Inaugural member organizations of CRSTE met at NECC on June 30, 2009 from 4:45 to 6:15 PM in room 150 A of the Washington Convention Center to discuss plans for the upcoming year. Close to 100 educators attended, representing the length and breadth of this new regional NECC Affiliate. It was agreed that each member organization will appoint two representatives to the CRSTE Board in preparation for its first meeting in September.
Meeting attendees all generated the following list of possible initiatives for the Board to consider:
- providing information on the National Ed Tech Plan due out later this year - promote information and knowledge exchange at all levels across the region - identify and pursue advocacy for ed tech - providing a virtual conference when the ISTE conference is on the west coast - providing an east coast conference in alternating years from when the ISTE Conference is in our region - building a virtual library of professional development resources - building open channels for communication and collaboration with other nations - receiving student input on CRSTE initiatives - providing teacher grants to promote use of technology in instruction - creating outreach to library media specialist organizations across the region
Hot topics identified from the session that were also recommended for consideration include:
- sharing how technology coaches/integration specialists/resource teachers are utilized across the region - showcasing instructional applications of Web 2.0 tools - providing guidance and support for sustaining DOE initiatives after initial funding - offering professional development and leadership on effective management of student data and information systems - creation and sharing of learning objects - engage technical staff in ongoing dialogue about their role in education
