The Closing Session will bring a new format and face that you will not want to miss!
Saturday, January 24, 2009, 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. Hall NA1
The Closing Session will bring a new format and face that you will not want to miss! The Chancellor of Public Schools for the
Florida Department of Education, Dr. Frances Haithcock, will conduct a Town Hall Meeting. The format will allow questions to be submitted in
advance from any interested attendee of FETC to info@fetc.org with the subject line “closing session.”
Don’t miss this extraordinary session, a chance to win incredible door prizes, and receive your commemorative FETC 2009 t-shirt.
First Timers' Session
New to FETC? Attend the FETC 2009 First Timers’ Session on Thursday, January 22, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. in room North 210D to learn important
information about the conference and maximize your professional development opportunity.
Introducing The 2nd Annual DimensionM™ Multiplayer Tournament
Hosted by Tabula Digita, Pearson and FETC
Join us at the FETC Gaming Pavilion for the 2nd annual DimensionM™ Multiplayer Challenge! Educators are invited to check out Tabula Digita’s latest
DimensionM™ products as they apply their math skills in the latest 3-D video game world. To become a contestant in this fast paced tournament, sign up
at the tournament center next to Room North 210A in the lobby. For more information or to play a free demo, go to
www.DimensionM.com.
Then join us for the nail-biting championship round, as ten finalists compete in a head-to-head, single elimination competition to determine the winner. We’re
giving away cool prizes, including DimensionM™ site licenses!
Math. Game on!
Pre-Qualifying Rounds
Friday, January 23rd
9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (every half hour)
Tabula Digita – FETC Tournament Center
Located in the lobby across from Room North 220
Championship
Saturday, January 24th
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Tabula Digita – FETC Tournament Center
Located in the lobby across from Room North 220
Assistive/Instructional Hands-on Technology Lab
While at the conference, come explore the latest in Assistive and Instructional Technology in the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resource System’s
(FDLRS) Hands-On Technology Lab. At the lab’s reading, writing, math, science, art, and music stations, attendees can preview programs that support
differentiated instruction to match the needs of students with disabilities as well as general education students who are struggling to achieve learning gains.
The Universal Access Station includes digital tools that provide access to information and curriculum content for all students, using Universal Design
strategies.
A wide range of assistive technologies, accommodations, accommodations for the FCAT, augmentative communication devices, and accessibility solutions
are available for attendees to explore. Technology professionals and practitioners will be available to answer questions and provide guidance in matching
technology solutions to student sensory, physical, and cognitive needs.
The lab includes a wealth of materials and resources, including a free resource CD for Mac and Windows. Attendees will leave the lab with technology
resources they can use as soon as they return to their school.
In addition to the interactive lab, FETC offers Special Education sessions throughout the conference, providing information on technology tools and
strategies that allow students with special needs to access the curriculum and succeed in the classroom.
The Lab will be located in room N210A, and open during regular conference hours.
Ocoee Middle School Tour: Florida’s State Demonstration School
Through actions of the State Legislature and the help of Orange County Public Schools, Ocoee Middle School underwent renovations to transform
it into a technology demonstration school for the state of Florida. A tour of this cutting-edge facility will be offered during FETC 2009.
In an effort to develop a "break the mold/technology-based" facility, this project was assigned to the SMART Schools Clearinghouse (smartschools.state.fl.us),
and began with extensive discussions on how middle-school aged children learn and how technology can enhance learning.
The school features:
- A design that emphasizes the community aspect of learning, designed from the ground up with student learning in mind. The design includes two
classrooms in every team area with operable walls which allows for flexibility in the size of instructional space.
- An infrared audio enhancement system in every classroom and wireless microphones that are worn by teachers so students can hear lessons clearly.
- Ceiling mounted projectors and document cameras in each classroom, accompanied by large screens for viewing morning announcements, videos,
and multimedia presentations.
- Imaging software, account management and curriculum applications.
- Proximity ID cards, worn by students to allow access to the keyless entry system installed on all exterior and team area doors.
- Students using classroom online curriculum resources, such as Explore Learning Gizmos, Riverdeep, and United Streaming.
Ocoee Middle School continues to stay on the cutting edge by piloting many new technologies. Here are some new technologies in use:
- Currently Audio Enhancement, Panasonic, and Qomo technologies have been integrated into a full-functioned classroom presentation system,
including new teacher microphones that allow wireless volume adjustment and automatic muting.
- Promethean interactive whiteboards with current presentation software for planning interactive lessons.
- Digital gaming coupled with learning in the new Dimenxian math gaming program from Tabula Digita.
- Classroom software integration including Read 180 (Enterprise Edition), Scholastic Reading Inventory and Reading Counts, Accelerated Math, Classworks, and
FasttMath for math fluency.
- Parent access portal that integrates grades, homework, planning, and teacher web pages.
- Podcasting staff development for on-demand training through Ocoee Middle School University and Teachscape and PD360°.
- Individual student responders for instant feedback and assessment of comprehension.
You won't want to miss this exciting opportunity to tour the school!
A tour of this facility will be offered on Friday from 9:00 - 11:00 am, and will accommodate 75 participants. For more information or to reserve a spot,
please e-mail Sharon Calentine.