Welcome

Welcome the Orange Ulster BOCES Model Schools Blog.  

It is an exciting time to be involved in education technology.  There are so many web applications out there that provide students with unique opportunities to engage in what they are learning, express themselves and what they have learned in novel and remarkable ways.  Students can collaborate with each other on projects in real time using Google Docs, they can create engaging multimedia presentations using Prezi, they can publish their own podcasts using Vokki, and their cartoons using Pixton.  All of these are free to use for teachers and students and require very little prior experience.  With all of these tools out there, the technology space can sometimes be confusing and overwhelming.  Jaclyn Christine and Jim are here to help you find which tools are most effective in different situations, learn how to use those tools and see how those tools are being used effectively in other schools.

Model Schools offers Instructional Technology Workshops in the use of old standbys like Smart Notebook, document cameras, Microsoft Office and Moodle, and emerging tools like Edmodo, Schoology, InstaGrok, Vokki and more.  These workshops are designed to build technology skills and support teachers with the integration of technology in the classroom as a tool for instruction. The courses demonstrate how to integrate technology with curriculum, assessments and the New York State Learning Standards. All of our workshops are listed in MyLearningPlan and are listed on the side of this blog for your reference.

We also provide Shared Staff to school districts allowing them to bring our expertise to their district to work one on one with their teachers to ensure comprehensive use of the district's technology resources.  Ask us how we can help you to foster the use of technology in your district.

We look forward to serving you in the coming school year and welcome your feedback.  We would also like to welcome you to share your technology success stories to share with other districts so that we can celebrate the work that you do.