alternative housing materials, build a base floor, estimate framing materials, frame an interior wall with a door, cut pipe, join pieces of pipe, plumb lines for water, wire a light switch, estimate drywall material needs, install drywall, tape joints, compare heating and cooling methods, determine elements of style, paint a wall, complete a green building survey, and research a career related to construction.

The TLA is also crosswalked to Oklahoma PASS (Technology Education) standards, ITEA standards, and AAAS standards and includes the following lessons:

Lesson 1: The Basics of Home Construction

Lesson 2: Building Materials

Lesson 3: Foundations and Concrete Work

Lesson 4: Estimating Materials

Lesson 5: Framing

Lesson 6: Let the Water Flow!

Lesson 7: Lights On!

Lesson 8: Drywall and Wall Finishing

Lesson 9: Heating and Cooling
Lesson 10: A Thing of Beauty
Lesson 11: Green Building and LEED
Lesson 12: Careers in Construction

Contact the Customer Service Division online or at 800.654.4502 to place your order today!

Steering Clear of Cyber Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:01:00 +0000

The Google Digital Literacy Tour...
is dedicated to the education of families on how to stay safe online. iKeepSafe teamed up with Google to create a free curriculum for educators to teach what it means to be a responsible digital citizen.

The curriculum is designed to be interactive, discussion filled and allow students to learn through hands-on and scenario activities. Each workshop contains a resource booklet for both educators and students that can be downloaded in PDF form, presentations to accompany the lesson and animated videos to help frame the conversation.

The three workshops available are:

They also have a fourth video entitled, "Staying Safe on YouTube."

Although the videos are geared toward students, I believe they are a great resource for parents and employees as well.

Please watch "Steering Clear of Cyber Tricks"

Apple Shakes Up the Textbook Industry...Announces iBooks 2 for iPad

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:35:00 +0000

Apple announced a new iBooks Authoring App today that makes creating an Apple ebook a drag-and-drop process.

This free app automatically determines the best way to lay out the book and creates appropriate sections and headers. Users can then drag and resize images within the text and add definitions, photo galleries, movies Keynote presentations and 3D objects. Users can preview their books on their iPads or publish them directly to the iBook store.

Apple also announced a new textbook experience, iBooks Author, for iPad where users can drag a Word file into a book creation space.

They also announced an all-new iTunes U app giving educators and students everything they need to teach and take entire courses on their Apple mobile devices.

Read Apple's press release below in its' entirety:

Apple Reinvents Textbooks with iBooks 2 for iPad
New iBooks Author Lets Anyone Create Stunning iBooks Textbooks

NEW YORK—January 19, 2012—Apple® today announced iBooks® 2 for iPad®, featuring iBooks textbooks, an entirely new kind of textbook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. iBooks textbooks offer iPad users gorgeous, fullscreen textbooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, unrivaled navigation and much more. iBooks textbooks can be kept up to date, don't weigh down a backpack and never have to be returned. Leading education services companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson will deliver educational titles on the iBookstore℠ with most priced at $14.99 or less, and with the new iBooks Author, a free authoring tool available today, anyone with a Mac® can create stunning iBooks textbooks.

“Education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be our most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.”

The new iBooks 2 app is available today as a free download from the App Store™. With support for great new features including gorgeous, fullscreen books, interactive 3D objects, diagrams, videos and photos, the iBooks 2 app will let students learn about the solar system or the physics of a skyscraper with amazing new interactive textbooks that come to life with just a tap or swipe of the finger. With its fast, fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards, the new iBooks 2 app lets students study and learn in more efficient and effective ways than ever before.

iBooks Author is also available today as a free download from the Mac App Store and lets anyone with a Mac create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books and more, and publish them to Apple’s iBookstore. Authors and publishers of any size can start creating with Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. iBooks Author lets you add your own text and images by simply dragging and dropping, and with the Multi-Touch™ widgets you can easily add interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote® presentations and 3D objects.

