1.30.2009

February

What are you doing for student recruitment in February? Here are some suggestions from our Year Round Recruitment Plan

8TH GRADE YEAR
  • Reality Store
FRESHMAN
  • Freshmen Walkthrough
SOPHOMORE YEAR
  • Sophomore Shadow Opportunities
  • College fairs, follow ups
  • Check dates for award assemblies
JUNIOR YEAR
  • Career Expo
SENIOR YEAR
  • FASFA reminder letter
These ideas and more are available in our Year Round Recruitment Plan, for a copy email jzwei(@)okcareertech.org

1.29.2009

2009 OAMCTE Leadership Conference

Hall of Fame Nominations Sought


It is time to nominate a deserving person for the CareerTech Hall of Fame.

Nominees must of exhibited extraordinary contributions to the CareerTech System for at least 20 years and all it takes is a letter of recommendation!!

Go to the Foundation Website to nominate someone today. Nominations are due April 1 and you won't get another chance until 2011!!

1.26.2009

Sending School Web sites

Today was spent working on Goal 6 of the CareerTech Strategic Plan and naturally the conversation centered on marketing, communications and recruitment of students into the CareerTech System.

One participant (Shari) brought up an awesome idea that I want to share with everyone and it all starts with a simple question, “Are you represented on your sending school Web pages?”

In Oklahoma, the technology center is considered an extension of the high school, another campus that a student has opportunities to enhance his education with academic and career related courses. But where are the disconnects between sending schools and your technology center?

How about your online presence?

Where is your technology center presented to the parents of the sending school? Is the technology center presented as a seamless integration of the student’s educational opportunities? When a parent logs onto the high school Web site does it list High Plains Technology Center along with FFA, Advanced Placement, concurrent enrollment with local universities and the other academic opportunities that a high school student has? Is it listed along with the districts elementary, middle and high schools?

Our vision includes a page on the website of your local sending school that details information about the technology center, what career majors it offers, student organizations, college credit, student testimonials that attend that high school and contact information as well as links to your technology center website. Maybe it could include links to OKCIS, career majors and other guidance related information.

Edmond Public Schools has a page devoted as an intro to Francis Tuttle, are there others?

Is you technology center included on your sending school Web pages?

1.21.2009

New Education Secretary


Education Secretary Arne Duncan has been superintendent of schools in President Barack Obama's hometown of Chicago since 2001. While Duncan has never been a teacher or school principal, he spent his youth studying alongside neighborhood kids in Chicago's South Side churches. Even as a baby, Duncan accompanied his mother, Sue, every day to the tutoring program she began and still runs. He said at his confirmation hearing that he wants to improve the No Child Left Behind Law and attract more people to teaching.

You can get more information about Secretary Duncan, and learn about the education agenda at the US Department of Education Website. You can also learn more about Secretary Duncan on wikipedia.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Meridian Technology Center

This morning I had the opportunity (thanks for the invite Ken) to visit Meridian Technology Center and to follow along the Prospective Student Tour with a group from Guthrie High School.

The morning started off with this well done video, Mythbuster Style!!



Then we toured the campus at Meridian and were introduced to every career major on campus. The Guthrie students were taken in small groups and heard from students in the particular career major and from some instructors. The group I was with asked some good questions and were a little freaked out by the raw egg in liquid nitrogen! I did notice many of the students picking up career information sheets that provided in depth information on what they had just seen.

I picked up a few new things to add to my CareerTech knowledge base, and I am sure that the students did as well. One thing that I did enjoy was the video, it was fast paced, showcased diversity and answered a lot of questions before the students started to take their tour. (Great job Ken and Tawny!!)

So there you go, another recipe for success in student recruitment.

1.20.2009

Inagural Events

Wordle: OBAMA Inaugural  Address

Today is the Inauguration of our 44th President and for your students there are many opportunities to watch from their classroom and learn about our great country.

Jeffery Hill's Blog has some good resources like the NY Times interactive Inaugural Parade map, and Richard Byrne's Blog shares some good resources like the 44 Presidents in 4 minutes video.

And if all else fails, you can watch it all from the official Joint Congressional Committee channel

1.15.2009

NCPN Call For Presentations


It is that time of the year again., time for those that want to present at the NCPN conference to submit their proposal.

