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On January 30^th and 31^st, 2014 NJASA is hosting the 19th annual Techspo Conference at Bally’s Atlantic City. The conference is a technology training and exhibition for key school leaders and administrators in New Jersey. Over fifty workshops and exhibitions will showcase the latest tools, technology and top resources in education, plus there will be two days of opportunities to meet and network with colleagues, exchange ideas, and discuss pressing education issues.

Techspo keynote speakers include Alan November, a director of an alternative high school, computer coordinator, technology consultant, and university lecturer, and Mark Prensky, international speaker, writer, consultant, innovator and visionary in education and learning.

Alan November is known for helping schools, governments and industry leaders improve the quality of education through technology on multiple continents. His areas of expertise include planning across curriculum, staff development, new school design, community building, technology, and leadership development.

Classroom Computer Learning Magazine named Alan one of the nation’s fifteen most influential “thinkers of the decade.” Alan’s writing includes numerous articles and best-selling books, including his most recent book “Who Owns the Learning?”.  Alan was co-founder of the Stanford Institute for Educational Leadership Through Technology and is most proud of being selected as one of the original five national Christa McAuliffe Educators.

You can follow Alan on Twitter, here.

 

Marc Prensky, coiner of the terms “Digital Natives” and “Digital Immigrants”, is considered one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between learning and technology. Marc’s professional focus is on understanding students and their future needs and designing better pedagogy and curriculum for the digital generation. Prensky’s original ideas on how to adapt both our teaching methods and content to prepare young people in better ways for their future are being adopted around the world.

 

Marc has published scores of essays and articles, and is the author of five books: Digital Game-Based Learning (McGraw-Hill, 2001), Don’t Bother Me Mom – I’m Learning (Paragon House, 2006), Teaching Digital Natives: Partnering for Real Learning (Corwin, 2010), From Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom (Corwin 2012) and BRAIN GAIN: Technology and the Quest for Digital Wisdom (Palgrave-Macmillan 2012). 

 

Mark holds Master’s degrees from Yale University, Middlebury College and The Harvard Business School, ran a charter school in East Harlem, NY, and has taught at all levels, from elementary to college.

 

You can follow Marc Prensky on Twitter, here.

Below is some information on what attendees need to know about the conference.

CONFERENCE INFORMATION      

·         A one day pass at Techspo is valid for only Thursday, January 30, 2014 or Friday, January 31, 2014. $235.00

·         A conference pass for two days is valid for both Thursday and Friday, and includes all food and beverages provided by Techspo. $385.00

·         All Techspo conference registrations must be completed and submitted no later than January 17, 2014.

·         The waiver request for overnight lodging was approved by the Commissioner of Education, allowing school districts to reimburse attendees for overnight lodging on Thursday, January 30, 2014.

·         Late Registration or On-Site Registration will include a $50 charge that will be added to the registration fee.

·         The official Techspo Conference Badge is your admittance to sessions and included food functions. 

HOTEL INFORMATION

·         Bally’s Atlantic City is the official hotel for Techspo 2014

·         NJASA has negotiated a special rate of $99.00 for a single or double per night.

·         The special rate will only be offered until the room block is filled up or January 7, 2014, whichever happens first.

·         To take advantage of the special rate, simply call: Bally’s Reservations at (888) 516-2215 between the hours of 9:00am and 3:00am, provide the Group Code SBNJS4

·         All applicable tourism, state and city taxes are in addition to the quoted rates. Parking is also additional.

·         NJASA does have a cancellation policy. All registrations cancelled after 4:00 pm, Friday, January 17, 2014, will result in a charge of the specified registration fee.

EXHIBITOR INFORMATION

·         Currently all exhibitor space is sold out. If you would like to be placed on a waiting list, please send an email to Charlotte Duthie at cduthie@njasa.net.

·         All businesspersons must use the Vendor Exhibitor Registration Form to attend. Please call Charlotte Duthie at (609) 599-2900, ext. 127 to obtain a form.

·         You must be an allied member in order to exhibit at Techspo.

For more information on NJASA professional development opportunities please visit the Professional Development section of our website.

It’s been a long time since I’ve earned my doctorate. But it hasn’t been long since I’ve sat in a classroom taking notes and asking questions. Professional development is as essential to my job as any other responsibility.