Apple today also announced an all-new iTunes® U app giving educators and students everything they need on their iPad, iPhone® and iPod touch® to teach and take entire courses. With the new iTunes U app, students using iPads have access to the world’s largest catalog of free educational content, along with over 20,000 education apps at their fingertips and hundreds of thousands of books in the iBookstore that can be used in their school curriculum, such as novels for English or Social Studies.* The iTunes U app is available today as a free download from the App Store.

*Some content is available only for iPad.

Top Technology Trends for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 23:39:00 +0000

Rob Enderle recently reported his Top Technology Trends for 2012 in TechNewsWorld. According to Enderle:

Windows 8 is a trend in and of itself, and it represents the biggest bet that Steve Ballmer's Microsoft has ever made. The company is going to singlehandedly blur the lines between PCs and tablets and hope that users don't get confused. This will bring touch into the mainstream of the PC market and narrow the gap between notebooks and tablets.

Whether it's the success of Siri or the decline of email and the cable box, I think you will find several trends that will interest you.

Click HERE to read the Top Technology Trends for 2012 in it's entirety.

Season's Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:12:00 +0000

The Twelve Days of Testing

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:23:00 +0000

I thought I would share the Twelve Days of Testing since final exams are beginning and I obviously seem to be getting into the holiday spirit....

Create a successful testing environment
Follow the recommended time for administering tests
Establish rapport with examinees
Limit test anxiety
Provide test security and eliminate cheating
Understanding the numbers I, II, III, IV
Interpreting test scores
Analyze individual tests scores across all levels - instructor, district, and state
Provide positive reinforcement and build upon an examinee’s relative strengths
Remediate an examinee’s relative weaknesses
Implement improvements across all levels
Read and learn “The Secret of Writing Multiple Choice Test Items”

Happy Holidays! J.T.

Establishing Rapport with Examinees

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:02:00 +0000

I just wanted to take a minute to explain how important it is to establish rapport when administering a test. In other words, you need to obtain the confidence and cooperation of an examinee or the results may not accurately reflect the examinee's true abilities.

Many students may wonder why they have to take a test or in many cases "another test" and how this test will affect their future. Be ready for this question and even if the question isn't asked provide reassurance and support to ease any apprehensive feelings. During the examination, an examinee may have feelings of stress and it is always permissable to provide sympathetic reassurances such as praising their efforts or making understanding comments (never imply or state if their response was correct or incorrect).

An examiner should ALWAYS help an examinee maintain a sense of self-esteem and self-acceptance.

Here are some suggestions for establishing and maintaining rapport:

Greet the examinee by their first name
Tell the examinee your name
Provide a brief description of the purpose of the test
Be confident and respectful to the examinee
Help the examinee feel at ease thoughout the process
Encourage an examinee for their effort rather than praise them for the results
Convey the message that you are sincerely interested in their success
Be supportive in the event of failure

This is in no way an all inclusive list, but these eight items should be considered the basics when establishing rapport and there is nothing more valuable than experience when establishing rapport and administering a test.

Dyslexie is a Typeface for Dyslectics

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:14:00 +0000

I found an interesting website and video that I wanted to share with you concerning dyslexia (a developmental reading disorder that occurs when the brain does not properly recognize and process certain symbols).

According to the site studiostudio, Dyslexie is a font that:

"is especially designed for people with dyslexia. When they use it, they make fewer errors whilst they are reading. It makes reading easier for them and it takes less effort. The Dyslexia font is used by several schools, universities, speech therapists and remedial teachers.

Independent research undertaken by the University of Twente, proved that the Dyslexia font improves reading results.

Research
The study at the University of Twente showed that people with dyslexia made fewer reading errors when they use the dyslexia font compared using standard font.

A part of the conclusion of this study is:
The people with dyslexia made fewer errors, than normal readers, on the EMT when using the font “Dyslexie”. This is an indication that reading with the font “Dyslexie” decreases the amount of reading errors."

I haven't read anything else on the "Dyslexie Font" but it would be interesting to know if it truly works???

