January 2005: Volume 6, Number 3

Missouri Technology Acquisition Grant (TAG) Program <Reminder>

The Department plans to submit a request to the 2005 General Assembly for $5 million to re-instate the TAG Program for 2005-2006.

Missouri Safe Schools & Pilot Safe Schools Grants Program <No news to report>

Federal Title II.D “Ed Tech” or “EETT” Program

--- Projected funding for 2005-2006

State allocations recently posted on the U.S. Department of Education (ED) website estimate that Missouri will receive $6,831,980 in Ed Tech funds for the 2005-06 school year – over $2.6 million less than this year’s allocation of $9,488,121. As a result of the 28 percent cut in the Title II.D grant funds, the number of Missouri districts with formula allocations of under $500 will likely double, with over 40 percent of eligible districts having allocations of less than $2,000. As little as $2.1 million will be available for new competitive grants in 2005-06, after first funding the continuation grants and taking into account anticipated carryover funds from the current year.

--- RFP for 2005-06 Competitive Grant program

Application materials for the FY06 Title II.D competitive grant program will be mailed to districts and posted on the Instructional Technology website on January 12. While these competitive grants will continue to focus on helping schools implement the eMINTS instructional model, the FY06 program will focus more on school-wide reform or systemic renewal than on the classroom intervention model that was implemented previously. With the focus on schoolwide change, the application narrative requirements are more extensive, and the maximum request amount is increased to $400,000. With the increased grant size, and the $192 million cut to the Ed Tech Program, it is likely that only six (6) new grants will be awarded. The intent is to be able to fund three grants to districts new to the eMINTS program (one grant in each of three geographical areas of the state) and three grants to established eMINTS districts (one grant in each of the three areas).

Look for information to be posted soon concerning the program information workshop to be conducted on February 14, 2005 – Instructional Technology staff are working out videoconferencing arrangements.

Technology Data Collection <Prepare now for April deadline>

The 2005 Census of Technology will be collected online in April via core data screens 30 (district-level data) and 31 (building-level data). To preview the items, along with instructions and definitions, see the IT COT website at http://www.dese.mo.gov/divimprove/instrtech/statefunded/census/index.htm.

District Technology Planning <Reminder>

In previous issues, Newsline has detailed the changes that the FCC Fifth Report and Order (FCC 04-190) made regarding the timing, content, and approval of district technology plans. With these changes, the Department is encouraging all districts to examine current technology plans to determine whether new or revised plans should be submitted for state approval in 2005. Districts that received state approval in 2003 and 2004 should also elect to submit new plans if the…

· 2003 plan must be updated to cover technologies proposed in an E-rate application,

· district has a new or substantially updated comprehensive school improvement plan (CSIP),

· district has already completed most of the action plans and implementation strategies detailed in the 2003 technology plan,

· district has experienced significant changes that necessitate a new plan (changes in personnel, academic performance standings, technology holdings, technical capacity, etc.), or

· plan approved in 2003 received a low approval score (75 to 85 points).

Approval Process - District technology plans are reviewed by a panel of Missouri educators and scored using a 100-point scoring guide. The scoring guide, updated in 2004, can be downloaded from the IT website at http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/instrtech/techplan/index.htm. To submit a plan for state approval, complete the top portion on page one of the scoring guide as indicated and send the guide along with one [1] technology plan to the following address no later than March 31: DESE Instructional Technology, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480. Plans submitted by the March 31 deadline will be reviewed on April 15, with approval status determined no later than June 30, thereby meeting the timing deadline for E-rate applications. Contact Instructional Technology if you are interested in participating in the review process.