As New Jersey school leaders, we’re charged by the state to develop an annual professional development plan that derives from the results of our annual evaluation and identifies professional goals aligned to individual, school, and/or district goals. I say there’s another reason for professional development. Professional development offers the support we need to reach, and even exceed, our goals. We are charged with developing high performing districts that are globally competitive in an increasingly demanding economy and diverse culture. That’s no small task.

The New Jersey Association of School Administrators offers a professional development series geared toward increasing your effectiveness as a school leader. All presentations are designed to satisfy state mandates and you can earn professional development credit for attending any of our professional development programs. Visit www.njasa.net to learn more.

We offer a variety of sessions from morning or afternoon programs to conferences that last several days.

Here are just some of our programs.

• One-day seminars hone in on particular topics from school security to technology to curriculum. We delve into the topic with expert presentations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.—and we get you back on the job that same afternoon. Topics we’ve covered have included social media, bring your own device initiatives, using data to drive instruction, and contract administration.

• Our New Superintendents’ Academy is specially geared toward your first and second years on the job—or those “new” to New Jersey. We help you get oriented to the relationships, practices and priorities are that are critical to achievement of your goals. Sessions focus on topics from leadership to personnel management and legal issues.

• Our Novice Superintendents’ Academy is for second or third year superintendents as well as those new to New Jersey. These sessions give you a chance to expand upon the skills gained in your first year. For example, you might learn the pitfalls to avoid in school board relations or the importance of the evaluation process.

• The NJASA Women’s Caucus works to encourage and support women leaders in education. The Caucus also promotes gender, race and ethnic equality in educational systems.

• The NJASA School Leadership Summit was held in conjunction with our fall workshop. We brought New Jersey into the national conversation on key issues affecting our schools.

• Finally, TECHSPO is a conference about educational technology held each winter in Atlantic City. This two-day event brings together experts in technology with school districts that are pioneering the next advances.

• One-to-One Technology and BYOD Initiatives: Best Practices and Policy, Friday, December 20, 2013

• The Role of the Superintendent in Achieve NJ: Compliance and Practice Affecting the Evaluation of Teachers and Leadership Team, January 17, 2014

• Contract Administration: Effects of New Tenure Law, FMLA, Seniority and Non-Renewals, February 28, 2014

• Legal Update: Recent Case Law Impacting HIB, Special Education and Other District Practices, March 18, 2014

• Social Media? The Good, the Bad, and E-Learning: Instruction – Communication – Marketing – Legal Pitfalls, April 8, 2014

• Building Your District’s Leadership Capacity: Managers to Instructional Leaders, May 6, 2014

• What Does the New Superintendent Need to Know About School Business Operations? Asking the Right Questions, December 19, 2013

• Personnel Management: Understanding the Process, Procedure, and Potential Issues, January 22, 201

• The Complexity and Challenges of Special Education: Through the Lens of the Superintendent, February 20, 2014

• Strategic Planning Drives the Use of Financial Resources: Assigning Entitlement and Discretionary Resources to Meet Your Goal(s), April 30, 2014

• Pitfalls to Avoid

• How to Handle a Strong Board

• Executive Session Guidelines

• Personnel, March 11, 2014

• Hiring and Firing After the First Year

• Importance of the Evaluation Process

• Impact of New Tenure Laws

TECHSPO, scheduled for January 30-31, 2014, is full two-day, unique state-of-the-art conference designed specifically for K-12 educators and their communities. It will provide group sessions and action labs that will present data, knowledge and materials to complement the school curricula through the use of educational technology in the classroom environment.

Recent global studies revealed what schools, parents and teachers in the highest scoring countries share in common. The results are not surprising. Curriculum, home and school environments, and achievement focused-common goals were the keys to success. Here’s what we can learn from these countries as we’re continuing to develop best practices for New Jersey’s schools. For a video summarizing these points, click here.

First some background: There were two studies that tracked student achievement in math, science and reading. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessed fourth and eighth graders in 63 countries and 14 states or regions. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) assessed fourth graders in 49 countries and 9 states or regions.

The results showed that students from East Asian countries, and a select group of European countries, outperformed their peers. The researchers zeroed in on five education systems that had a high level of achievement across all subject areas: Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Finland, Hong Kong and Russia. Here’s what these school systems have in common.

Good reading skills drive high achievement in literacy and help analyze complex texts in math and science. Students enjoyed reading and were motivated to read. Not only did reading drive high scores in literacy, it helped students better understand the complex material that they read in math and science.