Remembering..."A date which will live in infamy"

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:51:00 +0000

Photograph courtesy the National Park Service, The USS Arizona Memorial Photo Collection

Today marks the 70th anniversary of Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II (December 7, 1941).

National Geographic has created "The Interactive Pearl Harbor Attack Map" which is a great resource to learn and explore about the attack on Pearl Harbor. This map and timeline is accompanied by short voice narrations for each stop along the timeline of the attack. You can also click on the map to discover more information on the attack or listen to comments from those who were involved in the infamous attack.

Please remember those who have served the United States of America and those who continue to do so!

Other resources:
World War II Valor NPS
National Park Service Photo Gallery
National Geographic Photo Gallery
Overview of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Date Which Will Live in Infamy
Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address (video)
Pearl Harbor Attack: Emergency Radio Broadcast Announcement

This Is What the Desk of the Future Looks Like

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:03:00 +0000

Mashable had the following article that I wanted to share with you (Stan Schroder, Mashable Tech, November 21, 2011):

EXOpc has posted a video of its EXOdesk — an interactive desk environment that lets you do all sorts of tasks on a virtual space on your desk — in action and it looks amazing. See what you think: [video]

Understanding the “Depth” of Testing

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:28:00 +0000

What do you think are good synonyms for the word “test?” Evil, horrible, despicable…should I add more? I get those comments and more from a wide variety of people and groups. I sometimes feel hated as I can almost feel the knives in my back, but to be honest with all of you, testing really is a good thing!

For testing to be considered a good thing, we have to consider much more than just the test score. Just as in the picture on the right, the “Test Score” is only the tip of the iceberg, underpinned by “Program Improvement,” “Instructor Improvement,” and at its greatest depth, “Individual Student Improvement.” Without the “Individual Student Improvement,” evaluation of the “Test Score” is not totally meaningful or useful.

The “Test Score,” or the tip of the iceberg, is actually comprised of many factors such as:

Reliability and validity of the test itself
Intellectual functioning
Genetics programming
Maturational status
Environmental influences
Personality, social, and gender influences
Education and training
Life and work experiences
Testing environment
Examiner characteristics

The score is also important to many different stakeholders and therefore, there are many reasons for why we test (educational, psychological, legislative, etc.) At the present time, most educational discussions seem to focus solely on accountability and there are justifiable reasons for that. As long as money is involved, there will always be that argument, but that isn't what I consider testing in its “purest” theoretical form (more about the “purest” form later).

Just under the waterline on the iceberg is “State Improvement” or program improvement. Test scores, when aggregated and analyzed across a state or geographical area, can lead to overall program improvement. In order to use scores in a valid way to make decisions about students or programs, we must also remember that we must clearly define and measure the psychological/educational constructs or traits that a test purports to measure. Once this is accomplished, there are several things that we can analyze at this level such as whether the curriculum matches up with the specified state standards and the high level of thinking in those standards? If not, should a different curriculum be used or should the existing curriculum be revised? Should professional development be implemented across the state to ensure that the standards are being adequately addressed?

The next thing we should consider is “Instructor Improvement.” Has the instructor addressed all of the standards during instruction or has the curriculum been fully utilized? Does the instructor utilize effective teaching methods? As long as the tests are aligned with the standards then the instructor can aggregate and analyze their own student’s scores and improve their own instructional performance. This level could also encompass the local school site and the administrator could make recommendations for improvement across grade-level or academic area.

We now find ourselves at the greatest depth of the iceberg…“Individual Student Improvement.” This is what I consider the “purest” reason for assessing students. First and foremost a test involves an "individual" and it is simply a point in time reference of a student's ability on a set of predetermined standards/objectives. The “individual” is where we, at times, tend to lose our focus, but we should be mindful that preparing a student for education, the workplace, and for life is our goal and the reason for instruction and assessment.

I think there are two primary views that most people consider when testing and I would hope that we consider both of these views and others when evaluating individual results:

One view …is to determine whether or not the students have mastered the objectives.