E-rate Program

Funding News

On December 23, 2004, President Bush signed into law a bill which temporarily exempts the Universal Service Fund (and the E-rate Program) from the Anti-deficiency Act. Passed by both houses of Congress earlier in December, this bill allows the SLD to send the vast majority of Program Year 2004 Funding Commitment Decision Letters to applicants as soon as they are processed and not await the collection of adequate "cash" in its bank accounts. Hopefully, this also means USAC will be able to get the vast majority of these letters to applicants quickly so that they can make crucial decisions on next year's application process. Note, however, that the exemption lasts but 12 months and clear action must be taken by the FCC to ensure that funding disruptions do not occur again for the E-Rate program.

Year 2003 -- On December 27, the SLD announced Wave 36, which commits over $23.1 million in 29 letters with funding commitments to Year 2003 school and library applicants. The funding associated with this wave includes funding for Priority One (telecommunications services and Internet access) at all discount bands and for Priority Two (internal connections) at the 80%-90% discount level. With the issuance of this wave of E-rate funding commitment decision letters, the SLD has committed nearly $2.6 billion in 34,197 letters for Funding Year 2003.
Year 2004 – The SLD announced issued Wave 11 on December 3, 2004. In this wave, the SLD commits over $317.1 million in 5,345 letters. The funding associated with this wave includes funding for Priority One ONLY. Thus far, the SLD has committed nearly $1.1 billion in 27,426 letters for Funding Year 2004 and other funding years in accordance with the rules of priority.
Year 2005 – The filing window opened at noon (EST) on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 and will close at 11:59 pm (EST) on Thursday, February 17, 2005.

Recent Correspondence from MOREnet E-rate Program Manager

Rebecca J. Miller, Esq., Program Manager, National E-Rate, (573) 884-2146, millerrj@more.net

---Issued December 29, regarding Forms 470 and 471 –

The last day to complete a Form 470, post it for bids, and still be able to file a Form 471 within the window that meets the 28 day wait requirement is January 20, 2005 at 11:00 pm EST.

---Issued December 27, regarding Prototype Online Item 21 Attachment Interface –

The SLD is releasing a prototype system for applicants to create Item 21 Attachments for Form 471. The prototype allows applicants to create an Item 21 Attachment for Internal Connections funding requests associated with an electronically filed Form 471. A valid Billed Entity Number (BEN) and an associated Funding Request Number (FRN) are needed for access. The system allows the selection of products included in the Eligible Products Database or manual entry of any Internal Connections product or service. Access the interface system using the following link: https://slpin.universalservice.org/mfpin/epdpublic/BENFRN.aspx. Remember this option is only for internal connection applications. Telecom and Internet Access applications still require an Item 21 Attachment to be created manually and submitted with your Form 471. For more information on the Item 21 Attachment, see http://www.sl.universalservice.org/reference/Form471item21Attachments.asp

---Issued December 20, regarding FCC numbers –

A new requirement for Funding Year 2005 (July 1, 2005 - June 30, 2006) is that applicants have FCC Registration Numbers for every building in their school district or library system. The requirement arose late this year, after the new version of the Form 471 had already been designed, as a result of the Debt Collection Improvement Act. Although the new Form 471 does not require these numbers, I understand that they will be requested during PIA application review.

That said, without a doubt you recall the massive push to get FCC registration numbers and provide them to MOREnet by November 1st. As it got closer to November 1, the FCC realized that requiring schools and libraries across the nation to get a number for each building was an enormous task. Thus, the FCC stated that having just one registration number by the November 1 deadline was sufficient and that a method for receiving numbers in bulk would be developed.

If you obtained a FCC Registration Number for every building (instructional and non-instructional) in your school district or library system prior to November 1st and provided those to MOREnet, then nothing further is required of you. If you did not get a number for each building and have been waiting for a method to apply for numbers in bulk, please read on.

To facilitate requests for FCC Registration Numbers, the SLD has developed a new Web site facility to apply for individual FCC Registration Numbers or to upload a multi-entity data file in a comma-delimited format. If a data file is created in Excel, it must be saved in CSV format before it is uploaded. The required field structure of the data file is available at http://www.slforms.universalservice.org/FCCRegNum/BulkFileLayout.aspx. The file itself can be uploaded at http://www.slforms.universalservice.org/FCCRegNum/Welcome.aspx.

