(Tools for Teachers is an information service from the Ohio Department of Education.)

Send in license renewals now

Teachers with licenses expiring in 2010 who have completed coursework and met other requirements, including LPDC approvals, are encouraged to send in their applications to renew or transition their licenses now. Since the busy summer season generates a large number of submissions, sending in applications early will ensure a much faster turnaround time for licensure requests. To start the renewal process, click    here.

 Space available for free conference featuring national experts in teaching

Two prominent, nationally known speakers will highlight the agenda at a free program that ODE is presenting for teachers and administrators on May 11. Charlotte Danielson is an education consultant specializing in teacher quality and evaluation, curriculum planning, performance assessment and professional development who has written many books supporting educators. Joseph F. Murphy will describe 10 critical action steps derived from his newly released book, The Educator’s Handbook for Understanding and Closing Achievement Gaps. The program will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at OCLC in Dublin (a Columbus suburb). It is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. For further details and to register, go to ODE’s home page and look for the bullet entitled Charlotte Danielson to keynote May conference - register now.

Physical Education Academic Content Standards workshops set for May and June 

ODE has scheduled free workshops in May and June to help educators learn how to incorporate the new physical education academic content standards into their local curricula. The State Board of Education adopted these standards in June 2009. The training sessions will be held on:

• Monday, May 10, Jefferson, Ashtabula County;
• Tuesday, May 11, Chillicothe, Ross County;
• Friday, May 14, Dayton, Montgomery County;
• Tuesday, May 18, Wooster, Wayne County; and
• Tuesday, June 8, Zanesville, Muskingum County.

Pre-registration is required through STARS using your SAFE account. If you do not have a SAFE account, you can obtain one at https://safe.ode.state.oh.us/portal/. For additional information, visit education.ohio.gov and click on the “Events� link, or contact Lisa Lyle Henry at lisa.henry@ode.state.oh.us.

School teams invited to register for June school health conference

The 2010 Coordinated School Health Conference will be held June 23 and 24 at Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark. It is designed to build the capacity of district and school building staff to consider health/wellness priorities and implement plans that support safe and supportive learning environments for student, staff and community achievement. The conference will offer informative breakout sessions and speakers, as well as resources and ideas to improve the health behaviors and environments of students and staff. The conference is open to teams of four to six participants. School administrators, elementary or secondary teachers, school nurses, food service personnel, physical education or health teachers, and parents or other community members are invited to attend. The registration deadline is June 1. For complete details and to register, visit the Buckeye Healthy Schools Alliance website. The conference is sponsored by the Alliance and the Ohio Department of Education.

 PBS seeks input of elementary science teachers

Do you teach science in the elementary grades? PBS Education wants your ideas on how you teach concepts about the environment and sustainability. They ask elementary teachers to complete their survey to let them know how they can help you reach students innovatively and effectively. Surveys must be completed by 5 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, May 4. 

Science teachers in northwest Ohio asked to take online survey 

The NWO Center of Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education at Bowling Green State University is requesting that science teachers from northwest Ohio participate in a short survey to help the Center assess the science needs of teachers in local school districts. Its goal is to use the information to develop practical professional development that meets teachers’ content and instructional needs. Those interested in taking the survey should complete it by June 1. Click here for other NWO programs and activities for teachers.

 Training sessions planned on Master Teacher and licensure programs

Training sessions have been scheduled for May and June to provide updates on: the Master Teacher program; a licensure overview with emphasis on Senior Professional and Lead Professional Educator Licenses; and training for Master Teacher scoring. Training sites include: Wilmington; Valley View; Cincinnati; Zanesville; Dayton; Delaware; Bowling Green; and Columbus. Dates, times and locations can be found in STARS. Registration also is through STARS, which can be accessed through a SAFE account. Follow instructions to sign in or create a SAFE account. The Master Teacher program allows teachers to demonstrate their practice based on the Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession. Now that the program is a recognized path for an advanced-level educator license in Ohio, there is even stronger motivation for teachers to complete the program. 

