12-1+Notes


 * **Review of agenda, Updates ** || **Common understanding, Identification of additional items **** (Questions/Actions are listed below in red) ** || **Evan & Others ** || **90 ** ||
 * [|Recording for today's meeting: http://iowa.adobeconnect.com/p6hmqhspah7/]

• Iowa Core Alignment • Special Education Directors - Child Find, AEA Special Ed Procedures Manual, PBIS, UDL/AIM • Intel Mentoring • Mandatory Reporter, Non-Participating Districts • Joint Director Proposal • License Renewal Coordinators - Consistency Committee • "Independent Contractor" vs. "Employee" • Instructor Survey • Adobe/Envision-Tel Events Manager • Revenue Update • Expenditure Update
 * Not sure of the status of the contract with Brad Neibling
 * Former consultant of Heartland
 * Put together the ICAT tool
 * Used distance learning technology for Alignment training
 * Evan has been added to the agenda to address this topic
 * The next steps need to be discussed
 * Evan has been attempting to get on the agenda of the SPED Directors
 * Earliest available time is January
 * Evan has prepared information regarding how online learning can assist them
 * Has the current offerings
 * Would like to see what we can offer
 * Evan and Julie Schendal have spoke about PBIS and Child Find
 * Iowa is part of a consortium of states that have put together materials (CAST) for UDL/AIM
 * Spring 2009 courses were downloaded and placed on the Heartland Moodle server
 * Evan met with Assistive Tech statewide team to view the courses at that time
 * Many of these individuals are going through the OLLIE Cohort at this time
 * These courses may be offered once updates are made
 * Peggy is teaching the Intel Leadership course in January
 * Two individuals are going through Mentoring
 * They will be offering the Project-based course in January
 * Mentoring program has informally started
 * Have met with the mentors to discuss how AEA PD Online works
 * Peggy has created a new role for the Mentors
 * This allows mentors to view the course and have the same privileges as the instructor, but will not be listed as instructor
 * All four courses are ready to be offered from our server
 * Peggy had these available in October
 * Biggest problem has been finding instructors
 * How are these courses marketed?
 * If the course is not being offered, we could possibly add Peggy as the contact to answer questions regarding courses that are not being offered.
 * They can contact Evan also, he has not received any phone calls to date.
 * Each AEA has had at least two consultants go through the training on Intel
 * District X could ask that all their teachers go through the Intel training
 * It could be run as a district-based course
 * We could set up server space or move it to their server
 * AEA PD Online does not have a whole lot to do with site-based courses
 * Peggy is currently offering two courses for Intel and we are looking for additional instructors for the remaining courses
 * Sue will send Peggy the names of the master instructors in each district, Peggy will contact them about teaching an online course
 * Open course-instructors are paid
 * Site-based-instructors are not paid because it is done on contract
 * When is the one-on-one course going to be ready
 * We own the contact, but a meeting needs to be set up with the Ed Services Directors
 * Project-based Approaches course and the Leadership course are being offered in January
 * We promote through Online catalog and Twitter
 * Evan will send out the email for promotion of these courses
 * Sue shared that we may be able to use Round 2 of the Intel dollars to pay for mentors
 * Currently mentors are being paid through AEA PD Online
 * This may enable use to train additional mentors
 * Is the Leadership course the same content as the self-pace course?
 * Yes, it is the same course
 * The facilitation is in addition to this coursework
 * We charge $25 for the training
 * We have not received a lot of push back from teachers regarding this charge
 * We have heard from administrators that would like to pay for the training
 * Heartland's business office has been hesitant to offer the PO payment by districts or have the districts pay a set amount at this time
 * There are workgroups that are being told that they need to take the training by districts, but do not necessarily need it for license renewal
 * Should a training be created for these workgroups (ie. cooks, bus drivers, associates, paras)?
 * It was discussed that there was an individual from the Department of Education offering the Mandatory Training to Davenport and Waterloo
 * Kevin Fangman was not aware of this training
 * It is not state funded
 * Geri McMahon stated that this option may cause problems
 * People would try to use the training that is not approved to renew their license
 * It was a retired person from the DE that was offering the training
 * Department of Public Health has a variety of different options for this training
 * You can pay a cost of $18 to $30 for individual trainings
 * or you can buy the content for approximately $700 for the content
 * If I am a para and need to renew a para certificate, the para will need the Mandatory Reporter Certificate of Completion
 * Mandatory Reporter can print their own Certificates of Completion
 * This may help cut the cost of this training
 * Any request for a Certificate of Completion, maybe we can have them wait a week for them to print their own
 * Evan will put in a request to Marv to allow this feature
 * This change may have to be taken into consideration for upcoming years, instead of changing mid-year
 * Sharon is concerned about our response to our schools
 * It is felt that we need to address the needs of this group
 * We may need to name this something completely different
 * We need to look and see where this fits in the line of priorities to see where this type of training fits
 * What are we going to do with non-participating districts and what is being done to encourage them to become participants of this type of learning?