Teachers understood the curricular goals, communicated expectations to students, and presented content in interesting and relevant ways. Teachers used engaging instruction to bring together the student and the subject matter in a way that sparked interest and stimulated learning. High achieving students knew what their teacher expected, had a teacher that was easy to understand, and were interested in what the teacher said.

Achievement was a common goal at school and home. Administrators and teachers expected student achievement, parents supported it, and students wanted to excel. All parties were equally invested in student success. In addition, students liked mathematics, science and reading, and were confident in their skills in these areas.

Schools are safe places where discipline is maintained; bullying is infrequent; and students can focus on learning. There were ample resources in these schools, including space for learning, staff to instruct, and adequate materials. There were no problems with overcrowding or shortage of supplies. The schools were equipped for student success.

The home environment provided the foundation for high achievement early on.

Parents engaged children in early numeracy activities, for example counting rhymes, number games, shape puzzles, etc. Similarly, they engaged them in early literacy activities. Student homes were filled with books. Children were encouraged to read, tell stories, sing songs, and play word games at home. School age students had their own space for studying and access to an Internet connection.

Creating the school and home environments that foster high achievement is an ongoing goal in New Jersey. We hope this study underscores the steps that we can take to bring New Jersey’s districts to the next level.

Most people with whom I speak envision the future of education differently from that of the past.  The influence of technology in the learning environment and its potential to personalize learning are cited as “game changers” by many.  Conversations by educators envision a learning environment increasingly at the control of the student with technology providing “just in time” delivery at the individual’s level of learning. 

We are seeing a dramatic shift toward this use of technology-based instructional resources.  Digital materials are making their way into

classrooms to support instruction and as replacements for textbooks.  Blended learning courses combining traditional and digital learning opportunities are expanding.  We are seeing an explosion of online learning opportunities including archived video lessons such as Khan Academy and MOOC’s (Massive Open Online Courses) aimed at interactive participation and open access on the web.  Student access to educational materials on their tablets and smart phones is growing, making knowledge available outside the brick and mortar schoolhouse and accessible when students want it. 

All these developments raise an interesting question about educator evaluation reforms.  Are educator evaluation models which focus on traditional teaching and student outcomes on standardized assessments misaligned with the evolving role of teachers and 21^st century learners?  Perhaps a more appropriate question might be: “To what degree might the reliance on these indicators of teacher effectiveness be counterproductive?”

Ian Jukes,   Director of the InfoSavvy Group and frequent NJASA TECHSPO keynote speaker, talks about educators needing to be an educational quarterback.  What does he mean by that?  The quarterback doesn’t throw the football to where the receiver is at the start of the play, but down the field where he anticipates the player will be.  Educators need to “look down the technology field” and anticipate how the role and practice of educators will change in order to develop the resources and strategies for transforming, not reforming, our practice.  If teacher effectiveness is judged on an increasingly outmoded model, and we track that performance to settle on compensation, determine job retention, and judge teacher preparation programs at the college level; are we impeding the progress that we need to ultimately make to prepare students for their future?

We shall be soliciting feedback from members about the implementation of NJ Achieve during the year to better learn about the resources and support needed by practitioners to ensure success for their students.  We shall do that with an eye toward the shifting roles of educators as we develop recommendations for the evaluation of their future work.

NJASA is energetically examining schooling and educational resources for the future.  Here are some of our initiatives:

·         The Vision 2020 Committee is defining a vision for New Jersey public education and has recently surveyed members for input to that vision. 

·         NJASA has joined with K¹² Aventa Learning to provide online learning opportunities for students (follow this link for the New Jersey Online Learning Services).  

·         NJASA is delivering and archiving free webinars focusing on the subject of online learning (follow this link for information and registration).

·         NJASA is partnering with Kean University’s School for Global Education & Innovation and the New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education to offer a statewide MOOC conference on November 15 (follow this link for information and registration).

·         NJASA will continue its leadership in technology and education with the sponsorship of TECHSPO 2014, the state’s biggest and best technology conference and exhibition (follow this link for TECHSPO information).

NJASA leaders, staff and volunteers work daily to ensure a superior statewide system of education and to maximize the capacity and effectiveness of school leaders through professional development programs and support services, both today and for tomorrow.