 Preview Ohio’s Career Information System

Now through Aug.1, Ohio’s Career Information System (OCIS) will be available to preview for those who would like to explore the system before deciding to purchase a site license for the 2010-2011 school year. Teachers and school leaders can explore the career development tools available in OCIS that support students in their college and career planning, including inventory assessments and college and scholarship sorts. While the preview will not include all available features, there should be substantial content to assist school leaders in making an informed decision on whether OCIS fits their students’ needs. To access the preview, go to www.ocis.org/. User name is: ocis.preview. Password is: preview. For additional information about OCIS and the Individual Academic and Career Plan, go to the OCIS Web page.

 August conference promotes innovative learning environments

Technology is recognized as an essential element of an innovative learning environment but it is not the only factor that drives innovation. The ESC of Central Ohio (ESCCO) and Hilliard City Schools are hosting a four-day conference Aug. 2 to 5 (with two-day options available) that will highlight best learning and leadership practices in this field. Innovative Learning Environments: Learning and Leading 21st Century Practices is designed for preK-16 educators, administrators and leadership teams. In addition to scheduled national keynote presenters – Harvey Silver, Yong Zhao, Sara Kajder, Kathy Vatterott and Mike White – the conference will feature sessions by local educators in Teaching/Learning, Leadership, or Educator Technology Skill Development. The conference is open to any educator in the state; school and district leadership teams are encouraged. Ashland credit options are available. For more information, find the registration link at www.escco.org or contact Nancy Daly at nancy.daly@escco.org or 614-542-4189. 

 Digital citizenship resources available from INFOhio

If you are looking for a quality collection of resources to help teach and promote digital citizenship, be sure to visit INFOhio’s 21st Century Learning Commons at http://learningcommons.infohio.org. Within the Learning Commons, INFOhio supplies digital citizenship resources, such as cyber safety, cyber bullying, fair use and copyright rules. These resources can be found in Thing #6 of the 21 Essential Things for 21st Century Learning. To access the 21 Essential Things, register and login to the Learning Commons. Thing #6 offers many resources that will help teach children and young adults responsible and ethical online and virtual behavior. The INFOhio Learning Commons provides an array of tools and resources to help educators understand how learning is changing, adapt teaching methods and discover new ways to inspire students to think critically, solve problems, collaborate, innovate and create.

More than 700 entries to PBS Teachers’ Innovation Awards contest are now posted on the PBS Teachers website. While judges are selecting the top 50 entries, PBS is making all of the entries available for teachers to view and use for lesson planning purposes. You will be able to view entries based on grade and subject levels and categories. Contest winners will be notified by e-mail.

Hudson High School Teacher chosen regional Foreign Language Teacher of the Year

Spanish teacher Martha Pero was recently chosen to represent the Central States region in a national competition for Teacher of the Year sponsored by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in Alexandria, VA. She will be joined by representatives from the Northeast, South, Southwest and Northwest Regions for the competition that will culminate in an announcement of the 2010 ACTFL Teacher of the Year in November 2010. Pero was chosen because of her exemplary teaching skills and her extraordinary passion and dedication for foreign language teaching. She currently is department chair and senior lead mentor with the Hudson City Schools in Hudson. View the feature story on Martha Pero on the ODE website. Congratulations, Martha!

Reminders:

National Physical Education and Sport Week, and the entire month of May, is traditionally a time to focus attention on quality sport and physical education programs. Move Every Body, Every Day, Every Way is the theme of the 2010 National Physical Education and Sport Week, May 1-7. Each year, the National Association of Sport and Physical Education develops special integrated activities for grades K-12 teachers and their students during this week. One of the highlights of the week’s activities is a dance that the entire school can do at once. For more information and to access lesson plans, activities, logos and more, click here.

Current academic content standards books available free to teachers