To .EDU or to not .EDU? II

Red River Technology Center is the latest technology center to join the .EDU craze.

There new Web site can be found here: http://rrtc.edu/

March

What are you doing for student recruitment in March? Here are some ideas from our Year Round Recruitment Plan. If you would like a copy of the complete plan, it is available through email at jzwei(@)okcareertech.org

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Outdoor Classroom

8TH GRADE YEAR
Scouting CareerTech, 4-H days

FRESHMAN
Freshman visits, follow up

SOPHOMORE YEAR
Counselor alert-“Not to late to apply” letter or email

JUNIOR YEAR
College Tour Days
Check dates for award assemblies

SENIOR YEAR
Job and Internship Fair
Check dates for award assemblies

CareerTech Month

How are you working with your sending schools and communities on promoting career and technology education?

I was emailed this snapshot of a sign in Pawnee, Oklahoma showcasing National CTE Month. Pawnee High School is a sending school of Meridian Technology Center.

This is a great promotional idea for both the technology center and CTE. The best part is the cost!

Do you have any great photo's to share of opportunities like this? Share them and help spark another to spread the CTE story.

To .EDU or to not .EDU?

To .EDU or to not .EDU, that is the question.

Recently I attended a Marketing and Communications meeting where the topic of the .EDU domain was discussed. It was a very interesting discussion and one worth sharing within the context of the CareerTech System.

We started the conversation by discussing what was meant behind the original domains of the WWW. The .COM, or commercial domains, anyone can get while .ORG is for non-commercial organizations like foundations and volunteer groups. The .NET is usually used by ISP providers and .GOV is limited to US govt entities and agencies.

The .EDU domain is limited to institutuions of learning and career and technical organizations fall into that category.

There were several reasons that were given to switching to a .EDU address.

• Potential Savings - One technology center that made the switch to .EDU was able to save a substantial amount of money through education discounts on software and technology.
• Legitimacy - While .COM's and .ORG's can be used by anyone, you must applyand use of the .EDU domain can only be an accredited post-secondary institutions, almost entirely within the United States of America and must be accredited by an agency on the U.S. Department of Education's list of Nationally recognized accrediting agencies.
  

Here is a breakdown of technology centers and their domains:

.EDU
Central Tech http://www.centraltech.edu
Francis Tuttle http://www.francistuttle.edu
Northeast Tech http://www.netech.edu
Tulsa Tech http://www.tulsatech.edu

.ORG
Canadian Valley http://www.cvtech.org
Eastern Oklahoma County http://www.eoctech.org
Gordon Cooper http://www.gctech.org
Great Plains http://www.gptech.org
Kiamichi http://www.okktc.org
Metro http://www.metrotech.org
Mid-America http://www.matech.org
Pioneer http://pioneertech.org
SOTC http://www.sotc.org
Southwest http://swtc.org
Tri County http://tctc.org
Wes Watkins http://www.wwtech.org

.NET
High Plains http://www.hptc.net

.TEC.OK.US
Mid-Del http://www.mid-del.tec.ok.us
Red River http://www.redriver.tec.ok.us
Western http://www.wtc.tec.ok.us/

.COM
Autry http://www.autrytech.com
Caddo Kiowa http://www.caddokiowa.com
Chisholm Trail http://www.chisholmtrail.com
Gordon Cooper http://www.gctech.com
Indian Capitol http://www.ictctech.com
Meridian http://www.meridian-technology.com
Moore-Norman http://www.mntechnology.com
Northwest http://www.nwtechonline.com
Pontotoc http://www.pontotoc.com

Should you change?

More info can be found at Wikipedia's .EDU entry

February is CTE Month!

Everyone loves a good celebration and February is CTE Month, how are you celebrating?

Today, February 4th, is National Job Shadow Day and the month will end with National Entrepreneurship Week.

ACTE has an online resource for you as you plan your celebration for National CTE Month. The Web site includes promotion ideas, fact sheets, the official logo and more. You can also read about what others are doing in the CTE Month Forum.

Here is the National PSA from ACTE:

Here are some of the days that our students will be celebrating CTE with our Oklahoma legislators.

OkACTE Business & Industry Day at the Capitol - February 11, 2009

FFA Day at the Capitol - February 13, 2009

Family & Consumer Sciences Day at the Capitol - February 17, 2009

National Technical Honor Society Day at the Capitol - March 4, 2009

DECA Day at the Capitol - March 31, 2009

T & I Day at the Capitol - April 1, 2009

Technology Education Day at the Capitol - April 20, 2009

BPA Day at the Capitol - April 28, 200

How are you celebrating National CTE Month on your campus?

2008 Annual Report

The 2008 Annual CareerTech Report has been released. You can read about our Skills Centers, Youthful Offenders Programs, Technology Centers, System expenses and revenues, and our comprehensive high school program.