USAC will process requests for FCC Registration Numbers in two waves. Applicants who submit requests by 11:59 pm (EST) on January 15, 2005 will be notified by letter of their FCC Registration Numbers by early February. Applicants who submit requests by 11:49 pm (EST) on February 25, 2005 will be notified by letter of the FCC Registration Numbers by mid-March. Applicants who have not submitted their requests by 11:59 pm (EST) on February 25, 2005 will be required to use the CORES Registration Page on the FCC web site (www.fcc.gov). Please note that the CORES Registration Page does not have a bulk update capability.

If you have not obtained a FCC Registration Number for every building (instructional and non-instructional) in your school district or library system, please seriously consider using this bulk method offered by the SLD. It will save you much time and energy. As a final note, whatever method you use to obtain the rest of your numbers, please make sure that you provide all numbers to MOREnet via fax, mail, or our web interface form located at http://www.more.net/services/e-rate/fccrequirement01.html#fcctomorenet. MOREnet must have these numbers for our E-rate application or it could jeopardize E-rate funding for your organization.

It is entirely possible that you obtained all numbers before the November 1 deadline. If so, thank you very much and you do not have to do anything listed in this email. For larger school districts and library systems who delayed in getting all registration numbers because of the sheer number of buildings in your organization, this is the easiest and quickest solution. Please use this method to obtain your numbers and provide them to MOREnet as soon as possible.

Ed Tech Research, Publications, Resources, Special Events

SETDA launches Technical Assistance Partnership Program (TAPP) website

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), at its national Leadership Institute (NLI), launched a new website intended to highlight nine federally funded studies currently under way in eight states – all charged with exploring the effects of educational technology on student learning. The Technical Assistance Partnership Program (TAPP) website provides examples of how schools in Arkansas, Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are employing scientifically based research to make the best use of technology in elementary and secondary education. Each of the initiatives is funded through a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) totaling $15 million in all. The TAPP website provides descriptions of the methodologies, instruments, and programs being evaluated by the programs, giving educators an opportunity to explore and utilize these approaches and implementation strategies. TAPP will continue to make updates to the site, providing more details about each program as they become available. See: http://www.setdatapp.org

Digital divide network launches new online community

Launched by the Center for Media & Community, the new Digital Divide Network (DDN) website provides a unique, free online space for technology advocates, Internet activists, educators and policymakers to collaborate on bridging the divide. The DDN offers an array of interactive tools, encouraging activists to share resources, publish articles, host virtual discussions, establish online communities, and publish their own commercial-free Web journals, popularly known as blogs. These resources can be used for communication and collaboration between the diverse groups who have a common cause to eliminate the digital divide. See: http://www.digitaldivide.net

MOREnet Spring Technical Conference: Connections 2005

--Submitted by Eric Nicklas, Program Manager, K-12 Technology Network Program, MOREnet

http://www.more.net/conferences/spring2005/index.html

MOREnet will be conducting its seventh annual Spring Technical Conference: Connections 2005 on April 6-7 at Tan-Tar-A in Osage Beach, Missouri. The conference is designed to provide information on current technologies and solutions as well as offer insight on the future directions of technology in education.

The conference will provide sessions for all technical skill levels and many topics that will likely include network management, security, firewalls, videoconferencing, Linux, Novell, Windows, roundtable discussions, network and workstation troubleshooting and wide area networking.

This conference is designed for those who manage and support technology in public libraries, K-12 schools and higher education. Technology coordinators and technology support specialists who are current members of MOREnet are encouraged to attend and network with peers.

The registration fee for the conference is $150, which includes meals, admission to breakout sessions, the exhibitor fair and reception. Online registration will begin on February 1, 2005 and close on March 18, 2005.