Another View …is to identify individual relative strengths and weaknesses and to help the student by building upon relative strengths and by remediating relative weaknesses.

In other words, how do we help an individual student become as prepared for their future as they can be? Testing can be a difficult thing for a student as the results will demonstrate the concepts that they could not recall, did not understand or did not know. Test anxiety can also be a factor that affects performance, but we should communicate that most students will have an area of relative weakness and that a test not only points out what they don't know, but what they DO KNOW. After all, even your best students may demonstrate an area of relative weakness. For example, if a student scored 94/100 on an exam, but every question missed was in a specific area, then we should never just hand the results back and say, "Great job!" We should say, "Great Job!' and use positive reinforcement as we address their area of relative weakness. Assessment, in an educational setting, is a form of important feedback and it should discriminate, not against individuals, but across variables as we seek to maximize their learning.

To briefly summarize, a student will find success on any educational test when their ability and effort are effectively combined with instruction and resources. This is really a fluid equation as one portion of this concept may be weighted more heavily than another and this may effectively offset a weakness in any portion of the equation. The key is to analyze the results from a number of different perspectives and to always ask, "WHY?" We should always analyze the results and use the information to modify our instruction according to a student's needs. We should never receive an individual student's test score and just file it away.

My main point is that many internal and external factors (home environment, socio-economic status, genetics, cognitive ability, testing environment, specific learning disabilities, etc.) contribute to a test score and we should always do our best to analyze the results for each individual student.

Our goal is to try and understand "ALL" of the factors that comprise an individual score and to maximize each and every student’s learning experience.

Career Focus Magazine - Another New Product from CIMC

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:08:00 +0000

I wanted to introduce you to a new product from CIMC. Career Focus is a new career exploration and preparation guide. This 32-page, full-color magazine combines essential guidance with web activities and "skill builder" opportunities to help prepare users for college and the workplace.

Topics include career clusters and pathways; plans of study; personal selling points; online tools; college planning checklists; interview strategies; and keys to career success. Career Focus also provides workplace re-entry strategies for those who have been absent from the workplace for a number of reasons. It is a concise guide to planned success for high school students and adults.

Download sample pages from Career Focus (PDF file, 136 KB)

Contact the Customer Service Division at 800.654.4502 to place your order today!

TweepsMap: Map Your Twitter Followers

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:23:00 +0000

I found an interesting site called TweepsMap that allows you to visualize your Twitter followers by country, state, or city. I have always been a big fan of Google Analytics for this blog, but TweepsMap helps with my curiosity of just where my followers are coming from. I also think TweepsMaps can assist you in determining your marketing effectiveness with Twitter.

According to the site:

Will you send tweets without my consent?
No, we only send tweets if you keep the automatic Tweet checkbox on the home page selected, or explicitly click the Tweet button on the map

Why do I need to authorize TweepsMap every time I visit the site?
We don't store the access token, once you leave our website and your session expires we delete the authorization token you provided us from Twitter

Will you store my twitter authentication credentials once I leave your site?
No, we only keep your authentication token as long as you stay on our website.

Not all my followers are showing on the map?
Some twitter accounts don't have their location set, or is not set to a city, state or country hence we are unable to determine the location of these accounts. Our tests have shown that less than 10% of followers don't resolve to accurate locations.

Try TweepsMap and let us know what you think.

25 Worst Passwords of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:42:00 +0000

Is "password" your password? If so change it immediately! I realize the temptation to use a simple password that you can remember and to use it on all of your accounts, but it isn't very smart. If they can hack one account then the next account will be hacked (let's say your bank account).

SplashData created the following list of 25 worst passwords based on millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers. Here is the top 25:

1. password
2. 123456
3.12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon
11. baseball
12. 111111
13. iloveyou
14. master
15. sunshine
16. ashley
17. bailey
18. passw0rd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football

According to Splashdata CEO Morgan Slain:

"...if consumers or businesses are using any of the passwords in the list, their passwords should be changed immediately."