One thing that I am excited about, last years presentation (thank you Becki since I was having surgery) was the only presentation on Enrollment Management and this year it is included as an approved topic!!

If you want to submit your proposal, you have until March 31.

NCPN Presentation Proposal

Review and Improvement Process

Mid-Year Student Services Update


Yesterday the Guidance Division of OkACTE put together the Mid-Year Student Services Update. If you didn't go, be sure to mark it on your calendar for next year!

Participants had the opportunity to learn from a variety of strands and attend multiple quality sessions. From Non-Traditional Recruitment Strategies from the STEM Equity Pipeline Project, an Oklahoma's Promise Update, Hands on Math strategies, Smart Technologies, special needs student strategies, AbleTech, OKCIS and more.

The conference was held on the campus of Metro Technology Center and those in attendance had the opportunity to interact with the presenters and to gain knowledge that they can apply in the classroom or put in practice as they guide students down their chosen path.

1.08.2009

CareerTech on Twitter

Back in October I started another experiment in social media, this time on Twitter.

Wikipedia says that Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. You can follow others (I am following OSU, ACTE and a couple of other CTE related Twitterers) and others can follow you (13 are following me).

As I have gotten news articles that pertain to the state department or CareerTech system, I have posted them on the Twitter account. The hope is that this will serve as another way to share the good news about what our system has to offer.

I hope that you check it out and that you choose to follow me, join the conversation at http://twitter.com/okcareertech

1.07.2009

Advanced Academics

Attend a virtual high school? You can in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Virtual High School is a way for students to achieve credit recovery, come back after dropping out and graduate with a diploma while doing it all from the comfort of their home, on their schedule. 90 courses are available AP Calculus, Art Appreciation, Career and Technology Skills, French, Mandarin, History to Chemistry.

This morning we were fortunate to have a tour of the Advanced Academics facilities and receive a peek into the world of the virtual high school.

We spoke with English teachers who are certified in 17 states, principals without discipline problems, retention specialist who call students weekly to check on them and instructors who had over 900 students!! Everything that you would expect to find in a high school was there, teachers, counselors, principals, all without "butts in seats."

We had the opportunity to watch one instructor interact with 4-5 different students through their "whiteboard." Students can get help in real time from instructors who came to Advanced Academics from a very traditional route, one teaching in Norman High School for almost 30 years before going "virtual!" Teaching assistants come from local colleges who are actively pursuing their education degree and it all happens from Bricktown! Students can access courses 24/7!

Their curriculum is developed with both instructor and specialist. They are moving to a new building and will occupy three floors allow them to have closer interaction in the development of their offering.

What can career and technology education learn from a virtual high school? On their website an intro video plays a old style phone with the word "then" as it transitions to a blackberry with the word "now." Learning to adapt is a must for any organization if it is to survive. Some technology centers are making use of the Oklahoma Online High School to offer students an alternative way to attend their campus. Can some aspects of CTE classes be taken online? Can an online class serve as a supplement to regular learning? What are the changes that we need to make?

One final thought, is it worth the investment? According to some experts online education will be a $2 billion market by 2011! Devry University purchased Advanced Academcis for a cool $27.5 million in late 2007. According to their Blog, they have served over 20,000 students before being aquired, that is a lot of lives touched with educational opportunities. What are your thoughts?

Here is their latest video...


1.02.2009

Happy New Year!!

The books are now closed on 2008 ad we look forward to 2009!! My wish for you is that all your dreams will come true in 2009 and that your family will have peace and happiness.

In 2008, over 4,700 people stopped in for conversation about Tech Prep, the Cooperative Alliances and everything else related and in between. These were people from 47 different states and 532 foreign countries, interested in what you and I had to say. That is pretty amazing!!

What will be the top story in 2009, who knows? Where will our discussion go, that is to be decided. I just want to say thank you for being a part of this Blog and I look forward to sharing more with you through the year!



You do not want to miss any of our post in 2009! Receive the Blog posting in your email and log on here

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There is a lot of cool stuff happening with Oklahoma CareerTech, you can get the latest news fed directly to your inbox from newspapers all over the state here

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