Conference information, including conference schedule, costs, presenter and exhibitor information is available on the conference website at http://www.more.net/conferences/spring2005/index.html. For additional information, contact Sandra Monnig (conferences@more.net) or Eric Nicklas (eric@more.net) or call 1-800-509-6673.

Show-Me TechKnowledge Day—January 19, 2005
--Submitted by Sally Burnett, 2005 Show-Me TechKnowledge Day Chairperson

www.successlink.org

The fourth annual Show Me TechKnowledge Day will be held on January 19, 2005 from 7:00 am to 12:00 noon in the Capitol Rotunda on the third floor in Jefferson City.

Based on a review of applications, this year’s event shows great promise. Congratulations to the following districts/schools chosen to participate:

Title	SchoolDistrict	BuildingName
Second Grade Students Put the Power in PowerPoint	Branson Schools	Branson Primary
Wagons West	Richland R-IV Schools	Richland Elementary School
Service Learning With a Twist of Technology	Fulton 58	Bartley Elementary
Tearing Down Walls	Jennings School District	Fairview Elementary
Digital Clay	Jefferson College	Area Technical School
The Cubhouse	Bell City R-II	Bell City Elementary
Circle Stories With Laura Numeroff	Marshall Public Schools	Northwest Elementary
Learning Beyond the Classroom	Excelsior Springs	Lewis Accelerated Elementary
Types of Rock	Fayette RIII	LJ Daly Elementary
PDAs in the Classroom	Scott City R-1	Scott City High School
Problem Solving Made Easy by Fourth Graders	Marshall Public Schools	Northwest Elementary
1850’s: The Antebellum Period	Affton School District	Rogers Middle School
iMac Movies	Scott City R-1	Scott City High School
Transforming Stories	Southland C-9	Southland Elementary
Technology Literacy Buddies	Winfield RIV School District	Intermediate Building
Do You Know the Coding for Your Web Page?	Cooper County R-IV	Bunceton High School

Schools are doing great things with technology in Missouri. If you’d like to showcase your students, it’s not too early to consider submitting an application for the 2006 event.

A grassroots organization, Show-Me TechKnowledge helps identify and support students as they exhibit effective and innovative uses of technology. State leaders, policy-makers and others are invited to the Capitol Rotunda to view the exhibits, talk to the students, and learn how education groups, businesses, and organizations throughout the state are supporters of the Show-Me TechKnowledge Day.

METPA News

Submitted by Becky Chancellor, Technology Facilitator ~ Marshall Public Schools,

METPA Membership Chairman

www.metpa.org

January is a busy month. It always seems to take a few days getting back into the routine of school after Christmas break. As the New Year begins, METPA has several goals it will be working towards. First of all, the organization is always looking to expand membership and increase involvement from members. If you want to join or become more active, please contact either President Andy Hall from Mexico School District at ahall@mexico.k12.mo.us or myself at bchance@marshallschools.com for more information.

Another METPA goal is to provide assistance to districts writing their technology plans. Again METPA hosting a technology plan writing session at the Truman Building in Jefferson City on January 18^th from 9:00 am until 12:00 noon. This is planned for the morning so that district representatives can travel back to their individual districts for school responsibilities. Bring your written plan for review by your peers.

An executive METPA meeting will be held in the afternoon. Also in January, METPA is sponsoring the Show-Me TechKnowledge Day at the Capitol. This great opportunity provides students a chance to show the state legislators what they are actively doing in the technology areas. School districts showcase students’ work to legislators who make the decisions about school funding. What a fantastic way to recognize your students! Plan to attend on January 19^th in the Capitol Rotunda.

A third METPA goal is to assist the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in helping districts prepare for the NCLB guidelines. As topics develop toward standards and expectations, METPA plans to have a voice as school district representatives, in what districts will be responsible for achieving in the coming years. Steps have been underway for our group to become a member affiliated with ISTE. We believe that this affiliation will keep us informed on technology issues and standards and also be our support when decisions on technology standards for our state are developed.