"Hackers," Slain said, "can easily break into many accounts just by repeatedly trying common passwords. Even though people are encouraged to select secure, strong passwords, many people continue to choose weak, easy-to-guess ones, placing themselves at risk from fraud and identity theft," Slain said. "What you don't want is a password that is easily guessable. If you have a password that is short or common or a word in the dictionary, it's like leaving your door open for identity thieves."

Even though thieves have more sophisticated hacking tools at their disposal today than ever before, they still tend to prefer easy targets, Slain said.

SplashData offers some basic advice to make your passwords more secure:

Use passwords of eight characters or more with mixed types of characters.
Avoid using the same username/password combination for multiple websites.
Use different passwords for each new website or service you sign up for.

Please read the article in its entirety at: When "Most Popular" Isn't A Good Thing: Worst Passwords of the Year – And How to Fix Them

50 Free Apps We’re Most Thankful For

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:04:00 +0000

Image from Lifehacker.com

Earlier this week, Lifehacker asked readers to share the free apps they are most thankful for and they received thousands of votes covering the desktop, mobile phone, and devices in between.

I am happy to see that a few of my own favorites are on the list including Dropbox and Skype, but I have also found several apps that I'm not using that I need to check out.

Here are Lifehacker's top 50 free apps we're all most thankful for (and a few of their own).

Do You Matter?

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:48:00 +0000

You matter today...Change a heart...Change a mind...Change a mood today. This is your assignment....YOU matter!

Angela Maiers gave a great presentation during TEDxDesMoines that I wanted to share with you (link):

I also wanted to share Angela's blog and a portion of her latest blog post:

The 12 Most Important Ways to Let People Know They Matter

Begin and End your sentences with “YOU”
Acknowledge Everyone
Listen With Interest
Click HERE to read the rest of Angela's list.

Please take a few minutes to read the rest of her post. See what a little encouragement does for this kid?

Jane Hart's 2011 Update: Top 100 Tools for Learning

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:44:00 +0000

Jane Hart, in the Learning in the Social Workplace blog, just released her final tally for this year's survey.

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011

View more presentations from Jane Hart

Here are a few quick observations from the author:

This year, as for the last couple of years, the #1 tool is Twitter. But here are a few observations on this year’s list.

The list is dominated once again by free, online social tools - and proprietary content development tools continue to decline.

The top three tools – Twitter, YouTube and Google Docs – retain their positions from 2010.

Other tools have moved up the list since 2010. This include Vimeo (up 41 places) and Yammer (up 37 places).

There are 23 new tools on the list this year, the highest placed of which is Google+, followed by TED and Scoop.it.

Other tools have moved down the list, and some have moved off the list completely. Notably this includes Firefox (which was actually the #1 tool in the first survey of tools in 2007) and Second Life.

If you are interested in a more detailed analysis, take a look at:
The Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011 (The final list and presentation in full)
Best in Breed Tools 2011
Winners and Losers 2011
Top Tools 2007-2011

What Technology Skills Should an Educator Possess?

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:12:00 +0000

I read a post by Laura Turner on the Digital Learning Environments site that I wanted to share with you.

"20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have" made me pause and wonder about the technology strengths and weaknesses that I possess. I think I know quite a bit about many of the skills listed below, but do I know enough to help others? I think that is where laziness has set in. I probably know more than many of my peers and staying at that level of knowledge is nothing short of lazy because it serves no one except myself. I need to gain a more in-depth knowledge of these skills and share.

Realistically, you would probably not use all of these technologies, but you should be knowledgeable about each of them and how it could be/might be used in a classroom. At the least, I hope you will increase your knowledge in a few of these areas and then share what you know with others!