 * It is important to encourage the participating districts to maintain their participation in this type of learning
 * We need to market the convenience and cost effectiveness of this type of learning
 * Ideas on marketing on what your $.50 per student gets you
 * Part of helping participating districts to the features of the system
 * Maybe a blurb that outlines what the Online Training System can do for them
 * If you would like a tour of the options or to speak with someone, they could contact Evan to walk them through the features
 * Also include the new trainings that will be added this year
 * Possibly quotes on what the Online Learning System can do for them
 * This may be something that could be placed in the School Leader Update
 * It is cautioned about going to specific districts without checking with individual AEA key personnel
 * Target audience
 * Superintendents
 * What's New in PD (Heartland blog for new courses)
 * We have not been including AEA PD Online courses
 * Maybe individual AEA's need to be aware of our communication to districts
 * Peggy sends out tweets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
 * A proposal that is being considered by the Joint Directors
 * With all the different statewide initiatives going on right now, there needs to be coordination
 * Looking at ways to coordinate all statewide work
 * Nothing will be decided immediately
 * We have been working well as AEA's, but now how can we work better together as a state
 * The changes we are eluding to will take a long time to implement and a lot of discussion
 * People are recognizing that there is so much going on in the area of online and that we need to move in the same direction
 * It is too big and too expensive to not be moving in one direction
 * This proposal did not come from the Ed Services directors, but from a group within the Chiefs group
 * They would like to meet periodically throughout the year
 * They November meeting was cancelled, there is a meeting today
 * Nothing has been moved forward
 * Consistency
 * Common registration system
 * Reimbursement to teachers
 * We have to be willing to give up some of the things that are sacred to us
 * This only affects the people that are not currently employed by an AEA or LEA
 * There are two different distinctions that need to be indentified
 * Heartland has always hired them as a temporary employee
 * Heartland has created a checklist to identify potential instructors as employees or independent contractors
 * This topic was brought to the forefront because of a few instructors for Online Instructors
 * The I-9 is not easily completed if the instructor lives in a different state
 * These instructors will be identified as independent contractors
 * The pay is the same, at issue is the benefits that are offered
 * This is just another way that AEAs are running differently
 * Not all instructors for online courses have to hold a Masters degree, but they are partnered with someone that does hold the appropriate credentials
 * An instructor survey will be sent in December
 * Concerns were shared regarding graduate credit by some instructors of online courses
 * Online Council wants this survey sent to see if there are other issues
 * Peggy volunteered to work with Evan on this project
 * Front-end registration system that lists all scheduled virtual meetings being offered
 * Also lists all scheduled trainings through Adobe Connect Pro
 * This could be tied together so that it is statewide, there is a cost involved
 * We have not negotiated with them to offer this service
 * It is a little cost prohibitive at this time

• Moodle 2.0 @https://sites.google.com/site/iowamug/
 * Eventually everyone will be on 2.0, so will we have to make the updates
 * There is the transition process itself
 * Involves taking the server down and moving content
 * Training for users and instructors
 * Cosmetic items that need to be done
 * We have applied a theme to our serve and this will need to be recreated
 * Not all plugins will work or will need to be updated
 * Each AEA has its own Moodle server and ILO has its own Moodle server
 * We may want to look at moving at the same time
 * K-12 schools may be able to make the transition during the summer
 * This is not an option for us because summer is our busiest time
 * Sometime in the spring may work, but there is not a day that all courses are done
 * ILO will be looking at moving it in the spring
 * Rough date is between May 18 and 1st week of June
 * The statewide Moodle site is facing issues in the conversion process also
 * A sandbox has been created
 * Resource Iowa allows for five sites
 * The have a spot for their current site
 * Will have a site for 1.9 and 2.0
 * Transition will follow the lead of the AEA and IPTV
 * Is it possible to have the work on two different servers
 * It is possible
 * But from a management standpoint, this is not ideal
 * It would have to happen for courses that are midstream, but they would be sunset at the end of the course
 * AEA267 is looking for the okay to move forward, they want to move when the statewide system moves
 * AEA267 is looking for a timeline and date for the transition
 * AEA's can plan accordingly once the timeline is presented
 * From local support is there anything else that can be provided by AEA PD Online
 * Lessons on importing courses from one to another
 * What features seem to be the one's that are not picked up as easily
 * If there are recommendations from our group, it would be appreciated.