Looking ahead, plans are being developed for presentations at the spring MOREnet conference. Plan to attend the METPA strand on topics that relate to technology issues on standards, assessments and other areas of importance. The round table discussions are great way to learn from other people who are doing the same thing you are and provide wonderful resources. The annual METPA meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:00 p.m. at I M TireBiters, Lake Ozarks, Missouri. The informal setting of this meeting will allow you to bring your ideas, issues and concerns with technology into a group of people who will be supportive, informative and most likely have already been in the same situation.

METPA hopes to fulfill some of your technology needs as an organization. Please contact any member by accessing the website for more information.

Paris High School Video Project

--Submitted by Lora Smith, Education Advocate-Kansas, Missouri, SBC Communications

On December 15, 2004, after weeks of planning, Mr. Rich McCormick, Regional VP of International Products with SBC Communications, held a video conference with Paris High School Business Technology students, Community R-VI Computer Application students along with business partners from the two communities. Mr. McCormick shared his expertise in International Business with these high school students by providing information about SBC Communication. He also shared what it is like to live and work in Mexico City, Mexico, and what it takes to succeed as an employee working in the 21^st century.

This project began months earlier when the technology team at Paris High School, the Business teacher, Technology Coordinator, and District Media Specialist, attended the October MOREnet Technology Conference at Tan-Tar-A. They were looking for opportunities for students to learn about businesses outside northeast Missouri. At the conference, the SBC Education Advocate for Kansas and Missouri discussed conducting a video conference with SBC Communications.

Prior to the video conference, the students from Paris High School were divided into research teams and spent five class periods researching three topics: SBC Communications, working as a successful employee in the 21^st Century, and living and working in Mexico, and prepared reports on their findings. The Community R-VI students joined in the project, researching information about living and working in Mexico City and developing information flyers about international business.

This collaborative effort with SBC Communications afforded the students at Paris High School and Community R-VI High School the opportunity to be engaged in their own learning through their research efforts. The students formed teams and learned how to complete a project through a team effort and through collaboration with another school and with business people hundreds of miles away from their rural communities. Also the research topics and the video conference about International Business provided information the students need to be prepared to live and work in the international community of tomorrow. The presentation of their projects to their class and to the class at the other school also helped the students apply the knowledge they gained during this International Business Project.

Missouri Schools and Programs in the News (no articles submitted)

eMINTS Questions of the Month

Q. How do I get my students ready for the MAP test?

A. You ask students to think and communicate their thoughts daily both verbally and in writing. Then present them with problems that they have the skills to solve but need practice knowing how to apply those skills to “real life” situations. For example, students may know their multiplication facts but need practice in solving word problems that require them to use multiplication and write about the operation. You could have students work through the writing process using a prompt or story starter and include peer editing and teacher conferencing so they can practice expressing their ideas. This is not the time to drop higher-level thinking skills and go back to booklets where students fill in bubbles and circle correct answers. The MAP tests are made to evaluate students’ ability to use information not just memorize it. There are multiple-choice questions on the test, but look carefully at how the sections are weighted. The multiple-choice questions do not give students nearly as many points toward “Proficiency” as the performance tasks and short answers do. (Jennifer Kuehnle)

Q. How am I supposed to fit WebQuests and on-line projects in with all the test preparation I need to be doing this time of the year?

A. As odd as it may seem, the WebQuests and on-line projects might just be the best test preparation of all. The MAP test is designed to evaluate students’ ability to think and communicate. While there are multiple choice items on the tests, the performance assessment and constructed response questions count for a higher percentage of points. The chance of a review hitting the specific fact the multiple choice question might ask is minimal, but the chance of a student being asked to evaluate a problem, create a plan to solve it, carry out the plan and explain the results are much better. Learning to approach a problem with confidence and logical strategies is essential to both the MAP tests and life long learning. (Jennifer Kuehnle)

Copyright Question of the Month

Q. May an educator (e.g., administrator, classroom teacher, substitute teacher, or student teacher) other district employee, volunteer, or others upload an original student project onto a network server?