Here are the "20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have:"

Google Tools Knowledge
Google Earth Knowledge
Wiki Knowledge
Blogging Knowledge
Spreadsheets Skills
Database Skills
Social Bookmarking Knowledge
Social Networking Knowledge
Web Resources in content area
Web Searching skills
Web2.0 Tools
Interactive White Board skills (SmartBoard and Promethean)
Website design and management skills
Presentation Tools
IM knowledge
Video and Podcasting
RSS feeds
Mobile and Handheld Computing
Virtual Worlds
Collaboration & Communication Tools

The article also includes detailed information about the first 5 technology skills. The rest are discussed in the articles below:

20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have, Part 2

20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have, Part 3
20 Technology Skills that Every Educator Should Have, Part 4

The Complete Educator’s Guide to Using Google Reader

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:36:00 +0000

One of my favorite bloggers, Sue Waters on The Edublogger, has created "The Complete Educator’s Guide to Using Google Reader." The post is based upon the new Google reader interface and is broken down into the following seven categories:

Intro to RSS and Google Reader
Setting up Google Reader and adding subscriptions
Managing Subscriptions using Folders
Reading posts inside Google Reader
Reading posts from Google Reader on an iPhone or an iPad
Creating a blogroll using Google Reader
Creating a public page using Google Reader

I highly recommend that you use a reader, if you are not currently doing so, as it can greatly simplify your life by reducing your emails and by managing your learning. If you are using a reader, Sue's post can show you a lot of tips and tricks that you may not know.

_________________________________________________________________________________

In case you aren't familiar with RSS feeds and readers:

The information from a blog, website or wiki is known as an RSS feed
Feeds on a blog (or website) are generally marked with the orange icon above or else there is a piece of text like "Subscribe here"
Generated in XML format
Also manages and monitors all the feeds to which you have subscribed

Please read: "The Complete Educator’s Guide to Using Google Reader" by Sue Waters.

Thomas Jefferson: A Pioneer of Personal Learning Networks?

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:08:00 +0000

Some people have recently questioned my "need" to be constantly connected to social media like I am. They argue that social media may be ok during their time at work, but why would they want to be “connected” at any other time of the day? What happens at "work" stays at "work"...right?

So what is my answer? Why am I always connected?

Thomas Jefferson

I know exactly what you are thinking…what does an influential Founding Father, the third President of the United States of America, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, the founder of the University of Virginia, and an exponent of Jeffersonian democracy have to do with social media? How could a man that lived from 1743-1826 have anything to do with a web-based application?

Actually, for me, Jefferson’s design of the University of Virginia and his thirst of knowledge (Jefferson once stated, "I cannot live without books” and by 1815, his library included 6,487 books) are what influence my desire to develop a shared connection with others.

Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village (The University of Virginia)

Quite simply… I like to learn and social media allows knowledge to come to me in several forms, from a variety of experts, at all hours of the day.

As I visited the University of Virginia and Monticello twenty years ago I left truly amazed at the variety of knowledge that Jefferson possessed. I’m not talking about “Jeopardy” knowledge (knowing a little about a lot), but an in-depth knowledge across many disciplines.

I know this may be a stretch for most of you, but Jefferson’s original architectural design of the University of Virginia is the 1817 structure of today’s personal learning (PLN) or personal sharing network.

The University of Virginia Magazine by Robert Llewellyn

His u-shaped design with the Rotunda located in the center provides his century’s version of the PLN. In the design of his “academical village,” a democratic community of scholars and students are to coexist in a single village which would unite the living and learning spaces in one area. This “academical village” has, to this day, been a thriving neighborhood, a close community of faculty members, families, and students for generations.

For Thomas Jefferson, learning was an integral part of life. The "academical village" is based on the assumption that the life of the mind is a pursuit for all participants in the University, that learning is a lifelong and shared process, and that interaction between scholars and students enlivens the pursuit of knowledge.

As an adult that is far removed from a university setting, a personal learning/sharing network becomes my "academical village." It is a place where I can learn, a place where I can share, and a place where interaction can drive my pursuit of knowledge.

A No More Important Time for Librarians and Libraries

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:55:00 +0000

I wanted to share a TEDxPhiladelphiaED video with you by Joyce Valenza. The speaker takes you through the last 20+ years and chronicles the evolution of libraries through the eyes of Sally Madonna, Sally Spears, and Sally Gaga.

