Welcome back, Dragons!

We hope your first day of school for the 2011-12 school year went well! A big thumbs up to the entire technology department this year. They worked feverishly this summer to assure a successful first day with all of our technological devices.

CISD VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE:

CISD held its first ever Virtual Technology Conference this summer. All sessions were held online through Elluminate Live! software. It was a success!

Congratulations to the following door prize winners:
1. Tara Chance = Shell $25
2. Julie Hataway = McAlister's dinner for 4
3. Dorothy Cassetta = Bed, Bath, and Beyond $25
4. Jennifer Kleinman = Kohls $25
5. Elisa Rossi = Home Depot $25
6. Janet Blackwell = McAlister's dinner for 4

Please take a moment to thank your technology integration specialist for all of the work, creativity, and extra effort they devoted to this conference! They spent many extra hours in preparation so that the CISD staff would have a positive experience from the comfort of their homes, local Starbucks, or wherever.

DIGITAL NATIVES:

As you begin to plan for this year, remember that our students today prefer to learn digitally. As Mark Prensky coined, today's students are "digital natives," and we are "digital immigrants." Technology is what our students know. Statistics show that most students use the computer to complete homework; however, most teachers do not assign homework where the computer is required. Consider crafting a lesson where students must use the web to complete an assignment. Ask your instructional technology specialists for many ideas! They have websites that will engage your students!

NEW PROMETHEAN BOARDS:

Four of our campuses have been outfitted with the new Promethean Board: CES, JES, WGES, and CMS. If you are new to Promethean, be sure and ask your friends and colleagues at OUES, RES, EIS, DMS, and CSHS for tips and tricks. 

Also, the curriculum coordinators are uploading flipcharts into the G drive this semester. So, if you are looking for a flipchart, you may want to start there.

TIP: Did you know that when you are running ActivInspire and you close your dashboard, press F11 for the dashboard to return.