A. No Students are the owners of their original projects and permission must be obtained before the work is posted.

CAUTION: Please refer to district policy concerning identification of students by name, photograph, etc., and parent permission policy.

Grant Funding Opportunities

Source: Technology & Learning

For descriptions of the individual grants, go to the www.techlearning.com/grants.html

Deadline	Grant
Ongoing	Educational Foundation of America Grants www.efaw.org
Ongoing	Westinghouse Education www.westinghouse.com/E2a.asp
Ongoing	The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s Education Grants Program www.hewlett.org
January 15	The International Reading Association sponsors several grant opportunities for IRA members: Elva Knight Research Grants The Helen M. Robinson Grant Nila Banton Smith Research Dissemination Support Grants Teacher as Researcher Grants www.reading.org/awards
February 1	Tiger Woods Foundation Grants www.twfound.org
February 1	American Honda Foundation Grants http://www.technologygrantnews.com/pages/sample-issue/school-grants-sample.html
February 1	American Association of School Librarians/Highsmith Research ABC-CLIO Leadership Grants www.ala.org/aasl/awards.html
February 15	NEA’s Innovation and Learning & Leadership Grants www.nfie.org
March 1	NEC Foundation of America Grants www.necfoundation.org
March 1	The National Endowment for the Humanities’ Summer Seminar & Institutes www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/seminars.html
March 21	The Grant for the Enhancement of Geographic Literacy http://www.ncss.org/awards
April 1	Teammates for Kids Grants http://touchemail.com/index.htm
April 15	Home Depot’s At Risk Youth Grants www.homedepot.com
April 16	MetLife Foundation Bridge Builders’ Grant www.principals.org/awards/bridgebuilders.grant.cfm
April 19	Faculty Humanities Workshops (from the National Endowment for the Humanities) www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/facworkshops.html
May 1	American Honda Foundation Grants www.honda.com
May 1	National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/fellowships.html
May 1	Tiger Woods Foundation Grants www.twfound.org
May 15	Gannett Foundation http://gannettfoundation.org
May 31	Target’s Local Grants Program www.target.com
June 10	Teacher Grants www.nationalgeographic.com/education/teacher_community/get_grant.html#anchor_2
June 15	NEA’s Innovation and Learning & Leadership Grants www.nfile.org
June 15	The Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program www.nike.com/nikebiz/mikebiz.jhtml?page=26&item=community

Mark Your Calendar

	HAPPY NEW YEAR 2005 from THE INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY STAFF
January 3	Newsline published online
January 10	Governor’s Inauguration-State Offices Closed
January 15	eMINTS Teacher and Technical Contact Second Quarter Report Due
January 17	Martin Luther King Day—State Offices Closed
January 18	Writing a School Technology Plan—Technical Assistance Session (Sponsored by METPA) 9:00 am-12 noon Truman State Office Building, Room 490 Jefferson City, MO
January 19	Show-Me TechKnowledge Day—7:00 am-12 noon Capitol Rotunda, Jefferson City, MO http://successlink.org
January 25	Newsline articles due
February 1	Newsline published online
February 11	Lincoln’s Birthday-State Offices Closed
February 21	President’s Day-State Offices Closed

Upcoming 2004-2005 Conferences

January 31- February 1-2	Midwest Education Technology Conference Sheraton Westport Lakeside Chalet St. Louis, MO www.csd.org
March 1-2	The 16^th Annual Southwest Education and Technology Conference 1418 Pythian Springfield, MO www.rcet.net
April 3-5, 2005	Preparing the Next Generation for Technological Literacy ITEA Conference and Exhibition Kansas City, MO http://www.iteawww.org/D2.html.
April 6-7, 2005	MOREnet Spring Technical Conference Tan-Tar-A, Osage Beach,