Libraries are something that many of us take for granted, but there has truly been a shift in their focus as a result of technology. Libraries are now participatory and "it's a place to create, to invent, to share, and to explore." "They are more transformational than transactional." Technology has allowed students to conduct original and meaningful research...research that can make a difference. The ability to make a difference is exciting to me and a great "selling" point to students. Technology has allowed students to be timely, to be relevant, and to make a difference in the lives of others.

I have followed Joyce's blog, the NeverEndingSearch, for the last couple of years and I would highly recommend it to anyone as she provides lots of great resources and insight into a variety of educational topics. Again, I hope you watch the following video and I wholeheartedly agree with the importance of a shifted library.

About the speaker:
Joyce Kasman Valenza loves her work as the librarian at Springfield Township High School (PA)! For ten years, she was the techlife@school columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Joyce is the author of Power Tools, Power Research Tools and Power Tools Recharged for ALA Editions. (PowerTools Remixed is currently in progress.) Joyce is a Milken Educator, an American Memory Fellow, and a member of the Library of Congress Teacher with Primary Sources cohort. Her Virtual Library won the IASL School Library Web Page of the Year Award for 2001. She has won her state's PSLA Outstanding Program (2005) and Outstanding Contributor (2009) Awards. Joyce is active in ALA, AASL, YALSA, and ISTE and contributes to VOYA, Technology and Learning, LMC and School Library Journal. Joyce speaks internationally about issues relating to libraries and thoughtful use of educational technology. She considers herself a mother and founder of the school library Geek Tribe, SchoolLibraryWebsites, New Tools Workshop, TLNing, TL Virtual Café, TL Ning, Pathfinder Swap, School Library Websites, and TLGuide.

Instructional Design: Start With the Assessment!

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:47:00 +0000

I wanted to share a blog post with you written by Doug Peterson from Questionmark:

eLearning Design: Start with the Assessment!

I would venture to guess that many elearning designers/developers start designing their new elearning course “at the beginning” – they start writing content and gathering illustrations, then maybe work in some delivery considerations, go through the review and sign-off procedures … and only at the very end do they remember, “Oh, yeah, I should probably have some sort of quiz or test.”

Dr. Jane Bozarth is an accomplished elearning designer and developer, and her latest article in Learning Solutions Magazine is called Nuts and Bolts: The 10-Minute Instructional Design Degree. In her article she recognizes that a lot of elearning designers and developers come from other disciplines and may not have much formal training when it comes to elearning, so she provides eight recommendations for designing and developing the best elearning possible.

Her #1 recommendation? Design assessments first. Jane writes:

Too often we create assessments and tests as an afterthought, in a scramble after the training program is essentially otherwise complete. The result? Usually, it’s a pile of badly written multiple-choice questions. When approaching a project, ask: “What is it you want people to do back on the job?” Then, “What does successful performance look like?” “How will you measure that?” Design that assessment first. Then design the instruction that leads to that goal.

For example, I used to support the call center agent training for a large telecommunications company. It was important that the agents come out of the training with an understanding of the software applications they would be using at their station – not just the correct values for certain fields, but an understanding of the application itself, including how to log in, how to navigate, which fields were mandatory and which were not, etc. Therefore we knew we had to include software simulation questions in our assessments (something that can be done amazingly well with Flash in Questionmark Perception), which in turn meant that we knew we had to include simulations in our training.

Does this mean that your elearning will be “teaching to the test?” Some people might see it that way, but I would suggest that since the test reflects the desired behaviors back on the job, teaching to that test is not a bad thing. And by working backwards from the specific desired behaviors and the assessment of those behaviors, your training will be very focused on just what is needed.

I hope you will read all of Dr. Bozarth's article, "Nuts and Bolts: The 10-Minute Instructional Design Degree." The CareerTech Testing Center offers 100+ skills standards and assessments and we have long advocated that skills standards should be the foundation of instructional design and assessments. Whether it's K-12, Higher Ed., or CareerTech education, we are preparing students for the workforce. Successful job performance for our students is our ultimate goal and I think that Dr. Bozarth is correct when she states that we should, "Design that assessment first."

