Instructional Technology Tips for New Teachers

I was asked to put together a short guide that would be helpful for new NYC teachers in the area of instructional technology. I thought this might be useful to others. If you see something missing, let me know and I’ll be sure to add it.

Welcome to the Office of Instructional Technology!
The Office of Instructional Technology provides innovative solutions to transform teaching, learning, and leading with real-word, standards-based, integration of technology throughout the curriculum using standardized services and customized support - all with the goal of preparing our students to succeed in a global community. Our services support the entire teaching and learning community.

Professional Development for New Teachers
We offer a variety of professional development opportunities for educators including institutes and workshops to support educators in using 21st Century tools to enhance teaching and learning. Instructional facilitators are also available to consult with schools. New teachers can learn more by registering for classes at http://pd.nycoit.org or visiting our website http://www.oit.nycenet.edu.

Principles of Quality Instruction in Instructional Technology
The Office of Instructional Technology uses the International Society of Technology Educator’s (ISTE) National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) to serve as a roadmap for improved teaching, leading, and learning. The standards, used in every U.S. state and many countries, are credited with significantly influencing expectations for students and creating a target of excellence relating to technology. The National Educational Technology Standards for students focus more on skills and expertise and less on tools. Specifically, they address:

§ Creativity and Innovation
§ Communication and Collaboration
§ Research and Information Fluency
§ Critical thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
§ Digital Citizenship
§ Technology Operations and Concepts

For a description of technology literate students at key developmental points in their pre-college education visit, http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/Profiles/NETS_for_Students_2007_Profiles.htm. There you will find the NETS-Students profiles that highlight a few important types of learning activities in which students might engage as the standards are implemented.

Useful Instructional Technology Curricular Resources for Teachers (Listed Alphabetically)

Classroom Management: The Power of Procedures
http://teachers.net/wong/FEB05
This article discusses effective management techniques and procedures for every classroom. The article includes a PowerPoint that is used by a teacher with her students. For further study, read “First Days of School,” by Wong or take the online class at www.classroommanagement.com (fee based).

Classroom 2.0
http://www.classroom20.com
This is a networking site for those interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technology tools for education.

ISTE's Educational Technology Standards
http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS
ISTE's Educational Technology Standards serve as guides for teachers, students and administrators to help them focus on the skills and expertise needed to teach, learn, and lead more effectively in an ever changing global community. Teachers can use the standards to facilitate student learning and creativity, create digital work and assessment, model good digital citizenry and pursue personal growth and leadership.

New York Learns
http://www.nylearns.org
NYLearns.org identifies, organizes and delivers educational resources that are aligned to learning standards. The site also provides teachers with easy to use integrated classroom tools that enhance their teaching effectiveness. The site offers a curriculum section, which features all of the NYS Learning Standards and is searchable by standard area, grade level, course, and key word; the educational resources section, with thousands of peer-reviewed instructional resources that are searchable by standard area, grade level, content type, and key word; and a catalogue of face-to-face and on-line professional development opportunities for teachers across New York State.

Online Safety
The NYC DOE offers a comprehensive K-12 Internet safety curriculum to schools and workshops for parents. You can ask your school's parent coordinator, librarian, or technology specialist about what your schools is doing. If they do not have plans but are interested in launching the curriculum, encourage them to contact the Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy, School Library Services, or Office of Instructional Technology to arrange for internet safety training for teachers, parents and/or students at your school. To participate in an online safety professional development class visit http://pd.nycoit.org and do an advanced search for "Cyber Safety."

School 2.0
http://etoolkit.org/etoolkit
The School 2.0 eToolkit is designed to help schools, districts, and communities develop a common education vision and explore how that vision can be supported by technology. School 2.0 provides a “big picture” perspective on community-based, next-generation schools that allows for a common point of entry so that all community stakeholders can participate in this important conversation.

Teachers Network: New Teachers New York
http://www.teachersnetwork.org/NTNY/index.htm
The Teachers Network: New Teachers New York provides many resources for educators including information about upcoming events; curriculum units and lesson plans; how-to’s; grants; research; videos and more.

Technology Integration Matrix
http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/index.html
The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, constructive, goal directed (i.e., reflective), authentic, and collaborative (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (i.e., entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments. Together, the five levels of technology integration and the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments create a matrix of 25 cells as illustrated on the website.

Technology-Rich Classroom Visitation Rubric
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pjV2wGxpR6LMHBAVcv1nYBQ&hl=en
This rubric was created to help educators determine how well they are using 21st Century skills in the classroom.
21st Century Skills
www.21stcenturyskills.org
Teachers can use as a resource of the six skills that students need to master to be successful in the real world environments of the 21st century. The website contains illustrations of how these information and communication skills can be integrated into the core academic subjects.

Useful NYCDOE Resources for Teachers (Listed Alphabetically)

Email Services
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/FinanceandAdministration/DIIT/Email/
To activate your DOE email account, please call the helpdesk at 718-935-5100 or visit the website above.

Help Desk & Tech Support
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/FinanceandAdministration/DIIT/Helpdesk
This Web site serves as an extension of the Division of Instructional and Information (DIIT) Help Desk. You are always invited to speak to a technical support analyst by calling the Help Desk at (718) 935-5100.

Internet Acceptable Use Policy
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/FinanceandAdministration/DIIT/WebServices/iaup/default.htm
Visit the New York City Department of Education’s rules for Internet Acceptable Use at this site.

ProTraxx Online Class Registration
http://pd.nycoit.org
To view all the courses that are offered through the Office of Instructional Technology, log into ProTraxx at the above site. To locate an Instructional Technology course do a "Quick Search" for and select either Instructional Technology or iTeach/iLearn.

School Websites
http://schools.nyc.gov/Offices/FinanceandAdministration/DIIT/WebServices/DynamicSchoolPortals/default.htm
The Office of Web Management Services has created dynamic school web portals. Please visit this site for details on how to get your portal started.

Teacher Page: A Resource for Teachers
http://schools.nyc.gov/Teachers/default.htm
The Teacher Page provides New York City Department of Education teachers with helpful links and information such as information on subscribing to Teacher’s Weekly, salary information, email information, scope and sequence for various content areas, and more.

Unblock/Block Websites
http://nycboe.net/adminorg/divisions/diit/sws
To unblock or block websites visit this site, which is accessible only through the NYC DOE intranet and can only be activated from an administrative line.

Filter Lookup

http://filterlookup.nycboe.org/

Allows you to determine if a website is blocked by the web filter. Enter the URL for the website you would like to research in the “Enter URL” field. Click the Submit button. In the “Disposition” field of the form it will now inform you if it is blocked or not.