Blogs

Chad Branum, Executive Director of Technology at Coppell ISD, says that the district had no centralized digital media system prior to becoming a SAFARI Montage customer back in 2006. “We really felt like we needed something that was centralized at the district level,” he says, noting that more staff and students were beginning to create their own digital content.“ They were starting to create a lot of personalized or customized content, so we wanted something that gave them the ability to upload that,” he explains.  “One of the features that we really liked about SAFARI Montage best was that we could then correlate those uploaded pieces to the state standards.”

As promised in my last blog, I am back with thoughts from ASCD about brain research and how it can be directly used to positively impact teaching and learning.

Marilee Sprenger showed us many ways to add brain-based activities into teaching by creating a classroom environment where writing, talking, emotion, movement, visuals, and novelty are key components.

ASCD 2012 in Philadelphia wrapped up today and I was glad I attended! As the Director of Curriculum for SAFARI Montage my goal in attending this conference was to
(1) keep abreast of the digital tools teachers are using in their classrooms,
(2) learn new instructional strategies or instructional frameworks that might be used to help teachers implement and integrate SAFARI Montage into their teaching practices, and
(3) understand how I can better present professional development and training.

It is hard to believe that it is going on six years that we have been participating at WEMTA.  It's amazing how time flies!  For those of you not from Wisconsin, WEMTA is the Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association and this year's annual conference is Wednesday–Friday, March 28-30 at the Kalahari in Wisconsin Dells.

Commerce ISD became a SAFARI Montage customer in 2009. According to Julia Robinson, Director of Curriculum, Special Programs and Grants, the district was looking for a system that would stream video reliably, but also do more. Commerce ISD had a lot of difficulty with buffering when streaming video. However, with the SAFARI Montage server in the building, that problem was eliminated.

Innovative educators have come up with unique ways to practice important skills and concepts and alleviate pressure surrounding these tests, making this time of year more enjoyable and beneficial for creating lifelong learners and problem solvers. Combining such ideas with the technology tools and structure that SAFARI Montage can provide, here are 10 ideas for using SAFARI Montage for out of the box test prep.
 

PETE & C 2012 is now officially over but we leave with great memories of time spent with our wonderful customers from Pennsylvania-- and another Valentine's Day spent in Hershey PA...the sweetest place on earth!
 

As all of my Texas colleagues know, the STAAR test (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) is the new state-mandated assessment that will replace the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) beginning in spring 2012. As we at Allen ISD get ready for this change we are especially concerned about adequately preparing our ESL students, and therefore their teachers, for the new testing. Heather Forde, our district ESL Coordinator, created a series of tutorials in order to facilitate that preparation.

 Shannon Yeager, VP of Systems Solutions, is sharing SAFARI Montage Live-5! with attendees and describing the enhanced screensharing capabilities of this new version of the video conferencing tool that has already had such a great impact on instructional practices and professional development for school districts around the country. 

Getting ready for the start of TCEA!                            

                    And, after the exhibit floor opened, it didn't take long for the crowds to start forming.  Carolyn Faulkner-Beitzel, SAFARI Montage Curriculum Director, is presenting SAFARI Montage and Digital Curriculum Presenter to attendees throughout the conference.