Transform CTE From an Educational Backwater Into an Engine of Our Economic Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:47:00 +0000

A recent National Review article by Andrew P. Kelly, “Beyond Home Ec: Vocational Programs Are A Good Investment”, presents a strong case for career and technology education (CTE).

The author cites several issues concerning CTE such as the “skills gap” issue, a mismatch of skills in college graduates and high school students moving into postsecondary programs, and the education policies that perpetuate this problem. The author also mentions how students at the secondary and postsecondary level desire for learning to be tied to the world of work.

The article also goes on to cite the underfunding of CTE despite the obvious need and evidence in support of it, the lifelong economic benefits of graduating with a CTE-focused degree or certificate from secondary and postsecondary institutions, and the efficiency of the public dollar when it is applied to CTE programs.

Here is a short excerpt from the article:

For post-secondary students, evidence is mounting that the payoff for occupational-certificate programs of at least one year can be quite large--often outweighing the benefits of an associate or bachelor's degree. Nationally, the Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce estimates that 43 percent of workers with occupational certificates and licenses out-earned associate-degree holders, and 27 percent had higher earnings than bachelor's-degree recipients.

Evidence from Florida reveals a similar pattern: Graduates with a post-secondary certificate from a Florida community college earned $2,500 more per year than bachelor's-degree recipients from the state's four-year colleges. Certificates in health care, nursing, and information technology tend to post the strongest returns, and almost 45 percent of the certificates awarded in 2007-08 were in health care and related fields.

I hope you will take the time to read the article in its entirety as "with some initiative and imagination, policymakers and leaders in the private sector can transform CTE from an educational backwater into an engine of our economic recovery."

A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:47:00 +0000

June Weis at SREB shared the following article with me and I wanted to know your thoughts???

Matt Richtel, New York Times, Grading the Digital School - A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute, October 22, 2011 (Third in series)

LOS ALTOS, Calif. — The chief technology officer of eBay sends his children to a nine-classroom school here. So do employees of Silicon Valley giants like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard.

But the school’s chief teaching tools are anything but high-tech: pens and paper, knitting needles and, occasionally, mud. Not a computer to be found. No screens at all. They are not allowed in the classroom, and the school even frowns on their use at home.

This is the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, one of around 160 Waldorf schools in the country that subscribe to a teaching philosophy focused on physical activity and learning through creative, hands-on tasks. Those who endorse this approach say computers inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans.

Click HERE to read the article in its entirety.

What are your thoughts on the use of technology in elementary education?

Carpentry Skills Workbook - Another Great Product from CIMC

noreply@blogger.com (CareerTech Testing Center) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:20:00 +0000

I would like to announce another new curriculum product from CIMC...

Carpentry Skills Workbook – New!

This student workbook includes 60 job sheets addressing skills in residential and commercial carpentry. It contains step-by-step procedures featuring 200+ illustrations, equipment and supplies list for each job sheet, an evaluation rubric for each job sheet, and a blank profile of training mastery (for teacher sign-off on student's skill mastery).

It is ideal as a resource for each student to supplement in-depth textbooks or as a job aid.

Job sheet categories include:

Residential door installation (10 job sheets)
Residential roof framing (8 job sheets)
Wall & ceiling framing (7 job sheets)
Stair framing (1 job sheet)
Cornice and gable ends (2 job sheets)
Exterior walls & trim (4 job sheets)
Cabinets, shelves, and built-ins (2 job sheets)
Floor finishing (4 job sheets)
Roof finishes (4 job sheets)
Column forms (2 job sheets)
Beam forms (3 job sheets)
Above-grade slab systems (4 job sheets)
Bridge deck forms (1 job sheet)
Fireproof encasement forms (1 job sheet)
Commercial door installation (7 job sheets)

Contact the Customer Service Division at 800.654.4502 to place your order today!

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