 * Some current courses may not work in Moodle 2.0 and will need to be tweaked
 * It makes sense to go statewide, but funding is the biggest issue
 * We will target April for the transition date
 * Test box will be placed in the next month, so we can work with it
 * Training materials for individuals will be developed
 * Target date and timeline will be developed by Evan and Peggy ||
 * **Moodle Users Group** || **Update, Next Steps** || **Evan, Tiffany, & Bob Puffer** || **30** ||
 * The link for this group
 * It will be nice to have group up and running prior to the transition to Moodle 2.0
 * This will be a helpful resource for collaboration
 * Evan will get a form, common marketing blurb, to the whole group
 * A tool needs to be selected for this whole site to live
 * Will it be a Wiki, a Moodle site or something else
 * A date that it goes live needs to be selected
 * Dilemma is moving this forward
 * What is the "buy-in" by other groups
 * Planning meeting after Christmas to identify stakeholders
 * Hopefully this will be up and running in March
 * May not need a preponderance of stakeholder to get it up and running
 * Denise Krefting will be a great resource for this group also
 * Are there other "go to" people, other than Denise, Scott and Karen?
 * Knowing who the stakeholders are, it is not believed that there will be a shortage of people at the table ||
 * **Communication Flowchart** || **Inform, Discuss, Next Steps** || **All** || **30** ||
 * * This was a request by Nancy McIntyre to improve communication
 * Evan has several different groups he communicates with
 * Not every update is sent to every group
 * SWOLC
 * Instructors
 * AEA Contacts
 * Communication Directors
 * Media Directors
 * It is felt that a flowchart of communication may be helpful
 * How do we fix the problem that AEA PD Online is not known amongst the Superintendents
 * Communication flowchart that comes from this meeting
 * How is the information for this meeting being filtered out to each AEA
 * The key person should be the person who sits on this council
 * People that sit on other councils bring back information that they have heard regarding AEA PD Online
 * We are missing three AEA's today, this is quite common for each meeting
 * We are aware that there are minutes and recordings, but do people really go through the minutes or the recordings
 * There are no longer clear channels of communication
 * It is not felt that the problem lies with where Evan is at
 * Can this process be improved is the real question
 * Highlights of the meeting, what needs to be done prior to the next meeting and who it needs to be shared with
 * Would this be helpful to send out after the meetings
 * Would it be helpful for the representative on this Council identify an alternate, so if the representative can not attend this meeting the alternate does
 * Who makes up this group and what do we want this group to do?
 * This discussion has been help many times
 * Each AEA provided a director that would attend these meeting
 * Sharon is the representative for Heartland, but Lynn McCartney is the alternate
 * Lynn has attended the meetings for a year
 * Evan is struggling with is this a transition that needs to be made and how quickly does this transition need to be made
 * This is a transition that should be made, in order to have the aligned conversation with other groups
 * We want to work in the direction of this being a functional workgroup, but How do we get there?
 * Should this be taken back to the directors in order to identify those "boots to the ground" people that have the time to commit to this workgroup
 * We could be much more productive if we had a representative at each AEA
 * It is happening at Heartland because Evan and Peggy are housed here, but it needs to happen at each AEA
 * Heartland, AEA267 and Keystone have made a commitment to this initiative
 * Some representatives do feel that the expansion is needed to this group
 * Evan will visit with each AEA individually to see what the needs are at the other AEA's
 * A proposal will be created once these meetings are held
 * We need to get the ball rolling without stepping on toes
 * In January, Evan will present a proposal to present to each AEA in order to secure a "boots on the ground" person and that they will commit the time to be an active member of this Council ||
 * **Closing** || **What needs to be communicated? **
 * Future agenda items? ** || Evan || 5 ||
 * Agenda items:
 * Blurb out about the Intel elements offerings
 * Peggy will secure list of other possible instructors for Intel
 * Look at possibility of Intel dollars for possible mentors
 * Online Mandatory Reporter Certificates being printed by individual users
 * Evan will send out an email regarding the duplicate Certificates
 * Specific marketing blurb will be sent to AEA's to be sent to superintendents to promote the Online Learning System
 * Make a proposal to the chiefs that we have a voice in the consistency plan
 * Results of survey in January
 * Date and timeline sent out for the transition to Moodle 2.0
 * Information regarding the Moodle Users Group
 * Evan will talk with the directors regarding a proposal for the representatives of the Online Council ||