MassCUE News: May 2023                                                

Hello MassCUE!

This year seems to be flying by. We are so excited about things to come and have many updates for you! First, request for proposals is officially OPEN for our 2023 Fall Conference. We hope you’ll spread the word and hope you’ll consider submission! You can check out more information on keynotes, schedule, and much more on our website. We have also posted a position for a Director of Operations. This position will allow us to operationalize more of our procedures as we continue our growth and equity journeys. Please share with anyone you think would be interested!

I also have updates on our equity campaign. We are excited to announce our theme for the 2023 Fall Conference is: MassCUE4ALL! Since this campaign encompasses all of our work, it makes sense that our flagship event would align. You’ll notice that our strands, as well as the RFP application itself, have an equity lens. We are excited about the opportunity to recruit new presenters and see some familiar faces. 

We know that equity requires action, and as such have planned a year’s worth of action steps to ensure we are progressing in our campaign. Our May action steps are as follows:

1. Add equity to our RFP rubric for evaluation purposes
2. Share information about the progress of our Capacity Building through Digital Equity grant funded by DESE
3. Incorporate equity into our summer and fall PD workshops and events

We hope to see you at our Corporate Partner Showcase on May 5th, as well as our Annual Meeting on June 13th. 

In gratitude,

Savvy Demers
Executive Director

We are pleased to announce three officers have been elected to the MassCUE Board of Directors! Please join us in congratulating President-Elect Steve Guditus and Treasurer TJ Carron, who were elected and Secretary Kim Keith who was re-elected by members in April.                                     

 Register Now

Corporate Partners Showcase
May 5, 2023
8:30am - 2:30pm
Gillette Stadium

This FREE event will feature informative sessions and informal opportunities to meet with our corporate partners and other edtech educators. Learn more.

Join us food, drink and networking with colleagues from around the commonwealth at this complimentary get-together with Corporate Partners ClassLink and Gaggle. Pre-registration is required. Learn more and register.

May Featured Educator: John Nieratko                                           

As principal of the Jordan/Jackson Elementary School in Mansfield, John Nieratko has encouraged an edtech and STEM culture. Learn more about how this month's MassCUE Featured Educator brought his vision to life: Read More

Call for proposals to present at the MassCUE Fall Conference is now open. The theme of the 2023 Fall Conference will be MassCUE4ALL. 

This is a great opportunity for students, educators and administrators from all disciplines to share their expertise and connect with colleagues on the changing educational landscape and the future of teaching and learning with educational technology. Learn more. 

Deadline to submit a proposal is May 21, 2023.
                                      

Do you know an exceptional educator who has made an impact in the field of educational technology? A current or former colleague who serves as a leader and an inspiration to others in their classroom, school or district? Nominate them for an Administrator or a Pathfinder award! Nominations are being accepted now for these awards, which are given out during the MassCUE Fall Conference in October. Learn more.  

Nomination deadline: June 16, 2023.                                      

In our commitment to creating meaningful learning experiences, maximizing teaching time, and safeguarding students from digital dangers we have developed bundles of budget-friendly edtech tools and services. Lenovo’s extensive ecosystem of software solutions and partnerships that are purpose-built for the education space.

We want to help you unleash your students’ potential in today’s ever-evolving digital classroom – while maximizing your budget, efficiency, and security by offering over 40% off a one-year subscription on our bundle LanSchool and Lenovo NetFilter bundle providing our award-winning K-12 classroom management software and our cloud-based, AI-driven web filtering software.

Lenovo also provides solutions to help lighten the load for IT administrators. Security and device management can be time consuming for support professionals. Through our edtech bundles we have partnered with providers such as Absolute to help you better understand device usage, automate hardware inventory, and measure application health. Additionally, our highest bundle gives you access to SentinelOne endpoint protection to predict, stop, and correct the effects of malware.

Learn more about our education software solution bundles by contacting sales@lenovosoftware.com.

Microsoft is committed to ensuring that students are empowered and equipped for the workplace with custom professional development and technical skilling pathways, content and certifications for your students to develop 21st century skills.
  
Check out the Educator Center Overview - Microsoft Learn Educator Center | Microsoft Docs to deep dive into learning with interactive lessons, earn professional development hours, acquire certifications and find programs that help meet your goals. Discover something new or build on your skills in the free interactive workshops and trainings via Virtual Workshops and Online Training from Microsoft Store. To learn more about Microsoft in Education, visit us on our website.

Proximity Learning provides live K-12 virtual teaching services strategically curated to keep students engaged and excelling.

Committed to providing equality in education across the US, Proximity Learning’s live streamed solutions offer schools quick and easy access to highly trained and certified teachers to expand courses or fill even the hardest-to-fill positions. 

Dedicated to quality education, Proximity Learning teachers leverage top-tier technology and customizable curriculum to provide a hands-on and interactive learning experience that ensures high academic achievement. 

In business for more than 14 years, Proximity Learning is a long-term partner that delivers long-term results. To learn more about Proximity Learning, visit us on our website.

MassCUE is seeking a Director of Operations to help streamline and improve the operation of our organization. Learn more.                                         

Join us to reflect on the past year and make plans for the year ahead at our Annual General Meeting on June 13th at Gillette Stadium. Learn more.                                          

The Influence and Advocacy Committee would like to share the following resources:

New EdTech Evidence Toolkit 

The Office of Educational Technology at the US Department of Education just released their EdTech Evidence Toolkit to guide districts with making evidence-based decisions to support edtech adoption and professional development. The toolkit includes one-pagers with case studies to support school leaders with 4 tiers of evidence.
• Tier 4
• Tier 3
• Tier 2
• Tier 1

Additional information can be found on the Office of Educational Technology website.

Email Heidi MacGregor or Colleen Terrill for information on how to share your voice in advocacy and get involved with the MassCUE I&A Committee.

MassCUE SIGs offer educators opportunities to connect and support one another in an area of interest or region. 

Coaching in Schools - Will discuss supporting new teachers in pedagogy at the next virtual meeting on May 4th from 1:00-2:00pm.

Inclusive Learning - The MassCUE Inclusive Learning SIG is excited to partner with Apple to host a pop-up Accessibility Workshop for MassCUE community members! This event will be held in person on Thursday, May 18th from 1:00-3:00pm at Norton Middle School. Learn more and register.

Southeast, Cape & Islands Technology Team (SCITT) - Join SCITT members at the Corporate Partners Showcase at Gillette Stadium on May 5th. Learn more and register. 

Technology Integration - Will hold a virtual meeting on May 11th from 1:00-2:00pm.

Learn more about our SIGs

Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies is now accepting exhibitors and workshop proposals for their Fall Statewide Conference which is slated for October 22-23, 2023.

The theme of the two-day statewide conference is “Preparing Students to Hold the Office of Global Citizen.”

Please visit their website for details and how to submit your workshop proposal or register to our exhibition.

Receive PDPs and fulfill MA re-certification requirements for FREE with your MassCUE Membership using Infobase Learning Cloud. 

Infobase Learning Cloud is an online professional learning system designed to meet the needs of today's schools. The resources include short videos as well as self-paced workshops. 

All learning can be done on your own time from anywhere, and you receive your certificate upon completion of the Infobase Learning Cloud module. Infobase offers a wide range of training webinars. Be sure to check their library of archived webinars.

Please note new members are added to Infobase the first week of each month. New MassCUE members will receive an email with information on accessing and setting up your account.

Learn More

Tech & Learning Leadership Summit

Tech & Learning is hosting a Leadership Summit, taking place at The Connors Center on May 5, 2023, and district administrators are invited to apply to attend for no charge. This is a small, invitation-only event for district leaders that includes interactive workshops and panel discussions designed to support school planning during this challenging time. Find more information and apply for this free event here. Tech & Learning will also be hosting an "Innovative Leader" award as part of the Summit. All finalists will be invited to the Summit (including a two-night hotel stay) and the winners will be announced at the event. Nominate yourself or a colleague here.

Big Deal Book of Technology Newsletter

MassCUE partners with Big Deal Media to bring you the Big Deal Book of Technology Newsletter, featuring contests, resources, and information designed to bring the power of the web to your classroom.

The Big Deal Book newsletter will give you great ideas for your classroom.

Read the newsletter

For more information about MassCUE, go to MassCUE.org.